| Master Ma, a rich gentlemen, does not have a son from his
wife, Madame Ma. He falls in love in Hating, a former prostitute
and asks her to merry him as his second wife. A son comes from their happy
marriage. This makes the jealous first wife unhappy and she plans to kill
her husband with help of her lover. Haitang's brother comes to visit his
sister, the first wife persuades Haitang to give her cloths to her brother.
When Master Ma comes home, she alienates Master Ma from Haitang by telling
him that Haitang has given her brother things without Ma's permission.
Ma becomes angry and suffers from heart attack. Mrs. Ma takes this opportunity
to intoxicate her husband. Once Mr. Ma is dead, Mrs. accuses Haitang of
murder. The judge is a corrupt official and depends in his judgment entirely
on his subordinate, who happens to be Mrs. Ma's lover.
Haitang is soon found guilty and sentenced to death. Mrs. Ma and her
lover instigate that Haitang will be killed on the way to Kaifeng, the
then capital.
She escapes the killing by accident: Haitang meets her brother, who
is now attendant of the famous imperial judge, legendary Bao Zeng. The
latter holds another court and he sees through the real murderers and orders
the chalk circle trial: The child is put in the chalk circle and the two
women are supposed to pull the child out of the circle. "Who can
get the child out of the circle that person gets the child," he orders.
Mrs. Ma, eager to win the child as the guaranty for her property, sees
it a good opportunity to win. Haitang, however, is scared to death when
she is asked to do so. She resolutely refuses to pull the child. Now the
judge is sure of his wisdom. He reverses the sentence and pronounces Haitang
the winner of the case and give her all the property. |
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