This is a hodgepodge of things I should remember.

1. The different ranks of Princes

At the bottom of the hierarchy is the prince or wangja. Any son of the king (or wang) is a wangja. But if the prince’s mother is a concubine, then he’s a gun or wangjagun.

Now, if the prince’s mother is the king’s legitimate consort, the queen (or wangbi), then the prince’s status is elevated. He isn’t just a regular prince, he’s a Grand Prince or daegun. The main lead in this kdrama is a daegun. His name is Yi Yeol, and his royal name is Daegun Do Wol.

Note: the son of the grand prince is also a gun.

At the top of the heap is the Crown Prince or wangseja or seja. He’s appointed by the king to be the heir to the throne and future king.

Now, the Crown Prince doesn’t have to be:

a) a Grand Prince/daegun or son of the Queen (bec what if the Queen hasn’t produced a son? Or what if the Queen is deposed, and replaced by a new one, just like Yeonsangun’s mother?)

b) the eldest prince/wangja (bec what if the senior princes angered their father and consequently were stripped of their ranks?)

2. The historical Yeonsangun

As we all know by now, the king in this kdrama is loosely based on the historical tyrant, Yeonsangun. Last year, the hit “Bon Appetit, Your Majesty” also creative liberties with history and depicted the deposed king as someone who was unwittingly fooled by his own uncle and sadly misrepresented in the history books. This kdrama follows the same approach and portrays Yi Yeol’s half-brother, the king, as someone doped by his trusted right-hand man, Secretary Im, and his most-favored concubine.

Here are some historical facts about Yeonsangun.

a. He was regarded as the worst king in Joseon history. That’s why he was stripped of his royal name and demoted to a plain “wang” or Prince Yeonsan. Remember what I said about “gun”? He became Yeonsan + gun = Yeonsangun.

b. He was most infamous for two bloody purges of scholars and critics.

c. The trigger to his madness seems to be the discovery that his birth mother was deposed and forced to drink poison by his grandmother, the Dowager Queen. Before he learned of the truth, he thought his stepmother, the Queen, was his biological mom. In this kdrama, the king is shown telling Yi Yeol, to do nothing, if he wanted to “protect” his mom. This was probably a “brotherly” advice as the king felt that he was unable to save his own mother from the corrupt royal officials who wanted his mother out.

d. He was known to be a sexual predator. So far in this kdrama, we only see the king in his concubine’s company.

e. His favored concubine was considered manipulative and influential in the throne. She enabled many of the king’s excesses. She was beheaded when he was deposed.

f. He did have a closer adviser/sycophant named Im Sahong. It’s believed that he was the one who informed Yeonsangun about his birth mother, so he was partly blamed for the purge. He was executed during the rebellion. In the kdrama, he’s shown as a benefactor of the Hong family after Minister Hong was dismissed by the king. I don’t think the real Im Sahong would have stuck out his head, even for a colleague.

Also, in the kdrama, he seemed to genuinely admire Minister Hong’s integrity (perhaps because he knew that Minister Hong was the better man). In Episode 10, he didn’t tolerate his son speaking ill of the dead Minister Hong and he slapped him.

g. He did like hunting and he expelled many people from their villages and converted the lands into his hunting ground. In the kdrama, however, it’s shown as if the idea to take over the land is the Im family’s idea.

h. After he was deposed, his half-brother became king. I guess this tells us that no matter what Yi Yeol will survive this. Not sure about Eunjo/GilDong, though. Lol. King Jungjong turned out to be a wise king (at least during his early years) and did many reforms. One notable reform involved changing the government service from status-based to merit-based. Talented people, including the “lowborns” and slaves, could apply. Lol. Im JaeYi didn’t have to worry about his position then.

i. He did have skin boils. Lol. How come Lee Chaemin in “Bon Appetit, Your Majesty” had great complexion???

3. The death of EunJo’s father, Lord Hong

Without a doubt, Secretary Im is involved.

a. He could have staged the accident, knowing that the king would mistake EunJo’s father for a tiger and shoot.

Im: He talked about the harm and suffering inflicted on the people by His Majesty’s hunt and feast, and upon hearing this His Majesty was greatly angered. Until the very end, he remained true to himself.
Yi Yeol: But as you said, Lord Hong was a minister who spoke candidly to His Majesty without reserve. All other ministers who defied him were executed, but Lord Hong was ultimately spared.

To me, this means that if the king spared Lord Hong before when he was at the height of his madness and killing spree, then the king would have spared Long Hong this time, too. It doesn’t make sense to Yi Yeol that the king hunted Lord Hong down for sport this time. He suspects that there’s more to the story than Secretary Im is letting on.

