The Red Sleeve episode 9: San and Duk Im manage to thwart Head Court Lady Jo's plans of treason

In The Red Sleeve's latest episode, San receives an order to leave the Palace to visit the Royal Tomb. His grandfather's condition worsened over days and his memory did not get better, irrespective of the medicines and treatments that he had received from the royal pharmacy.

Caution: This article contains spoilers!

San's (Jun Ho) grandfather, the King, probably knew of his deteriorating condition too, because he handed over the pass to get the army together in case of an emergency. He gave it to San before he left to visit the Royal Tomb in The Red Sleeve. San did not think that he would need to use the pass, but there came to be a situation where he could do nothing but use the pass.

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Duk Im warns San of treason in 'The Red Sleeve' episode 9

Head Court Lady Jo is against San becoming the king. She was unhappy with the fact that the King chose her best friend to become the queen over her, despite his promises earlier when he wanted to secure her support. So she doesn't want San to become the King, as that would make the King extremely happy.

It was also revealed earlier in The Red Sleeve that she had planned San's father's death in detail too. She was the head of Gwangmun Palace, and she claimed that her responsibility was to ensure the safety of the court maids. However, she was greedy for power and everything that came with it. When she realized the extent to which San had taken over the court and the country, she wanted to remove him entirely from the situation.

So when she realized that San would be out of the Palace and away from the protection of the King, she orchestrated a plan to assassinate him with the help of the other court maids, who worked under her in the secret society. She forcefully added Lady Seo, the head of the Crown Prince's maids to the group and that was the mistake. It was Lady Seo who confessed the truth to Duk Im (Lee Se Young) in The Red Sleeve and she figured out her plans in time to warn San.

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San cannot help but fall in love with Duk Im in 'The Red Sleeve'

Thanks to Duk Im's warning signal in the form of a kite in The Red Sleeve, he was able to send Deok Ro to seek the help of the army. He also planned a few ways in which he and his guards could control the situation were it to become dangerous. He planted traps and found alternative weapons to the ones that were destroyed by the spies within his palace. With Duk Im's help, he was able to save himself and the people who worked for him.

In the end, when he saw Duk Im rush towards him, tired to her bones after running continuously for hours, he is moved. He catches her just as she falls and passes out from exhaustion. He ensures that she knows that it's safe to rest. He will, however, have to face the consequences of asking the army for help in The Red Sleeve.