The vice dean and his men are in the middle of a shopping expedition when the master of the auction house interrupts them. He asks why they're there, and the vice dean explains that they've been invited to participate in a treasure appraisal that's going to take place in a few days. The auction house, he says, is a place where "dream land big shots" can come in without being invited. He wants to play a game with them to see who can guess the highest grade of emerald. First, he asks them to guess which of the six grades of emerald is made of the same material. They can guess only by tapping on the lids of the emeralds. Then they can write down their guesses on paper and show them to the master. The master says he'll show them the answers later. He says that he knows all about treasure appraisals, so he wants to see how they get through this one. He also wants to know if they know yellow rose wood better than yellow cypress.