In “Under The Queen’s Umbrella,” all the grand princes have decided to participate in the cohort exam, including the grand prince Gye Seong, who was the first one to participate willingly. However, Prince Gye Seong has a secret that the queen doesn’t want anyone to find out. Unfortunately, one of the concubines stalked the prince and discovered his shocking secret.
Spoilers Ahead
How Did The Queen Save Prince Gye Seong?
The concubine sees Gye Seong in a woman’s attire and reports it straight to the queen dowager. The queen dowager asks the concubine if she is certain about it because if she is wrong, she will face death, and if she is right, prince Gye Seong will face death. The concubine is not sure because she does not have evidence. The queen dowager warns the concubine not to spread rumors.
The cohort exam has begun, and all the mothers pray outside the exam hall. Along with the two main questions, the king gives examinees a surprise question. The king tells them to think outside the box to solve the question, and even the examiners are surprised by the sudden question. One of the examiners has been bribed by prince Uiseong’s mother, and he purposely gives low grades to other princes. Prince Seong Nam has written rather unusual answers, and many examiners are impressed by him.
The crown prince’s health has worsened, and the queen has to both help him recover and also stop rumors from spreading. She asks the king to give permission for the crown prince to spend some time in the hot spring. She asks it in front of the examiners on purpose so that they will spread the word. However, she moves the crown prince into her quarters and sends someone else to the hot spring. The crown prince receives special medical care to help him recover faster.
The queen dowager checks the secret chamber that the concubine had mentioned and finds evidence of prince Gye Seong’s secret. Only four princes pass the first round of the exam-Ui Seong, Bo Geom, Gye Seong, and Seong Nam. It is a surprise to everyone that Seong Nam passed the first round. Prince Ui Seong’s mother asks the examiner why her son isn’t in first place in the exam even after she bribed him to do so. Prince Bo Geom has come first in the exam, and the queen dowager calls for his mother to meet her.
Queen dowager offers her support to Prince Bo Geom only if his mother promises to do anything that the queen dowager says. The queen dowager forces the queen’s court lady, Shin, to reveal that the crown prince is in the palace and also asks her if she has heard rumors about prince Gye Seong, but she denies it. The court lady informs the queen, and she walks toward prince Gye Seong’s quarter to stop him from leaving. However, the queen dowager summons the queen to talk about Prince Gye Seong.
The queen sends the court lady to look for Gye Seong as she visits the queen’s dowager. The queen dowager is taking a walk with the king, and the queen joins them. Queen dowager tells the king that she will show them a spectacular sight as they walk toward Gye Seong’s secret chamber. The court lady hurries to the queen and tells her that there is a problem with banquet preparation. The queen runs towards the secret chamber through a secret path and sets it on fire.
Gye Seong’s heart breaks when he sees the chamber burning, and the queen dowager gets disappointed. She meets the queen and tells her that she will expose Gye Seong one day. Gye Seong asks around and finds out that his mother’s court lady had reported the fire. He confronts his mother and asks her if she is ashamed of her child. The queen tells him to visit her outside the palace if he wants to hear answers to all his questions.
The queen takes prince Gye Seong to a painter’s studio, where the painter paints Gye Seong dressed up as a woman. While waiting for the prince outside in the rain, the queen contemplates how much her child must have suffered. When the prince comes out with his painting, the queen gives him her favorite hairpin, which she would’ve given to a daughter if she had one. She tells him that she will always love him irrespective of his appearance.
The queen and the prince return to the palace while walking under the same umbrella. As it rains heavily, the queen protects her child first while she herself gets drenched. She hopes that a day will come someday when people will be able to live however they want.
Who Prescribes Remedy To The Crown Prince’s Illness?
Prince Seong Nam seems to be aware of Prince Gye Seong’s secret, and he gets angry at his mother for burning his chamber. He forces himself inside the queen’s quarters and meets the crown prince. The queen has to tell him the truth, but the prince has a lot of questions. When the queen tells him that everything she does is only to protect her sons, the prince asks her if she left him alone in a village as a child to protect him. The queen assures him that she will tell him everything when the time comes.
Prince Seong Nam visits Prince Gye Seong with a bottle of liquor to comfort his brother but finds out that his brother has no sorrow. Prince Gye Seong tells him that he met with the queen and that what happened between them is a secret. The queen suggested that Gye Seong drop out of the cohort exam, and he happily accepted it. Prince Seong Nam is happy for his brother, but now he is the only hope that the queen has.
The second and final round of the cohort exam is a debate. The examiners have selected three topics for the king to choose from, but the king brings up a different topic. The chief chancellor is the maternal grandfather of prince Ui Seong, and he had given him the list of topics beforehand. He also made sure that the queen dowager would support Prince Ui Seong for the sake of the old times. The chief had helped the queen dowager to make his son the king.
The king asks the princes for a solution to the ongoing plague in the hut village of Seochon. Prince Ui Seong suggests that they eradicate the entire village and its people if they want to stop the plague from spreading. Prince Seong Nam strongly opposes him and suggests they find a medical solution instead. Prince Bo Geom has the same opinion, but his demeanor is calm and collected, while Prince Seong Nam gets enraged and lets his emotions control him.
Right after the exam ends, Prince Seong Nam sneaks out of the palace and pays two men to find him a physician who can treat his brother’s disease. The Dowager has warned the queen that if the crown prince doesn’t regain his health within ten days, she will have to make a move.
The men inform Prince Seong Nam that there is only one person who can treat his brother, but it is extremely difficult to reach him. The physician lives in Seochon, and the village is sealed off from the outside world because of the plague. Prince Seong Nam pays extra money to those men, and they help him sneak inside Seochon. He gets the prescription from Master Toji but is left with no money to buy the medicine. He visits the dispensary outside Seochon, and a young woman lends him money.
‘Under The Queen’s Umbrella’ Episode 4: Ending
The queen and the royal physician both refuse to use the medicine from a commoner physician, but the crown prince says that he at least wants to walk on his own. The physician doesn’t give him the medicine but stops using acupuncture on him, as Master Toji advised. Prince Bo Geom came in first place in the cohort exam, defeating Prince Ui Seong and Prince Seong Nam. Prince Seon Nam couldn’t care less, but Prince Ui Seong is unhappy with the result.
The crown prince’s wife is going to give birth to their baby, and if the crown prince doesn’t show up on that day, the rumors will start spreading again. The queen has no other option and decides to use Master Toji’s solution. All the concubines visit the crown princess on her baby’s birthday, and they all wait for the crown prince. The king and the queen dowager arrive as well, and the king asks the queen about the crown prince as well.
The queen tries to find an excuse, and at the same time, the crown prince walks into the crown princess’ quarters. The Crown Prince continues with his regular activities and tells Prince Seong Nam that he still wants to do a lot of things in life. “Under The Queen’s Umbrella” is representative of its name as the queen protects her children from the cruel world. The crown prince starts his daily lessons again but spews blood and collapses in front of the king and all the masters.
