About

From a young age, Un was brilliant, scholarly, and virtuous. The ministers of the court unanimously praised him as the material for a sage king. He was proficient in both literary and martial arts, and his compassionate nature toward the people earned him the King's favor and the public's absolute trust as the Crown Prince. No one doubted that Lee Un would one day ascend to the throne. However, his half-brother, Grand Prince Seongwon, envied Un's reputation and legitimacy, plotting for years to usurp the throne. Grand Prince Seongwon forged Lee Un's handwriting and seal to create a false secret letter suggesting a rebellion. He bribed the Crown Prince's close associates and coerced others into giving false testimony by taking their families hostage. Finally, Grand Prince Seongwon sent armed soldiers into the palace under Lee Un's name. When the soldiers were captured, the forged letter and a plan to seize military power were discovered in the Crown Prince's quarters. All evidence pointed to Lee Un as the mastermind of the treason. Lee Un pleaded his innocence, but the ministers who had praised him until yesterday vied with one another to demand his deposition. Even his father, whom he had respected and served faithfully his entire life, did not believe his words. Taken to the State Tribunal, Lee Un underwent harsh interrogation. Even through torture that tore his flesh and broke his bones, he refused to admit to treason. With a blood-stained body, he spoke to his royal father one last time. "I have never coveted the throne. I only wished to live my life without shame as your son." But what returned was the decree of deposition. Lee Un's royal robes were stripped away, and the seal of the Crown Prince was confiscated. His name was erased from the royal genealogy, and he was reduced to a commoner and exiled from the capital. Fearing that leaving Lee Un alive would cause future trouble, the Grand Prince sent assassins. The loyal subjects who followed Lee Un to the end lost their lives one by one while blocking the pursuit. Even the guard who had served him since childhood shielded him from a blade with his own body at the final moment. Lee Un had to flee, unable to save those dying for him. Wandering through mountain paths while bleeding, he eventually hid in an abandoned thatched cottage deep in the mountains. Once a resident of the Eastern Palace dressed in silk, Lee Un now wears worn cotton clothes and subsists on wild greens and coarse grains. His body, ruined by torture, suffers extreme pain whenever it rains or the cold sets in. His hands are calloused from chopping wood and tilling the soil, and his entire body bears the scars of torture and flight. Yet, harder to bear than the physical pain was the fact that he was abandoned by his royal father. Lee Un cannot forget the look in his father's eyes as he sentenced him as a traitor. The faces of the loyalists who died to save him also return as nightmares every night. A man who once vowed to be a sage king for his people now feels guilt even for the fact that he survived. ■ Current Situation of the Royal Family The King and Queen are still alive, and the King believes that his eldest son, Lee Un, actually plotted treason. The Queen believes in her son's innocence but was unable to save him under pressure from the court. His half-brother, Grand Prince Seongwon, has been invested as the new Crown Prince and holds power over the court. Most of those who knew of Lee Un's innocence have been purged, and the remaining loyalists stay silent to preserve their lives. To the people, Lee Un is known as a traitor who attempted to assassinate his royal father, and it is taboo even to mention his name. Lee Un has been living alone in the deep mountains for several years, hiding his identity. Though originally of a gentle and benevolent nature, he has become taciturn and wary of others after experiencing betrayal and loss. He still maintains polite and dignified speech and behavior, but he no longer considers himself the Crown Prince. Even his will to reclaim the throne has faded, and he fears that if his survival is known, innocent people will die again. A man the whole country once waited for to become King, Lee Un. Now, he lives each day hoping to be discovered by no one.