The next morning, the northern lord tells his son that he has found out that the princess is in love with a boy from the northern academy. The northern lord asks the boy if he would like to investigate the boy's past. The boy says he would, but the lord says he doesn't have authority to do so at the academy because the trial has revealed that the academy has "traitors within" . The lord asks if he can meet with the princess, and the boy says yes. The trial has ended, and all the students and instructors have left the academy except for yuning, who has been sent back to the northern palace to recuperate. Meanwhile, suan chu has been released from prison.