The Chivalrous Songstress.

CHOW PAN ER, a beautiful and talented songstress of the Sung Dynasty, enjoyed an immense popularity in the Sing Song house in Bien King, then the country's capitol.

CHOW SAI, a wealthy merchant, lived in the same hotel in Bien Chin with AN SHUI SHI, a learned scholar.

Wealthy and tricky but not learned, Chow tried to win Pan Er's love by showing to her the poetry composed by An disguising them to be his own creation, for he knew that Pan Er was very fond of poetry and literature. Pan Er discovered Chow's trick, and Chow was thus obliged to introduce An to Pan Er, who seemed to like An well. In order to prevent Pan Er from falling into An's hands, Chow requested Pan Er to recommand SONG YING CHANG, also a songstress, to accomodate An.

Yin and Pan Er were close friends like sisters to each other. Yin fell in love with An, who had promised to marry her after he got through with his examinations, but Chow's proposal to marry Pan Er was rejected by Pan Er in spite of the tremendous wealth Chow possessed. Disappointed, Chow diverted his pursuit to Yin when An was away attending to his examinations.

For Chow's wealth, Yin's mother agreed to betroth her daughter to Chow while Yin was too weak to raise objections. Yin followed Chow to Cheng Chow where he engaged in his trade. Pan Er was helpless to do anything to invert the unlucky situation.

An, besides love, also failed in his examination. Utterly discouraged, he indulged in drinks and fell critically ill, but Pan Er was chivalrous enough to help him to get cured. Meanwhile news had reached Yin's mother that Chow was still frequenting the Sing Song houses in Cheng Chow and Yin had been ill treated by Chow. This news had also reached Pan Er.

Pan Er tried to save Yin by dolling herself up and bringing with her large quantities of jewelries and silver to live in a hotel in Cheng Chow, where she approached Chow in a very enticing gesture by telling Chow that she had changed her mind to marry him. This was provided that Chow must first sign a divorce paper with Yin in order to make their marriage legal. Chow conceded to Pan's request.

An arrived at Cheng JChow after Yin obtained the divorce paper signed by Chow. Pan Er was happy that her plan had worked. She arranged to leave Cheng Chow in the night with An and Yin in order to be away from Chow, but the plot was discovered by Chow, and they were intercepted by Chow on their way. Chow snatched the divorce paper he signed from Yin, and filed a petition in the local magistrate Court, accusing Yin for elopement and fraud.

Miracle had happened when the case was heard in the magistrate Court. For the paper Chow snatched from Yin was only ah immitation copy done by Pan Er, while the real one was still held in Yin's hand to clarify her status before the magistrate.

Everybody was happy as a periect romance was thus ended in a SONG OF ALL SONGS.