100 Days My Prince Episode 15 Recap
Lee Yul is back to his cold self after learning that the Vice Premier was behind the assassination attempt and the baby in the Crown Princess’ stomach is not his. His decision to spend the night at the Crown Princess’ chambers is used to bluntly tell her he’s fallen deeply for another woman in his 100 days outside the palace and can’t recognise the baby as his. He doesn’t rule out going to Hong Shim when the Crown Princess asks whether that’s what he was trying to say when he told her all of this.
Lee Yul is warned the Vice Premier will not allow it. The Crown Princess says this not as a threat to keep him with her, but she says it because the Vice Premier has so much power even the King has feared of what Vice Premier will do when he goes against the Vice Premier.
The warning doesn’t scare Lee Yul. He’s keen to see just what will happen if he does go up against the Vice Premier, and decides to start with visiting the Vice Premier at his home. His goal seems to be finding any incriminating evidence against the Vice Premier so Lee Yul can make the Vice Premier lose everything and live in dishonour as a nobody. This to him is more satisfying than having him beheaded as Kwon Hyuk had suggested he do.
Shown to the Vice Premier’s room by his son (who’s been revealed to be called Kim Soo Ji back in Episode 14) and left there to himself for a short time while Kim Soo Ji brought snacks, Lee Yul finds very little whilst in the room. The letters he found in a drawer held no important information. The shelves, however, stored a small box housing a rock.
As Lee Yul notes it’s not just a decorative rock. The rock is actually from a mine and it represents a scheme which forces Lee Yul onto the battlefield to carry out his duty to save his people and the nation after a war breaks out between the Ming and the Jurchens—something Lee Yul isn’t aware of just yet.
Since Episode 13, the Vice Premier has been scheming to counter the possibility Lee Yul regains his memory. The Vice Premier had approached the Ming Envoy and suggested a war between the Ming and the Jurchens, which he believes will bring the Ming great victory after showing the Ming Envoy the rock. In Episode 14, a seemingly unimportant demand from Park Sun Do for the Songjoo villagers to bring him an unreasonable amount of firewood turned out to be for smelting minerals from the mine the rock is from.
Continuing in his search outside, Lee Yul discovers the very person he needs to bring the Vice Premier down. The assassin who tried to kill him, Seok Ha. When Lee Yul discovers him in a locked shed, he still has no idea he’s Hong Shim’s brother. It’s only after he gives chase and sees Hong Shim appear before Seok Ha, speaking to him in a familial way, Lee Yul realises he is the brother Hong Shim has been waiting for all this time.
Hong Shim happen to be at the Vice Premier’s place, too, because she suspected Seok Ha was being held there. She had come up with a plan to rescue him using Gu Dol, Kkyeut Nyeo and Park Bok Eun as distractions. (They had all gone to Hanyang because they were sick of Park Sun Do’s demands for firewood.) It didn’t go as planned, as when they were about to head in, men dressed in black flowed out from the residence. These men are Lee Yul’s men. He had prepared a distraction—an attack on the Vice Premier—out front; so, he was able to go looking around. This attack stopped Hong Shim from carrying out her own distraction, but her brave self went in looking for Seok Ha alone.
With Seok Ha being Hong Shim’s brother, Lee Yul’s hopes of using him as a witness for Vice Premier’s scheming are dashed. Lee Yul had wanted Seok Ha to testify the Vice Premier was behind his assassination attempt. In exchange, Lee Yul will find a way to protect him and Hong Shim. However, he then learns from Seok Ha that the reason the Vice Premier wanted him dead is because of the fact he’s the father of the Crown Princess’ baby.
After revealing all this, on his knees in the middle of the forest, Seok Ha begs Lee Yul to punish him, and protect his sister and the Crown Princess. Lee Yul is pretty angry. He tells Seok Ha he has no right to beg for their lives as it’s for him to decide what he wants to do. It appears as if Lee Yul isn’t going to let them off; but magnanimously, he does.
