搶新娘

欽差大人桂承勳返回南通縣，欲為子南屏尋指腹為婚的姻親，殊不知此人已改名余友才，專門放債。余氏長女潔貞遭太保調戲，南屏英雄救美，二人一見鍾情。後南屏路見友才放債惡行，二人結怨。時桂父尋得姻親下落，與兒子往余府拜年。余氏一見南屏，即大怒解除婚約。適逢太保到友才家提親，友才見他是丞相兒子即答應婚事。潔貞往見南屏，友才以為桂氏卑微，戲言他呈上禮金便可迎娶潔貞。南屏果依約呈上聘禮，太保亦到來迎娶，雙方爭持不下，友才最終答應太保婚事。晚上潔貞與妹潔冰調換身份，扮成喜娘陪潔冰與太保拜堂。眾人鬧上公堂，各自控告對方不同罪狀。太保脅逼縣令草率判案，最後欽差大人桂承勳趕到，友才終允許南屏與潔貞婚事，全劇團圓結局。

Contending for the Bride

Imperial envoy Gui Chengxun returns to Nantong County to follow up on a marriage arrangement for his son, Nanping, that was made before Nanping‘s birth. It turns out that the father of his future daughter-in-law has renamed himself Yu Youcai and has become an infamous loan shark. Nanping meets Yu‘s eldest daughter, Jiezhen,and falls in love with her after rescuing her from the advances of a rogue. Before long, enmity arises between Nanping and Yu when Nanping sees Yu doing bad business as a loan shark.

Having found the man he has been looking for, Nanping‘s father unwittingly takes his son to Yu‘s house for a New Year’s visit. As soon as the loan shark sees Nanping, he breaks off the engagement in infuriation. At the same time, the rogue happens to come to Yu to propose marriage. Regarding him as the son of the prime minister, Yu readily agrees.

When Jiezhen decides to pay Nanping a visit, Yu, who assumes that Nanping is of little means, makes a promise through his daughter that Nanpingmay have her hand as long as he can present a betrothal gift. When Nanping obliges, the rogue has also arrived to marry the girl. A dispute soon follows, and finally Yusettles the argument by agreeing to marry his daughter to the rogue. During the night, Jiezhen disguises herself as the bridesmaid, and substitutes her sister, Jiebing, as the bride for the wedding ceremony with the rogue. The parties then take the case to court, accusing each other of different misdeeds. The rogue urges the county magistrate to make a hasty decision when imperial envoy Gui Chengxun finally arrives at the scene. Yu eventually agrees to marry his daughter to Nanping. The opera comes to a happy ending.