In the middle of the night, Duan, the minister's wife, arrives at the palace. Duan tells the king that he has come to tell him about the court situation. The king is busy with his court business, and he cannot have dinner with Duan. He has excused himself from court to see if Duan will run away. He asks Duan to have a good night's sleep, and she tells him that she has come because the king has forbidden her to dine with him. She also tells him about her brother, who has been spying on her. She asks him how he came to know that she was spying on him. He tells her that she must have found him through the spies in the zhibai district. She tells him to keep an eye out for Duan in the coming days.