Jang-Geum and Min Jung Ho are brought in front of Jeju-Island officers. The identity of Min is revealed and the soldiers release Min’s bondages at once. Min asks for permission to oversee the matter of Jang-Geum but they refuse since it’s her 4th time running away. The Jeju Island medicine lady arrives.
Min comes to the kitchen looking for Jang-Geum and the two step outside to talk. Jang-Geum asks how he came here and when Jang-Geum asks if he demoted himself just to be here he changes the topic.
Jang-Geum watches as the Jang Duk sells herbal medicine and afterwards scolds the her for cheating. Jang Duk asks how Jang Geum knows she shortchanged the buyer and Jang Geum says she tasted the medicine ball and shows that she can decipher ingredients by taste. Jang Duk is impressed but scolds her for being nosy and puts Jang-Geum to work instead. At night Jang-Geum overhears Jang Duk teasing with a male officer and shakes her head in disapproval of the medicine lady. Back in her sleeping corridor, Jang-Geum tears up as she remembers her last exchange with Hang Sang Gong in which Han asks Jang-Geum to live.
Jang-Geum leaves after she sees the medicine lady asking her customer to pay up front before she will examine her. The medicine lady comes after Jang-Geum and puts her to work again. In the kitchen Jang-Geum upsets the other maids and they leave. Jang-Geum remembers Jan Sang Gong’s heeding that food and medicine go in people’s mouths thus she who prepares them must remember the one who will eat it. Min Jung Ho arrives and offers Jang-Geum some sulphur for her to feed the duck and experiment with.
Gam Tuk-Poh prepares a claypot of ginseng chicken for him and his wife, but his wife scolds him for making the same dish again. The precise dish that made the King faint. Tuk-Poh defends his intent by stating they’ve been eating it for 3 months and still they’re healthy so they must continue eating it until they find out why it made the King ill. Na Ju Duek tastes it and almost vomits. Then they realize they’re expecting a baby.
Tuk-Poh tells Yun-Saeng that he’s been eating the dish for 3 motnhs and not only did he not get sick his wife is pregnant. Yun-Saeng wonders why then the servant Hong-Ee fainted from the food. Yun-Saeng calls Hong-Ee and asks what else she ate and the servant remembers she ate something given to her by Young-Roh.
Choi Sang Gong, Geum-Young and their subordinates cook up a feast for the King and his Ming’s visitor.The visitor mentions that the previous general told him about a very skilled maid at the Royal Kitchen and asks if Geum-Young is such maid. Choi and Geum-Young say nothnig. Geum-Young finds out from the Choi Pan Sul servant that Min Jung Ho is in Jeju Island.
Geum-Young goes to the soo-rak-gan and tells Min Sang Gong to change the menu. Yun-Saeng refuses since they’re following the methods taught by Hang Sang Gong and example set by Jang-Geum. Choi Sang Gong arrives and scolds them for mentioning the names of Hang Sang Gong and Jang Geum, but Yun-Saeng says they did no wrong and Choi becomes furious.
Chan-Ee and Min Sang Gong kneel outside Choi’s room and pleads for forgiveness while Yun-Saeng stays in her room, refusing to apologize. Choi sends Lady Min, Chan-Ee and Yun-Saeng to ip-sang-gan (food-mill section). Chan-Ee and Lady Min complain and blame it on Yun-Saeng who goes outside to sob alone.
A puppy comes and Yun-Saeng embraces the puppy asking if he is sick or hungry.
Jang-Geum explains food properties to her new colleagues who are impressed by her knowledge. They ask her how she knows so much and Jang-Geum tells them she previously worked inside the Royal Kitchen and learned from her mentors. Just then a man arrives asking for medical help for his child. Jang Duk orders Jang-Geum to bring her needles follow along. The medicine lady performs acupuncture on the sick child. Jang Duk tells the father there isn’t anything else she do for them. Jang-Geum scolds her. The father states it’s because he’s poor that the medicine lady won’t offer full medical care. Jang-Geum continues to complain and states she will take over the medical care in that case. Jang-Geum goes to see Min Jung Ho asking to borrow money to buy medicine. Min asks if she’s ill and she says it’s not for her. Without further questioning Min gives Jang-Geum money. Jang-Geum states she will pay back and asks about the officer who is always taking soldiers somewhere after training. Min finds out about the officer’s activities.
Jang-Geum takes the money and buys the medicines she needs. Jang-Geum tells the father the water is salty and unfit for making medicine for the child, and asks if he can get better water. The father says water is precious in Jeju Island and only the generals and the soldiers have access to clean water. Then Jang-Geum asks where the spring water source is. The father states ordinary citizens aren’t allowed to retrieve spring water. Jang-Geum tries her luck but the soldier guarding the source chases her away. Then Jang-Geum walks a long distance to the next clean water and fills her jar with the clean water. On her way back she runs into Min Jung Ho who watches as the officer orders his soldiers to remove rocks blocking water source. It turns out Jang Duk asked the officer to work on clearing the water source so that the ordinary citizens in Jeju Island can have clean water and their health won’t worsen.
Jang Duk asks the general to fetch a natural cleaning agent for the water but Jang-Geum suggests something else and explains that as the season changes they should use still water. Jang Duk listens to Jang-Geum’s suggestions and Min smiles as the women leave. The officer asks Min if Min likes Jang-Geum. Min says nothing and turns his face. The officer smiles and states he will watch over her.
Jang-Geum takes the clean water to make medicine for the boy. The medicine lady wipes the boy with clean water as she tells Jang-Geum the reason why she’s been saving money is to use it to built clean water reservoir for the citizens. Jang-Geum says it’s still wrong to short change people but Jang Duk says those patients are suffering from heartaches not physical illness so giving them lesser medicine makes no real difference. The medicine lady insists on getting clean water despite the reservoir guard’s protest. Jang-Geum watches as the medicine lady works hard to prevent the people of Jeju Island from getting sick. Jang-Geum realizes Jang Duk is an extoardinary woman with a noble mission.
Jang Duk is summoned by her superior who tells her she has been once again called to work in the palace since her skills are extroardinary and her name is well known all over Jeju Island. But she tells her superior to decline and make up an excuse like she’s dying since she wants to stay in Jeju Island. Jang-Geum asks the officer how a person from Jeju Island can be summoned into the palace. Jang-Geum runs to tell Min Jung Ho that she figured out a way to return to the palace, as a medicine woman.