Queen Woo Episode 2 begins with a reminiscence to 28 years earlier, at the Goguryeo Dongmaeng Festival. At the festival, we encounter a young Woo-hee who safeguards Go Na-mu, a young prince who will become her husband and the king. A young Eun pal notices both of them. Gu Na Mu was impressed by Woo-hee’s abilities and inquired about who she was. His servant informed him she was from the Woo clan
The setting shifts to a different memory. In this scene, we meet Woo-hee from eight years past. At that moment, she was a youthful female, yet she aspired to become a warrior. While observing her practice, her father became worried that her aspirations were too ambitious for a woman. Nevertheless, the situation changed when the Royal family requested the Woo family to sacrifice their eldest daughter, Woo Sun, for marriage to the second prince Go Na Mu.
Woo Sun declined because she was hoping to marry the Crown Prince and become the Queen. Due to fear, Woo Do threatened to kill Woo-sun, prompting Woo-hee to volunteer to marry the second prince and relocate to the Northern Region to protect her sister and family.
A couple of days after, Woo-hee was brought to Go Na-mu, and they tied the knot and happily resided in the Northern area. Go Na-mu permitted Woo-hee to keep practicing and accepted her for who she was. Despite his savage reputation, she came to love both the Northern region and Go Na-mu. She understood that he was a man who had a strong sense of concern for his people and desired to safeguard them.
We revisit the moment one hour prior to the King’s death to understand what transpired. Following his encounter with Woo-hee, the king went back to his quarters to take a bath. One of the maids getting his bath ready was Woo-sun, who is Woo hee’s sister. She is the chief maid under Woo-hee’s command, yet secretly plotting to seduce the king without her sister’s knowledge. Go Na-mu is fully conscious of her own motivations and continues to push them aside. This upsets Woo-sun, causing her to retreat to her room to express her frustrations.
Similar to a serpent, Sa-bi, the Great Shaman, pays a visit to Woo-sun and presents her with a potion that will cause Go Na-mu to develop romantic feelings for her. Feeling desperate, she consents to aid Sa-bi in becoming the Chief Priest once she ascends to the throne. Sa-bi is certain that Woo-sun will become the next queen because it was foreseen in her prophecy. She hands Woo-sun the potion, explaining that just a single drop will cause Go Na-mu to completely fall for her. Driven by greed, Woo-sun pours three drops and delivers a beverage to the King. She requests the maid to deceive Go Na-mu, stating the drink is from Woo-hee.
While they anticipate the elixir’s results, Sa-bi gives Woo-sun a potion-infused drink, leading to them engaging in romantic relations. Woo-sun is so enamored with the aphrodisiac that she begins to imagine that she is having sexual relations with Go Na-mu.
Following a passionate encounter with Sa-bi, Woo-hee prepares to go to Go Na-mu’s room. Yet, she becomes wary upon hearing the King’s maid weeping upon discovering him deceased in his bed. Hurriedly, she goes to her room and tries out the elixir on her fish. The fish die instantly once she adds three drops to the water. Regrettably, Woo-sun unintentionally poisoned the King, resulting in his death!
Eul Pa-so and his assistant are the earliest ones to arrive at the location. Eul Pa-so instructs his servant to simply notify the queen, which is how Woo-hee found out about her husband’s demise. Afterwards, she hurries to the King’s chambers and confirms his passing. The rest of the Woo family arrives at the chambers as well and immediately begins strategizing on how to rescue the queen.
The queen’s options are being discussed with urgency evident in the situation. The death of the king leaves no successor, which means the Queen will likely be targeted by his enemies.
Eul Pa-so, Woo-so and Woo-do collaborate on a plan to help the queen rescue their family. If Bal-ki, the third prince, becomes king, he will strengthen the Jwa family as he is married to their daughter. The head of the Jwa family attempted to revolt against Go Na-mu, but was killed, causing them to resent the king and queen.
Should Pae Eui, the former Crown Prince who was exiled, come back to claim the throne, the Woo family will face an even more dire destiny. The Woo family can only have faith that the Wanddang army, who had previously pledged loyalty to the King and Queen, will support Woo-hee. However, this remains a considerable gamble.
Finally, Eul Pa-so recommends that the queen escape or enter into a levirate marriage with one of the King’s brothers, Bal-ki. Despite being a prince, he will require validation in order to have a shot at obtaining the throne. He can acquire validation by marrying the queen and gaining the backing of the Woo family.
Bal-ki is notorious for being a barbarian, and Woo-so immediately denies Woo-hee’s request to marry him. Nevertheless, she decides and consents to the levirate marriage. Woo-sun attempts to persuade her sister, but Woo-hee is intelligent. She rapidly deduces that Woo-sun is keeping a secret from her.
At the same time, Eul Pa-so orders his soldiers to apprehend all individuals who aided the King on that specific day. He is attempting to conceal the King’s passing in order to allow the Queen more time to flee while also investigating the facts. There is consensus that the Queen will journey to Bal-ki’s territory and persuade him to marry her. In order for their strategy to succeed, Queen Woo must bring back Bal-ki the following day prior to the Jega conference. Woo-soo is concerned about the possible dangers of the journey, but Eul Pa-so assures her that Mu-gol, the warrior favored by the king, will ensure the queen’s safety.
Mu-gol is freed from jail and Eul pa-so informs him about the king’s death. Mu-gol supposes that the king may have passed away from his injuries and contemplates taking his own life. Nevertheless, Eul Pa-so brings to his attention the King’s directive to safeguard Queen Woo in case of any unforeseen circumstances. Mu-gol departs to recruit a replacement horseman named Mo-chi. Mo-chi was formerly a member of Wangdang but got expelled. Currently, he is overwhelmed with debts from gambling and decides to assist Mu-gol in exchange for a large amount of cash.
Prior to departing, Queen Woo releases the messenger bird belonging to Go Na-mu and leaves a message regarding her upcoming chess match. She stays positive about coming back to complete the game with Eul Pa-so. The Queen and the Woo family hastily prepare to sneak the queen out of the palace before the sun sets. Everyone is worried about the trip and trying to persuade Bal-ki to wed Queen Woo. Woo-do instructs Woo-sun to ensure that Queen Woo will seduce Bal-ki by any means necessary.
Accompanied by Mo-chi and Mu-gol, the queen leaves the palace, with all preparations in place. Upon their departure, Eul Pa-so commands the guards to secure the gates and station Wangdang soldiers throughout the palace for safeguarding. Additionally, he delves further into the King’s demise and uncovers that Go Na-mu was poisoned. He calls for the palace’s imprisoned royal physician and instructs him to identify the perpetrator.
When it comes to the perpetrator, an individual attempts to communicate to inform those outside the palace that the King has passed away. Eul Pa-so had expected this and instructed his men to eliminate all the messenger birds departing from the palace, yet one bird managed to flee. Eul Pa-so takes the message written in vinegar from a bird and interprets it. He soon discovers there is a traitor in their midst and the queen is in serious jeopardy.
The bird that got away carries the message to Myeong-rim. The letter tells him that the king has passed away, and the queen has departed the palace to rendezvous with Prince Bal-ki. They request Myeong-rim to dispatch a killer to eliminate the Queen.
The prophetess prophecy. Is it true or false? Will Woo hee’s sister become queen instead of her or is Woo hee’s destiny far greater. Thanks for reading.