The emperor tells the guards to take Cai Ming's brother away from the princess, but the slave protests, saying that he doesn't think Cai Ming deserved the death penalty. The emperor says that it's not forgivable for a man to offend a princess, and that Cai Ming should be put to death in a remote part of the country. The slave argues that the emperor is a "wise and generous emperor" , and he won't allow Cai Ming to "dirty his hands" . Cai Ming tells the emperor that his hometown has prospered because of the emperor's hard work and good governance, and Cai Ming says that he'll spare Cai Ming the death sentence if the emperor will listen to his advice and let Cai Ming go. He also says that if Cai Ming had spoken up, the emperor would have killed him, but that's because the emperor heeds the advice of his ministers, and the emperor has never punished anyone who spoke up. So the emperor tells Cai Ming not to worry, but to give Cai Ming 50 paddles to let him go if he wishes. The king says that this is rare for him to be out of the palace, but he'd do it if he wanted. When Cai Ming asks the king why he took such a risk with Cai Ming, the king replies that he has a "brave heart," and that his approach has nothing at all to do with him. He says that the king is too domineering, but Cai Ming points out that if he hadn't bullyed Cai Ming on weekdays, why would Cai Ming have a wound in his neck? The king hesitates, but then he realizes that he isn't really going to kill Cai Ming.