Doctor Shin reports to the king that the medicine house supports Jang-Geum and recognizes that she is best fit to head nae-ee-ohn as a ranked general. The ministers in court protest to the king saying Jang-Geum cannot break the tradition but the king announces Jang-Geum is to be his main physician and a medicine general. Min Jung-Ho’s superior tells Min Jung Ho to persuade the king to re-think the king’s decision but Min declines. The superior gets furious and says in that case their mentor-mentee relationship is over. Back at nae-ee-ohn, Doctor Shin tells the nurses and the doctors to accept Jang-Geum as their new superior.
Jang-Geum treats the young prince with Doctor Jung as her assistant. The prince is reluntant to eat the medicine but Jang-Geum promises he can play in the yard with her if he does, so the prince agrees and they play outside afterwards.
The mother queen arrives outside the king’s corridor and sits on the floor outside. The king comes out and begs her to get up but the mother queen states she is barely punishing herself for teaching her son wrong, causing him to award a woman into the hall of male physicians. The king replies he will follow her wishes and begs her to get up. The mother queen asks if he’s sincere and finally gets up after the king states yes. Min Jung-Ho watches and then goes back to his office.
The lady queen meets with Jang-Geum and tells her it’s hard to go against the mother queen’s will so Jang-Geum should be the one to give in. Jang-Geum smiles and replies when she was little her mother scolded her for catching rabbits with the boys saying that is not a job for girls.
Shin-Bi goes to see Jang-Geum at night and encourages her by saying everyone already knows Jang-Geum’s skills with or without a big title. Shin-Bi leaves and Jang-Geum takes off her socks to rub her aching foot. But the king arrives in her room.
Min Jung-Ho thinks about writing a letter but grabs the pen set Jang-Geum gave him and heads toward Jang-Geum’s room instead. Outside her room, Min Jung Ho sees the king’s personal guards waiting with a lamp. Inside, the king apologizes to Jang-Geum. Jang-Geum notices the king holds one of his hands into a fist whenever he talks and suggests taking a walk outside since it’s spring night. The king and Jang-Geum stroll through the palace as Jang-Geum explains how the weather affects the citizens and their health and how the nature is key to illness. Then Jang-Geum suggests to the king to take his shoes off and walk on the ground to feel the way the ground vibrates like her teacher taught her in the past.
The king is impressed by Jang-Ggeum’s knowledge and takes off his shoes to walk around without his shoes on. Jang-Geum tells the king he should stroll everynight when he encounters difficulty sleeping. The king asks how she knew he had trouble sleeping. Jang-Geum replies he holds his hand into a fist whenever talks which suggests he is stressed and when a person is stressed they have trouble sleeping. Jang-Geum also sugggests to the king that whenever he feels stressed he should talk to someone he trusts instead of holding it all inside himself.
The king is once again impressed by Jang-Geum’s knowledge and sensitivity and begins to walk more without his shoes. Next day in court the minister generals ask the king to punish Min Jung-Ho. The king is angry and sends them away but they state they will return tomorrow. The king is angry and sits with his hand into a fist as he stresses about what’s going on in the court. The head guard asks the king where he wants to sleep tonight and the king replies Jang-Geum’s. The king arrives at Jang-Geum’s room but tells the guard he wants to go to Yun-Saeng’s instead. When he arrives at Yun-Saeng’s room the king changes his mind again and suggests taking a walk instead.
Next day the king talks to Jang-Geum about all his troubles. The king tells Jang-Geum he never wanted to be the king but he became a king, and ever since he wondered if he had the make up of a king. Jang-Geum and the king continue to talk about their childhoods, and their memories as they laugh in between. Jang-Geum tries to explain the meaning of the king’s memories. The king replies Jang-Geum is teasing him but Jang-Geum says she is being sincere. Jang-Geum tells the king to forgive himself about whatever he feels is his shortcoming and focus on the future. Min Jung-Ho watches as the king and Jang-Geum laugh.
Jang-Geum instructs the head guard to put lots of apples before him since the smell of apple is good for the king and the king should eat lots of apples. She also tells the guard to tell the royal kitchen to prepare water kimchee instead of chili kimchee and to not offer tea at night.
The king asks Min Jung-Ho how he met Jang-Geum. Min Jung-Ho explains he has known her since the days when Jang-Geum was a kitchen maid. Then Min Jung Ho tells the king how he met Jang-Geum at the library the first time, but Jang-Geum saved him once outside the palace before that.
