Dragonkeeper

Ping eats a large breakfast alone and brings the leftovers to Danzi, who eats only a single piece of meat, although Hua stuffs himself. The emperor finds her soon after, and with Danzi on a lead behind him, he asks her to join him in the Garden of Secluded Harmony because his mother had wanted him to walk through this area. He also reveals that his mother is back in the capitol, mourning his father. Servants bring them warm coats and strong shoes, and they go for a walk through the beautiful, winding paths of the garden. The emperor asks Ping to call him by his name—Liu Che—and Ping reluctantly agrees. Liu Che brings her to a pavilion surrounded by blooming magnolias and gives her some of the blossoms, admitting that, like her, he had nobody to play with as a child. This confession startles Ping. He then gives her the seal of the Imperial Dragon Keeper—both as a gift, and because it is hers by law.

As they walk, Liu Che says that he hates wearing black, the official Imperial color. Ping reminds him that, as emperor, he can change the official color. At her suggestion, he decides to make the new color yellow.