The narrator notes that the Empress and her noble consort seem different from the other women in the palace. He decides to read up about harem intrigue so that he can help the Empress when she needs him most. He gives her a gold and silver bangle, which he says is one of his favorite things from his childhood. He thanks the Empress for giving him such a great gift and says that he will cherish it for the rest of his life. The narrator says that by the time he left the palace, he was already going from "rags to riches" . He wonders if the noble consort and the empress have something in mind for him. He says that his sister and brother-in-law seem to be enthusiastic about the idea of jiuniang, and he wonders if they are trying to get close to his beauty. He concludes by saying that the novel he has just read, The Bossy Emperor and His Beautiful Empress, is the latest in the "bossy emperor" series. He thinks that justice zhang is the first target of the organization.