The grand secretary issues another decree, this time against the vice commander, who is not even twenty years old. The vice commander is the second-in-command, after the minister, and he is not suited for the position. The emperor objects to the decree, but the magistrate backs him up. He tells the emperor that he has been walking around the imperial court all day, and that he feels as if the emperor is still around, reading the memorials and asking for sweets. He says that when he was young, his father used to teach him to paint and write here, and his punishment was to copy the three-character classic 30 times. He wants his father to punish him again, so he suggests that the grand secretary copy the book tonight. He also says that since the emperor misses him, he would like to talk to him. He asks the magistrate to prepare the ink and talk with him, and says that he likes the way the magistrate treats him. The magistrate says that the emperor should respect the text and not compare it to the late emperor's. He then asks the emperor to go to the Palace of Heavenly Purity.