ABSTRACT
Plaintiff is the son of the deceased former nobleman and Guards-Captain Hou. Many years ago a betrothal was agreed upon by the parents Hou and Pao between their respective offspring, son Hou and Cinnabar-Cinnamon, daughter of the deceased former Guards-Captain Pao. Father Hou was killed in the front line at the Shanshi frontier and left his son a destitute orphan. Owing to the bridegroom's poverty, the defendants wish to break the original promise of marriage and are looking for another husband. The two court beadles despatched by the Prefect, accompanied by the plaintiff, lame Hou, had arrived at defendants' house. Waving the written summons, one of the beadles shouted. Lady Pao, showed no lack of courage and began discussing the matter calmly with the beadles. She told them that this fellow who claimed to be her son-in-law had made no attempt to follow up the relationship and they had neither seen nor heard anything of him in all these years.
