The next day, Mingwu asks the captain to hand over the city gate to him. He learns that the princess has gone missing and that her corpse has been found. The captain tells the captain that the two of them were sent to wait for the princess. He also learns that one of the princess's maids has survived the attack and that she has gone out with some of the other maids. He then asks the lord linsheng of the city police office if they will leave the matter to the emperor. The lord says that he remembers the emperor holding a banquet after he returned from the war and that it is hard to tell if those who killed the princess, rong su, and qinyang were the same person. He asks the emperor if he will allow the police to investigate. The government office says that the emperor refuses to meet with them. They interrogate the imperial palace maid. The maid says that she did not recognize Mingwu because the princess did not like him. She says that all of the maids knew Mingwu was in love with the princess and that he was the one who told her that he loved her.