Following their meeting, he has the Crown Princess removed from the palace and she’s made to believe she will be killed. In the forest with all guards told to leave, Kwon Hyuk has the Crown Princess on her knees. He lifts his sword high, preparing to swing it across. He does, but at a distance. He then announces the Crown Princess’ death, despite the sword having never touched the Crown Princess.
Lee Yul had let the Crown Princess go free—not only did he let her go free, but he let Seok Ha to be with her. After Kwon Hyuk leaves, Seok Ha appears to meet her. It looks like the two were going to finally live happily together, but the Vice Premier couldn’t let that be.
After discovering Seok Ha’s escaped, he had his men after him with the order to kill, and kill they do. Not long after meeting up with the Crown Princess, the assassin surround Seok Ha. He takes down every assassin, and it looks like he and the Crown Princess can keep going. But out of nowhere, an arrow hit Seok Ha right in the heart before another two follows.
Seok Ha is down. There’s little chance he’ll survive, but it’s not enough for the Vice Premier. After Seok Ha tells the Crown Princess that he will go find her in his next life no matter what, the Vice Premier shows up with his assassins. The Crown Princess is dragged away by his assassins whilst the Vice Premier makes sure there is not even the slightest chance of survival: the Vice Premier thrusts a sword into his heart.
Angry that the Vice Premier couldn’t even let the two go, Lee Yul strides into the Vice Premier’s room to threaten him with the journal containing Lee Yul’s entries about all the Vice Premier’s scheming and killings. This journal was previously reported by Jung Jae Yoon to have been burned in the fire. It looks like it hasn’t. Jung Jae Yoon, who was made to look like he could be the Vice Premier’s man, is confirmed he had always on Lee Yul’s side with the lie he told the Vice Premier about the journal having been lost in the fire.
The existence of Lee Yul’s journal doesn’t worry the Vice Premier, as he can’t prove the things in there happened. With Seok Ha gone, it’s pretty much Lee Yul’s words against his. Lee Yul begs to differ, saying that the Crown Princess is proof. She can testify to every evil thing he did.
It could happen. In Episode 14, the Crown Princess had stated her resentment towards the Vice Premier for not being satisfied with what he already has. She seems to think her dad’s promotion to Vice Premier following the previous king’s dethronement should be enough. What’s more, the Vice Premier just killed the man she seemed to love and was willing to leave her position as Crown Princess to run away with him.
(In case anyone is wondering what the deal is with the Vice Premier’s reasons for wanting more and more, it seems to stem from having lived a very hard life. The Vice Premier was forced to eat rodents because he was starving. He was also forced to bury his own parents after being beaten under rough and dry land. He had an emptiness which seemed insatiable. Possibly the cause of it all might be to do with the way the country was run at the time?)
Whether the Crown Princess will testify or not, again, doesn’t worry the Vice Premier. The reason, that war he’s schemed to break out between the Ming and the Jurchens has broken out. He tells Lee Yul that many of their people have been taken as prisoners and Lee Yul must step up and save the nation and people.
Lee Yul knows this is a trap and tells the Vice Premier exactly that, suggesting he wasn’t going to stupidly walk into such a trap. He must walk into it, though. The Vice Premier has Hong Shim.
Episode 15 Screencaps
Lee Yul’s found out the whole truth and is no longer being nice and caring for the Crown Princess. He threatens to go to Hong Shim, which causes the King to take him inside where Lee Yul reveals the change in attitude towards the Crown Princess and the Vice Premier as being because the Vice Premier is behind the assassination attempt.
Lee Yul stops by early in the morning to see Hong Shim and tells her not to leave even if she ends up finding her brother because he will keep that promise he made 16 years ago to marry her.
Lee Yul had joked about needing to meet someone and that someone wasn’t Hong Shim. He wasn’t entirely joking. After seeing Hong Shim, Lee Yul meets Hong Shim’s dad, Jung Jae Yoon and Kwon Hyuk and is returned the guard’s uniform Dong Joo made Lee Yul wear months ago during the assassination attempt. Dong Joo is given a sort of send off as Lee Yul remembers and cries over his late friend.
