Before leaving, Shao Jun wanted to see her best friend Zhang, and took the incredible risk of infiltrating the Forbidden City. She knew the place by heart, but would have been slaughtered by the eunuch guards if she'd been caught. Fortunately, the Jiajing Emperor did not fancy living in the Forbidden City and was often outside of it, leaving the level of security lower than usual.
Shao Jun found Zhang and was astonished to hear that she wanted to stay, even if the new Emperor was a brutal and cruel man. Zhang was actually lucky enough to please him, and was now Imperial Consort, the highest rank before Empress. She told her old friend to leave in peace, and did not want to hear about Templars controlling the Tigers, even less the man she'd expect to become her husband. Shao Jun accepted Zhang's decision. She remembered how important her career as concubine was when she was one of Zhengde's [sic] favorites. She left the Forbidden City for the last time, or so she thought.