Wen Li kneels before Mdm. Gu to ask blessing to marry the marquis, praising Gu Ting and promising to care for him. Mdm. Gu accepts; Wen Li is named marchioness and daughter-in-law despite servants warning that Wen Li is Yanzhi's legitimate wife. Attendants protest but Wen Li insists she will protect the marquis. They go to his chamber and find rumors true: Gu Ting is disfigured, paralyzed, bedridden and has lost bladder control, shocking the household. A servant urges Wen Li to flee instead of marrying Gu Yanzhi or the ailing marquis, leaving her decision and Gu Ting's fate unresolved.