The next morning, the Ming family prepares to leave for the palace, but the Mings are interrupted by the arrival of the painter, who has brought with him a portrait of the family. The painting reminds Ming of the night when he first arrived at the palace. The Mings decide that the painter must be the one who discovered that they were secretly entering the palace and that the emperor's army must have known about it. They decide to wait for the news from their uncle, who is in charge of the imperial army.