The scene opens in the palace of the emperor of the southern kingdom. The emperor tells the audience that he has just returned from the northern kingdom and that he is now in charge of the kingdom. He asks the audience who gave him the order to mutilate his brother. The audience learns that the order was given by the prince, who wanted the emperor to castrate his brother in order to protect him from his enemy, the king of the south. This is the first time that the audience has heard that the prince has ordered a former emperor to do such a thing.