In the palace, the emperor tells the beidi that he cannot leave the palace because of the unrest in the capital. The beidi tells the emperor that he yearns for freedom, but he does not want to hurt his reputation for that. The emperor tells him that he is leaving the next day with the emperor, and the two of them are so alike that the emperor is like a "secret needle" and the emperor "like a sharp blade." The emperor says that he will never forgive the two men if they do not return safely and sound.