Dong Yi

Dong Yi leaves the palace and set up her own citizen's advice bureau to help lowborn who have problems with corrupt nobleman. Then, she discovers that the Finance Minister and Police Chief are involved in corruption and they also frame a lowborn for the murder of an official. But, thanks to her investigation, the framed lowborn are released and the corrupt officials are caught. A few years later, the King and Dong Yi are both dead. Dong Yi's son, who becomes the new King of Joseon, visits his mother's grave with Cheon Soo and promises to be a good King.

Jang Moo Yeol is now in charge of the army and he also has the Queen under his influence. He then persuades the Queen to move Dong Yi to her new residence while the King is away. Jang Moo Yeol's plan is to frame Dong Yi for the murder of the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince entourage are attacked but he is not harmed. Cheon Soo and his men, who are at the scene are arrested. Since the King is away, the Queen is in charge and she issues an emergency decree to get all of those who have involved in the conspiracy arrested. The guards surround Dong Yi's residence and but they are there not to arrest Dong Yi. They are there to arrest Jang Moo Yeol instead. This is because the Queen has discoverd what Jang Moo Yeol's plan is.

Dong Yi is shocked to hear that but manages to get the permission to choose her son's bride. She refuses all the candidates from Disciples' Faction family. In the end, she chooses a scholar that has no power in politics. But, the home of the scholar has 'wang gi' royal energy, in which previous Kings have stayed or live there. It also means that the prince will get some support from the public that he should also become a king. In the meantime, Cheon Soo find out that Jang Moo Yeol have been doing some illegal things. Then, the wedding of Prince Yeoning and his bride goes ahead as planned.

Dong Yi is seriously injured by the attack. The assassin tries to get out of the palace but they get caught by the soldiers. Then, it is revealed that the attack was ordered by Jang Hee Jae. He and Lady Yoo get arrested and tortured but they refuse to say that Jang Ok Jeong was involved in it. But later she is also arrested. The King takes his time to decide what the suitable punishment for Jang Ok Jeong is. The King tries to get Jang Ok Jeong to commit suicide because she is the Crown Prince mother and it is a sensitive issue to sentence her to death but she refuses to do it. Without a choice, the King sentences her, her mother and brother to death.

Everyone searches for the Crown Prince. He doesn't tell the police who he is because he is worried something bad will happen to him. Cheon Soo finally finds him and brings him back to the palace. He is very weak and ill. Jang Ok Jeong is furious and blames Prince Yeoning. Because of that, Southern and Disciples' faction want Dong Yi and her son to be exiled from the palace because they put Crown Prince's life in danger. When Crown Prince gets healthier, he tells his mother that he knows what his illness is and doesn't feel he is worthy of his position as Crown Prince. He then goes to meet the King and tells him the truth.

The Queen also asks the King to make Dong Yi a Queen, but Southern and Disciples' factions want Jang Ok Jeong to be the Queen. Now, Prince Yeoning and Crown Prince are becoming friends. The Crown Prince wants to know what is his illness is. So, they sneak into the pharmacy and they finally know what his illness is. Meanwhile, Dong Yi goes to see Jang Ok Jeong and wants a truce with her. Then, as the King announces that Dong Yi will be promoted to a Bin level 1 concubine, Jang Ok Jeong tells Dong Yi that she will accept her offer on the truce. But then, Prince Yeoning finds a strange book in his school bag.

But then, it's decided that Prince Yeoning will be studying with a famous scholar and not with the Crown Prince. Furiously, Jang Ok Jeong's mother goes to see a shaman and wants to know the fortune of Dong Yi's son, but she is told that her family will have a bloody end. He then tries to frame Oh Ho Yang for the burning of Dong Yi's house by asking her assassin to hang him with a suicide not. But, the exiled Cheon Soo saves him. Jang Ok Jeong meanwhile knows that her son's condition is no longer a secret and she is ordered by the Queen to tell the King the truth. But the next day, the Queen collapses and Jang Ok Jeong is plotting to get rid of her.

The King takes his son to a Korean sumo game and ends up participating in it to impress his son. Later, Dong Yi takes Geum to a scholar so that he can learn better and also to keep his identity as a child prodigy a secret. Jang Ok Jeong's mother hears that the King has seen Dong Yi and orders her men to burn Dong Yi's house. But, the King's guards are on watch and manage to save Dong Yi and her son. The incident helps the King to bring them back to the palace. Furthermore, since his son is now 7 years old, he must come back to the palace and have the education befitting his status. Jang Ok Jeong is furious when she sees Dong Yi and her son stroll into the palace.

