The narrator tells us that this is not a historical novel, but rather a fictional story about a painting of a beautiful woman. The painting is of the "jing princess consort" , and the narrator wants to buy one. He tells her that he has something important to say about her highness, but he's afraid she'll hit him if he says it, so he won't say it. The narrator says that he doesn't want to invite all the wives and ladies of the capital city to a wine party at the palace. He's not doing that, he says, because it's a "mandatory formal etiquette" .