Forced to follow Man-Ju's words, Ha-Rin walked towards the house to avoid escalating the situation further. She tightly held her daughter when she passed by Man-Ju, who kept a malevolent gaze at her and her daughter.
In the receiving area, she joined Grandfather Jang, who was seated in front of the long dining table. Man-Ju sits at the head of the table. "When do you think my brothers will come back?" he asks the people sitting in front of him
"I would not be expecting a warm welcome from my grandsons if I were you," Grandfather Jang answered back
"Why?" Man-Ju shot back at the old man, "Is it because I am only their half-brother? Is it because I was born the son of a concubine? Is it because I am not the son of your precious daughter?" Man-Ju raged at the old man
"I see that I struck a chord," He glared at the King. "Even if you are not of my blood, I would have accepted you. But I can see that will never come to pass, as you are too preoccupied with the differences between you and my grandsons."
"And what would that be, old man? Why don't you shower me with your wisdom?" Man-Ju told Grandfather Jang, ridiculing him
"My Grandsons want to protect the crown while you...you want to horde it for yourself," Grandfather Jang aptly explained
Man-Ju hits the old man with the back of his hand, which sends Grandfather Jang reeling back from the impact. "Your grandsons are traitors to the crown, they conspire to take the crown away from me...they are my brothers, but they betrayed me!" he shouted angrily at the old man. Ha-Rin covered Young-Ju's ears and turned her away from the King's violence,
Man-Ju, upon seeing what Ha-Rin did, addressed her, "Why did you turn my niece away from me? This is a precious lesson a princess should learn: how to deal with traitors!"
With a trembling voice, Ha-Rin defiantly replied to the King, "The difference between you and your brothers is that they never used the word 'ME' as often as you do."
Ha-Rin's words shot like a million barbs. He took his sword and aimed it at the mother and child, ready to deal them a fatal strike. Ha-Rin turned her back towards the King and used her body as a shield to protect her daughter. Grandfather Jang quickly calls the King's attention, "Do that and I assure you, your brothers will never forgive you. Harm them and by this time tomorrow, they will have your head on a pike, I guarantee you!"
The King halted his attack. He was breathing heavily from anger. He closed his eyes for a while, and when he opened them, he was already calm. "Thank you, old man, you just reminded me that this wench and her brat are more valuable as shields if they are alive." He told Grandfather Jang. He then turned to the old man, "But you, you are just worthless!" With lethal intent, he plunged his sword into the old man's chest.
"Grandfather!" Ha-Rin shouted in horror
"Master Jang!" Uncle Ban shouted in shock
The two watched helplessly as the patriarch of the family fell to the floor, bloodied and motionless. Uncle Ban rose from his seat and charged at Man-Ju. he was fast enough to reach the King and punch his jaw before the royal guards subdued him. He was kicking and screaming at Man-Ju while being restrained by the soldiers, "Animal!" he shouted. "He was a defenseless old man! Coward! You don't deserve to be King! You are nothing but a greedy and spineless worm!"
The King wiped the warm fluid from his lip, and as he noticed the blood, a wave of rage washed over him. "How dare a filthy slave spill my royal blood!" He lunged at Uncle Ban, delivering a brutal kick that sent the servant sprawling to the floor. Man-Ju quickly subdued Ban, raining down blows upon his face. When he finally paused, he looked down at the battered man, whose face was a horrific sight, marred with blood and bruises of deep blue and red.
"You will face a dreadful and agonizing death for this!" the King shouted, summoning his guards. "Take this despicable creature and make him suffer! I want his death to be slow and filled with pain!"
The guards said in unison, "Yes! Your Highness!" and seven or more men dragged the hapless Uncle Ban outside to be tortured.
Man-Ju then heard Young-Ju crying because of all the shouting and violence. "Silence that little bastard now, or I will!" he yelled at Ha-Rin
Ha-Rin quickly embraced her daughter tightly. Though tears flowed from her eyes, she remained steadfast and resolute not to show fear. Breathing heavily, she glared at the King. "The actions you do today will be your undoing!" she thought to herself, of the King's murder of Grandfather Jang.
Disturbed by the fierce glare from Ha-Rin, yet unable to harm either her or her child, whom he viewed as his human shields, he barked orders at the soldiers. "You! Seize this woman and her daughter! I don't want to hear a peep from either of them; gag them if necessary, or you'll all feel my fury!" With that, he stormed out of the Jang family home.
The guards seized Ha-Rin by her arms, forcing her to relinquish Young-Ju. One soldier managed to snatch the little girl away from her grasp. "No! Please, give me back my daughter! Don't take her from me, you monsters!" she cried out, only to be met with a punch to the stomach that knocked her unconscious.
"Mama! Mama! Help me, I'm scared!" Young-Ju wailed, reaching out for her mother's limp form being carried away. The little girl kicked and screamed as the soldier carried her roughly. The soldiers tossed Ha-Rin into a confined carriage, followed closely by Young-Ju.
Inside the carriage, Ha-Rin lay sprawled on the floor, and Young-Ju quickly crawled over to her, desperate to wake her. "Mama... please wake up, I'm scared. Mama! Mama!" she sobbed.
The sound of her daughter's cries stirred Ha-Rin from her unconsciousness, and she instinctively cradled Young-Ju in her arms. "Don't cry, my sweet girl. There's no need to be afraid. Papa and Uncle will rescue us; they won't let the bad people win," she reassured her daughter, trying to lift her spirits. Young-Ju continued to weep, and all Ha-Rin could do was stroke her hair gently while humming a lullaby that Young-Ju's grandmother, the former Queen, used to sing.
Man-Ju was about to mount his horse when a soldier approached him. "What about the other servants, your Highness?"
"They attacked me and are therefore branded as traitors, hang everything that moves, and burn this place to the ground!" He mounted his horse and led the soldiers on the way back to the capital.
The sun had already set when Prince's group reached Nyuong gum. The night was illuminated by the roaring flames of a big fire that came from a familiar direction. Just then, a villager confirmed their suspicion, "Oh my gosh...Ra-Im. Master Jang's house is on fire, they were attacked by soldiers." The man then continued to run towards the village well.
"Ha-Rin...Young-Ju," Min-Jae weakly uttered their name. He whipped his horse and directed it to the Jang household.
Upon nearing the estate, the area was filled with people and onlookers. Some were putting the fire out, others were pointing at the roaring flames, too afraid to go near the estate. Young-Sik and Jin-Ri rushed through the gates, and once inside, they could feel the searing heat from the burning house. The night felt like a bright and hot summer day. They scanned the area and saw several individuals wailing, and among them was Min-Jae kneeling in front of what looked like a couple of hanging clothes. It was only when they approached Min-Jae and, to their horror, saw that what they thought were not clothes but people hanging from nooses.
Jin-Ri instinctively turned away, burying her face in Young-Sik's arms. She could not stomach looking at the gruesome fate of Grandfather Jang and his people.
Min-Jae was kneeling in front of the corpse of his grandfather. Young-Sik slowly walked to his grandfather's cold and lifeless body. He wanted to reach out and touch him, but his anger and sadness paralyzed him. Min-Jae suddenly grasped Young-Sik's hands. "Ha-Rin and Young-Ju," he said weakly