The Red Sleeve

A young maid Duk Im is ordered to visit the late Royal Noble Consort Yeong’s funeral. There she meets the Crown Prince who also secretly came to say goodbye to his grandmother. Duk Im learns about the forbidden book which King Yeongjo despises because of a certain phrase, and is warned that she’ll be losing her head if she is to read it. One day, she hears that the book is kept in the Crown Prince’s library, which makes her worried.

All the young maids start to panic when they see the tiger. Duk Im comes up with a way to help the maids escape safely. San saves Duk Im, who’s in danger, but for mobilizing the military in the palace without the King’s permission, San almost receives punishment. And those who want to dethrone the Crown Prince are about to use this incident to their advantage.

Just as the Prince’s Lecturer orders to kill Duk Im, San appears to save her. Claiming that he was clearly mistaken, the Lecturer begs forgiveness and San lets this incident slide for now. Today is the day of the coming-of-age ceremony for the court maids. Duk Im is also very excited to celebrate this special day. However, the Queen does not make the day enjoyable for both San and Duk Im.

After the incident at the bathtub, San happens to eavesdrop on the conversation of the court maids. From that conversation, he learns something that truly makes him happy. Meanwhile, something is not well with the King. Despite his great age, he maintains good health and a clear mind. However, some symptoms show that he is now not as healthy as he always used to be.

The King orders San to go on a trip to visit the royal tomb on his behalf. When the court ladies from Gwanghan Palace hear this news, they realize they have to get rid of San as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Duk Im and Court Lady Seo leave to get ingredients for Royal Kitchen and see a bunch of gunpowder bags that belong to East Palace thrown out at the river.

King Yeongjo orders to confine San in his chambers. Duk Im desperately wants to help San get out of the trouble and starts to think hard to come up with an idea. Duk Im happens to learn about a secret document that the promise between His Majesty and the late Crown Prince is written on. Meanwhile, San is framed for high treason and questioned by King Yeongj in front of the high officials.