The volume follows a string of personal and official upheavals. Chen Jingji (陈敬济) is publicly flogged and then recognized by a child named Jin Ge (金哥), the son of the guard Zhou Shoubei (周守备). Pang Chunmei (庞春梅) intervenes to stop the beating and secretly returns a hairpin to Chen as a token. Chen flees to Yan Gong Temple (晏公庙). There the abbot Ren Daozhang (任道长) investigates missing funds. His inquiry exposes depleted grain and money. The abbot collapses from shock and dies. Villagers and worshippers blame Chen for the calamity. Terrified, Chen runs off carrying only the hairpin. Back at the household Pang Chunmei stages an illness to avoid direct confrontation. She accuses the maid Sun Xue'e (孙雪娥) and orders Zhang Sheng (张胜) and Li An (李安) to strip and flog her. Sun is publicly humiliated and then handed over to Xue Sao (薛嫂). Xue Sao first tends Sun but then brings her to a buyer, Pan Wu (潘五), who traffics her into a brothel. There she is renamed Yu'er and forced to perform and serve. By chance Zhang Sheng comes to the house a month later. He recognizes her and purchases her freedom from the brothel. He forbids her from taking clients, granting her a fragile refuge. Meanwhile the Ximen household faces separate turmoil. Xiaoyu (小玉) and Dai'an (玳安) are caught in an intimate scene. Wu Yue-niang (吴月娘) decides to settle the matter privately to preserve the household. She rewards Xiaoyu and arranges a marriage for Dai'an. Ping'an (平安) feels slighted and turns to theft. He steals a pawned set of jewelry. A wine seller suspects payment with a silver hairpin and reports the theft. Officers arrest Ping'an and bring him before the patrol magistrate Wu Dian'en (吴典恩). Under pressure Ping'an confesses. Evidence exposes Wu Dian'en's attempted extortion. Zhou Shoubei summons him. Wu Dian'en is publicly caned and required to make heavy payments. Xue Sao seeks help at the guard house. Pang Chunmei accepts gifts and grows bolder. She later tours ruined chambers and remembers Chen Jingji. She orders Zhang Sheng and Li An to find Chen within five days or face punishment. They search without success. Pang Chunmei falls ill from anxiety. Chen remains at large and the volume closes with unresolved resentments and threatened reprisals. FREE transcripts of the audio files are available for download at: https://www.truelake.com/qrpages/pingshufreedownloads/

本卷围绕几处家庭与官场纷争展开，展现人物命运的突变与权势使然。陈敬济在公堂受刑，随即被守备之子金哥认出。庞春梅顾及门面先令止刑，并暗中以簪作凭证。陈逃至晏公庙。任道长查库时发现钱粮亏损而气绝，众人遂将祸首归咎于陈。陈惶恐奔逃，仅携簪为身外凭信。府内庞春梅借机作病，强逼孙雪娥当众褪中衣并受杖责，继而指令将其卖出，薛嫂先安置后荐与潘五，孙被逼为妓并改名玉儿。张胜事后认出并买下她以免继续受虐，暂获一线安稳。西门府事态亦乱。小玉与玳安风流被发觉，吴月娘权衡家名与人情，选择私了并赐婚礼。平安见不得宠转而窃取当铺首饰，结果被揭发。吴典恩藉案索贿，事被张胜李安揭发，守备怒而传讯，吴典恩受杖并赔偿家产。薛嫂携礼求助庞春梅，春梅受礼而越发张扬。春梅回访旧居，见景凄凉忆起陈敬济，命张胜李安五日内寻得，否则各受重罚。两人四处搜寻未见实迹，春梅因思念与焦虑重病。陈自此流散街头，命途未卜，卷末留有多处未解的恩怨与悬念。 音频文件的字幕稿可在以下网址免费下载： https://www.truelake.com/qrpages/pingshufreedownloads/