The chapter opens with a description of how Ching-chang's pregnancy is hard. He's worried that he's going to give birth to a child that's not his own, and that his wife is going to find out about it. He decides to take a look at a letter that Ching-Chang has written for him. The letter was written on the tenth day of the tenth month of the monkey year, which is the month that the monkey was born. It's also the month in which the monkey's wife was attacked by assassins. Ching-Cong is happy that he has a child, but he doesn't understand how he can be so happy when he has to worry about his wife. She tells him that she's forming an alliance of sorts with him, and he'd like to know what the point is of forming such an alliance. She's afraid he'll tell her the truth about his treasure, and she'd be devastated if he didn't tell her. He wonders if Ching-Ching-Chang would know about it, and how he would react if he found out. The chapter ends with a soliloquy about Ching-Cheng's love for his wife, which he wishes he could keep secret. He asks his wife how many times she'll catch him drinking, and then asks if he can have a drink with the guards during his vacation. The guards don't seem to notice any signs of a frown or a flushed face, and they're holding on to the flowers Ching-Chan has given them. Ching's favorite flower is a pomegranate.