The spirit queen tells the emperor that the courtiers have gone to the village to negotiate the price of grain for the peasants' children. The emperor pretends to have removed the guards so that the burglars can escape, but the spirit queen knows that the guards were there to prevent the peasants from selling their children to be sold to the emperor. The queen says that she has tried her best to help the peasants, but she has not been able to. The wind is strong, and the tent is not warm enough to keep the girl warm.