The king comments how Min and Jang-Geum have a long history, but the king’s history with jang-geum goes back even more. The king explains the story of Jang-Geum as a child delivering wine to his place when he was still a prince and how she begged to be a palace maid. The king asks Min if he agrees that he and Jang-Geum have quite a destiny together. Min nods.
Min Jung Ho meets with Jang-Geum and tells her she understands her helping the king, but taking a walk with the king every morning will cause a stir among palace people. Jang-Geum replies she understands.
The mother queen meets with the king and the lady queen. The mother queen asks why he meets with Jang-Geum every morning. The king replies she is healing his heart troubles but the mother queen states that’s non-sense and suggests making Jang-Geum a concubine instead.
At soo-rak-gan, Lady Min is teaching the new maids how to cook. Then Chan-Ee runs in and tells Min Sang Gong there’s a shocking news. Lady Min takes Chan-Ee into her room and Chan-Ee tells Lady Min the mother queen has ordered Jang-Geum to be a concubine. Lady Min reports the news to Yun-Saeng. Then Chan Ee reports the news to the Kangs who are surprised and worried about Min Jung-Ho. Kang and his wife begin to argue again about what’s gonna happen to Min Jung Ho and Jang-Geum. Chan-Ee who knows nothing about Jang-Geum’s relationship with Min Jung Ho, asks what’s going on. Kang whispers in her ears about the relationship.
Kangs go to see Jang-Duk and Kang Duk Gu complains to Jang-Duk about what’s gonna happen. They agree that Jang-Geum wouldn’t be happy about it. At nae-ee-ohn Min Jung Ho, the scholar, and Doctor Jung and Shin discuss how if Jang-Geum becomes a concubine then she wouldn’t be able to practice medicine again. The medicine women ask Jang-Geum if what she wanted was to be the king’s concubine. Shin-Bi defends Jang-Geum saying she only wants to practice medicine.
Jang-Geum leaves and outside she runs into Min Jung-Ho. They exchange looks but they say nothing to each other. Jang-Geum goes to see the lady queen and explains herself. The lady queen assures Jang-Geum that if the king doesn’t want it to happen then there’s nothing the mother queen can do. The king thinks about what his mother said to him and wonders if he thinks of Jang-Geum more than just a medicine woman.
The king goes to see Jang-Geum, and Jang-Geum begs the king not to accept the mother queen’s suggestion. The king tells Jang-Geum he didn’t know his own feeling until the mother queen said something. The palace officers are happy that Jang-Geum has been ordered to be a concubine since she won’t be praciting medicine then. In the court the ministers and officers beg the king to accept the mother queen’s order.
The mother queen comes to see the lady queen and asks her why she hasn’t insisted on Jang-Geum becoming a concubine. The lady queen replies Jang-Geum is a medicine woman and the king only sees her as a medicine woman. The mother queen gets angry and orders the lady queen to insist on making Jang-Geum a concubine. Min Jung-Ho practices arrow-shooting until his fingers start to bleed. Then he goes to see Jang-Geum. Jang-Geum takes care of Min Jung Ho’s wound. Min Jung Ho watches Jang-Geum mending his would and says silently, “This is the hand that I should have held onto then. Now i may never be able to hold it again.”
Chan-Ee goes to tell Lady Min and Yun-Saeng about Jang-Geum and Min Jung Ho’s long relationship. Yun-Saeng asks Jang-Geum if it’s true that Min Jung Ho is the one Jang-Geum loves. Jang-Geum begins to cry and Yun-Saeng cries with Jang-Geum and asks Jang-Geum what she will do now. Jang-Geum shakes her head indicating she doesn’t know what to do and cries more. Yun-Saeng goes to see the king and tells the king that Jang-Geum’s life is her work and if she becomes a concubine she will not be happy, then begs the king to disallow it to happen. The king agrees Jang-Geum’s work is very important to Jang-Geum’s happiness. Then Yun-Saeng mentions Jang-Geum and Min Jung-Ho love each other deeply. The king is shocked and sends Yun-Saeng away. After Yun-Saeng leaves, the king drinks wine and remembers his conversation with Min Jung Ho about his first meeting with Jang-Geum.
The king goes to see the mother queen. The mother queen tells the king and the lady queen to make preparations to make Jang-Geum a concubine. At court, the king keeps his stare at Min Jung-Ho while the officers again beg him to accept the mother queen’s order. The king tells his guard to call Jang-Geum in to see him. Jang-Geum arrives at the king’s room. Alone with Jang-Geum, the king tells her to sit closely to him. Jang-Geum sits down and looks up as the king stares at her. The king asks Jang-Geum if it’s true that she is loving Min Jung-Ho. Jang-Geum replies yes. The king is furious.