S01E01 The Start of a Tragedy
The story begins in 1681, 7th year of King Sukjong. Dong Yi lives with her father and brother in a slave village. They are the members of Sword Fraternity, which is the organisation made up...
Dong Yi
S01E59: Jang Moo Yeol Executed for Treason
Then, Dong Yi decides to tell the Queen about the King's plan to abdicate. She also manages to send word to the King about Jang Moo Yeol's plan to frame her and Prince Yeoning. Then, the King's army decide to follow Jang Moo Yeol's men and catch them trying to pay off merchants who involved in the Crown Prince assassination attempt. As his punishment for treason, Jang Moo Yeol is beheaded and his accomplices are exiled and executed. The King cancels his plan to abdicate because everyone is against it. Then, the Queen decides to adopt Prince Yeoning so that he will be a legitimate heir to the throne. In the meantime, Dong Yi decides to leave the palace.
Overview
Set during the reign of King Sukjong in the Joseon dynasty, the story focuses on Dong Yi, a water maid who gains the trust of Queen Inhyeon and later the favour of the king when he is moved by her prayers for the health of the Queen during the court disputes caused by Jang Hee Bin. Dong Yi becomes a concubine with the rank of sook-bin and bears a son who will later become the 21st king of Joseon, Yeongjo.
Episodes
S01E02 The Framing of Sword Fraternity
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...
S01E03 The Rescue Mission
Dong Yi's father and brother are taken into custody. Dong Yi is taken to a fortune teller's place. He predicts she will be the leader of Sword Fraternity. Oh Tae Seok announces that Dong Yi's...
S01E04 The Search for the Truth
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...
S01E05 A Bad Omen
Six years have gone by and Dong Yi is now a young woman. Then, a meteorite is landed in the palace, a bad omen. Jang Ok Jeong's protesters blame this on her. Furthermore, the Western...
S01E06 The Investigation
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...
S01E07 The Plan That Backfired
The King keeps saying who he is. Luckily, Chief Seo and his men arrive and save the day. The Queen Dowager devastated to know that her plan has been foiled and the King's life is...
S01E08 The Medicine
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...
S01E09 The Confession By Jang Ok Jeong
The pharmacist who gave Dong Yi the herbs has been murdered. Police interviews Dong Yi, but she says that she gets the medicine for a musician and not Jang Ok Jeong. Chief Seo turns up...
S01E10 The Evidence
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...
S01E11 The Truth Revealed
Dong Yi is saved by the King's guard. She tells him that she has evidence to prove Jang Ok Jeong is innocent. The King and Chief Seo gather in the morgue to watch the procedure...
S01E12 Dong Yi Becomes a Court Lady
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...
S01E13 The Sword Fraternity Headband
Dong Yi fails the test. So, she begs her superior for another chance. The Queen is angry when she heard about it and scolds Investigator Yoo because of her behaviour. Then, Dong Yi is given...
S01E14 Dong Yi and Chun Soo Reunited
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...
S01E15 Dong Yi Turn Herself In
The Qing guards want to arrest Dong Yi for trespassing but the King insists that it will be investigated by the Joseon police. Then, they find out that the code is a name for a...
S01E16 The Truth About Joseon Smuggler
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...
S01E17 Jang Ok Jeong Pregnancy
The palace is in confusion with the announcement that Jang Ok Jeong will become a concubine. Western factions are concerned that it will give Namin more power. Then, Jang Ok Jeong becomes pregnant. One year...
S01E18 The Queen Dowager Poisoning Scandal
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...
S01E19 The Conspiracy
Jang Ok Jeong and her family will be in trouble if they are found guilty of poisoning the Queen Dowager. She then realizes that it is an opportunity to frame the Queen and takes her...
S01E20 The Death of Queen Dowager
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...
S01E21 The Queen's Dethronement
A ceremony for the Queen's dethronement is held. She wears all white and her accessories which symbolize her status, are removed. The Joseon citizens are not happy about the dethronement. Meanwhile, Dong Yi is assigned...
S01E22 The Audit
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...
S01E23 The Assassination Attempt on Dong Yi's Life
Dong Yi runs to the home of Chief Seo's colleague with the proof that Jang Ok Jeong and Jang Hee Jae are behind the bribe. But, the assassins arrive and kill everyone. Dong Yi manages...
S01E24 The Disappearances of Dong Yi
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...
S01E25 The Exiled Nobleman
Jang Hee Jae arrives at the city to bribe the delegates from Qing. Sir Shim, an exiled nobleman who stays with the merchant is suspicious about Jang Hee Jae. So, he becomes the interpreter at...
S01E26 National Security Records
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...
S01E27 The Dangerous Plan
Jang Ok Jeong is worried because the King doesn't trust her anymore. So, she decides to poison herself at her own coronation and blame it on the dethroned Queen. She orders her court ladies to...
S01E28 The Melody
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...
