American Perspectives: Mean Girls and Vendettas Pt. 2 ("기황후" Ep. 8)

 

 

"기황후" can be viewed on Viki or Youtube, as well as many other channels.  It is an amazing classic 사극, and this author is aware that it's not historically accurate.  The real life Empress Ki had a very contentious relationship with the Goryeo Dynasty.  And many liberties were most certainly taken with the fictionalized version of historical characters. Dialogue adapted from English Subtitle translations by the "Imperial Team at Viki.com"

 

 

 

 

Emperor Toghon is sitting like a petulant child getting dressed for church, while the palace maids are meticulously putting on his wedding robes.  No wonder Seung Nyang was completely turned off by him.

 

Eunuch Baek sees him scowling.  "It's a day of celebration.  Please look happy."

 

True to his man child nature, he makes a very childish face.  Yeah...that's a real skirt lifter...

 

"Your Majesty," says Eunuch Baek.

 

Emperor Toghon rolls his eyes and sighs.

 

*********

 

Danashiri, on the other hand, is very excited as her palace maids and court ladies adorn her in the best jewelry and makeup.  After all, it's her special day.

 

"His Majesty will say you look beautiful," says a Senior Court Lady.

 

"That won't be enough," says Danashiri.  "He needs to go completely blind from the sight of me."

 

"The sedan chair is outside, please get on."

 

Keep in mind, Danashiri also did not have a say about this marriage, but she is embracing it, like most women in unfavorable situations do.  Emperor Toghon, on the other hand, is acting like a typical man child who will pout, avoid, act apathetic, withhold sex, and make her life miserable.  (In hopes that she will walk out).

 

"All right," Danashiri smiles.  She touches the ceramic container of musk.

 

"This is the scent that makes men weak kneed," Tanqishi had said.  "The best quality musk."

 

She picks it up and smiles.  A little marital aid can't hurt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Empress Dowager Budashiri looks over at El Temur suspiciously.  He looks at her and smiles.  Everyone is sitting outside, waiting for the wedding to begin.

 

Tanqishi is watching Seung Nyang from afar.  He smiles as he sees her whispering to a palace maid at the outer edge of the formation.  The two women switch places.

 

"His Imperial Majesty!" 

 

Emperor Toghon stands in front of the throne.

 

"Her Imperial Majesty!"

 

The red doors open, and Danashiri is being carried in her sedan chair.

 

El Temur rises.

 

Emperor Toghon yawns while he remains seated.  He notices El Temur giving him side eye, and he promptly stands up.  El Temur should really have his sons horse whip him for being such an ass hat.

 

Emperor Toghon quickly rushes to his place on the red carpet, looking somewhat sloppy.

 

Seung Nyang looks at him with disdain, and momentarily feels sorry for the woman who has the misfortune of marrying him.

 

Danashiri's entourage dutifully carries her sedan chair down the red carpet.  She is beaming from ear to ear.

 

Emperor Toghon walks forward, looking like a lost child.

 

Come this way, Seung Nyang thinks.   Come.  A little...A little more.

 

Danashiri walks up the staircase with Eunuch Dokman on her left side.  She walks by Seung Nyang without even a second thought.  She almost looks like a mini Empress Dowager Budashiri.  She meets Emperor Toghon on the main red carpet.

 

Seung Nyang reaches for the knife concealed in her sleeve.

 

Emperor Toghon holds out his hand, and Empress Danashiri grasps it.

 

As Seung Nyang steps forward, focused and ready to kill, she feels an unwelcome hand on her shoulder.  Her blood runs cold when she sees who it is.  He will not take his fucking hand off her shoulder.

 

"How is life as a palace maid?"  Tanqishi smirks.

 

For the love of all things holy, go away!  She watches Danashiri and Emperor Toghon walk away, her window of opportunity now sealed shut.  Oh, how she wants to stab Tanqishi right now.

 

"It's not too late.  If you come to me now, you can take off that servant outfit, and enjoy wealth and honor."

 

Seung Nyang looks at him balefully.

 

He finally gets his yucky hand off her shoulder.

 

 

 

 

 

Emperor Toghon and Empress Danashiri are seated on a huge golden throne outside, clinking their cloisonne ceramic cups.

 

Empress Danashiri takes a sip and smiles.  Her father gazes at her proudly.

 

Emperor Toghon takes a gulp, and Empress Dowager Budashiri sighs.

 

"Long live Her Majesty!  All hail!"  Lord Jang shouts.  "Love live His Imperial Majesty!  All hail!"

 

"Hail!  Hail!"  The crowd shouts.

 

Empress Danashiri looks beautiful, and Emperor Toghon is beginning to relax.

 

Seung Nyang, on the other hand, is raging inside.  She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes as a tear rolls down her cheek.

