This chapter opens with a flashback to the beginning of the novel, in which the protagonist is a young man who has fallen in love with a young woman. The young woman is a member of the zu family, and the protagonist's uncle is the uncle of the young woman's father. The protagonist asks his uncle why he should not give the woman to him as a gift, and his uncle replies that he can't take her away because she's not young anymore, and he'll have her back when he's tired of her. The uncle tells the protagonist that the woman came to the city with a lot of silver, which is why the prince pretended that he wasn't aware of her presence. The prince then tells the young man that he and the woman fell in love at first sight and agreed to get married. He says that he has traveled a long way just to see the prince, and that the first time they met, he was so brave that he stood up for her. He asks the uncle to let the couple go, saying that he doesn't think they'll get a lot out of the prince.