Shedding Pounds, Seizing Power - Episode 8

After a public duel Herbert collapses with fractured ribs and withdraws, ruining a rival's plan to become empress. Bellaros' fighter is accused of ambushing him; Bellaros insists the strike was customary and mocks Yolham's strength. A Bellaros envoy then goes further, demanding annual tribute—10 million taels of silver, 5 million bushels of grain, one million bolts of cloth—and ceding three cities and ten towns, citing six Shaw family deaths. Yolham protests, shouting “You ambushed my son!” The monarch loses his temper, leaving the court facing an ultimatum and an unresolved choice between submission or resistance.