Suk-bin gently opens her eyes and looks at herself in the mirror, she looks a lot better after changing into her royal attire. She holds the maid's hand, telling her to stop the makeover. "Lady Baek." she calls sternly.
"You can take your leave now." Lady Baek orders the rest of the maids and they obey without any utterances.
"What do you think happened over night?" She asks still looking at herself in the mirror.
Lady Baek moves closer to her mistress. "I have no idea too your majesty, but I am sure a lot did happened."
"The first thing I have to do is to find who poisoned my son, I will never spare that person."
"Your majesty, Lord Jang's daughter, Jang Ok Jung is here to see you." Someone announces from outside.
Suk-bin and her attendant exchanges short glances at each other.
"Why do you suppose she is here?"
"Perhaps, she heard about the the poisoning issue already."
"Let her in!" Suk-bin orders.
Ok jung walks in and bows. "Your majesty."
"Have your seat." suk-bin offers.
She gently sits and smiles. "Yeoning wasn't poisoned."
Lady Baek, as well as her mistress open their eyes wide in shock.
"What are you talking about? My son wasn't poisoned?"
"Yes." Ok Jung nods. "It was all part of the plan to stop you from leaving the palace."
"Then how do you mention the physician, he confirmed he was poisoned." she persists.
"He is on our side as well." The Ming princess replies with the wildest smile ever.
A night before, Yeoning and Ok Jung had paid a life threatening visit to the royal physician, and in exchange for his life, he agreed on doing something for them.
"What?!" the physician asks with a sneer.
"You heard right." The prince whispers. "Can you do it or not?"
"That's quite a difficult thing to do." The physician whispers with great fear.
"It is very simple, all you have to do is to inform your underling to play along, just confirming it to the king that he was truly poisoned but thankfully, no vital organs were damaged."
"But is the prince really going to be poisoned?" He asks still.
"No." Ok Jung shakes her head. "We would take care of that, just play along."
"If you can get in touch with your underling who is currently standing in for you at the palace, I promise to let you go."
The physician sighs and asks again. "Are you sure of what you are saying?"
"Oh course I am. " The prince nods. "I give you my word."
***************
"How do you think we can escape all of this?" Lord Shim asks.
Yeoning swings his arms forward and smiles. "Tomorrow morning, before my mom is casted out of the palace. I will be poisoned."
"Be poisoned?"
"Isn't that outrageous?"
"What are you talking about your highness? Be poisoned? How?" Lord Shim asks again.
"Don't worry, he would be perfectly fine. But, news will spread that he was poisoned, and even a physician will attest to that." Ok Jung reassures.
"So, how do we come in?" Lord Kang asks.
"All you have to do is protest at the grand hall, accusing the Queen and her supporters of the poisoning case." Ok Jung says whispering.
"Are you sure it is going to go as planned?" He asks again.
"I am very sure of that."
"Once Suk-bin is safe, that means we are safe too." A minister comments.
"Has she ever abandoned you all in time of need before?" Asks Yeoning. "No." He shakes his head and continues. "Instead, you all choose to abandon her because of who I wish to marry."
The ministers clear their throat as they felt the heat of his words.
The prince exhales sharply. "Don't worry, you only made me know the type of people you are."
"I guess we have to readdress that after we are done sorting Suk-bin her majesty." Lord Kang suggests.
Suk-bin and Lady Baek couldn't help but leave their mouth wide open after listening to the narration Ok Jung gave.
"Who initiated the whole plan?" Suk-bin asks when she finally manage to bring words out of her mouth.
"I did."
"Come closer." She whispers with her arms wide open.
Gently, Ok Jung crawls over to her and fits herself in between the open arms of her mother in law to be.
"Thank you." Suk-bin whispers holding back a lot of tears in her eyes as she embraces her. "I thought I was already done for."
"We need to crown Yeoning." She whispers calmly in her ears. "We need to make him the next king."
"I promise to take care of that."
*************
In Gyotaejeong, the queen sits wearing the most painful and frustrated look ever. Everything was going well, just as she planned, but all of a sudden, it changed again. "So, Suk-bin isn't going out of the palace anymore?" She asks lady Sung.
"I am afraid so your majesty."
"That good for nothing crazy witch." She curses beneath her breath. "How come she is so difficult to deal with, despite all the things I have done to make her crumble, how does she manage to still keep her head up high?"
"What do you suggest we do now? We can't sit back and do nothing."
"Any words from the ministers yet?"
"No." Lady Sung shakes her head.
"Your majesty, your majesty!" A young court lady calls running in.
"Where are your manners?!" Lady Sung cautions.
"What is wrong?" asks the queen.
"The southern ministers are protesting at the grand hall, claiming you are the one who poisoned the prince." She says panting.
"I did what?" She asks again.
Lord Chun walks in briskly and bows. "What is this I hear?" He asks and sits.
"I am just as amazed as you are. They are accusing me of what I know nothing of."
"Are you sure?"
She bangs her hand on the wooden table and raises her voice. "Look here! Will I not know what I did or not?!"
"Things are not looking good at all your majesty, news are flying everywhere." He lowers his voice a bit. "Even outside the palace."
"We have to do something, everything is getting back at me." The queen rants.
"I will go have a discussion with the northern ministers."
"That's good." The queen nods.
Lord Chun bows and walks out.
"Go out and gather all the information you can get." Lady Sung whispers to the young court lady from earlier.
"Yes ma'am." she bows and walks out too.
"There is fire on the mountain." The queen whispers biting her fingernails.
"The poison?"
"What if I am investigated and it get known to the world that I poisoned the queen dowager?"
"Dont worry about that your majesty. I already took care of every necessary thing." Lady Sung reassures.
"Are you sure?" she asks to be sure.
"Yes, your majesty."
"Let's go see the king." she stands and walks out forgetting elegance.