The next morning, Ming asks why the place is so smoky. He tells her that he came to collect some herbs and discovered that there are colonies of termites in the house. He asks her to let him go and let him do it himself, but she refuses, saying that he is just wiping her face. She tells him that she has already disfigured herself from scrubbing, and that she will ignore him if he does not leave her alone. She asks him to stop playing chess, and he replies that he will be on the side of the emperor