The narrator tells us that the abbot and his father have gone to the emperor's palace to have a private audience with him. They won't be back until late afternoon, so the narrator has arranged for a guest room for the two of them. The abbot tells the narrator that he's not a very easy guy to get along with, and that the little guy didn't do too much trouble on the trip. The narrator thanks the abbot for arranging a room for them, and says that it's "common decency" to give a room to a fellow traveler. The little guy says that the emperor chose the name "Qing yi" , which means "lowborn performer," because he was sick for a long time. The