The scene opens with a soliloquy by the emperor's astronomer. The astronomer tells the emperor that a talented southerner has come to the city to help the emperor. The emperor praises the southerner's talent and praises the banquet that the southerners have been holding for the past few years. The general scolds the emperor for not having organized a banquet in a long time, but the astronomer tells him that it has been too long since he has organized such a banquet. The man then tells the general that the emperor is having a heart attack and that he should not stay in the city for too long. He asks the general to call the guards and bring a shovel to dig under the plum tree where the emperor intends to execute the astronomer.