The story took place in the Wanli Period of Ming Dynasty. County magistrate Yuan Ruhai was coward, while his wife Mrs. Feng was smart and capable. They had three daughters, namely, Yutao, Yuli and Yumei. Yutao got married with Zhao Yunhua, a clerk of the Commander-in-chief’s Office. Their second daughter Yuli got married with their nephew Yan Wenmin. Yumei was a bright girl of wide learning.

And thus Mrs. Feng considered her as the apple of her eye and treated her as a boy with promising future. While at a temple fair, Yuli was spotted by Fang Hengxing, a Commander-in-chief of Three Towns. Fang Hengxing was a cruel and arbitrary man, who forced Zhao Yunhua to act as his matchmaker and compelled Yuan Ruhai to consent to his courtesy. The wedding ceremony was scheduled in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Mrs. Feng was furious about it and obtained half of the Commander-in-chief’s invitation card stating welcoming the bride in imperial chariot.

With the invitation card as evidence, Yumei disguised as a man named Zheng Shipeng and headed to the capital to tell on Fang Hengxing. On her way, she came across a jvren (provincial graduate) named Hong Xueqin, and they went to the capital together to take the metropolitan exam. Unexpectedly, Yumei came first in the exam and was made the Governor of Eight Provinces. Yan and Hong ranked in the top three as well and were made Huang Prefectural Magistrate and Cai Prefectural Magistrate, respectively.

Before taking office, Yumei invited them to her house to have a chat, during which she urged Yan to return home and get married and approved Jian and Hong’s marriage.

On the eve of Mid-Autumn Festival, Yuli was devastated and Yan Wenmin returned home loaded with honors. On the day of Mid-Autumn Festival, the Yan family and the Fang family both went to the bride’s home to escort her to the wedding and neither would give in.

At this moment, the Governor of Eight Provinces arrived and made a fair judgement. Fang Hengxing was arrested, Yuli was taken to the back room, and Yumei was reunited with her family. At this time, Hong, with the letter on his hand, came to welcome the bride. In people’s praise of “Married in to the Family of Yuan Ruhai, Wreathed in Smiles in the Fine Spring Day”, Yuli and Yumei both got happily married.