Im: (looks at him)
YY: You know why, I presume. He was His Majesty’s teacher and friend. Was that truly the only reason?
Im: (bald-faced) How could I possibly tell a lie before you?

b. Or he could have shot EunJo’s father dead himself and ordered two guards to bring in the body when the King asked for the tiger.

I find it suspicious that he didn’t look shocked at the sight of his friend’s dead body.

Then to silence these two guards, his son SeungJae killed them in the forest.

SeungJae: What you saw and heard at the hunting grounds must remain secret.
Men: Yes.
SeungJae’s assassin: (appears behind them and slashes them dead)
SeunJae: Through death.

His convenient scapegoat would be the drug-addled king.

4. EunJo’s muddied shoes

I thought it was sweet that JaeYi cleaned her muddied shoes for her.

She wore them when she went out to kill the King. She chose to wear them in memory of her father who had bought the pair of shoes for her. I guess it was like a bad of honor/dishonor.

JaeYi and HaeRim noticed the muddied shoes. And he lied to cover up EunJo’s whereabouts.

Then, the following day, he returned them in pristine condition. Awwww. He cleaned them for her.

To me, this is a symbolic act. He’s willing to be of service to her, from covering up her crime to obstructing the investigation.

For instance, his father Secretary Im wanted to investigate how the assassin got hold of a king’s arrow. He blocked it by pointing out that so many arrows were used during the king’s hunt.

JY: I heard that the number of arrows His Majesty used in this hunt exceeded even those used during the Eulmi War. The grounds near the Onyang temporary palace are strewn with arrows left unrecovered. Shall we interrogate the thousands of commoners driven out Chungcheong?

Ha! He meant that any of one those displaced citizens could have a grudge against the king and picked up an arrow to shoot at the king.

He’s also willing to play the villain for her if she needed space from Yi Yeol.

JY: (addressing EJ) Well, it’s hard for you to see the Grand Prince now, isn’t it? Then, I’ll play the villain for you. Properly this time. Leave!

JY: I followed Hong EunJo. I didn’t know what else she might do.

Meaning, in case she tries to do something reckless again like assassinate the king, he keeps an eye on her.

YY: Well done.
JY: So please save your unnecessary sincerity.

At the mention of “sincerity,” Yi Yeol looks down at his chest where the arrow hit him.

That, too, was an act of “unnecessary” sincerity. He risked his own life to save EunJo and her family from disaster. JaeYi understands why he did it but doesn’t say anything.

YY: I’m fine. I’m still breathing well. My heart is beating as well as before. I ate well. I slept well. Living a normal life may be harder than before I woke up.

Meaning, everything appears to be back to normal yet nothing really is back to normal. He can’t go back to the easy-peasy, carefree days before the assassination attempt.

JY: I didn’t ask.
YY: That’s why I said it. Since you showed no curiosity at all.

Meaning, it isn’t intended for JaeYi at all. It’s meant for EunJo if and when she asks about him. Yi Yeol expects JaeYi to relay his message as is – with neither embellishments nor omissions – because he’s indifferent to Yi Yeol’s condition. JaeYi will pass on the communication matter-of-factly.

And he does.

6. The lantern

I don’t know what wish EunJo prayed for and I don’t know how to interpret the lantern suddenly extinguishing its light and falling from the sky.

Right now, I can only come up with three wishes.

a) she wished that Yi Yeol would re-write his marriage proposal since she lost the first one.
b) she wished long life and happiness for her father and mother.
c) she wished that her father and Yi Yeol would make an effort to like each other.

As for the lantern’s ominous return to the ground, I can only make three guesses as to its meaning, too.

a) Yi Yeol and EunJo aren’t fated to be together.
b) her father would die soon (and he did).
c) her father and the Grand Prince respected each other but their relationship was complicated.

At any rate, it would be easy for him (and sneaky, too) to distinguish it from other lanterns, should he go looking for it, because he himself drew a big circle on it, like a target. 😂 He was thinking ahead.

8. The Buddhist nun

I find it interesting that the Buddhist nun and her cohorts are ready to depose the king but they haven’t discuss who will succeed him.  Do they already have a person in mind? Are they thinking of the Grand Prince? Have they even run this past him? Tsk tsk. tsk. For me, it’s nonsensical to plan a rebellion with just a figurehead like Gil Dong to lead them. They need an actual living breathing person to rally around and to take the throne afterwards. Otherwise, they’ll just create a leadership vacuum and end up with a bigger chaos. Oh well.