HUSBAND HUNTERS.
Synosis.
As a travelling acrobat CHANG SHAN HO earned his livelihood by teaming together with his pretty daughter, TSAI FONG ( meaning the Colorful Pheonix ). While they were making their performance in a public square in Hangchow, Tsai Fong was spotted by a handsome young scholar LI YU, thus sown the seed of their first love.
Meanwhile the Envoy arrived from the imperial capitol with the Imperial mandate which His Excellency the Envoy made recitation to the Magistrate of the Hangchow District that 800 pretty young virgin girls would be required for the Imperial Harem to be drafted from the District of Hangchow. This terrifying news shocked the entire population of Hangchow. All the families with pretty daughters tried either to be betrothed or married off. Marriage brokers got extremely busy; some even had to go to streets to make direct contact with any young men who might be deemed suitable to be chosen as a prospective son-in-law.
Being learned and handsome. Li naturally became a target of many son-in-law hunters. He was being spotted by a certain WONG, who was known as a very wealthy man in the city. Wong requested Li to marry his daughter. When being refused, Wong locked Li up in his house, but Li luckily accomplished an escape by climbing over the wall to the neighbouring house, where Tsai Fong happened to live with her old father Chang.
Chang was overjoyed to obtain an ready and suitable son-in-hw in hand to save his beloved daughter, and he maried Tsai Fong to Li immedietely. But Li was obliged to leave Tsai Fong after the wedding for a short interval to attend to his cousin’s wedding in the country, where he met on the way some more husband hunters lead by the District Magistrate, who was also hunting for a qualified son-in-law to save his own daughter.
Li was taken to the Magistrate's Yamen. Meanwhile both Wong and Chang claimed Li as their son-in-law, while Wong was suddenly summoned by the Magistrate to witness his daughter's marriage. Tsai Fong, disguised as man, went to search for Li.
The draft order formally issued for the Imperial Harem had thrown the city into chaos. Tsai Fong was spotted by two old men. Lieu and Li, who were fighting to secure Tsai Fong as their wife, resulting all proceeded to the Magistrate's Yamen for a just judgment.
In the Magistrate’s Yamen, a wedding ceremony was ready for the Magistrate's daughter to be married off to Li. But on Wong's arrival as the witness of the marriage, Wong discovered Li being his own son-in-law. An argument ensued between Wong and the Magistrate, but this was again interrupted by the two old men Li and Lieu who came to the Magistrate's Yamen to decide their possession of Tsai Fong. Li and Tsai Fong were thus enabled to meet each other in the Yamen, where Li’s mother was also present searching for her son, and old Chang, TsaI Fong's father also came for his lost daughter. All were met which brought the scene to a boiling climax.
Who could decide the judgement for such a complicated case? This had to be left for his Excellency the Envoy to decide, who had arrived just in time to save the situation. His Excellency’s just judgement was that the daughters of the Magistrate and Wong who indicated wealth and rank should be eligible for the candidates for His Imperial Highness’s heram. but not a low bred acrobatic performer Tsai Fong. Li and Tsai Fong were thus united as a happy couple. Thanks to the most justified judgement awarded by His Excellency the Envoy!
—END—