This chapter opens with a discussion of a rumor that has spread through the countryside. The rumor is that the commander of Liaodong has been arrested by an imperial guard. The man is none other than the Chief Executive of the Ministry of War, who went to negotiate a peace with the ruling Qing Dynasty's ruler in the town of shengjing. The rumors state that when the chief executive arrived, he brought the first lady of the town, who was dedicated to the martial art of taiji-hong, to pay homage to him. She was burned in an inn, and she died. The chief executive is accused of causing the death of the woman, and he has been sent to prison. The gossip further states that the king of the Ming Dynasty has been oppressing women in the country for thousands of years, and it is absurd that he would imprison a court official just because of a woman.