Simso’s Plight
The Queen Dowager continues her campaign to keep Hwa-Ryeong’s son from ascending to the throne, even going so far as to call for a boycott of his coronation. This latest move only makes things worse for the young prince, as it seems like no one will listen to her.
The King is informed of the attack on Seongnam and he is subdued but Hwa-Ryeong points out that she’ll strike hard and get retribution herself if this happens again.
When the King heads off to see his mother, the Queen Dowager pretends that she’s been poisoned. Remember the cuckoo pint serving as a warning last episode? Well, with her Court Lady there to corroborate the story, Dowager plays the victim and pretends that she’s sick.
The King’s departure leaves the Dowager in control of the kingdom. She uses her cunning to keep Hwa-Ryeong in line and manipulate him into killing the Dowager. Ultimately, she succeeds in doing so, and Hwa-Ryeong is left powerless and humiliated.
Hwa-Ryeong is worried that Dowager may have switched allegiances and is eager to find out what she’s up to. To try and figure out what Dowager is up to, Hwa-Ryeong uses Consort Tae as a pawn. Unfortunately, Dowager sees this coming a mile off and decides to use the “simple” Consort to her own devious devices.
The State Councillor is questioned about the bandits he sent to the island to intercept Sangseong. He denies knowing anything about them and points to the State Councillor as the one who gave the order.
As we know, the State Councillor is working for the Queen Dowager and Hwa-Ryeong knows this too. She tells the State Councilor that he’s clearly being used as a scapegoat here and questioning where his allegiance lies, especially as Dowager is likely backing Bogeom now. ..
The Princes continue their mission, with some more eager than others. Hodong is completely nonchalant to the whole affair, while the contenders re whittled down to six men.
As we know, Simso, Bogeom and Sangseong are among those who have been chosen to take the throne back from the Queen. However, Simso ends up stumbling back to the palace, with cuts all over his hands and completely broken and battered. Unfortunately, his mother is desperate for him to press forward and tells the guards not to admit him, likening him to a beggar in the street.
Ko’s lust for power and greed has turned her against her son. In fact, in her desire she actually finds out about Gyeseong’s secret, finding documents and immediately bringing the composite sketch to Consort Hwang. It’s a huge scandal and it’s something that can be used to weaken Hwa-Ryeong into submission.
The Queen is determined to make Simso bleed tears of blood, deciding that she’s responsible for him dropping out of the competition after showing him a kindness and letting him back in the palace. However, after her words about disowning her son, Simso is found hanging from the rafters and attempts to commit suicide. Thankfully he’s cut down and taken to the physician before things worsen – and he’s still alive.
The Consort tells Hwa-Ryeong that she has already suffered the heaviest punishment for her earlier words and remains hopeful that Simso will return to her once he’s healed up.
Simso is conscious and able to speak, but Hwa-Ryeong tells him that he was never really into it and should have just given up. Simso admits this and is grateful to Hwa-Ryeong for her help.
Ko’s pushy demeanour could be explained by the fact that Simso learned how to read very early on and as a result, his mother always had high expectations for him.
A subplot involving a monk called Haehim ends up disaster when the latter is framed for the murder of a man called Choi Gil-Myeong. Although Haehim is completely innocent, Prince Uiseong is actually the real murderer and even worse, has done so in a bid to secure the man heading back to the palace so he can win the Crown Prince role. That’s the only way this man will be able to secure his freedom, so it’s quite the conundrum.
Queen Dowager shows up to see Consort Hwang and State Councilor. She laughs off the rumors and tells the Councillor to do as she says and stop thinking for himself. She brings up the past, but the State Concillor bites back, questioning what her plan is. ..
The next head of state, Hwa-Ryeong, heads to see Minister Yoon to encourage him to stay neutral between the State Councillor and the Queen Dowager. If she can achieve that, she promises a place for him depending on who becomes the next Crown Prince. But then that’s made all the more complicated by the ties with Sangseong who requests to the Minister of War to stay with Yoon Cheong-Ha.
As the episode ends, Hwa-Ryeong learns that Physician Kwon was in charge of treating Consort Hwang. He treated her stomach ulcer a few years back. As a result, Hwa-Ryeong realizes that the pair actually knew each other. Not only that, but Consort Hwang was the one who recommended he take charge of the Crown Prince. Could they have conspired together?
The Episode Review
The Queen’s Umbrella concludes with a sinister and politically charged chapter that continues to spin this web of deceit and back-stabbing. It’s now clear that Consort Hwang has been working with Kwon and they could well have been in on this together.
The Queen Dowager is continuing to grow in strength, especially given the composite sketch of Gyeseong is in their hands. ..
The show has done well so far to keep the character drama interesting and this Taekhyeon for who will be the next Crown Prince is a nice way of giving all the men something to do while the Queen Dowager and Hwa-Ryeong butt heads. Everything is set up nicely for the next episode.
