Xiqu

Qin Qiong Inspecting the Army Formation:
Licheng County detective Qin Qiong lets himself get captured during a night raid in Deng Zhou. Sui Dynasty’s General Yang Lin finds out it is a Qin trap and wants to execute Qin Qiong. Yang Lin sets an ambush in the east, hiding artillery, pontoons and the like to lure his enemies, the Wagang Heroes, hoping to get rid of them all in one clean sweep. Yang Lin sends Qin Qiong to ride alone through this trap, telling him he is allowed to go home if he can make it through. If he fails, though, he would immediately have to return for trial. Qin is helped by Wang Zhou and gets to observe and learn all about the trap first. When the heroes arrive, Qin guides them through the trap and together they break through it and defeat Yang Lin.

Romance of the West Chamber:
Zhang Gong from Luoyang is on his way to the imperial examinations, when he passes Pudong and takes lodging in a Buddhist monastery. There, he meets the late minister Cui Jue’s daughter Cui Yingying, and falls in love at first sight. He asks Cui’s maid Hong Niang about her, but is shooed away. The Sun army stages a mutiny and surrounds the monastery, hunting for Cui Yingying. Her mother offers Cui Yingying’s hand in marriage to anyone who can force the retreat of the army. Zhang Gong gets Monk Hui Ming to seek help from his friend the White Horse General, Du Que, who leads his troops in a successful siege. But Lady Cui regrets her offer, and makes Zhang Gong and her daughter refer to each other as siblings instead. Zhang goes to Hong Niang for help and is told to write Cui Yingying poetry. He scales walls late at night to see Cui Yingying, who scolds him. Zhang falls ill with exasperation, and Hong Niang brings Cui Yingying to see him. Here, the two get engaged. A furious Lady Cui berates Hong Niang when she hears about it, but Hong Niang retorts that the Lady had gone against her word. Lady Cui tells Zhang Gong he must excel in the imperial examinations before he can marry Cui Yingying. Zhang sets off for the capital to take the examinations and Cui Yingying prepares a farewell feast for them at the Ten Miles Pavilion. As the pair part, they declare their love for each other.