Qieluo wheels Zetian through the transformed Gao Estate—now the Huaxia Palace—toward Ganye Temple for her permitted prayer visit. The estate is austere and militarized, its formerly idle nobility forced into labor, and Yizhi's relatives flee at the sight of Zetian. On the way, Zetian and Qieluo discuss Liu Che's confinement and debate whether pilots are inherently broken; Zetian dangerously probes Qieluo's view on Hundun sentience, but holds back the truth she knows.

At the temple, Zetian burns incense before the Gao ancestral tablets and the gods, openly defying them in her grief. She breaks down weeping for Shimin, whispering for him to be free, and reaffirms her vow of vengeance against those who took her loved ones.

Yizhi enters disguised as a maidservant through a back door but immediately bows formally and addresses her as "my lady," refusing to look at her. He reveals that Qin Zheng knows about and permitted the meeting, with the condition that Yizhi help kill Zetian's longing. Yizhi outwardly praises Qin Zheng as Huaxia's necessary savior and urges Zetian to accept his protection, devastating her—she realizes he must perform this loyalty to survive.

Before she leaves, Yizhi confesses long-hidden truths: his tattoos mark his rank in the Brotherhood, a Chang'an criminal syndicate his father led. As a beautiful boy, his father pimped him out to powerful men to extract leverage. He once tried to flee to the frontier—where he first met Zetian—but returned, determined to climb the Brotherhood to gain real power and one day claim her openly.

Yizhi explains his position is precarious: his older brother Changzong is the true heir, and many Brothers consider Yizhi a traitor for killing their father. Zetian urges him to flee, but Yizhi refuses—he intends to use his collected blackmail on Huaxia's corrupt elite to help Qin Zheng purge them, believing his suffering must mean something. He reassures her he can navigate this world's games, leaving them united in purpose but unable to touch.