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RtE II — Side

Chapter 17: Ganye Temple, No Escape

Ganye Temple, No Escape is the opening arc of the Side Story route, triggered by choosing Liu Xi's terms in the Prologue. The protagonist must dispose of Liu Xi…

Survival Rate25%
Choices16
Death Branches19
Favor CheckLi Tai, Prince of Wei, Yue, Official Xia, Mirage Pavilion
QTEYes

Synopsis

Ganye Temple, No Escape is the opening arc of the Side Story route, triggered by choosing Liu Xi's terms in the Prologue. The protagonist must dispose of Liu Xi's body, assume her identity, and navigate the deadly Mirage Pavilion — all while a single wrong item choice can lock you out of entire story branches. With nineteen bad endings compressed into two chapters, this is one of the most lethal segments in Road to Empress II.

Choice-by-Choice Walkthrough

Choice 1

Prince of Wei's Promise — What do you do when the Prince asks?

Take me with youDEATH
BE 8 + 1 voice message + Achievement: Distant Echoes. Leaving with the Prince is a trap.
Kill himSAFE
A shocking but necessary choice that keeps the route alive.
Choice 2

Handle Liu Xi's Death — How do you deal with the body?

Hide the body and stay at Ganye TempleDEATH
BE 9 + 3 voice messages. Staying at the scene of the crime is suicidal.
Shift the blame and call it an assassin's workDEATH
BE 10 + 2 voice messages. The framing is too thin to hold.
Dress as Liu Xi and slip away into the nightSAFE
The only viable option. Identity theft becomes your survival strategy.
Choice 3

What Will You Leave Behind? — Which memento do you leave?

AmuletNEUTRAL
A personal charm. Affects the well scene and which items are available later.
Sun and Moon HairpinNEUTRAL
A valuable hairpin. Leads to the 'A Chance to Live' branch at the Mirage Pavilion.
Soaring Red KiteNEUTRAL
A childhood toy. Leads to the 'The Relationship' branch at the Mirage Pavilion.
Choice 4

Danger Approaches — Someone is coming. What do you do?

Run / No ResponseDEATH
BE 11 + 1 voice message. Fleeing raises suspicion.
Pretend to be Liu XiSAFE
Bluffing your way through as Liu Xi keeps you hidden.
Choice 5

Deal with Official Xia — How do you handle the official who discovers you?

Push her into the wellDEATH
BE 13 + 2 voice messages. Violence draws too much attention.
Force her to keep your secretSAFE
Blackmail is brutal but effective; Xia becomes your unwilling ally.
Confess your identity and ask her to elopeDEATH
BE 12 + 2 voice messages. Honesty is fatal when you're a murder suspect.
Choice 6

Which Item to Pawn — What do you trade for survival?

Peony HairpinDEATH
BE 14 + 2 voice messages. The peony hairpin is worthless in trade.
AmuletNEUTRAL
Loops back to the same choice. The amulet isn't accepted here.
Sun and Moon HairpinSAFE
Leads to the 'A Chance to Live' branch. Only available if you left the Amulet or Red Kite at the well.
Soaring Red KiteSAFE
Leads to the 'The Relationship' branch. Only available if you left the Amulet or Sun and Moon Hairpin at the well.
Choice 7

Witness Yue's Crisis — A woman's daughter is in danger. Do you intervene?

Stay out of it / No ResponseNEUTRAL
You avoid the risk but lose a potential ally. Yue's daughter is not saved.
Step in and save her daughterSAFE
Achievement: Time to Step In. Saving Yue's daughter creates a crucial ally for later chapters. This is a PIVOTAL choice.
Choice 8

A Choice Within — Liu Xi's spirit reaches for you. What do you do?

Take Liu Xi's hand and fall into the abyssDEATH
BE 15 + 1 voice message. Surrendering to the dead is final.
No way! I'm not giving up!SAFE
Fighting for survival keeps the route alive.
Choice 9

Mirage Pavilion's Offer — How do you frame your value to them?