Dong Yi confess to everything. The scholars want the King to punish Dong Yi by execution, but he refuses. Then, Dong Yi's son is dead because he has measles. Soon after, the King decides on the punishment. Cheon Soo is exiled and Dong Yi is sent out of the palace. The King vow to never meet her again. One night, the drunken King arrives at Dong Yi's new home. He then vows to never go back but then hears that she is pregnant. Later, Dong Yi has a son and the King named him Geum. Six years later, Dong Yi and Geum live with the commoners.

Dong Yi, Sir Shim and Chief Seo now realises that Oh Tae Seok and Jang Ok Jeong is behind the Namin official murder, framing of Sword Fraternity and the death of her father. When Oh Tae Seok knows about it, he is supposed to be taken to a safe house with Jang Moo Yeol's men but they kill him. Gae Doo La and his men who are following them are shocked when they see him killed. They end up fighting Jang Moo Yeol's men and are now being blamed for Oh Tae Seok's murder. When Jang Moo Yeol looks at the Swordsmen Society records, he notices that the leader has a daughter named Dong Yi. Then, Dong Yi sneaks out to help injured Gae Doo La to escape. But then, the King and his men turn up on only to see Dong Yi is helping a traitor.

Dong Yi goes out of the palace to investigate the hand signals that being showed to her when she was a child. She and Sir Shim go to the gambling house to ask about it, but no one knows the answer. In the meantime, Cheon Soo goes back to slave village and discovers that Sword Fraternity have regrouped. The new leader of Sword Fraternity is Dong Yi's friend, Gae Doo La. The new Sword Fraternity have been targeting noblemen. But now, they are targeting King's concubine and Gae Doo La doesn't know that she is targeting Dong Yi.

Queen Inhyeon returns to the palace and greeted by the King who feels guilty on how she was treated before. Jang Ok Jeong goes back to her old residence and determines to take her revenge. Dong Yi meanwhile is put in charge of the Investigation Bureau. She forgives Lady Yun and her accomplices and as their punishment for helping Jang Ok Jeong, they are demoted to the lower ranks. The King has a dream about having a baby but disappointed when Dong Yi says she is feeling fine. But then, the ceremony to make Dong Yi a level 4 concubine is delayed when the doctor announces that she is pregnant.

Dong Yi decides to go back to her residence, but Jang Ok Jeong does not let her. She knows that when all the guards and police are in one place, Jang Ok Jeong accomplices can search for the records freely. They do find the records in Dong Yi's room. However, Dong Yi wants them to find the records so that the police can catch Jang Ok Jeong's brother when he is in the act of handing it over to the Qing delegates. So, when Jang Hee Jae realises that he is surrounded, he tries to burn the records but get caught in the act. He and his accomplices get caught and tortured. Jang Ok Jeong proclaims that she is innocent and supported by the Southern Faction.

Jang Hee Jae is summoned to meet Qing delegates who are angry about the fake security records. They warn him that the Crown Prince position can be reversed and if they don't get the book before they leave, the King will be informed. Jang Ok Jeong in the meantime wants to make Dong Yi an official concubine. The real reason is, Jang Ok Jeong wants to know about Dong Yi's past because the candidate's background will have to be thoroughly checked. Then, the King also asks Chief Seo to check Dong Yi's past. He also tells Chief Seo about the cliff and when he heard about it, he is very shocked.

The King is in love, but Dong Yi is having trouble in her new role. This is because the court lady doesn't want to work for her. But things get from bad to worse when Dong Yi's maid starts to get sick. The King then takes Dong Yi to their favourite tavern and when they get back to the palace, a strange plague has spread. Strangely, only the court maids are infected. Then, Dong Yi is under suspicion of trying to kill the Crown Prince. Unfortunately for Dong Yi, Jang Ok Jeong is in charge of the investigation and she is only being given three days to find the cause of the plague. She will be killed if she fails.

In order to make Jang Hee Jae and his accomplices to confess their crime, they are being tortured. But, Jang Ok Jeong still refuses to admit the charges and blames the King for her actions. Then, she orders Oh Tae Seok to kill Dong Yi. So, Southern Faction refuses to accept Dong Yi's evidence because she is a servant and ask her to be handed to them. The King however makes her a special court lady so that everyone will treat her with respect.

