Just as a recap, here are the different choices of metaphorical “restaurants” (or “restorative soups”) in Episode 10 that many viewers missed because they snubbed the food theme. Ha! 😂

1. Recover the missing gochogaru
2. Recapture the memories of their physical contact
(and restore his dignity by not falling down)
3. Restore his sanity
4. Restore his grandmother’s confidence and trust in him
5. Restore JiYeong to her previous prison cell
6. Restore their employer-employee/king-cook relationship
As it turns out, he didn’t want to reinstate their former relationship because he had other plans for her. He settled for restoring her good humor with the sikhye instead.)
7. Restore the young prince to good health
8. Restore JiYeong to her previous state
Recover her manuscript so she could return to the future.

Do you see the joke? Like in a veritable restaurant (i.e., place where you eat) the screenwriter offered a wide variety of scenarios to choose from. The “dishes” were served à la carte, mind you. Hence, the pun on the title, “Joseon restaurant.”

I’ll explain #7 briefly.

7. Restore the young prince to good health

Keep your eye on the important points here. The prince’s illness functions merely as a plot device to move the story ahead. The prince is just a pawn. Didn’t I say before to view this drama like chess? With the Black King’s approval (the Black King is Prince Jesan), the Black Queen (aka concubine Mokju) moved to eliminate the Poor Pawn Prince because she intended to take down the White Queen and King (JiYeong and YiHeon, respectively). But her plan backfired. As a result, she lost one of her trusted pawns (i.e., her henchwoman) and she solidified the power of King YiHeon.

How was his power solidified, you might ask?

Well, the Grand Royal Queen Dowager (GRQD) protected him and JiYeong. Hopefully, she deduced that the one person to benefit from the fall-out is her nephew-in-law, Prince Jesan. YiHeon’s jester who initially had divided loyalties, learned that Mokju, not the King, ordered the death of his sister. Hopefully, he joined YiHeon’s camp for good. And the Queen Dowager, who distrusted JiYeong and threw her into prison, was now indebted to her for saving the Prince.

Prince Jesan is now forced to take out his two other pawns, the Royal Drafter and the King’s maternal grandmother. It isn’t hard to grasp the role of the grandmother here. They’re going to use her to:

a) deliver the blood-stained handkerchief belonging to the deposed Queen Yoon to trigger YiHeon’s rage and set off the Purge,

b) pit one grandmother against another (the powerful GRQD who deposed Queen Yoon vs the maltreated and senile grandma) in a battle for YiHeon’s loyalty/sympathy/support/conscience, and

c) demonstrate that madness runs in YiHeon’s blood so they can justify a coup.

To me, however, the significant points made during the restoration of the young prince’s good health are:

1. King YiHeon had attached himself to JiYeong, but no worries! JiYeong was a stabilizing influence on him and capable support for him in times of trouble.

The GRQD placed her trust in her to fix the situation, and JiYeong didn’t fail. To be clear, the GRQD wasn’t that worried about JiYeong. She was more worried about her grandson and how the poisoning incident would undermine his rule, maybe even disempower him.

2. King YiHeon publicly displayed that JiYeong was his woman.

Note: In case viewers missed it, I must remind them that this wasn’t the first time YiHeon had acted as “food taster” for JiYeong. Do you remember the first time? (I won’t tell you. 😂 But 10 points to anybody who noticed it.) Back then, he did it so naturally and smoothy that nobody raised a fuss. Not even JiYeong.

But this occasion is different.

YiHeon volunteered to assume the taster’s role in front of the royal female audience: his grandmother, stepmother, and the late King’s consorts. And, you know females. We can instinctively tell — though some may not express it clearly — that his gesture was monumental.

On the surface level, the GRQD and the QD were shocked because obviously, it went against royal protocols. Moreover, given the precarious situation — i.e., YiHeon’s heir was poisoned and gravely ill — it was foolhardy of him to risk his own life without a backup plan. That was why the GRQD objected.

But on a deeper level, what was truly shocking was he disregarded all thought of his personal safety and the monarchy, and took a spoonful of the restaurant. To me, this displayed his utter trust and loyalty on *his* woman. Taking a bite of the restaurant meant that:

a. he trusted JiYeong with his own life, and
b. her loyalty to him is reciprocated by him.

Do you get it?

He believed she wouldn’t harm a soul. She wouldn’t poison the prince; she wouldn’t poison him. And even if the food was poisoned by someone else, he was willing to die with her.

Thus, tasting the food with her was monumental move, especially from the Joseon monarchy perspective.

But for us, common folks of the 21st century, this occasion should also be meaningful because of the food-sharing. Eating together is something normal couples do every day. It’s a sign of couplehood, connection, and intimacy. We can only hope that these two will share more meals together in the future.

In her French restaurant, if possible.

8. Restore JiYeong to her previous state

Will continue this afternoon. Running late.

Link to the first part is here: Bon Appetit, Your Majesty: Ep 10 On Restaurant and Restoration
Remember to read my comment. I was too lazy to edit my post. Maybe later.