 

*********

 

Yeon Hwa, Hong Dan, and Seung Nyang walk into the servants' quarters and take a seat.

 

"I thought I was going to die," Yeon Hwa whines.  "My legs hurt so much."

 

"Do you want me to massage them?"  Hong Dan asks.

 

As Yeon Hwa is about to move closer to have Hong Dan massage her legs, Seung Nyang steps up on the sleeping platform.  Yeon Hwa immediately changes her mind.  "No, it's fine.  I need to go to the palace."

 

"Why?"  Hong Dan asks.

 

"What do you mean why?"  Yeon Hwa asks. "I'm going to go decorate the Emperor's marriage suite."

 

Seung Nyang's ears perk up.  "He's spending his first night here?"

 

"Yes."

 

"You're working there tonight?"

 

"The servants can't go.  It's for Court Ladies only."

 

As Seung Nyang undoes her clothes, her knife falls on the floor, and Yeon Hwa is the first to notice.  She says nothing, and pretends she didn't see as Hong Dan throws her outer vest on top of it.

 

Seung Nyang feels a moment of panic, hoping Yeon Hwa didn't see it.

 

"I'll be going," Yeon Hwa says nonchalantly.

 

"All right, farewell," says Hong Dan.  "Are you crazy?"  She asks Seung Nyang.  "You can't have a knife in here."

 

"Yeon Hwa didn't see, did she?"

 

"I don't think so, but why do you have a knife?"

 

"Please ignore it.  Thank you, Hong Dan."

 

Hong Dan reluctantly nods.

 

Tonight will be your last, Seung Nyang thinks.

 

************

 

The Goryeo laborers struggle and fall as they carry large stones.  As punishment, Jo Cham whips them.

 

"When are you going to finish at this rate?"  Jo Cham shouts.  "Hurry up!  Come on!"

 

Eunuch Bang's knees buckle, and before Moo Song can help him, Byeong Soo whips him across the back.

 

"Stop trying to fake it, Eunuch Bastard," says Byeong Soo.  He looks at Wang Yoo.  "Move it!"

 

"That damn bastard, Yeom Byeong Soo," says Eunuch Bang.  "I'll chew him up one day!"

 

Wang Yoo watches a Yuan soldier beat another Goryeo laborer.

 

"How long do you think the deposed King will last?"  Talahai asks Bayan and Toqto'a.  The three are observing the action from a ledge.

 

"Make them work night and day," says Bayan.

 

"Yes, Uncle," Toqto'a replies.

 

"Those men who are with the deposed King," Talahai says, "how about we send them elsewhere?  That would be better for getting rid of the deposed--"

 

"Have you heard from our spies who were sent to the Turks?"  Bayan pointedly interrupts.

 

"I haven't heard back yet," says Toqto'a.

 

"Hey!"  Talahai screeches.  "Are you ignoring my words?"

 

"I'm not interested in some deposed King's life," says Bayan.

 

"What?"  Talahai asks incredulously.

 

"I only care about getting rid of the Turks.  Anyone who interferes, I won't allow it, even if it's you."

 

Talahai glowers.  "Let's see how great you are!"  He turns and walks away like the star football player who has just been rejected by the hottest girl in school.

 

"He'll soon be the Emperor's brother in law," Toqto'a cautions.  "It would be best not to upset him."

 

"Give your advice to him instead.  That it would be best not to upset me right now."

 

*******

 

The Goryeo laborers continue to work late into the night.

 

"Hurry up!"  Jo Cham yells.

 

"If you pass out," says Byeong Soo, "you're dead!  Move it!"

 

"Please rest," Moo Song says to Wang Yoo.  "I'll do it."

 

"I'm fine, don't worry," says Wang Yoo.

 

"We'll have to work through the night," says Jeom Bak.  "Isn't this too much?  We can't even sleep."

 

"Sleep or whatever," says Eunuch Bang, "I'm starving."

 

Bul Hwa looks up and notices something strange on the ledge above them.

 

A bell rings.  "Time to eat!"  Jo Cham yells.   "If you're late, you'll starve!"

 

The laborers get moving en masse.

 

On the other side of the wooden fence, several Turkic warriors are observing the encampment.  A line of archers draw their bows.  Behind them, a mass of people with noisemakers position their instruments.

 

"Bastards," Jeom Bak says as he looks at his rice ball.  "They want us to survive with just one of these a day?"

 

Moo Song hands his rice ball to Wang Yoo.  "Have this one, too."

 

"I'm good," says Wang Yoo.  In reality, the real life Wang Yoo/Chunghye of Goryeo was not even remotely this virtuous.  The portrayal of him in "Faith/The Great Doctor" is actually much more accurate.  He was known for abducting women, and he was exiled to Yuan during this time period for raping his father's concubine.