The King doesn't recognise Dong Yi as he is dragged away by guards. He then turns his attention to Jang Ok Jeong when he hears that she is conscious. Jang Ok Jeong is happy because her plan works out as the King ponders that she might be innocent after all. Then, the investigators come to inspect the water maid's residence. There, Lady Jeong finds the message that has been hidden by Dong Yi. But, before she is able to tell the King, she is arrested on the charges of conspiring to kill Jang Ok Jeong. Meanwhile, Dong Yi manages to run away from the palace by outsmarting Jang Hee Jae's men who wants to catch her. The King is very concerned about Dong Yi and goes to their old haunts outside the palace. He then hears a familiar melody that eventually leads him to Dong Yi.

Dong Yi is tied up and about to be killed by Jang Hee Jae. But Sir Shim saves her by saying that he has the security records. He tells him to release Dong Yi and he will reveal where the records are. Dong Yi is released and Shi Shim reveal where the records are. Then, he is locked up in a barn as Jang Hee Jae men search for the records. After that, Jang Hee Jae men come back to kill Sir Shim, but Dong Yi has already helped him to escape. Chief Seo and Cheon Soo finally arrive in town. But, Dong Yi is on her way to the capital with Seol Hee. Before they left, it is revealed that the records that Jang Hee Jae has found are fake. He gives Dong Yi the original records and to be taken back to the capital.

Jang Ok Jeong is now the Queen and although she believes that Dong Yi is dead, she also has nightmares about Dong Yi. Furthermore, Jang Ok Jeong is furious because she is not respected as the Queen by the Joseon citizens. Meanwhile, Dong Yi is being nursed back to health by a merchant in the north and because the merchant hasn't been sending her letters, she carves a message on a rock and passes it to another merchant. Chief Seo and Cheon Soo also have been fired and sent by the King on a mission to find Dong Yi. When on their way, they find the messages and now they finally know where Dong Yi is. But, because Dong Yi is worried that they haven't received the message, she tries to sneak into the capital when she sees Jang Hee Jae.

The eunuchs refuse to let the lady investigators do the audit. Then, the King decides that they shouldn't continue with the audit because he wants to investigate the copper shortage secretly. Dong Yi visits the Queen to assure her that they can find the proof of her innocence soon. When the King goes to visit his parent's grave, he brings most of the guards with him. Because of that, the palace is quite and Jang Ok Jeong with her brother decides to set the treasury on fire. They also send assassins to kill Dong Yi, but she is not in her bed. Dong Yi is in the treasury looking for the record books when the fire starts. She run away and chased by the assassins.

Dong Yi and Cheon Soo go into town to investigate. But, when Dong Yi is alone for a moment, she is captured by Jang Hee Jae's men. They tie her and later throw her into the river. But, Cheon Soo follows them and manages to save Dong Yi. Although she is still shaken from the incident, she wants to continue the investigation. Unfortunately, Jang Hee Jae has been busy killing all the witnesses. Furthermore, to complicate things, the Queen Dowager dies and Southern Faction pushing hard for the Queen to be removed. Then, by the order of the King, the Queen will be dethroned.

Jang Ok Jeong notices that it is her brother who plotted the plan to poison the Queen Dowager. She is furious but he says that they have to do this if she wants to be the Queen. This make her realize that she has to change from a kind hearted person into a bad person. Then, Dong Yi also notices that it is Jang Ok Jeong who is behind the poisoning of the Queen Dowager. After that, the King hears that the official who has involved in the poisoning scandal has been arrested. They are all waiting for the confession from the official and it is a shocking confession. The official lies to them and says it is the Queen who asked her to poison the Queen Dowager.

Dong Yi is given three days to find the truth about the Joseon smuggler. She discovers that he staged his own death and the suicide note is not written by him. Then, Chief Seo heads to the nearest port to stop the smuggler from leaving Joseon. Cheon Soo who is given the task of taking smuggler, Kim Yoon Dal to the port, drops him there and watches the police arrest him. Oh Tae Seok is in charge of the investigation decides that smuggler Kim must be punished by death. Jang Ok Jeong sees the King chatting with Dong Yi and she asks him if he has feelings for Dong Yi. He denies it and plans a surprise banquet in Jang Ok Jeong's garden to announce that he will make Jang Ok Jeong his concubine.

