This chapter opens with a conversation between the Ming family and the Duke of Gualien. Gualien asks the Duke about the situation at the Ming's wharf. The Duke tells him that the Mings are preparing for war. He also tells Gualien that he has ordered a servant to tame a wild leopard in order to make the Ming happy. The servant deserves death, Gualien tells the Duke. The Mings have been bullying the Duke and threatening to kill him if he does not comply with their demands. They have also been spying on the Duke's private affairs. The foreign ministers have been asking about what the Ming have bought, and they have been trying to intervene in the matter