呂蒙正．評雪辨蹤

劉丞相為掌上明珠月娥拋綵球招親，應邀盡是王孫公子。衣衫襤褸的呂蒙正路過遭眾人譏笑，一時感觸吟詩一首，月娥聞詩慕其才華。蒙正偶得綵球，丞相愛富嫌貧拒納蒙正為婿，月娥堅持下嫁，丞相大怒驅逐二人。

蒙正寄居寒窰，二人知足常樂。蒙正到白馬寺討飯，常遭寺中和尚白眼。他們故意飯後敲鐘，又不讓他圍爐取暖，蒙正唯有在寺牆上題詩泄憤。劉夫人遣老僕冒風雪送銀兩及米到寒窰，蒙正回家時發現?前有大小腳印，懷疑月娥另結新歡。月娥告知送米實情，二人冰釋前嫌。

蒙正上京赴考高中進士，與月娥身穿華服重臨白馬寺，見昔日題詩已被蓋以碧紗籠，禪師邀他再續詩句。月娥盼詩句能警醒世人勿趨炎附勢。

Footprints in the Snow

Prime Minister Liu holds a party to select a husband for his beloved daughter, Yue’e, and invites only young men from families of distinction. Lu Mengzheng passes by in ragged clothes. Scorned by the crowd, he replies with an improvised poem. Yue’e hears his words and is impressed by his talent. The shabby Lügets the embroidered ball (a token of marriage) by chance, but the snobbish prime minister refuses to take him as son-in-law. Yue’e insists on marrying Lu. Outraged, Yue’e’s father banishes them both from the house.

Living in a humble cave dwelling, the couple leads a happy and contented life. Lu, who begs for food at White Horse Temple, is often scorned by the monks after dinner and they refuse to let him get warm by the stove. He voices his indignation by writing poems on the wall.

Yue’e’s mother sends an old servant to deliver money and food to her daughter. Seeing the big and small footprints on the snow at the cave entrance, Lu suspects that his wife is having an affair. Yue’e clears away his suspicion after she explains what has really happened.

Lu travels to the capital and succeeds in the imperial examination. Richly dressed, Lu and Yue’e return to White Horse Temple and find the poems Lu wrote sheltered by covers of green gauze. The monks ask Luto write new poems. Yue’e expresses her wish that poems could warn people against snobbishness.