Zetian sits on a small throne behind Qin Zheng's empty one at her first court assembly, hidden behind a bead curtain in traditional fashion. Wan'er attends her with the ceremonial scythe. Qin Zheng appears via livefeed from his quarantine chamber, reiterating that all decisions are his own and that the pilot bond prevents Zetian from deceiving him.

Governor Chu Suiliang, the new Tang province governor, defies Qin Zheng and demands Zetian be deposed so Zhuge Liang may return. He calls her the 'Harlot Wu' and kowtows violently until his forehead bleeds. Yizhi, now wearing a guard-style purple robe, intervenes by sedating Chu with a syringe while Qieluo and Yang Jian drag him away. Zetian worries that her outbursts make Qin Zheng more inclined to dispose of her.

Sima Yi pivots the discussion toward Zetian's value as a breeder of pilot heirs, a plan clearly pre-arranged with Qin Zheng. The officials calm down at the prospect. Yizhi, playing his role, proposes waiting a month to avoid parentage doubts—a comment that wounds Zetian privately, since she could theoretically be carrying his child. Determined not to be reduced to a womb, Zetian resolves to return to the war front to keep building her power and revive the Iron Widows.

Zetian asks Wan'er to identify the new Minister of War, Xu Jingye, then publicly proposes she travel to the Han frontier to repair war dynamics damaged by Captains Liu and Wei's rogue attack. She suggests piloting the unused Nine-Tailed Fox at the Sui-Tang frontier rather than the Yellow Dragon. Sima Yi objects on grounds of propriety and proposes sending Yang Jian and Dugu in the White Tiger instead, but Zetian counters that transporting it overland is impractical.

Qin Zheng cuts off the debate, agreeing that letting the Nine-Tailed Fox sit unused is wasteful and that women's talent must be utilized. He shocks the assembly by declaring Zetian may take a male co-pilot—provided the man is castrated first.