In Captivating the King, Prince Rui’s marriage proposal for Princess Jangryeong sets a risky plot in motion.
Prince Rui of the Qing wishes to marry Princess Jangryeong. He sends a marriage proposal to Yi In with the Qing envoy and vice envoy.
Although Yi In is reluctant to send his niece to the Qing, the envoy, Podan, warns him that refusal could lead to the Qing withholding the return of Joseon hostages.
Prince Rui’s proposal serves as a test of Joseon’s loyalty. Rejecting it and upsetting Prince Rui could cause another war with the Qing.
On the other hand, accepting the proposal would benefit Joseon, as Prince Rui has more supporters in the Qing court than his nephew, the Emperor.
This leaves Yi In with no choice but to accept Prince Rui’s marriage proposal. However, not everyone is willing to follow his orders.
Plotting the substitution
Princess Jangryeong meets Yi In and begs him not to get her married to Prince Rui. If she leaves, she will not be able to fulfill her mother’s final wish of protecting her younger brother, the Grand Prince.
While a helpless Yi In cannot do anything to help her, the princess’ plea to protect the ones she loves moves Hee-soo.
Hee-soo is reminded of the sadness and loneliness she felt when Yi In rejected her plea to spare Hongjang, so she decides to help Princess Jangryeong.
She plans to send one of Princess Jangryeong’s court maids, Bun-yeong, who happens to be loyal to Hee-soo, to marry Prince Rui in her place.
Hee-soo discusses her plan with those most opposed to Yi In’s decision: Myung-ha, Princess Jangryeong, and the Grand Prince.
The Grand Prince only agrees to execute this plan when he is told that this will benefit the nation, as Bun-yeong will be able to spy on Prince Rui.
Meanwhile, the Principal Director and the Queen Dowager, who want the princess to be separated from the Grand Prince, ensure that no possibility of a substitution remains.
All of Princess Jangryeong’s loyal court maids are dismissed; fortunately, Bun-yeong is granted permission to remain by her side.
The Queen Dowager also allows the vice envoy, Jung Je-pyo, to visit Princess Jangryeong before her departure. Bun-yeong thinks on her feet and meets Jung Je-pyo as Princess Jangryeong.
Bun-yeong then leaves for the Qing. Everything goes according to Hee-soo’s plan. However, one of Queen Dowager’s court maids notices Bun-yeong’s absence.
The Principal Director immediately suspects that Bun-yeong was sent as a substitution for Princess Jangryeong and decides to report it to Yi In.
When Hee-soo finds out about this, she confesses the truth to Yi In and takes the blame for plotting the whole thing on her own to protect the Grand Prince.
Yi In resolves the matter
Hee-soo tells Yi In her reasons for helping Princess Jangryeong, and Yi In understands. He then focuses on handling the crisis.
As the Principal Director did not get to confirm whether the substitution had taken place, he claims that Jung Je-pyo did so and informed Podan about it.
However, Yi In easily catches his lie, aware that Jung Je-pyo would more likely report to Prince Rui than Podan. He then asks the Principal Director to forget about the matter.
If Yi In takes action against Hee-soo and her co-conspirators, he risks the substitution becoming public knowledge and reaching Prince Rui, who will then wage war.
Hence, Yi In chooses to silence all those aware of the substitution, including the Principal Director, who is threatened with treason charges.
Additionally, he sends Princess Jangryeong to a secure place and rewards those who risked their lives to help her escape.
Also Read: Kim Myung-ha: Captivating the King character explained