The Fragrant Companion

Cui Jianyun, wife of the scholar Fan Jiefu (Chinese: 范介夫; pinyin: Fàn Jièfū), goes to a temple to burn joss to the gods after her honeymoon.

When the miracle does not occur, Cui Jianyun begins wearing men's clothing and marries Cao Yuhua secretly.

In order to live together, Cui Jianyun persuades Fan Jiefu to send a matchmaker to Lord Cao's house, asking him to grant her daughter to him as a second wife.

He throws out the matchmaker, leaves at once for the capital with Cao Yuhua, and orders Fan to be stripped of his title.

After numerous twists and turns, Cui Jianyun and Cao Yuhua manage to reunite and in the end Fan Jiefu is given permission to take them both as wives.

A Qing period copy of the play, from the National Library of China