The spirit queen tells the Empress that she is afraid that the peasants will not be able to harvest their crops because of the drought. She also tells her that the Empress is imposing grain levies on the peasants, which will lead to a revolt. She asks the Empress to go to the people and ask for rain, but the Empress refuses, saying that it is unnecessary for her to go out to pray for the rain. The Queen says that she has never given into the human race, even though it is a crushing defeat. She says that the Emperor has defiled the reputation of women in the palace, but because she could not stand family, she has been forced to live with him. She is afraid her little phantom is about to burst, and that she will be abandoned. She tells him that she chose Ling zhi to be his companion because she is his favorite consort in harem, and because he promoted her to be a consort personally. She wants to take revenge on the Emperor for betraying her. The Emperor has betrayed her, she says.