'21st Century Grand Duchess' Hits Another Self-Best Viewership.. IU♥Byun Woo-seok Risked Their Lives to Protect Each Other [Comprehensive]

*This content was translated by AI.

IU and Byun Woo-seok risked their lives to protect each other. Amidst their deepening love, '21st Century Grand Duchess' achieved another self-best viewership rating.

According to Nielsen Korea, a viewership survey company, on the 16th, the 11th episode of the MBC Friday-Saturday drama '21st Century Grand Duchess' (script by Yoo Ji-won, directed by Park Jun-hwa), which aired on the 15th, recorded 13.5% nationwide, 13.5% in the Seoul metropolitan area, and 5.3% among viewers aged 20-54. Based on nationwide figures, it once again broke its own record, showing a continuous upward trend. Notably, the drama ranked first among all Friday programs nationwide, in the Seoul metropolitan area, and among the 20-54 demographic, with a peak of 16.3% per minute.

In the broadcast that day, the love between Seong Hee-ju (played by IU) and Prince Lee An (played by Byun Woo-seok), who risked their lives to save each other amidst danger, deepened. As Prince Lee An ascended to the throne, he took the first step toward abolishing the monarchy.

Seong Hee-ju, upon hearing that Prince Lee An was in the burning rear palace, rushed into the flames. After barely finding Prince Lee An, who had lost consciousness, Seong Hee-ju succeeded in rescuing him with the help of aide Choi Hyun (played by Yoo Soobin). Thanks to Seong Hee-ju's earnest wish, Prince Lee An soon regained consciousness, and the two embraced each other tightly, feeling relieved.

After Prince Lee An recovered, Yoon I-rang (played by Gong Seung-yeon) was overwhelmed with shock upon realizing that the mastermind behind the incident was her father, Yoon Sung-won (played by Jo Jae-yoon). From the poisoning incident on the day of the wedding ceremony to the palace fire, Yoon I-rang could no longer watch the royal family shaken by her father's greed. She eventually went to find Prince Lee An, confessed her father's crimes, and asked for punishment.

Even as Yoon I-rang prepared to give up everything she had enjoyed as a queen dowager and pleaded for punishment, her request to protect only the young King Lee-yoon (played by Kim Eun-ho) made Prince Lee An's heart even heavier. Consequently, Prince Lee An honestly shared his confused feelings regarding Yoon I-rang's punishment with Seong Hee-ju, and Seong Hee-ju comforted Prince Lee An's troubled heart.

Prince Lee An met privately with Min Jeong-woo (played by Noh Sang-hyun) to verify the fact that Min Jeong-woo knew about the crimes committed by Yoon Sung-won but had condoned them. As Yoon I-rang stated, Min Jeong-woo revealed to Prince Lee An that the poisoning incident was Yoon Sung-won's doing, yet he delayed punishment by citing that the royal family would be shaken due to Yoon Sung-won being the queen dowager's father.

However, Prince Lee An could not accept the idea of exiling Yoon Sung-won to prevent the collapse of the royal family, even though Yoon Sung-won had tried to kill him. Since the royal family had become merely a means for Yoon I-rang, Yoon Sung-won, and even Min Jeong-woo to maintain the power they held, Prince Lee An declared his intention to abolish the monarchy, stating, "The royal family cannot last forever." In contrast, Min Jeong-woo opposed Prince Lee An's opinion and declared he would oppose it at the State Council meeting, causing the conflict to grow uncontrollably.

In response, Seong Hee-ju went directly to Min Jeong-woo to probe his intentions and lend strength to Prince Lee An. Previously, after hearing that Prince Lee An had gone to the rear palace upon receiving a call from Min Jeong-woo just before the fire incident, Seong Hee-ju had begun to suspect Min Jeong-woo little by little. Her words to Min Jeong-woo, "We could become enemies," carried resentment and heightened the tension.

After a arduous journey, Prince Lee An's coronation ceremony was finally held. It remains to be seen whether Prince Lee An, who ascended the throne before the eyes of Prime Minister Min Jeong-woo, other officials, royal clan members, and the entire nation, will achieve his great cause.

The final episode of '21st Century Grand Duchess' will air on the 16th at 9:40 p.m.

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*This content was translated by AI.