Ming tells his mother that he has just killed another maid. Ming asks his mother why she is pleading with the emperor to save the lives of the maids. Ming says he has taught his mother many killing skills, and that he is not sick. He tells her that he gave birth to her and raised her. He says that he feels hatred and coldness when he is with his mother, but he feels warm with her when she is with him. Ming is shocked by his mother's hatred and asks if it is the lowly maid they talked about in the previous scene. Ming replies that it is not the maid he talked about, but someone else. He feels that he will never be able to stop his father from becoming emperor. Ming feels that his head hurts, and he wonders why he didn't notice the look of his mother earlier. He has stained his hands with blood in order to make his mother happy. He wants to see her, but she has left him.