Hong Shim seeks help from Gu Dol, Kkyeut Nyeo and Park Bok Eun in rescuing Seok Ha, who she believes is being held at the Vice Premier’s place.
There’s something suspicious about Park Sun Do’s demand for so much firewood. Jung Jae Yoon is back in Songjoo Village and finds Ma Chil making Yang Chun being told to carry the firewood. Ma Chil is pulled aside and asked to find out what it’s for. Jung Jae Yoon has his worries whether he can be trusted to report back. Ma Chil tells Jung Jae Yoon that he doesn’t need his trust since Won Deuk trusts him. Yup, Ma Chil still calls Lee Yul “Won Deuk” despite knowing Won Deuk is the Crown Prince.
Lee Yul visits the Vice Premier whilst he’s out. Greeted by his son, Kim Soo Ji, Lee Yul tricks him into leaving the room to get snacks for their apparently long-overdue chat which they’ve never had despite Kim Soo Ji being the brother of his wife. As the Vice Premier’s son naively gets the snacks, Lee Yul looks around, hoping to find some evidence of the Vice Premier’s scheming.
Lee Yul and the Vice Premier has a one-on-one sword fight following the Vice Premier’s return from his outing. It’s part of a plan which sees the Vice Premier under attack from men sent by Lee Yul after a brief duel. Whilst the Vice Premier is busy holding the attackers off, Lee Yul investigates the outside of the Vice Premier’s property.
Hong Shim has her gang dirtied up to look like gypsies and barge into the Vice Premier’s place singing as a way to distract those in the house, but plan doesn’t go accordingly as men dressed in black flood out of the place. Hong Shim tells them to head off as this wasn’t the day to carry the plan out. She continues on in on her own, though.
Lee Yul comes across a locked shed and finally discovers the identity of his assassin: the brother Hong Shim had been telling about waiting for each month. Lee Yul is now unsure how his revenge will turn out anymore.
Hong Shim finally learns Seok Ha works for the Vice Premier and eventually figures out he’s the one who tried to kill Lee Yul. Hong Shim’s so taken aback, she had taken a step back when she heard Seok Ha confirm he was after Lee Yul’s life. None of it is for revenge for their father he explains. It was to save her and it was the Vice Premier’s orders because the Crown Princess is carrying a baby who is not Lee Yul’s.
Nice slip of information! Now Hong Shim knows Lee Yul’s not the father, but who the father is still remains a mystery. It doesn’t appear Seok Ha knows.
Hong Shim faints in the middle of the street after learning the truth about her brother. Hong Shim’s found and brought back by Jung Jae Yoon (and her dad) who cares for her till she wakes, after which she learns from Jung Jae Yoon that Lee Yul’s gotten his memory back: he knows who tried to kill him and possibly the reason why as well. Despite the fact it was so he could finally leave the Vice Premier’s clutches forever, the wrong her brother committed against Lee Yul has Hong Shim ask for Jung Jae Yoon’s help to get into the palace so she could see Lee Yul to settle things between her, him and her brother.
Seemingly, one with the ways to get anything done, Jung Jae Yoon manages to get Hong Shim into the palace posing as a court lady from Seohyeonjeon, giving Lee Yul a bit of a surprise when he notices her in his hallway standing behind the eunuch serving him.
Sitting in his room across from him, Hong Shim compliments Lee Yul in things he imagined when he was having hallucinations of Hong Shim in Episode 12. Lee Yul in his royal robe, Hong Shim tells him he looks very nice. He tells her that he’s always looked very nice even without his robe. She looks around and notices his books on his desk and compliments how well he can read now for a kid who couldn’t read Elementary Learning. Lee Yul tells her it was all thanks to her he started to read. He wanted to impress her.
Hong Shim and Lee Yul move to the kitchen hoping to have Hong Shim make Lee Yul the porridge he misses many times a day, but the mention of worms a dropped jar of salt causes them to hide in a corner with Lee Yul very close to Hong Shim. Hong Shim is affected by the little distance between them. But after the guards (who came in to check the situation out) leave, it’s Lee Yul who seems to be thinking about certain things. He’s only broken out of the intense gaze by Hong Shim who teases him about his ears blushing.
