The next morning, the men discuss the situation at the army's training college. They are worried that the new assistant commander, Yang Ming, will try to blackmail them. He has brought two guards with him to the training college, and one of them has disappeared. He also brought four female assistants disguised as young girls with him, and they have been staying in the assistant's private quarters. The men decide to report on the assistant commander to the imperial court. They also decide to kill the female assistants. The lieutenant says that killing the assistant will shock the emperor's court, but he is not sure how to do it. He tells the men that he wants to negotiate with the assistant, but the lieutenant does not know how to talk to him. He says that he will go back to Jimingyi and kill the women, but that he does not want to kill a commander. He adds that killing them will not only warn the emperor, but also destroy their evidence. He then tells the lieutenant that the assistant has fallen out with his former wife, and that she is in love with the lieutenant. She has refused to marry the lieutenant, but she still loves him very much. She also wants to give the lieutenant everything for him, even his life. They discuss the arrival of the new officers, and the lieutenant tells them that they will have to wait a few days before the general comes to visit them. The women are happy to be their new servants, but Yang Ming does not say anything about their new roles. They think that there is a misunderstanding between them and the general, because they have bought so much charcoal. The prices of charcoal are too high for the winter, and Yang Ming can use them to blackmail the general.