 

"Have mine, Your Majesty," says Eunuch Bang.  "My stomach is small."

 

"Eat up," says Wang Yoo.

 

"You're not going to eat it?"  Jeom Bak asks Eunuch Bang.  He snatches the rice ball from his hand.  "Thank you!"

 

"This punk," Eunuch Bang smacks him across the head, wrests his rice ball away.  "This thing..."

 

A group of Goryeo laborers approach them.

 

"Come here and eat with us," says Wang Yoo.

 

Baek Ho Jang spits on the ground with disdain.  "Let's go."

 

"Filthy," Jeom Bak abruptly stands up, "come here and do that again!"

 

Eunuch Bang pulls him down.

 

"They're disappointed in me," says Wang Yoo.

 

"Why would they be?"  Jeom Bak asks.

 

"They must have thought their situation would get better now that His Majesty was here," Eunuch Bang explains.

 

"Ignore them," says Moo Song.  "Right now, your well being is the most important."

 

Bul Hwa rushes over to them.  "Something's strange.  I heard the clashing sound of weapons in the woods."

 

"Get them!"  A Turkic warrior shouts.  The wooden fences are kicked down as they stampede through the encampment.  Arrows rain down on a mostly unarmed camp.

 

"Get them!"  Jo Cham shouts.

 

With what little weaponry they have, the Yuan soldiers clash with the Turks.

 

"I'll get back-up, you stay here!"  Byeong Soo says to Jo Cham.

 

"That Yeom Byeong Soo bastard!"  Jo Cham yells.

 

"Don't leave anyone alive!"  A Turkic soldier yells.  "Get them all!"

 

Wang Yoo's unarmed entourage surround and shield him.  All they need to do is find a way to get some weapons off of any fallen enemy soldiers.

 

"Our people are dying," Wang Yoo says tearfully.  "They're dying in front of my eyes!"

 

"Your Majesty."

 

"Your Majesty, you must get away from here!"  Bul Hwa says.

 

"We need to take their weapons," says Wang Yoo.  "Hurry!"

 

Eunuch Bang and Bul Hwa run ahead.  At the last moment, Wang Yoo decides to join them.

 

"Your Majesty!"  Moo Song yells.

 

Wang Yoo finds a Turkic warrior, and wrests his sword away.  He cuts through as many soldiers as he can, as if he's whacking away the weeds.  His other men claim their weapons and follow suit.

 

Wang Yoo kicks and slices through the swarm.  "Whoever has weapons, come to the front,"  Wang Yoo commands, "and block them!"

 

 

 

 

 

Bayan and his men wade through the wreckage.  "How many Yuan soldiers are dead?"  Bayan asks.

 

"Twelve," says Byeong Soo.

 

"And the rest?"  Talahai asks.

 

"We'll have to count," says Jo Cham, "but at least 100."

 

Wang Yoo and his entourage stand directly across from Bayan and his men.  All goes quiet.  As Wang Yoo steps forward, Bayan's men draw their swords.

 

Bayan steps forward.  "Stop!"  He unsheathes his sword.

 

With a running start, Wang Yoo jumps into the air, and strikes down at Bayan, who blocks with his sword.  The two men continue to spar.

 

Baek Ho Jang and his men emerge from behind a rock to watch.

 

The sparring ends in a draw, as both men point at each other's throats.

 

"You killed them," Wang Yoo snarls.  "You killed them!"

 

Toqto'a points his sword at Wang Yoo's throat.

 

"Your Majesty!"  Jeom Bak yells.

 

Byeong Soo deftly takes Wang Yoo's sword out of his hand.

 

Talahai lunges at Wang Yoo from the back, his sword in position.

 

"Stop!"  Bayan yells.  "Bring him to my quarters."

 

*********

 

Byeong Soo and Jo Cham drag Wang Yoo into Bayan's ger.

 

"Even if they're foreigners," says Wang Yoo, "you should have given them weapons.  If you didn't have enough weapons, the Yuan soldiers should have protected them!  Your carelessness killed innocent people!"

 

"Do you think they're being discriminated against because they're foreigners?"  Bayan asks.

 

"You should know," says Wang Yoo.

 

"No," says Bayan.  "Even if they had weapons, it would have been the same.  Since they think the war is between Yuan and the Turks, the foreigners are the ones discriminating, not me.  A war without purpose is bound to be lost.  I cannot give any weapons to an undisciplined mob who only care about their own lives.  Whether they die today or tomorrow, in the end, they will die."

 

"That undisciplined mob you speak of, I will make into strong fighters.  Give me the abillity to command."

 

"Shut up!"  Talahai screeches.

