In this chapter, we learn that the emperor's brother, gao ling, is not the emperor, but the son of the princess. He is called shanghuan xiaomei, or "brother ling," and he and his sister have agreed to live together for a year. . The two of them discuss the fact that they have lost a chess game and will soon have to cook a meal for the empress. They discuss the meaning of "longing" and "growing old" and decide that they must decide what to do with each other.