將門之子呂雁秋與梅玉冰自幼指腹為婚,梅母早亡,父娶繼室朱氏,生一女艷姝。朱氏為使親生女能攀將門,乃在雁秋與玉冰成婚之日,使計令玉冰飲下對攻藥,以致玉冰當場吐血,繼而命艷姝代姐出嫁,雁秋不肯,故隨軍出征。艷姝獨守空房,寂寞難耐,公子柳士元前來探望,兩人做出越軌之事,被梅父目睹,梅父把玉冰的烈女傳放在艷姝門口,以示警戒。艷姝和士元以為玉冰得悉二人姦情,命丫環買來老鼠藥,以求毒死玉冰,卻被其母朱氏誤服,朱氏一死,艷姝和士元合謀誣告玉冰殺人,巧遇呂雁秋凱旋歸家,並參與會審此案,公堂之上梅父講出艷姝和士元的姦情,更有梅香作證,水落石出,雁秋與玉冰有情人終成眷屬。
此劇由潘一帆所撰,初名《可憐女》,後改名《寒梅劫後開》,直到羅劍郎夥拍李寶瑩組成「萬丈虹劇團」,才名之為《寶劍重揮萬丈虹》。
The Story of Lu Yanqiu and Mei Yubing
Lu Yanqiu, son of a general, and Mei Yubing have been engaged to each other before they were born. Mei’s mother died when she was young, and her father remarried; he and his new wife, Zhu, had another daughter, Yanshu. In order to have her own daughter marry the general’s son, Zhu plays a dirty trick onYubing, drugging her drink so that she spits blood during her wedding. Yanshu takes the place of her half sister in the wedding. Yanqiu, however, refuses to accept the unexpected bride and goes out to battle.
The deserted Yanshu cannot stand the loneliness, so she dallies with Liu Shiyuan, son of a high official, when he comes to visit her. Her father finds out about their misconduct and puts Yubing’s book of the Tale of Lucretia at Yanshu’s door as a warning. Yanshu and Liu misunderstand the gesture and think thatYubing knows about their affair. The two send a servant to buy poison to kill Yubing, but Zhu drinks it by mistake. In the face of Zhu’s death, Yanshu and Shiyuan together frame Yubing for her murder. Yanqiureturns victorious and participates in the case hearing. At the court, Mei’s father makes public the adultery between Yanshu and Shiyuan and their story unravels. At long last, Yanqiu and Yubing get married.
* This opera is written by Pan Yifan. It was originally titled as A Poor Woman, and later renamed as Plum Blossoms in Bitter Cold, and is finally titled Story of Lu Yanqiu and Mei Yubing until Wanzhanghong Troupeis formed and the opera is starred by Luo Jianlang and Li Baoying.