The king gets his sight back. The lady queen praises Jang-Geum for healing the king and figuring out the real cause of his illness. The king asks Jang-Geum for her name and nods his head to show his gratitude. The medical scholar states Jang-Geum has saved the house of medicine but Oh instructs the staff to keep Jang-Geum at her original ranking.
Jang-Geum runs to see Min Jung-Ho to show him she succeeded and thanked him for putting his life on the line for her. Min Jung Ho with tears in his eyes states it was a dangerous task for her and he worried about her safety, and had he known this, he would have asked her to run away to Jeju Island. Jang-Geum goes up to him and embraces him. Min Jung Ho returns her embrace and the two share a warm hug.
Jang-Geum instructs the furious Lady Choi and Geum-Young to use red ginseng in the king’s food from now on. The king asks Oh about Jang-Geum, saying he wants to award her but Oh states what Jang-Geum did was her job and that Doctor Shin was about to find out the cause anyway. Yun-Saeng dines with the king and tells the king she has a wish. Yun-Saeng states she wishes the king to meet Jang-Geum who is likes her sister. The king states he has wanted to meet Jang-Geum. Yun-Saeng steps out and calls Jang-Geum in to meet with the king privately.
Alone with the king, Jang-Geum asks the king to return Lady Han’s innocence, that Lady Han was a righteous woman whose life was spent serving the king and the palace. The king remembers his conversations from Lady Han and the taste of her cooking, but states if he is to find Lady Han’s innocence it would mean going against his mother.
Lady Choi tells Yuh-Ri she thinks high of her. Then tells Yuh-Ri to go to Lady Rark to tell her that it is better if she remains quietly in her place. A stunned Yuh Ri leaves to go see the retired jae-jo sang gong. Lady Choi tells Geum-Young at this time she doesn’t have the will to deal with Lady Park since she already has to deal with Oh.
Choi Pan Sul sends an assasin to kill the head doctor of nae-ee-ohn. Before the assasin can attack the doctor, Min Jung-Ho and Jang-Geum arrive at the doctor’s doorsteps. Min Jung Ho sees the assasin and goes after him. In the forest Min and the masked assasin exchange fights. Min unveils the assasin’s mask to see who he is but before he can ask him questions the assasin gets away. Jang-Geum asks the head doctor to do the right thing by telling the truth about what really happened with the Lady Han instead since he was involved. The head doctor says he will think about it and tells Jang-Geum to go back.
Choi Pan Sul’s is angry that the assasin was seen by Min Jung-Ho and sends the assasin back to finish the job. When the assasin arrives at the head doctor’s home, he discovers the body of the head doctor who apparently committed suicide. Next day, the Chois are happy that they don’t have to be the one to kill the head doctor and now no one will ever say anything against them. Kangs wonder if Jang-Geum can do anything about Lady Han’s case now that the witness killed himself and the king declined her request. Jang-Geum whispers her plan in their ears.
At soo-rak-gan a messenger comes to tell Lady Choi and Geum-Young a nurse wants to see them. Geum-Young thinks it’s Yuh-Ri and they go out to meet her. But it’s Jang-Geum instead who is pouring Lady Han’s aged vinegar into a jar. Jang-Geum asks if Lady Choi will use this vinegar that is made by Lady Han. The Chois are offended by Jang-Geum and about to leave but Jang-Geum says she must tell them something. Jang-Geum states before the doctor committed suicide he left Jang-Geum a letter which will reveal everything and she plans to give it to the lady queen. Lady Choi and Geum-Young are shocked. Jang-Geum asks them to confess their wrong doing and plead in front of Lady Han.
Lady Choi goes to see Oh for help. Oh suspects there is no such letter but sends a man to investigate. Lady Choi pays daily visit to the lady queen and catches Jang-Geum giving the lady queen massage and the lady queen praising her. When alone, Jang-Geum asks Lady Choi if she thinks she doesn’t have the letter. Kangs are tricked by the Choi Pan Sul messenger to deliver wine somewhere. While they’re gone the Choi Pan Sul’s servants rummage through the kang’s house to look for the letter Jang-Geum mentioned but the only letters they find are old love letters from Kang Duk Gu to his wife.
Jang-Geum asks Geum-Young if they can just for a little while return to the way things were when they were both kitchen maids. Jang-Geum states she doesn’t want to hate Geum-Young. Geum-Young replies she cannot do so because Jang-Geum took away Min Jung-Ho and her last pride. Jang-Geum states that is an excuse and leaves.
Lady Choi and Choi Pan Sul call Young-Roh to meet with them. They offer her a large sum of money in exchange for her disappearance from the palace. The Chois want to get rid of her so that Jang-Geum can’t use her as a witness against them. Young-Roh agrees for fear of her life but asks permission to go see her relative, the Choi Pan Sul’s messenger. But Young-Roh gets called into another private meeting by the officer who is a co-conspirator of the Choi’s, Oh. The officer also offers Young-Roh money in exchange for her to confess everything to the investigation department, and a possibility for her to receive the title of jae-jo sang gong after Lady Choi is rid of. Young-Roh who is confused and scared takes both bribes to show them to Jang-Geum.