When Hongyuan tells his mom that he and his wife are in love, her response is that he should tell her that he has separated from his wife. Hongyuan says that he is a "low-born palace graduate" and that he had no choice but to marry his "concubine" because she would provide him with "more help to his career" . He tells her that his wife has been holding her aloof attitude as his wife and that she would never "appeal and fawn over" him like she does with her concubine. She tells him that what he has now is "something i have discarded" , and she says that she will never regret what she has done.