Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Bong-hwan gets through the wedding night without the marriage being consummated, although Cheoljong leaves enough uncertainty to make him worry about it afterwards. Wearing So-yong's elaborate clothes and learning the queen's duties prove uncomfortable in different ways. When he meets Jo Hwa-jin, his attempts to flirt make an already awkward relationship worse. She sees a rival queen changing tactics, while Bong-hwan is only beginning to understand how much Cheoljong cares for her.
At court, Cheoljong gives way to the powerful Kim family, letting Bong-hwan see how little freedom the king appears to have. Privately, Cheoljong and his trusted companions pursue evidence of that family's corruption. His foolish public manner conceals a much more dangerous purpose. Bong-hwan, meanwhile, bargains with the Grand Queen Dowager to have the empty lake filled, offering the prospect of an heir as a promise he has no intention of fulfilling.
Bong-hwan slips outside the palace dressed as a man and visits a gisaeng house, eager for pleasures that feel closer to his former life. The outing takes him near a secret meeting between Cheoljong, Prince Yeongpyeong and Hong. He stumbles into their room without understanding the danger. The men suspect that the queen has followed them to spy, and Cheoljong pursues him into the street. Bong-hwan's night of freedom ends facing a sword held by a king he has badly underestimated.