Episode 9 of *Bon Appétit, Your Majesty* unfurls with the unveiling of scores for the second round of the culinary showdown. While Yi Heon bestows an 8 upon the Ming chefs, Yu Kun stingily awards the Joseon cooks a mere 1. Infuriated, Yi Heon confronts Yu Kun over his blatantly biased scoring. He then proposes a radical idea: let the chefs themselves rate their own dishes. However, cooks from both sides demur, believing they lack the objectivity to judge their own creations. Ultimately, Yi Heon declares the round a deadlock, a stalemate of culinary prowess.
Following the tense judging, Yi Heon summons Ji-young for a private meeting, ostensibly to discuss matters but instead offers her a soothing cup of tea and a moment of respite. He candidly admits that it was a grave error to gamble the kingdom's future on a mere cooking contest and contemplates canceling the third and final round. Yet, Ji-young, resolute and unwavering, insists they press on, assuring him she will spare no effort. Additionally, Yi Heon arranges for her wrist injury to be tended to by the royal healers.
The third round commences with a flurry of activity. Ji-young and her team embark on crafting the ogolgye samgyetang, a dish that entails stuffing a chicken with ginseng and simmering it into a fragrant broth. However, the entire endeavor hinges on the timely arrival of a pressure cooker lid. As the clock ticks away, Jang Chun-saeng is still en route with the crucial component. Just as Ji-young is about to implement her backup plan, Chun-saeng makes a dramatic entrance on a makeshift aircraft, delivering the lid just in the nick of time.
On the Ming side of the kitchen, an array of rare and exotic ingredients are being utilized—deer tendon, lion’s mane mushroom, and sea cucumber—all coming together to form the intricate Korean dish known as Buldojang. The pressure mounts as the cooking time draws to a close.
The moment of truth arrives. First up for tasting is Ji-young’s ogolgye samgyetang, which, as expected, captivates the palates of all present. When it’s the Ming team’s turn to present their dish, the bowls are licked clean in appreciation. To ensure an impartial evaluation, the royals instruct the chefs to sample each other’s creations and assign scores accordingly.
Herein lies a complication: Kong Wenli, one of the Ming cooks, is physically incapable of consuming food. It transpires that he abstains even from tasting his own dishes. Ji-young, ever the problem-solver, suspects he might be an anorexic cook. Instead of presenting him with a pristinely plated bowl, she hands him a messy conglomeration of ingredients.
A flashback reveals Wenli’s grandmother employing the same tactic during his childhood. Now, in the present, he finally takes a bite, his eyes glistening with tears of joy as he thanks Ji-young for rekindling a cherished taste from his past.
The moment of truth has arrived—it's time for the scores to be unveiled. The Joseon cooks bestow a score of 27 points upon the Ming cooks, but in a twist of fate, the Ming cooks reciprocate with a slightly higher score of 28! Ji-young emerges victorious. Having tasted defeat in his dealings with Yi Heon, Yu Kun, with a sly glint in his eye, declares he's willing to relinquish all his demands, but only in exchange for one priceless boon. He demands Ji-young be sent as a tribute woman to the Ming emperor. Enraged beyond measure, Yi Heon lunges at Yu Kun, delivering a fierce head-butt that sends shockwaves through the room. Soldiers from both factions tense, ready to clash, when suddenly, Dowager Queen In-ju makes a grand entrance.
Queen In-ju unveils a letter from her aunt, who also happens to be the second wife of the late Ming emperor. With a flourish, she exposes Yu Kun's deceit, revealing that he had lied to his own emperor, fabricating demands that were never made. Realizing his game is over, Yu Kun's bravado crumbles. He pleads for mercy, agreeing to honor his original pact with Yi Heon before making a hasty retreat.
Once Yu Kun is gone, Queen In-ju chastises Yi Heon for his loss of temper. Then, with a calculated grace, she makes a request. The grand prince Jin-myeong has expressed a desire to sample Ji-young’s culinary creations. Yi Heon, ever the gracious host, agrees to arrange the meal. Consort Kang, upon hearing this, hatches a sinister plot alongside Prince Jesan. They conspire to use poison to eliminate the grand prince and pin the blame on Ji-young.
The following day, Yi Heon inquires about Ji-young’s well-being, his concern evident. He presents her with a new chef's uniform and instructs her to meet him after his dinner. Ji-young, though, has prior engagements—she needs to meet with the Ming cooks but promises to visit him at the Jangwonseo (greenhouse) afterward. Prince Jin-myeong, a young and innocent boy, arrives for his meal, accompanied by Yi Heon. Ji-young serves them a sumptuous feast: a whole roasted ogolgye (a type of poultry) accompanied by ginseng and a zesty mustard sauce.
After the meal, Ji-young and her companions bestow gifts of ginseng upon the Ming cooks, who are now preparing to depart on their separate journeys. Before his departure, Tang Bailong imparts a cryptic warning to Ji-young, urging her to tell Yi Heon to secure his doors tightly at night.
That fateful night, chaos erupts as Ji-young finds herself in dire straits. Little Prince Jin-myeong lies at death's door, and suspicion falls heavily upon her, with her culinary skills potentially being the cause. The boy’s mother, in a fit of desperation and fury, orders Ji-young’s capture and subjects her to torture, hoping to coerce a confession out of her. Meanwhile, Yi Heon, blissfully unaware of the unfolding drama, waits patiently for Ji-young at the Jangwonseo, oblivious to the storm that rages around her.
