Episode 11 of "The Queen Who Crowns" unfolds with a poignant revelation: the queen discovers that her youthful son, the future Se-jong, harbors a profound aspiration to serve and uphold the welfare of his people. Meanwhile, Chae-ryeong, having spent the past half-decade in exile following her banishment from the palace, is unexpectedly summoned back by the queen for her son's nuptials. Now, a transformed woman, she pledges unwavering loyalty and companionship to her former monarch.
Elsewhere, Lee Suk-beom shifts his allegiance from currying favor with the incumbent king to ingratiating himself with the crown prince. He proposes to secure a rare black horn bow for the prince in exchange for a promise of becoming his trusted confidant once he ascends the throne. Soon after, a scandal erupts when the crown prince is found harboring a gisaeng, cleverly disguised as a palace maid, sparking the king's raging fury.
The queen, learning of an incident where her brothers narrowly escaped assaulting the crown prince, suggests their exile but covertly pleads for their lives to be spared. Lee Suk-beom orchestrates another devious plot against the queen by manipulating Princess Hyosun’s maid into informing the king that the Min family attempted to harm the princess and her unborn child during her time outside the palace walls. Tragically, the maid meets her demise, presumably at the hands of Lee Suk-beom’s henchmen, to silence her forever. Consequently, the king metes out a harsh punishment, ordering the queen’s brothers to perish by poison. Despite her profound sorrow, the queen retains her dignity and composure.
The king and queen are then presented with a damning report about the crown prince acquiring the forbidden black horn bow. They catch him and Lee Suk-beom in the act. Lee Suk-beom is subsequently banished, and the queen endeavors to convince the king of her son’s unsuitability for rule. However, haunted by the specter of past fratricidal bloodshed, the king resolves to uphold tradition and anoints the crown prince as his heir.
Later, as the family embarked on a leisurely stroll with their youngest son by their side, they suddenly became aware that the young prince had developed a fever. Their concerns deepened when it was swiftly diagnosed as smallpox. The scene concludes with the king, his voice filled with desperation, imploring the royal physician to spare his beloved son's life.
