The scene opens with Cai Yun, a young man, looking for a companion. He is approached by the marquis, who asks him to give him a vial of medicine to treat a wound. The marquis sends the medicine to Cai Yun's apartment, but Cai Yun refuses to give it to him, saying that it is just a medicine bottle. Cai Yun retorts that the medicine is not even worth the hair of the man he is looking for. He tells Cai Yun that he is getting rich, and that he will be grateful for his help. He asks Cai Yun if he can give him some of his handwriting, and Cai Yun says that he does not need anything else but could give him one of his pieces of handwriting. He says that his admiration for Cai Yun is "like an overflowing river". Cai Yun thanks Cai Yun for coming to see him, and says that every time Cai Yun comes to visit him, he becomes happier. He then goes to look at the hair, which is being sold at a clearance sale for only one tael. The hair is so valuable, he says, that Cai Yun should sell it for three taels. He also says that the handwriting pieces Cai Yun gave him are the handwriting of Cai Yun himself, not of any other person. He concludes that Cai Yuan and Cai Qiu are planning to kill Cai Yun.