MOON LOVERS: SCARLET HEART RYEO
Wang So’s world had shrunk to the forest space where they
stood. With Hae Soo being tightly gripped against his body and Wang Wook,
holding his sword threateningly towards him, it seemed nothing in the world
mattered anymore. A war of words ensued as Wang So and Wang Wook crossed
swords over Hae Soo. The Fourth Prince eyed the Eighth Prince coldly when the
latter demanded that he freed the girl. Her teeth were beginning to chatter.
 Wang So snorted and retorted with a supercilious sneer, ‘What if I won’t?’
A malicious, fiendish glint flashed in the Fourth Prince’s eyes.
With a voice dark with rage, he stood his ground; he was not averse to
arguing his point.
He fumed that his luck had shifted because of her. Were it not
for her sudden appearance on the scene, he would have been able to extract
some
precious information from the deceased assailant.
The royal half-brothers had reached an impasse in their
conflict. If swords were drawn, royal blood might be spilt.
Rationality ruled. To protect Hae Soo, Wang Wook lay down his
sword but he warned Wang So of the approach of the palace militia. Wang So
decided that it was wiser to compromise. Since there was no justification in
holding onto her, he roughly shoved her away.
Suddenly, the young girl stammered that there were dead bodies
over the other side of the forest. Rushing there, they were disappointed to
discover the bodies were gone but there were traces of fresh blood on a tree
to prove that death had occurred there.
It was obvious that the conspirators had planned the
assassination very carefully right up to the last detail. The masterminds had
been prepared to kill and dispose of the bodies of those involved in the
failed assassination attempt. The lips of the dead would be sealed forever. There was nothing
left that would incriminate the masterminds. Dead men certainly tell no
tales.
While in the palace mortuary, Wang So, Wang Mu and Choi Ji Mong
were carefully examining the dead bodies of the assassins to search for clues
that might enlighten them about the conspiracy. The examination entailed
checking all parts of the bodies. The rising odour of death permeated the
place.
To their shock, the post-mortem brought to light the missing
tongues of the dead assailants. Choi Ji Mong compared the situation of the
deceased to Daegyuhwan Hell. There
was the possibility that the dead assailants had no tongues in the first
place. Initially, there was stunned incomprehension.
Choi Ji Mong explained that it was a chilling example of what
happened in Daegyuhwan Hell in
Buddhist beliefs. The assassins, whose tongues had been removed, were sinners. There was a certain sect of monks whose tongues were cut off
as punishment for their involvement in murder or adultery. They were subsequently excluded from their holy order.
The educated guess of the astronomer was the masterminds of the
assassination attempt had used those condemned men to be their assassins. The
mutes, disguised as performers, infiltrated into the palace.
The Crown Prince thought highly of the skills and intelligence
of Choi Ji Mong so the astronomer was tasked with the investigation of men
who moved in and out of Songak. Who would want the Crown Prince dead?
Wang So had an inkling but he was not telling. The crucial evidence led to Queen Yoo. Earlier, Hae Soo had divulged to him that the leader who gave orders for the assassins to be killed wore a fur coat. Wang Yo was the only prince who wore a fur coat.
 Wang So cornered Wang Yo, his older brother with the question, ‘Is mother behind all this?’ In his altercation with him, the Fourth Prince accused his brother of slaughtering the assassins to remove all evidence. Wang Yo had always been drawn to ruthlessness like a moth to a naked flame. And, this time it was no different. Once the intuitive Choi Ji Mong was on the case, the mother-son pair wouldn’t be able to keep a lid on the assassination attempt.
Wang So's mind was in turmoil that night. He did not sleep a wink. With
Choi Ji Mong’s extensive investigations into the murder plot, his beloved
mother’s guilt would eventually be revealed. He mulled over the issue.
It was only later that the viewers would learn of what went on
in his head. His moral dilemma was: To kill or not to kill the mute monks who
lived in the temple that had ties with his mother. Should he cover up his mother’s multitude of sins? In the end, he went on a
cloak-and-dagger mission to torch the temple of the mute monks.
When dawn broke, Wang So was up and riding towards the temple
which nestled snugly in the cliffs. Having committed crimes which resulted in
their tongues being sliced, the ostracised mute monks had sought refuge in the enclave.
Wang So climbed up the long flight of stony steps leading to the
main temple building. Colossal stone pillars bore the weight of the lofty
temple.
Upon arrival, Wang So saw no one. The residents were probably aware of
his presence. Fire was
burning in a cauldron so the monks had to be hiding somewhere.
Everything was quiet. The sound of silence was certainly deafening. Wang
So was ready. Blood and gore was unavoidable. Grim and horrific visions of mindless killing crossed his mind.
The first indication of company was the swishing sound of the robes of the leaping monks.
When the monks leapt forward, the viewers knew that many lives would soon be spectacularly cut short.
Wang So, with the precision that he had mastered, swiftly
killed them with the powerful thrusts of his sword. As expected, none spoke a word. Only guttural
sounds could be heard.
The cinematography is brilliant. There are many magnificent
shots. The most stunning one, which is filmed at a low angle, shows Wang So leaping into the air with his arms holding a
sword behind his head. In the three-point perspective, his leaping body is
impressively framed against the v-shaped open roof. That shot emphasizes the ominous power of the Fourth Prince's sword.
The Fourth Prince had amazing sword brandishing skills. Blood spluttered everywhere with the deft swing of his sword. An unquenchable savagery blazed in his dark eyes. Most of the
monks had only a fleeting glimpse of his sword before they ended up in the netherworld.
All had fallen except the head of the temple. Suddenly, a door opened and crashed down
with a thunderous noise.
The abbot of the temple, who was tasked with taking care of the
mute monks, had finally made his appearance. He stared at the prince without any emotion.
Wang So was convinced that the abbot would expose his mother,
Queen Yoo, at the drop of a hat. He was too dangerous to remain alive.
All the abbot saw was rage in Wang So’s eyes. The Fourth Prince
did not keep his intentions secret; he was going for the jugular. It was time
for him to settle scores. He accused the abbot of living off the queen, so it
was time for him to die for his queen. The luck of the head of the temple had
run out. The stone-cold killer accomplished his mission in no time at all; his face and the rest of his body was drenched in blood.
When the Fourth Prince left the vicinity of the temple, vivid
tongues of flames were rising to the skies. It was an unforgiving fire. It wouldn’t
be long before the temple, the be-all and end-all of his mother’s problems, was razed to the ground.
Wang So must have been inwardly pleased to have removed what he
assumed was the Sword of Damocles over his mother’s head. Wang Yo, his older
brother had slaughtered the mute assassins involved in the Narye ritual but
Wang So had butchered all the rest of the temple residents.
The question is: Is Wang So no better than Wang Yo? The fact
that Wang So was killing purely out of sheer desperation to gain his mother’s
love did not absolve him of his brutal crime.
The Crown Prince, who had found out about the assassins’ stronghold,
arrived too late. The temple was already burning fiercely and the charred
remains would prevent the prince from collecting the very much needed
evidence.
Meanwhile, Wang So, with his sword dripping with blood, was walking
confidently towards Queen Yoo’s bed. He reeked of the putrid smell of blood.
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