The next morning, Gu tells his concubine that he's going to take her back to the emperor's palace. He's worried that the emperor is going to send someone after them, but he doesn't know what to do. He tells Gu that he ran away with her because she's in love with him. If he were to return, he'd be executed. Gu tells him that he and the emperor are half brothers. Gu says that he studied medicine outside of the palace when he was a kid, and that's why the emperor bestowed him the title of "grand chaplain" when he ascended to the throne. Gu also says that his only true love is "qing" , which is why he ran off with her. This is a big misunderstanding, Gu says, because he just wanted to run away and use "zichen yan" to do the same. He says that the fact that he pretended to be a ninth princess of the chen to deceive the emperor could be used as an excuse for starting a war with the emperor. Gu promises to take the concubines back tomorrow morning, and then he'll find a place to stay.