The show begins with the death of a King's brother, plotted by the Queen mother. A shaman who was in love with him sensed the impending death and ran torwards his house and witnessed the murder. She fled with the killers chasing her, only to meet Yoon Woo's mother who was pregnant with her at the time. Grateful for the help and safe passage she recieved due to the noble woman, the shaman pledged that she would always protect the child, even in death. Believing she is safe she leaves the lady and continues her way. The murderers of her love find her not long after and take her to the palace. She is killed, but not before telling her friend the future name of the unborn child and swearing her to protect Yoon Woo in the future.
Yoon Woo's brother is honored at the palace for getting the best score on an exam. There she wonders off from her family as her attention is caught by a butterfly. She meets a young man,the crown prince, Hwon, who she unknowingly mistakes for a thief. They begin discussing politics. She challenges the cast system and speaks her mind. He is impressed by her intelligence and is smitten for her. Later, her brother is appointed Hwon's teacher. Upon finding out the crown prince's true identity she is apologetic, much to his amusement. The crown prince encourages her brother (his teacher) to have their family submit Yoon Woo's name as a prospect for him to marry. This is devestating to Yang Myung (the brother of the crown prince) as he has loved her for a long time and was intent on marrying her
However, Yoon Woo, is not the only person in her family that royal's wanted to marry. Her brother was wanted, by The King's sister, Princess Min Hwa, who is in love with the scholarl and begs her father to please allow their marriage. Her father informs her that although the crown prince could marry his love, she would be forbidden. Min Hwa is told that the one she wants to marry is too intelligent adn can do too much for the country, but as her husband he would become the prince consort and be forbidden form entering politics. She is enraged and hurt, refusing to eat in protest.
Her rival, if we would even call her that, in the series is a girl from the King Mother's family who the court is intent on making the future queen. Once Yoon Woo has successfully won over the King and is named crown princess her problems begin. The King mother, upset that her family member was ignored and not made crown princess, she asks the shaman (the one who told her friend she would protect the child) to kill her. She curses Yoon Woo, and tells the Queen mother that she will die soon. Due to the illness Yoon Woo is forced to leave the palace. She is sick for a long time. Her father, desperate to relieve her suffering talks to the vary shaman who did her curse. (unknowing to him) She gives him herbs for her that will help her pass quickly. Only , it is not something to end her life, only to make her sleep deeply. She is dug up by the shaman and begins a new life. She no longer remembers who she is and no one besides a childhood servant knows she is still alive.
She is now a complacent, boring, new actor/character. She believes her parents abandoned her, something we often have to hear. She is taken to the palace where she becomes a healer for the new king which was the former crown prince. The King and his brother are both in love with her new persona, too. Both are confused and insist she is Yoon Woo, despite her denial. This leads to several episodes of "Are you Yen Woo?" -tears- "You look like her" -tears- "No I'm abandoned" -tears-... Yes, it gets old. I began skipping forward and this point.
Later on we discover that the person that assisted in cursing the crown princess was Princess Min Hwa. She believed that the only way to get her love (Yoon Woo's brother) was to kill her. Doing so would result in the banishment and isolation of her family. No longer would she be someone who coveted the older scholar, but his savior who kept his family from being banished. When speaking with the king about the incident later, she tells him she had no idea that the crown princess would really die and all she was told was that she neded to do this by the King mother. (Princess Min Hwa was a child and not an adult when the curse took place) Happily, in the end they do love each other and have a child together.
DEATHS
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Meanwhile the long anguishing brother of the King kills himself over saddness that he can not have Yoon Woo the one he loves( but she does not have these feelings for him), the sorcerer dies, Yoon Woo's father kills himself, Yoon Woo's servant girl dies, The Queen hangs herself, The Queen father and his supporters are killed, The King Mother is murdered... anyway.. Like I said earlier a lot of deaths of a drama, deaths, crying, etc for a drama that is trying to be comedic and varies way to often about the type of mood ,style, and audience they are targeting.
Over all I DO recommend the drama , but it is NOT what I thought it would be. Very repetitive and the older characters are quite one deminsional. I don't think people over 21 are really their target audience, although it is too violent for kiddies imo.
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