The story is set in
Korea Korea (한국/韓國/Hanguk, used by South / 조선/朝鮮/Joseon, used by North) is a formerly unified country, situated on the Korean Peninsula in northern East Asia, bordering on China to the northwest and Russia to the north. It is populated by a homogeneous ethnic group, the Koreans. Two countries, the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) have replaced it since the end of World War II in 1945, when the once-unified state was divided...... Click the link for more information. under the
Joseon Dynasty The Joseon Dynasty (alternatively, Choson or Chosun) was the final ruling dynasty of Korea, lasting from 1392 until 1910. It was founded by the Jeonju Yi family, and was preceded by the Goryeo dynasty.It was officially founded by Yi Seonggye, a general who originally distinguished himself by repelling Japanese pirates who were marauding the peninsula for mainland technology...... Click the link for more information. , during the reigns of King Seongjong (only a brief tenure, fortunately), Yeonsangun (
1494Events
January 25 - Alfonso II becomes King of Naples.
May 31 - Natives of the island of Tenerife, known as Guanches, defeat invading Spanish forces at the First Battle of Acentejo.
June 7 - Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas which divides the New World between the two countries...... Click the link for more information. -
1506Events
January 21 - Pope Julius II founds the Swiss Guard
Second outbreak of the sweating sickness in England
Leonardo da Vinci completes the Mona Lisa.
Hernán Cortés, conquistador, arrives in the New World at Santo Domingo in Hispaniola, age 22.
The statue Laocoön and his Sons is discovered in Rome...... Click the link for more information. ) and King Jungjong (
1506Events
January 21 - Pope Julius II founds the Swiss Guard
Second outbreak of the sweating sickness in England
Leonardo da Vinci completes the Mona Lisa.
Hernán Cortés, conquistador, arrives in the New World at Santo Domingo in Hispaniola, age 22.
The statue Laocoön and his Sons is discovered in Rome...... Click the link for more information. -
1544Events
April 11 - Battle of Ceresole - French forces under the Comte d'Enghien defeat Imperial forces under the Marques Del Vasto near Turin.
May - Emperor Charles V again invades eastern France
June 19 - August 18 - Imperial siege of St. Dizier in eastern France
July 19 - September 14 - English forces under Henry VIII besiege and capture Boulogne...... Click the link for more information. ). The story begins with the mother of young Yeonsangun being poisoned by a group of imperial guards under the order of the king. After the incident, an imperial guard, Suh Chun-soo, who accompanied the group, returns to his home but suffers an accident on his way back. He is rescued by a
Confucian Confucianism (儒家, Pinyin rújiā, literally "The School of the Scholars"; or, less accurately, 孔教 kŏng jiào, "The Religion of Kong") is an East Asian ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of Confucius.Debated during the Warring States Period and forbidden during the short-lived Qin Dynasty, Confucianism was chosen by Han Wudi for use as a political system to govern the Chinese state...... Click the link for more information. monk, who tells him that his life will revolve around three women, and that he will be killed by the third woman. (It does not become clear until much later that the three women are Yeonsangun's mother, Jang-geum's mother, and lastly, Jang-geum herself.) The inner stress from the incident eventually causes him to resign. On the other hand, Lady Park, a royal kitchen apprentice/servant, witnesses a conspiracy against the queen mother and is in turn indicted on false charges by the inner circle of kitchen senior staff, and ordered secretly executed per their internal procedures. She is saved by Lady Han, her best friend in the palace, and later again saved inadvertently by the now retired Suh. The two depart to live in secret in a remote village, posing as lower class persons; they marry, and raise a very bright young daughter, Jang-geum. In the year
1504Events
January 1 - French troops surrender Gaeta to the Spanish under Cordoba.
January 31 - France cedes Naples to Aragon.
February 29 - Christopher Columbus uses his knowldege of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Native Americans to provide him with supplies.
Michelangelo Buonarroti finishes his sculpture of David - August 8 it is erected in Florence...... Click the link for more information. , Yeonsanggun orders a massive investigation into his mother's murder, and eventually finds Suh and his family, partly because of a mistake on the part of his child, Jang-geum. Suh is arrested, and presumably later executed. Jang-geum and her mother flee, but Jang-geum's mother is severely wounded by her enemies, and before her death she tells Jang-geum her last wish, should she choose to do so, is for her to become the head chef in the royal kitchen and record her case in the kitchen Ladies' secret historical records book (to redress the wrong done to her honor). Jang-geum through some adventures manages to enter the palace, and through her courage, curiosity, talent, good-heartedness, and hard work, helps Lady Han (her mother's best friend, which she does not discover until much later) to become the head chef in the palace. However, a conspiracy results in them being exiled to the Cheju Island, and Lady Han passed away en route. In Cheju, Jang-geum becomes acquainted to a female doctor who instructs Jang-geum in medical studies. Jang-geum eventually returns to the Joseon palace, this time as a medical student. She graduates at the top of her class in spite of difficulties with class and gender prejudices, and becomes accepted as a medical worker as part of the staff of the imperial pharmacy/hospital. After much further political mischief, the high-ranking schemers who have been trying to hurt Jang-geum eventually fall victim to the consequences of their own conspiracies, and Jang-geum then pleads the case to King Jungjong, and is able to restore the positions and the reputation of her mother and Lady Han. Afterwards, Jang-geum delves further into medical studies, and is able to cure the perpetually ailing Queen and Queen Mother, along with a smallpox plague that also affects the Crown Prince. With such achievements, Jang-geum is eventually accepted by the palace's workers and doctors, who initially are prejudiced against her because of her gender and secretive attitude. With the support of her love interest Lord Min Jung-ho and her long-time friends including Yeon-seng, Jang-geum becomes the first female imperial physician in the history of Korea, and is awarded the title "Dae Jang-geum" and a third-class officer position (c.f.
nine-rank system The Nine rank system (ch. 九品中正制 or 九品官人法), or much less commonly, Nine grade controller system was a civil service nomination system during the Three Kingdoms and the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China. Chen Qun, a court official of the Kingdom of Wei standardized its details...... Click the link for more information. ) in the royal court. The ongoing romantic sub-plot eventually ends well, too.
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