The chapter opens with a brief exchange between Guo and Ling. Guo asks Ling why he feels that Guo resembles the current emperor, and Ling replies that he resembles the previous emperor, who was killed by his own people. He then proceeds to discuss the business of selling bamboo leaf liqueur, which was a popular drink in the ancient city of Qilixiang. He suggests that they sell the liqueur free of charge for a month, and then charge 10 times what it was originally sold for.