The next morning, the woman wakes up to find herself lying on her son's arm. She's not sure what's going on, but she's sure that it's because she was sleeping with the emperor. The woman wonders why she can't wake her son up, but he's still asleep. She wonders why her hands are numb, and she wonders if she'll have to wash her face and cool her down. She tells herself that she can make breakfast for her son. The porridge is good for his health, she says, because he doesn't have a lot of food in his house. He'll eat the rest of the day, she tells him, if he wants to. The voice of the Emperor interrupts the woman's story, and the woman realizes that the emperor has gone to visit her son