In this chapter, Lin tells the story of his cousin, the prince of Lan Ling, who was the rightful heir to the throne when he was thirteen years old. However, he was deposed by his cousin's older brother, the emperor , and the emperor's wife, the empress, was forced to give birth to a son. Lin is angry that his cousin has usurped the throne, and he vows to kill his daughter if she does not leave him. He compares himself to the emperor of northern China, who has been out of power since the country's founding. The emperor of north-ern-zhou has been in power for 16 years, but he has been overthrown by his own brother.