Kuo Ssŭ paid no attention and his wife could not prevail on him to stay at home. Late in the afternoon some presents arrived from the Li palace and Kuo’s wife secretly put poison into the delicacies before she set them before her lord. He was going to taste at once but she said, “It is unwise to consume things that come from outside. Let us try on a dog first.” They did and the dog died. This incident made Kuo doubt the kindly intentions of his colleague. One day, at the close of business at Court, Li invited Kuo to his palace. After Kuo arrived home in the evening, rather the worse for too much wine, he was seized with a colic. His wife said she suspected poison and hastily administered an emetic, which relieved the pain. Kuo Ssŭ began to feel angry. “We did everything together and helped each other always. Now he wants to injure me. If I do not get in the first blow, I shall suffer some injury.” So Kuo began to prepare his guard for any sudden emergency. This was told to Li and he in turn grew angry, saying, “So Kuo is doing so and so.” Then he got his guard under way and came to attack Kuo. Both houses had several legions and the quarrel became so serious that they fought a pitched battle under the city walls. When that was over both sides turned to plunder the people. Then a nephew of Li’s suddenly surrounded the palace, put the Emperor and Empress Dowager Fu in two carriages and carried them off. The palace attendants were made to follow on foot. As they went out of the rear gate they met Kuo’s army who began to shoot at the cavalcade with arrows. They killed many attendants before Li’s army came up and forced them to retire. It is unnecessary to say how the carriages were got out of the palace but they eventually reached Li’s camp, while Kuo’s men plundered the palace and carried off all the women left there to their camp. Then the palace was set on fire. As soon as Kuo Ssŭ heard of the whereabouts of the Emperor he came over to attack the camp. The Emperor between these two opposing factions was greatly alarmed.