Jang Hee Jae agrees to help Cheon Soo to find Dong Yi if he works for him. Jang Hee Jae is spooked when he hears that investigators are looking for Cheon Soo. Cheon Soo and Dong Yi run around looking for each other and they finally met. Then, the delegates from Qing have arrived but it's revealed that there are Joseon smugglers in the party. The smugglers are working with Jang Hee Jae and they are prepared to financially support Namin if they can smuggle freely into Joseon. Oh Tae Seok agrees to their demands and he needs to stop the investigations into the smugglers. Dong Yi meanwhile keeps thinking about the paper with Chinese characters on it which is later discovered as a code. Then, she sneaks into the guest house to take the things that she needs and runs away while chasing by the Qing guards. She then rushes over to a man. Then she realizes that the man is the King.

The court lady investigators don't want to accept Dong Yi because of her low class origin. But, the Queen who is the head of the inner court refuses to change her decision. Dong Yi arrives at the bureau and gets her new uniform. But, other court ladies are angry with her because they have studied for 10 years to get where they are now and she gets in because of the recommendation from Jang Ok Jeong. Then, she finds out that the investigators are studying for their midterm tests. An evil Investigator Yoo doesn't want Dong Yi in her department. So she tells Dong Yi that she must take the test and not to worry about not knowing anything. But, she does not explain to Dong Yi that she will be expelled from the bureau if she fails the test.

Jang Ok Jeong has voluntarily agrees to be investigated. The herbs are found in the Jang Ok Jeong's quarter and she is charged with trying to kill the Queen. But, Dong Yi convinces that Jang Ok Jeong is innocent because the herbs in question are different from the one that she has bought. Then, Oh Tae Seok tries to find a scapegoat to put the blame on and he picks Dong Yi. Meanwhile, Cheun Soo is alive and he gets a job at the city morgue. One night, Dong Yi sneaks into the morgue to check the pharmacist's body for evidence. She finds her evidence and as she sneaks out of the morgue, Chief Seo catches her. So, she tells him about the evidence. On her the way home, she is cornered by assassins but the King turns up.

Dong Yi wants to take a look at Jang Ok Jeong's personal hanbok accessory as a reward for helping to prove that she is not the cause of the bad omen. Dong Yi is sent to bring medicine into the palace by Jang Ok Jeong's mother. Dong Yi gets back to the palace late and can't sneak in and she is helped to get back into the palace by the King. Jang Ok Jeong refuses to drink the medicine. Then, the word spreads that poisonous herbs have been found in Queen Inhyeon's medicine. Dong Yi goes to pay her respect on the 6th anniversary of her father's and brother's death. On her way back, she gets arrested on suspicion of trying to poison the Queen.

Dong Yi manages to escape before she is killed by the bad guy. She finds a policeman but when they go back to the barn, the body is gone. The capital is in turmoil because of the bad omen. The King is determined to find out who is responsible for the musical disaster. But the police and tribunal have come up with nothing. Dong Yi decides to do the investigating herself. She takes evidence dropped by the bad guy and then goes back to the barn, where the King turns up. Then, there's an argument outside the barn and the King bumps into Dong Yi when he hides. They escape together and as the collect more evidence, they get cornered by armed men.

Chief Seo orders the city to be searched for members of Sword Fraternity. Dong Yi is still on the wanted list. So, when she takes her friend, Gae Doo La to the hospital, she is arrested by Chief Seo. Luckily, he lets her go and tells her about the hand signals. Dong Yi asks her brother's friend, Seol Hee to get her into the palace as a servant because she wants to find out what happened to her father. Meanwhile, a girl's body is found and Chief Seo confirms it although it is not her. Dong Yi enters the palace and starts working in the music department. She starts to play a sorrowful tune using a daegeum, which reminds her of her brother and father. Many years later and it's now the 19th year of King Sukjong and Dong Yi is now a young woman.

Oh Tae Seok wants to frame Sword Fraternity for the murders of Southern Faction and the police officer. Chief Seo asks his father to speak to the king about opening the investigation again. But, King Sukjong is at his father's grave. So, Chief Seo's father goes to visit him there. The Sword Fraternity realise that Oh Tae Seok is planning something. They rush to stop it, but all of them are dead. The corrupt police tries to frame them, but they manage to escape. Meanwhile, Dong Yi finds herself in a noble lady's house. Dong Yi prepares to do the greeting, but her father refuses to let her go. But Dong Yi sneaks away. She has to greet Oh Tae Seok. He then realises who she is and ask his men to kill her. But, Cheun Soo saves her. Then, a member of Sword Fraternity betrays them and leads to the arrest of Dong Yi's father and brother.