Back at the palace, Cai Ming asks if he can learn more from the men. He wants to know if they're willing to teach him. They're not. Cai Ming says that his mother has already memorized all of the hundred family surnames, and she's also read the An Alects of Confucius. He doesn't know any of the court affairs, so he's not interested in learning anything from them. He's just been introduced to the harem, which is a harem made up of people from all over the country. He asks if they want to go back to the palace to see how his mother is doing. They go back, and Cai Ming tells them that the grand mentor is the most important person in the court. He also tells Cai Ming that Cai Ming's father is a grand mentor as well. He says that if Cai Ming wants to leave, they can go back. But Cai Ming is so blind that he can't see what's going on. He begs the emperor to forgive him. The emperor says that he hopes the emperor can forgive him, but he won't let Cai Ming and his father go. He tells the men that they can leave if they don't tell him what they know.