In the meantime, tu xie sends another letter. This time, he tells us that the dream is just a dream. It's been one year since they last saw each other, and he'd like to know how well the huns prince is doing. He also wants to know if su su is still alive. He's worried that if she really does die, he'll never let nan ping and hangong go. The two men enter the military brothel, where they're supposed to wait for suspects to arrive. They're also worried that when the military tribune comes to see the emperor, they'll have no excuse to explain what's going on. They also worry that if the emperor doesn't like what they've seen, he won't want to talk to them again. They think that the taoists are better than the courtiers, because they don't care about the lives of the people and the military, but they do care about maintaining their own power.