I'm worth more to them than the riskNEUTRAL
Assert your value; story continues.
We're tied together nowNEUTRAL
Emphasize mutual obligation; story continues. Auto-split follows based on traded item.
Choice 10

A Chance to Live — The Mirage Pavilion offers a deal (Sun and Moon Hairpin route)

AgreeDEATH
BE 16 + 3 voice messages. Accepting their terms is a trap.
RefuseDEATH
BE 17 + 3 voice messages + Achievement: Prerequisite Clue. Refusing also ends badly, but awards a clue achievement.
Choice 11

The Relationship — Describe your connection to Li Tai (Soaring Red Kite route)

I'm carrying Li Tai's babyDEATH
BE 18 & BE 19 + 3 voice messages each + Achievement: That Sounds Familiar. The pregnancy claim leads to two different bad endings depending on whether you saved Yue's daughter.
He wronged meDEATH
BE 20 & BE 21 + 2 and 1 voice messages. Two bad endings depending on whether you saved Yue's daughter.
I wronged himSAFE
The only safe answer. Admitting fault paradoxically keeps you alive.
Choice 12

Did You Kill Her? — The Mirage Pavilion asks about Liu Xi's death.

I was set up for Liu Xi's deathDEATH
BE 22 + 2 voice messages. Blaming others is not believed.
I've taken more lives than I can countSAFE
A chilling boast that impresses rather than alarms.
Liu Xi's death was an accidentDEATH
BE 23 + 2 voice messages. The truth is not accepted here.
Choice 13

Reveal Her Identity? — Do you tell Yue who you really are?

Tell herNEUTRAL
Reveal your true identity to Yue. Only available if you saved her daughter.
Keep it from herNEUTRAL
Maintain the disguise. This PIVOTAL choice affects the ending of Side Ch22-23.
Choice 14

Assassin's Blade — An assassin confronts you. How do you respond?

Don't kill me, I can help youSAFE
A desperate plea that buys time.
That won't work, we don't even look alikeSAFE
Achievement: Not a Good Match. A witty deflection that awards an achievement.
He's too clever to fall for something like thatSAFE
A pragmatic assessment that continues the route. Auto-split: if you saved Yue's daughter, proceed to 'Cast It on Her'; if not, BE 25 + 1 voice message.
Choice 15

Cast It on Her — QTE Check (only if Yue's daughter was saved)

Pass QTESAFE
Successfully shift the blame and continue.
Fail QTEDEATH
BE 24 + 1 voice message. Failing the QTE exposes you.
Choice 16

Fight Back — QTE Check

Pass QTESAFE
Chapter End + Achievement: Ganye Temple, No Escape. You survive the temple.
Fail QTEDEATH
BE 26 + 1 voice message. The final QTE failure is fatal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which item should I leave behind at the well (pivotal choice 3)?

It depends on which Mirage Pavilion branch you want to experience. The Sun and Moon Hairpin leads to 'A Chance to Live' (both options are death endings but award achievements). The Soaring Red Kite leads to 'The Relationship' which has a safe path via 'I wronged him.' For survival, choose the Soaring Red Kite route. For completionism, try both. Note: you must leave a DIFFERENT item at the well than the one you want to pawn later.

Should I save Yue's daughter in the pivotal choice?

Yes, absolutely. Saving Yue's daughter (choice 7) is one of the most consequential decisions in the entire Side Story. It awards the 'Time to Step In' achievement, unlocks the 'Reveal Her Identity' choice, prevents BE 25 in the Assassin's Blade scene, and affects the ending of Side Ch22-23. The daughter's survival is a carryover variable that persists through the entire Side Story route.

Why does the 'A Chance to Live' branch only have death endings?

Both 'Agree' and 'Refuse' lead to bad endings (BE 16 and BE 17), but 'Refuse' awards the Achievement: Prerequisite Clue. This branch is essentially a dead end designed for completionists who want all endings and achievements. To progress the story, you need to take the Soaring Red Kite route instead.

How many QTEs are in Ganye Temple, No Escape?

There are two QTEs: 'Cast It on Her' (only if you saved Yue's daughter) and 'Fight Back' (mandatory). Both must be passed to survive. Failing either leads to BE 24 or BE 26.

Next →
Ch19: Dangerous Reunion