Hong Shim is the one who always ends up controlling her feelings. We suppose she has to when she knows the wrong her brother committed against Lee Yul.
Porridge is made and Lee Yul is in his room eating it happily with a great appetite now that Hong Shim is at his side. He reflects on how they would have gotten married if it weren’t for the dethronement. They would have spent everyday together and not have taken so long to find each other. He slides the table aside so he can lay on Hong Shim’s lap. Hong Shim tells Lee Yool it’s time for her to leave. Lee Yool asks for a moment of her time. “If only he was Won Deuk,” he then says before closing his eyes as Hong Shim strokes his eyebrows.
Hong Shim pats him on the back as he falls asleep. When he wakes, Hong Shim is gone. The letter she had given him when she first arrived gets read. She talks about having hoped they were each other’s destiny, but the dethronement had led them to an ill-fated road. She tells him that her brother wants to see him and tells him to not worry about her and to do whatever he sees fit and punish him if he must, sever the ill-fated relationship that started on that night of the dethronement.
Lee Yul meets Seok Ha and is willing to let him off for trying to kill him because of the Vice Premier’s orders provided Seok Ha be his witness to that order. In return, Lee Yul agrees to find a way to protect him and Hong Shim. The suggestion leads Lee Yul to realising Seok Ha’s crime against Lee Yul—that Seok Ha is the father of the Crown Princess’ baby. The reason the Vice Premier wants Lee Yul dead is because of what Seok Ha did, Seok Ha tells Lee Yul. That leaves Lee Yul no witness, no choice in exposing the crimes of the Vice Premier and it has Lee Yul furious. It looked like he wasn’t going to let Seok Ha or the Crown Princess off. However, upon returning to the palace, he has the Crown Princess removed and escorted to a forest where Kwon Hyuk pretends to kill her before telling her to leave. Seok Ha shortly shows up after Kwon Hyuk leaves to take her away.
The Crown Princess and Seok Ha is attacked by the assassins sent by the Vice Premier after the Minister of War reports back to the Vice Premier the Crown Premier had been sent out of the palace. Seok Ha manages to take them all down and it looks like he and the Crown Princess can continue on their way, but out of nowhere an arrow finds itself in his heart then another couple more hit him.
Dying, he tells the Crown Princess that he will go find her in his next life. More assassins turn up with the Vice Premier in tow. It’s not enough three arrows are already embedded in Seok Ha, with little chance he’ll survive, the Vice Premier wants to make sure he dies for sure. The Vice Premier thrusts a sword into his heart, ending Seok Ha’s life.
To Lee Yul’s surprise, the Crown Princess is back in her room and is given news that Seok Ha’s been killed by the Vice Premier. Lee Yul marches into the Vice Premier’s room and threatens him with the journal of all the secrets he’s been keeping in there and expose the Vice Premier for all the crimes he committed. When the Vice Premier shows no concern over the journal, saying he can’t prove anything written in that journal, Lee Yul, talks about the Crown Princess being the proof. Still, the Vice Premier is unfazed. A war which the Vice Premier incited had broken out and Lee Yul must head onto the battlefield to save his people and the nation. Lee Yul knows it’s a trap, but he soon learns he has no choice but head onto the battlefield as the Vice Premier has Hong Shim.
The Vice Premier has thought this through pretty well with instigating a war between the Ming and the Jurchens just so the Vice Premier gets a second chance to rid Lee Yul. Somehow, the Vice Premier’s managed to convince the Ming via Envoy Wang to go along with this war. And here we thought Envoy Wang didn’t like the Vice Premier and found the Vice Premier to be someone to be cautious of? We would have though Envoy Wang would have been suspicious of the Vice Premier and not gone along with this war.
This is the second last episode, so it will be the Vice Premier’s downfall not Lee Yul’s. Can’t wait to head into Episode 16 and see a happy ending for Lee Yul and Hong Shim/Yoon Yi Seo!
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