The next morning, Cai ling tells his mistress that he has always felt like he is more than just a slave. He tells her that his line of ancestors produced both civil servants and military officials, but after the emperor ascended to the throne, they were banished, made slaves, and sometimes beheaded. He says that he lost everything in the instant that he became a slave, and that human lives are "more lowly" than the "weeds on the roadside" . He asks her if she still has any relatives who are still alive, and she says that they are all dead. She tells him that it was his father's plan to clear out all the "rebels" of the previous dynasties. Cai lin asks if he is awake, and he replies that he is. He then asks if the fifth prince is awake. He replies that the prince must think he is sleeping, and Cai Ling says that it must be because he is not looking so serious