The narrator tells the story of how he became an official and how he was promoted to the rank of fourth. He tells the audience that he earned his promotion through hard work and good performance in the imperial examination. The narrator then tells of his academic achievements, which include passing the provincial examination at age 18 and being appointed as a local magistrate. He then asks the audience to imagine that he is writing a poem about the hunting event that night. He says that he cannot even read the poem, but that he will write a poem that works too, as the poem's chief examiner, Mr. yue, likes his poems. He also says that the poem is his favorite, and that he doesn't know why the examiner would screw it up, as he is sure that he knows a lot about the man's preferences. He adds that the chief examiner is Mr. Zhang Xuezheng, the man who mixed up the names of the families that built the embankment when he was in the area. He explains that he paid the official to help him become an official, and the official promised that the family would pray for him in the temple. He thinks that he has won the battle, and he thanks everyone for their hard work.