Jang-Geum figures out how to get the bean sauce back to the desired taste. Courty Lady Han tells Jang-Geum to cook bean curd soup for the King. Head Court Lady asks the King if the soup tastes different. The king says it’s the same as old times. The King asks how they got the taste back. It was because Jang-Geum found out that the secret is adding pollen. The king tells the generals to inform the citizens about the benefits of using flower pollen.
Jang-Geum asks Court Lady Han if she could go to the herbal farm to receive treatment from the palace doctor there.
Jang-Geum travels to the herbal farm to meet the Doctor Jung Woon Baek who is researching treatment by using bees’ sting. Jang-Geum begs the doctor to help cure her disability. Min Jung-Ho and his guards arrive. Min scolds the doctor about his treatment of his men who suffer from bruised skin and weak limbs. Doctor states he is just trying new treamtment methods. Min apologizes. Jang-Geum begs Doctor Jung to use her as a guinea pig but he refuses. But he promises to help her.
Jang-Geum and Min Jung-Ho walk back together. Min tells Jang-Geum a story of one who lost his hearing but became a doctor to cheer her up. He said, “if I tell you everything will be okay then it would be obnoxious. If I say I’m sorry then it sounds like there’s no hope.” Jang Geum tells Min he already comforted her with those words and smiles.
Min gets more books for Jang-Geum. Geum-Young sees the interaction as she walks in the direction of the library. Jang-Geum opens the book to read, and finds a proverb poem Min wrote for her, which roughly means “a small tree is not yet grown, thus just a single bamboo standing, the shadow of the trees is just temporarily stay, once it’s over, sunset gives a beautiful view” (Other translated meaning, “to bring up a small tree in this world is already a hard work.. the lonelinss of a mature tree… it is only temporary because when the sun comes up the world will once again be filled with warmth”).
Yong-Non spies on Jang-Geum and shows Geum-Young the medical books Jang-Geum is reading.
Court Lady Han tells Jang-Geum to make rice cake fry. Yong Non tells Geum-Young that Court Lady Han has been ordering Jang-Geum to make food without tasting it.
Medicine lady checks Court Lady Jung’s health. Courty Lady Choi and Court Lady Han ask Jung Sang Gong to supervise the next big cooking ceremony. Jung tells Choi and Han to be in charge of the preparation this time. This will be their second challenge.
Medicine lady asks Jang-Geum if she got her taste palate back. Jang-Geum sees Court Lady Choi approaching so she lies by saying yes and runs off. Courty Lady Choi asks medince lady what she asked Jang-Geum and the lady tells her that Jang-Geum had lost her taste buds earlier.
Geum-Young practices cooking using the method Court Lady Han tells Jang-Geum, which is to cook without tasting. Court Lady Choi comes and asks Geum-Young what she is doing. Geum-Young asks Court Lady Choi if she could get medical books to read like Jang-Geum does. Court Lady Choi asks Yong-Ro privately since when Jang-Geum has been reading medical books. Choi remembers what the medicine lady told her and becomes suspicious about Jang-Geum’s taste ability.
Court Lady Choi again asked Yun Saeng when Jang Geum started reading the medical books. Yun Saeng tells Choi that she started reading after the incident of the prince.
Court Lady Han and Court Lady Choi sample the dishes prepared by the Royal Kitchen maid servants. The maids taken turn to present their dishes to the two Sang-Goons. Jang-Geum presents bamboo rice (rice steamed in bamboo trunks). Court Lady Choi then tells the maids to taste each other’s food, as she wants Jang-Geum to show her inability to decipher taste. The maids trade with each other. Court Lady Choi asks Yun Noh, then Yun-Saeng, then Geum-Young to state aloud what they have tasted. Then she calls for Jang-Geum. Jang-Geum makes up a response based on what she knows about the ingredients. Court Lady Choi lets her pass and calls Chan-Ee next.
Court Lady Jung asks Court Lady Choi and Han about the preparation results. Court Lady Han states she can’t decide whether Geum-Young or Jang-Geum’s was the best. Court Lady Choi states she thought Jang-Geum’s was the best but it seems Jang-Geum can’t decipher tastes anymore, as the Yong Non’s dish that Jang-Geum sampled was supposed to be extremely salty but Jang-Geum didn’t taste that.
Court Lady Jung calls Jang-Geum into her chamber. Jang-Geum is presented with 3 bowls fo water each with a different condiment dissolved in. She tastes the first one and says it’s sugar water. She tastes the second and states it’s salt water. Court Lady Jung states all the bowls were plain water, as a trick test. Court Lady Han pleads to Court Lady Jung saying that although she can’t taste anything she has the skill and wisdom to cook great dishes. Court Lady Choi insists a kitchen maid who can no longer decipher food taste does not belong to the kitchen. Court Lady Han said Jang-Geum can cook anything. Choi asks for Jang-Geum to prove that she can really cook anything. If Jang Geum really can, then she will let it go too but if she fails, then Court Lady Han must also take the blame.
Court Lady Jung scolds Court Lady Han for not telling her earlier. Jang-Geum tells Court Lady Han she will try Court Lady Choi’s test. Court Lady Choi tells Geum-Young to stop copying Jang-Geum and stand on her own skills.
Jang-Geum travels to the herbal field farm to beg the Doctor Jung to test his new bee’s sting treatment on her. He refuses since he is afraid something might go wrong. Jang-Geum tells it’s urgent and wants it whatever it will take. Doctor Jung uses acupunture on Jang-Geum’s arms to calm her spirit, then uses the bee’s sting to poke her tongue. Whether or not the treatment worked is uncertain as of yet. Doctor Jung gives Jang-Geum medicine to eat if her body becomes too cold or painful. Jang-Geum asks if the medicine will counter the effects of the treatment, but promises to take the medicine if there is side-effect.
Gang Duk Gu goes on an errand for the King. His wife follows him. HIs wife asks how much money he will receive for this.
Jang-Geum begins to feel her body swollen but she decides not to take the medicine for fear that her treatment will be nullified. Jang-Geum goes to the kitchen to see if her taste palate has returned. Court Lady Choi tells Jang-Geum her trial is today.
A court lady arrives with the materials to be delivered to Kang. Jang-Geum volunteers to make the delivery. Kang Duk Gu cultivates honey, then uses it to make porridge for the King. Jang-Geum is given pig liver to helps to recover her sense of taste. Jang-Geum sniffs it and says it’s strong. Jang-Geum asks Deok Gu if he knows what whale meat tastes like, which she needs to cook in test. Duk Go goes on and on about how it tastes like seafood but not really, how it resembles beef but not really, but he’s interrupted by head guard who tells him to go back to his work, before finally said it should be tastes like beef.
Jang-Geum runs off to the courtyard to read her mother’s recipe booklet. Court Lady Choi’s brother Choi Pan Sul gives her a recipe for cooking whale meat.
Court Lady Jung tells Court Lady Han, Choi, Jang-Geum and Geum-Young to cook side by side the newly arrived whale meat. Each team cooks different dishes using the meat as main ingredient. Court Lady Jung tastes the creations before they are brought to the King. She approves the dishes made by Court Lady Choi and Geum-Young. The she tastes Jang-Geum’s dish a couple of times then says it’s okay to give to the King. Court Lady Choi protests.