花月東牆記

明嘉靖年間嚴嵩父子弄權，易弘器父親被誣遇害。弘器為報父仇上京赴考，卻滯留桃花庵，幸遇好友仇惜剛贈金相助。弘器拜上嚴府，得許暫留西廂，但嚴世蕃隨即命家僕深夜往殺弘器。時世蕃之女玉英與弘器以詩投緣，卻為東牆所隔。玉英得家僕通報助弘器脫險。嚴府突遭抄家，侍婢秋波願代玉英發配仇府為奴。玉英以賣詩維生，惜剛助其解困且心生愛慕，遂帶她回府暫住。後弘器高中狀元，得悉玉英發配仇府，即修書求媒。秋波已被惜剛之父收為義女，但她未敢坦白真實身份，唯有佯裝答允婚事。大喜之日，弘器發現新娘竟是秋波，大惑不解。是晚玉英於園中重遇弘器，二人喜極相擁，惜剛誤會弘器奪其情人。後眾人終明白秋波與玉英調換身份之事，大團圓結局。

Romance across the East Wall

In the reign of Jiajing during the Ming dynasty, Prime Minister Yan Song and his son, Yan Shifan, abuse their power. They frame Yi Hongqi’s father and have him executed. To avenge his father’s death, Hongqitravels to the capital for the imperial examination. He finds himself compelled to stay at the Peach Blossom Temple due to lack of money. Fortunately, Hongqi’s friend Qiu Xigang gives him some money for survival.

Hongqi pays a visit to the Yan house and is invited to stay in the west chamber. Yan Shifan orders a servant to kill Hongqi at midnight. Though separated by the east wall, Shifan’s daughter Yuying and Hongqiexchange poems and they fall in love.

Informed of Shifan’s murderous plan by a servant, Yuying helps Hongqi escape. Officers are sent to searchYan’s house and confiscate his property, and a maid, Qiubo, volunteers to be a slave in Qiu’s house to take the place of Yuying. Yuying makes a living by selling her poems. Xigang helps Yuying and falls in love with her. He takes Yuying back to his own house. After winning the first place in the highest imperial examination, Hongqi learns that Yuying is in Qiu’s house. He writes a letter to Qiu, asking to marry Yuying.Qiubo has been adopted by Xigang’s father, and, not daring to reveal her true identity, she pretends to consent to the marriage. On the wedding day, Hongqi finds to his bewilderment that the bride is Qiubo. That night, Yuying meets Hongqi in the garden and the two embrace each other in joy. Xigang mistakesHongqi’s act as an attempt to steal his lover, but finally the Qiubo–Yuying switch is revealed to all and the story ends happily.