However, after receiving much approval from the royals and upper sang goong, she abandons her thought of cooking to see people's smiles and turns to winning and impressing.

Lady Han, a sang goong that has always watched over her, warns her of the path she is taking but Jang Geum continues to strive to impress.

Finally she is found out by the sang goongs after stealing a sacred book and thrown out of the palace with her friends, Yeon Shan and Chang Yi.

Jang Geum travels with her friends and slowly realizes the mistakes she made and turns back to the train of thought she once had.

At the end of this series, Jang Geum wins a competition by preparing food that is beneficial to each individual eating it and is allowed back into the palace.

The Choi family gains the trust of the new middle warlord, and moves into action quickly to secure the top spot in Suratgan.