 

Byeong Soo steps forward.  "I'm their commander!  You can't give the power to command to him!"

 

"You left the men and ran away," Wang Yoo points out.  Everyone present in the ger had witnessed that debacle.

 

"I didn't run away," Byeong Soo insists.  "I went away to get reinforcements!"

 

"Stop running your wicked mouth," says Wang Yoo.

 

"You can't give him an opportunity to distinguish himself," Talahai insists.

 

"He could lose his head for any loss incurred," says Toqto'a.  "So, how about we let him?"

 

"Whatever the case," Talahai pouts, "Yeom Byeong Soo should be the commander!"

 

"I'll hand over the power to command to the one who wins the fight against each other.  How about it?  Will you follow my suggestion?"  Bayan asks.

 

"I'll do that," says Wang Yoo.

 

"How about you?"  Bayan asks Byeong Soo.

 

"While this guy was living it up in the palace," says Byeong Soo, "I was busy getting callouses from wielding this sword.  Why would I object?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Twenty first period of the day!"  A eunuch shouts as he and his entourage cross a bridge.

 

A court lady dressed in the lower ranked purple uniform spreads rose petals on the wedding bed.  Small plates of food are laid out on the table.

 

Empress Danashiri is being helped into her night wear, a beautiful white dress with gilded flowers woven into the cloth.  She opens the container of musk, and dabs some on her neck.  She skips over to the bed and takes a seat.  She giggles as she can't wait to see her husband.

 

 

 

 

 

"You need to get to the marriage suite," Eunuch Baek says to Emperor Toghon.

 

Emperor Toghon whines and pouts.  "I got it, so stop nagging."

 

"Your Majesty!"  A male voice yells from outside.  "Empress Dowager is entering!"

 

The doors open, and Empress Dowager Budashiri regally walks in.

 

"Welcome, Empress Dowager," Emperor Toghon smiles.

 

"You may leave," Empress Dowager says to Eunuch Baek.

 

Empress Dowager and Emperor Toghon take a seat.

 

"I know how you feel," says Empress Dowager.  "Even if she's beautiful, she's still Prime Minister El Temur's daughter."

 

"What should I do?"

 

"Go to the suite for the peace of the palace."

 

"I should, right?  I will do so."

 

"Spend the night together, but you must avoid any pregnancy.  Prime Minister is old.  He doesn't have many years left.  There will be a bloody fight to claim his place when his absolute power disappears.  That is the reason there can't be a child between you and Danashiri."

 

Toghon is beginning to feel like an object.

 

"We can't give them a reason, or a way to regroup!"  Empress Dowager continues.

 

"Then, are you saying we can push their influence out?"

 

"We must.  I'm looking for a royal concubine right now."

 

"Royal concubine?"

 

 

 

 

 

Emperor Toghon is surrounded by an impressive entourage, as he is being carried across the bridge in his golden sedan chair.   He gestures for the procession to halt.  He leans forward as Eunuch Baek approaches him.  Empress Dowager's intrusive words play through his head.  "You must only have a child with the royal concubine I have chosen.  Do you understand?"  

 

Emperor Toghon sighs.  Truthfully, there are many alternate, adult oriented ways to please Danashiri (that she may even actually prefer) without penetration and the risk of pregnancy.  That, in and of itself, would have probably made the inner court run much more smoothly.  Unfortunately, many men's ideas of pleasing a woman are limited to their penis, and ultimately limited to pleasing themselves while the woman is a mere vessel to take it out on.

 

**********

 

Seung Nyang's eyes spring open in the middle of the night.  She slowly sits up and checks to see if anyone else is awake.  Unbeknownst to her, Yeon Hwa is very much awake, but turned away.  She has been looking for the perfect opportunity to take Seung Nyang down.  After all, revenge is never satisfied.

 

***********

 

Eunuch Dokman and his men are strolling the corridor to the servants' quarters with an intent and purpose.

 

As Seung Nyang heads for the door, Eunuch Dokman and his entourage barge in.

 

Yeon Hwa shoots straight up in her bed.  This, she must not miss.  The other servants begin to awaken.

 

"What brings you here this late in the evening?"  Yeon Hwa asks with faux curiosity.

 

Eunuch Dokman looks straight at Seung Nyang.  "Search this wench!"

 

"Yes, Sir," say two eunuchs.  They grab Seung Nyang and pat her down.  One reaches into her sleeve, and grabs her knife.

 

"Sir, a knife," says the eunuch.

 

Dokman pulls it from the makeshift sheath, and scowls at Seung Nyang.  "Drag her out!"

 

"Yes, Sir."

 

Eunuch Dokman looks at Yeon Hwa, while she bows her head in false modesty.  Truthfully, seeing Seung Nyang in trouble is turning her on.

 

...To be continued...