S01E29 The King and Dong Yi Are Reunited
Finally, the King and Dong Yi are reunited. He then hides her at a royal place outside the palace. Then, Dong Yi gives the evidence that proves Jang Ok Jeong and her accomplices are involved...
S01E30 A Special Court Lady
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....
S01E31 The King Confess His Love
Dong Yi's life changes instantly. But, she thinks that she has no right to be a Special Court Lady. Furthermore, she also worried that the King find out about her past. Then, the King visits...
S01E32 The Plague
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...
S01E33 Dong Yi Discovers The Cause of the Plague
Jang Ok Jeong finds out that it is her mother who causes the plague. She however ignores it because of her hate towards Dong Yi. In the meantime, Southern Faction finds no early records about...
S01E34 Dong Yi's Secret
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...
S01E35 The Plan to Search For Security Records
Chief Seo has all the records of the Sword Fraternity. He still blames Dong Yi's father for his father's death. But then, Cheon Soo tells him the truth. Chief Soo then stops Dong Yi from...
S01E36 Dong Yi's Trap
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...
S01E37 Jang Ok Jeong's Dethronement
All the criminal are being arrested. Meanwhile, Dong Yi goes to see Jang Ok Jeong and reveals her plan on how to prove that she is guilty of stealing the records. Jang Ok Jeong is...
S01E38 The King's Dream
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....
S01E39 A Year Later
One year later, Dong Yi now has a son and the Queen thinks that the Crown Prince should be changed to Dong Yi's son. Then, Dong Yi and the King decide to open a welfare...
S01E40 Sword Fraternity Regrouped
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,...
S01E41 The Hand Signals
Sword Fraternity assassins nearly kill Dong Yi but then stop when she says that she is the daughter of the original Sword Fraternity leader. Dong Yi later meets Gae Doo La who refuses to stop...
S01E42 Oh Tae Seok's Murder
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...
S01E43 King's Cover Up
Dong Yi finally tells the truth about her past. But, the King tries to help Dong Yi by seeing Gae Doo La who explains that her father doesn't kill Chief Seo's father. The King then...
S01E44 Dong Yi's New Son
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...
S01E45 King Sukjong Meets His Son
Dong Yi and Geum live outside of the palace with the commoners but Geum is desperate to find out who his father is. So, he sneaks into the palace but bumps into Jang Ok Jeong's...
S01E46 Dong Yi and Her Son Come Back to The Palace
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...
S01E47 Child Prodigy
Geum, or now known as Prince Yeoning is shocked when he realises that the nobleman is his father. He starts to get used to the life as a prince and Dong Yi is made a...
S01E48 The Plot to Kill The Queen
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...
S01E49 The Death of The Queen
Since the Queen is sick, Jang Ok Jeong thinks that luck is on her side. She then orders a shaman to do some black magic near the Queen's residence because she wants her to die....
S01E50 Dong Yi Promotion to Bin Level 1 Concubine
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...
S01E51 The Crown Prince is Missing
Jang Ok Jeong confirms to Dong Yi that she is not going to accept her truce as they are enemies. Then, guards storm the Crown Prince's palace because someone has stolen the Crown Prince books....
S01E52 The Truth About Crown Prince Illnes
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...
S01E53 The Attempt to Kill Prince Yeoning
When the King knows about Crown Prince's illness, he is furious. Jang Moo Yeol also spread the news so that officials will stop supporting Jang Ok Jeong. So, they all stop supporting her. Furthermore, she...
S01E54 Jang Ok Jeong's Family Sentences to Death
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...
S01E55 Jang Ok Jeong's Execution
The Crown Prince is devastated that his mother is going to die and begs the King to change his mind. But the King doesn't change his mind. On the day of her execution, Jang Ok...
S01E56 Prince Yeoning's Marriage
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...
S01E57 The King Contemplates to Abdicate
The King then announces that Dong Yi is to live outside of the palace. But, the reason for this is, he wants to abdicate and live with Dong Yi. Then, the Crown Prince can become...
S01E58 Jang Moo Yeol's Plan to Frame Dong Yi and The Prince
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...
S01E59 Jang Moo Yeol Executed for Treason
Then, Dong Yi decides to tell the Queen about the King's plan to abdicate. She also manages to send word to the King about Jang Moo Yeol's plan to frame her and Prince Yeoning. Then,...
S01E60 A Happy Ending
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...
Cast
Han Hyo-joo
Dong Yi
Park Ha-seon
Queen Inhyeon
Jeong Dong-hwan
Oh Tae-suk
Ji Jin-hee
King Sukjong
Lee So-yeon
Jang Hee-Bin
Bae Soo-bin
Cha Jeon-Soo
Jung Jin-young
Kim You-jung
Dong Yi (young)
Lee Kwang-soo
Yeong-dal
Kim Dong-yoon
Shim Woon-taek
Yeo Hyun-soo
Ge Dwo-ra
Oh Yeon-seo
Queen Inwon
