Lee Gun and the king speak in private. The king admits he heard everything, even his argument with Dosung. He promises Lee Gun to spare Myung Yoon because she saved his life. He doesn’t want Dosung and the queen to discover about him because they are sorrounded by his enemies. So he is planning to bring the Namin faction back to power even though there’s a risk that most of them are still loyal to the deposed king.
He also wants to get the help of the tiger hunters, to oust the Queen dowager and left state councilor from the palace. He wants to make the journey to their abode so that they can believe he is well but Lee Gun is hesitant due to his health so Myung Yoon has to check him up. She announces the King is fit to travel but when Lee Gun side eyes her, she adds that his health could worsen but the king can’t be dissuaded so he decides to take Myung Yoon with them so Lee Gun can be at ease.
They begin their journey but halfway through, the king’s health deteriorates. After checking his pulse, Myung Yoon determines that the king would need absolute rest. There isn’t so much time so the king gives Lee Gun a letter along with his crown as a proof to the tiger hunters. When he leaves, Myung Yoon asks Moo Baek to protect him for her sake. Moo Baek leaves and the king asks to speak with her privately. He tells her it’s sad that someone like her happens to be the daughter of Lord Choi.
But the Queen dowager and Lord Choi councillor had already sent the tiger hunters a message of their own in other to protect them against the left state councillor so when Lee Gun arrives there he is treated with suspicion even though he shows the leader the king’s crown. He ends up engaging in a fight with them but the king’s sudden arrival quells everything. The tiger hunters bow in awe as the King orders them to root out all the traitors in the palace. They promise to adhere to his decree.
After this, the king returns to the palace secretly and pretends to be unconscious but before then, he instructs the Royal guard and his eunuch to ensure no other officials enter his chamber.
Meanwhile, Left state councillor cohorts with the queen’s court lady Cho to kill the king so Dosung can claim the throne. The court lady is very hesitant to do this but agrees. However, the left state councillor doesn’t trust her and plans to kill her after the deed is done.
But the court lady Cho goes to the Queen dowager and Lord Choi to inform them of Left state councillor’s plan to kill the king, showing them the poison he had given her as proof. While she’s leaving, Dosung’s guard spots her and immediately informs Dosung that Court lady Cho might be a spy. Dosung has her brought to his chamber. His guard searches her and discovers the poison. After roughening her up, she lies that Lord Choi gave her the poison to kill Lee Gun.
Meanwhile the queen dowager and Lord Choi are bothered that they may be the next victims if Left councillor succeeds in killing the king. Lord Choi promises to stop him even if he would risk his life.
The king secretly meets with his loyal officers and the tiger hunters. They plan to find out who killed Master Moonhyung. They also need the magistrate’s help for their plan to work out. Just then, Lee Gun is informed of Dosung’s visit. He refuses to let him in which hurts Dosung. Just as he’s about to tell him about the attempt on his life, Myung Yoon passes by. Seeing her, he becomes heartbroken and turns away.
The Queen dowager orders the tiger hunters into the palace after claiming that a tiger has broken loose into the palace. Despite the left councillor’s attempts to stop the decree, it goes through.
With the help of her local friends, Myung Yoon disguises as a beautiful prostitute at a brothel after the whereabouts of the men who stoned master Moonhyung to death are found. To get her attention, the men boasts that they are responsible for Master Moonhyung death. Lee Gun then beats them up and ties them. Lee Gun summons the magistrate but upon seeing the men, he crumbles with fear. He puts the blame on the Left councillor and to save himself, spills everything he knows, how the queen dowager and Lord Choi plan to live together at the temporary palace in Anju after making Dosung king and how the left councillor plans to kill the king.
But fearing that Lee Sung would not forgive him, he urges left councillor to kill the king as soon as possible. The queen Dowager then informs the queen of her father’s plan. She is in shock but the queen Dowager urges her the act fast
That night, the queen with the left councillor and court lady Choi head to the king’s chamber. But when the left councillor discovers that the king’s body is gone, he looses all sense of reasoning, yelling at the queen and Court lady Cho to hand the king over. But they refuse. He then barges in to the Queen dowager’s chamber to ask of the king’s body but she too is indignant, revealing she’s aware of his plan to kill her and Lord Choi once he’s finished with the king. She threatens to not make Dosung crown prince. Seething with rage, the left councillor vows to make her regret it. Upon leaving, he runs into Lord Choi who warns him not to raise his voice to the queen dowager ever again. Meanwhile, the king is in the Queen’s chamber.
Left councillor then orders the commander to kill the king at the morning assembly, promising to reward him if he succeeds. Left councillor also plans to kill Myung Yoon and her father.
The next morning, the queen dowager suddenly exposes the left councillor in front of the council, much to Dosung’s dismay. But the left councillor is surprisingly quite calm. Just then, a guard rushes inside yelling that there has been a rebellion. The commander and his men are killing all the guards. Left councillor laughs as he tells the queen dowager and Lord Choi that it’s their last moment. He then promises to tell Dosung everything he had been planning but Dosung is in shock.
They all go out to find the royal guards dead and the commander ready to kill Lord Choi and the queen dowager. Lord Choi then shouts for the tiger hunters to protect him and the queen dowager but there is no response which leaves Lord Choi cackling. But to everyone’s disbelief, the king and Lee Gun enter along with all their men. Everyone is shocked. The magistrate cowers in fear but the rest still remains standing. The king laughs that all his enemies are gathered in one place. Desperate, Lord Choi shouts again for the tiger hunters. There is no response until the king orders them to come out. They appear and subdue everyone. This time, the left councillor surrenders, so does the commander. Except for the queen dowager and lord Choi. The queen dowager is defeated but Lord Choi fumes with rage as he glares at Lee Gun and the king.
