Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Hwa-jin gives the corruption ledger to the Queen Dowager, hoping it will help bring the queen down. Bong-hwan is preoccupied with a different problem: feelings for Cheoljong keep appearing in dreams and interrupting his confidence about who he is. Choosing new concubines offers a distraction, but the king sees the appointments as a chance to loosen the rival families' hold on the court. Their separate interests briefly lead them toward the same choices.
Misdelivered letters start an affectionate exchange between Cheoljong and the queen, each misunderstanding who is on the other end. Around them, preparations for the Suritnal banquet become a struggle over the king's authority. Cheoljong works with Man-bok and intends to include hungry people from outside the palace. His opponents interfere with the food supplies, leaving the kitchen short of usable ingredients at the moment it needs to feed an important gathering.
The celebration puts Cheoljong and Byeong-in opposite each other in a public demonstration of fighting skill. Their rivalry carries the memory of the masked attack on the queen, and Byeong-in begins recognising the man he fought that night. Elsewhere, the women take part in a hunt. Bong-hwan approaches it as a game, but Hwa-jin has brought a real arrowhead. As the king and Byeong-in fight before the court, Hwa-jin aims at the queen in the woods and releases her arrow.