In this chapter, we learn that the prince's wife, Madame Guizhou, has been poisoned with a poisonous substance originating in the West. The poison was bought from a West European merchant. Madame Guiyang, who has been living off her jewelry for years, is worried that her daughter-in-law has been directed by some "agents" to kill the prince. She asks the "Dong-er" to investigate the source of the poison, but the man refuses to do so, saying that he is tired and cannot bear to leave her. He tells her that they need to be alert for "assassins"