The scene opens with a conversation between the dean and his son-in-law, Mr. Ding's son. The young man tells his father that he's just learned a lesson. He tells the young man to be more careful with his life, because now that he has made a splash, people will be jealous of him. The old man tells him to be careful, too, because he has a good sense of the right and wrong, and he'll be able to make a good future for himself. The dean tells his son that he is going to meet the empress and the king, and that if his granddaughter does anything wrong, he needs to discipline her. He's going to greet them, and if she does something wrong, the old man wants him to help him discipline her, so he tells him not to worry. There's no time for this joke, though, because the young men are already at the palace, waiting for the two empresses to come and see them. The zheng, the chief of the palace's guards, is waiting for them, too. The two young men tell each other that they love each other, and they're going to have to get lost to find each other again.