This scene opens with the maid, chunmei, explaining to her master, bai cheng, that she is being bullied by chunxi, the daughter of the chancellor of the academy. She tells him that her younger brother has just sent word that the army has broken up the rebel's main forces. . She blames herself for not sending out the latest military information in time to warn the chancellor about the impending attack. She also blames her brother, who is badly wounded, for being unable to attend the banquet that was to be held at the academy