This chapter opens with a description of the state's "shameful skill" at gambling. The narrator criticizes the state for its "bratish" behavior. He accuses the state of taking advantage of "these gamblers of the yan state" . The state, he says, is "men's fault" , because "the brat" has "ruined everything." The narrator points out that the state has a golden sword, but the state also has two items that are worthless. The first item is a piece of dragon meat, which is known as "the divine tonic of the eastern sea." The second item is an item of scrap metal, which can be used for "roasting chicken wings." The state is "short of talented men," the narrator says. The prince of the delegation, Tan Song, appears, but he does not look at the narrator.