Kang San attacked the king previously in The Secret Romantic Guesthouse and had been preparing to take the throne with help from the queen dowager. However, the king woke up miraculously, and Chief Jang had already told him about the rebellion. He ordered Jang to arrest Lee Seol, whom he believed to be Yu Ha because Eunuch Noh told him so. It was an attempt to save Kang San, and it worked. Even when Kang San tried to surrender as Lee Seol, Jang didn’t believe him. Yu Ha also played along and asked Kang San and others to escape. He has sacrificed himself to buy some more time for Kang San to succeed in the rebellion and enthrone himself.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Does Chief Jang Hide The Truth From The King?
Yu Ha gets arrested, and despite Chief Jang’s urge to capture Kang San and Si Yeol, the chief of the guard want to escort Lee Seol back to the palace first. Kang San, Si Yeol, Dan Oh, and Hong Ju walk to the safe house reluctantly, but they are worried about Yu Ha. Kang San promises to save his brother in any way possible. The king is excited to finally see Lee Seol captured in front of him. However, Yu Ha is not scared and provokes the king by saying that his reign is bound to end someday, whether he lives or dies. Yu Ha is transferred to the prison, where he meets Minister Shin and other officials who were a part of Mokinhoe. They had no idea what was going on outside, but Yu Ha assured them that their rebellion was still in process because Kang San was safe. He trusts Kang San will complete the rest of their plan successfully. However, Chief Jang knows that Yu Ha is faking his identity, and he confronts Eunuch Noh about it. Si Yeol would not have abandoned Yu Ha to escape with others if Yu Ha was the real Lee Seol. Chief Jang doesn’t inform the king because he wants Si Yeol alive. Eunuch Noh doesn’t know where Kang San and the others are hiding, but he knows the place where Si Yeol and the other guards train.
Chief Jang finds the temple in the mountains where children are being trained to become personal guards and arrests all of them. He only leaves behind the head of the temple to deliver a message to Si Yeol. He wants Si Yeol to come to the district office to save the children, as it is the only way Jang can see now. However, Si Yeol’s master wants him to protect Kang San first, as it is his duty. Si Yeol sends a message to Chief Jang that he will come for the children in three days. They don’t have much time now, and Si Yeol hopes everything will be taken care of in three days. Si Yeol returned out of a sense of responsibility, but he is not happy. He still cannot face Hong Ju, and it hurts him to see her looking at him despicably. Kang San is alright with Si Yeol leaving if he wants to, but Si Yeol cannot abandon his responsibility.
How Do Dan Oh And Kang San Enter The Palace?
Dan Oh brings Ban Ya to Hwa Ryeong’s funeral and tells her the entire story. Ban Ya is upset, and she is going to help them save Yu Ha. She usually has information about what’s happening in the palace because of all the officials who hang out in Buyounggak. When she tells Kang San that the king is going to hold a special banquet for the newly appointed scholars, he understands that Yu Ha will be executed publicly that day. It is unusual for the king to hold a banquet for new scholars, and that can only mean one thing. Kang San is going to hold a meeting with the military officers who have already agreed to the coup. However, before that, he needs Dan Oh and others to leave Hanyang. He cannot risk their lives, and Kang San has to make more of an effort to convince Dan Oh to leave because she is not ready to leave his side. She eventually agrees and walks away with the others but returns midway because her heart is with Kang San, and she cannot help but worry about him. She returns to the safe house when Kang San is having a meeting with the military officials and overhears their conversation. To enter the palace, Kang San’s friend, the palace guard, Gu Nam, is going to help them. However, to enter the king’s residence, only the queen dowager can help them. Dan Oh volunteers to meet the queen dowager as a court maid, and despite Kang San’s hesitance, he agrees because they don’t have a lot of time.
Ban Ya helps Dan Oh enter the palace as one of the courtesans, and later, Dan Oh again dresses as a court maid and enters the queen dowager’s residence. The queen dowager hands Dan Oh the permit and also a bow and arrows, as requested by Kang San. Things can go wrong in the palace in no time, and Dan Oh has to protect herself. Meanwhile, Kang San, Si Yeol, and two others enter the palace as entertainers and later disguise themselves as royal guards. Yu Ha and other traitors have already been brought in front of the king, and he has ordered the execution of Yu Ha. However, he doesn’t want to give Yu Ha an easy death. He wants to show the people how a traitor gets brutally tortured before they die. Chief Jang has been waiting for Si Yeol, but when he learns that there is a banquet at the palace, he quickly understands that Si Yeol will show up there. He remembers Yu Ha asking him to come and save him, and a busy and bustling palace is the best opportunity to do so.
Chief Jang goes to the palace and informs the chief of the guard first that Lee Seol’s supporters could have infiltrated the palace. The chief sends his men with Jang to find the imposters and asks the king to stop the banquet for his own safety. However, the king has Lee Seol in front of him, and he won’t go back until he sees him die. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse Episode 17 comes to an end as Jang finds Kang San and others, but Si Yeol sends them further first to deal with Jang alone. Jang doesn’t care about others because he wants to avenge his son’s death. Si Yeol defeats all the soldiers and, in the end, kills Jang as well. Jang knew he wouldn’t survive, but he had promised his dying son that he would find his killer, and he fulfilled his promise. Si Yeol, on the other hand, has to live with the guilt of taking one more life.
