In this chapter, we learn that the fourth consort of the Ming family has died, and that the emperor is searching for a new concubine. The Ming women have different fates, according to the housekeeper: while the first consort married long ago, the second consort has had a complicated relationship with a man, and the third consort has been single for a very long time. The emperor is also looking for a beautiful woman to serve as his new wife. The housekeeper tells the story of how the emperor used to call her and her father to the palace, but now he has stopped doing so. She tells the housekeeper that she owes it to herself to help the emperor's cause, and to do so in a way that is just and just