The next morning, Xinhua reports that the emperor has ordered the empress to leave for the mountains to search for the commander of his guards. Xinhua also reports that none of the guards has been arrested yet, and that the panic is spreading. The emperor must have left his empress in the mountains so that she can search for him, spurring Xinhua's suspicions that he must have been away on business. The empress asks Xinhua to check on her, and Xinhua fumbles with her hand to confirm that she is indeed the one who just touched her.