In the Ming Dynasty, Yu Ren, a wealthy businessman in Qiantang, had a daughter Suqiu, who was betrothed to an intellectual scholar named Zhang Shaolian when she was a child. Later, Zhang Shaolian came down and Yu Ren thus forced Zhang to withdraw from the marriage.

Yu Suqiu and her mother were completely furious about this. Yu Suqiu asked her servant Luan Ying to give one of the pair of jades to Zhang Shaolian, so that he could sell it for money and they could get married. The other one of the pair of jades was given to Suqiu’s mother to keep.

Zhang Shaolian has a fellow scholar and friend named Han Chen, who was originally a man of pleasure. One day, Han Chen was guarding the house for Zhang. Luan Ying made a mistake by taking Han Chen as Shaolian, to who she told everything.

Han Chen then deceived Yu Suqiu to marry him. When Yu Suqiu found out the truth, she was so ashamed of losing her chastity that she committed suicide by cutting the throat.

Yu Ren took Zhang Shaolian to the county government. At that time, however, the county magistrate Xiong Rui was away to take the office of Yushi (Censor), and thus the case was trialed by the second-in-command Shen Fuqing. Zhang Shaolian confessed to false charges under torture.

Han Chen’s sister Yujie caught the sight of her brother’s jade. She liked it very much and asked to have it, but was refused by her brother.

A thief named Jiang Hai who traded jade learned from Yujie about Han Chen’ jade and stole it. Just as Xiong Rui passed here, Han Chen was arrested and the case was entirely cleared. Han Yujie loved Zhang Shaolian and got married to him.