Wan Tai's concubine knelt down at the Foreign Minister of the Changchun Palace, and vowed to meet Cixi's side. Ci'an couldn't bear the suffering of Wan Tai's concubine, and urged Cixi to meet her with her. Tai Wan was able to tell Ci'an and Cixi the pain of loneliness in the palace, but Cixi still insisted on not letting Tai Wan leave the palace and return to her hometown. Wan Tai was sad and desperate, she fell to the ground and wept bitterly. De'an sympathized with Tai Wan, but Cixi proudly said that if she does not cut the grass and roots, the person who can listen to politics today may already be Tai Wan, not the Queen Mother.
婉太嫔在长春宫外长跪不起，誓要见到慈禧一面，慈安不忍婉太嫔受苦，劝慈禧一同与她见婉太嫔。婉太嫔终能向慈安与慈禧道出深宫寂寞之苦，但慈禧仍一意孤行不肯让婉太嫔离宫回乡。婉太嫔伤心绝望万念俱灰，颓然跌坐在地上伤心痛哭。德安同情婉太嫔，但慈禧却高傲地表示若不斩草除根，今天能垂帘听政的人可能已是婉太嫔，而非东西太后。
