In a village south of the Yangtze River, a young man took a wife, and neighbors and friends gathered to celebrate, holding a grand feast. As the drinking reached a state of comfortable inebriation, the groom stepped out to relieve himself and suddenly saw a woman standing in the courtyard, adorned in a phoenix coronet and robes, her figure and features strikingly similar to his new bride's. She moved with delicate steps, slowly heading toward the back of the house.

The youth wondered internally, "Why isn't the bride staying put in the bridal chamber? What is she doing out here?" He quietly followed her, tracking her steps to the edge of a small river behind the yard, where a stone bridge spanned the water. The "bride" crossed the bridge and disappeared. The young man’s suspicion grew, and he called out loudly, "Wife, where are you going?"

The "bride" smiled without answering, merely beckoning him frequently to follow. The youth understood and hurried to catch up. They maintained a distance of about a foot between them. The young man reached out to grasp the woman's sleeve, trying seven or eight times, but though she was so close, he could never quite reach her.

After walking several li, they arrived at another village. The "bride" stopped and said to him, "Husband, your home is too cold and lonely; I cannot grow accustomed to it. Please stay at my parents' home for a few days, and in two days, we will return home together to visit your elderly parents."

The young man, having no choice, agreed. The "bride" plucked a hairpin from her hair and knocked. Soon, two maids appeared to greet them, ushering them into a grand hall where her father and mother were seated. They addressed the young man, "Our daughter has been pampered her entire life and has never spent a moment away from our care. Today, as she marries, our hearts ache with reluctance. It is very good, very good, that you have returned to your in-laws' home together. Rest assured, you may stay here for several days, and we will certainly send you both back." With that, the elder couple instructed the servants to make the beds and prepare the bedding.

Meanwhile, back at the groom's house, the guests grew anxious when the groom failed to return for so long, searching everywhere but finding no trace of him. They opened the bridal chamber only to find the bride sitting alone. They sent people to inquire in the surrounding areas, but there was no news of the groom. The young man’s parents were overcome with grief, crying out, "Ghosts have been causing trouble frequently recently; my son must have been snatched away and killed by an evil spirit."

Half a year passed with the young man’s fate unknown. The bride's parents, unwilling for their daughter to live as a widow, proposed she remarry. The young man's father grew angry, "We haven't even found my son's body or clothing; perhaps he is still alive. Even if she must remarry, what is the harm in waiting another year? Why be in such a rush?"

The bride's parents refused, and the dispute escalated to the magistrate's court. Magistrate Sun, handling the case, could not immediately sort out the complex situation and provisionally ruled: the bride must return home to wait for three years. If there was still no news of the young man by then, she would be permitted to remarry. He then filed the case documents and sent the plaintiff and defendant home.

Now, regarding the groom staying at the false bride's home, the entire family treated him wonderfully. The young man often discussed with his wife that he wished to return to his own village to see his parents. The "new bride" outwardly agreed but persistently delayed their departure.

Another half year passed, and the young man, desperately missing his parents, told his wife, "I will return alone."

The "new bride" tried hard to keep him there, and after a few more days of persistence, she relented. On this day, the entire family of the "new bride" seemed overcome with panic, as if disaster were imminent. In a rush, they told the young man, "We had planned to send you both home in two or three days once our luggage was ready, but a serious matter has arisen, and our daughter cannot get away. Therefore, we regret that we must ask you, worthy son-in-law, to return alone." With that, they urged and hurried him out the door.

As the young man left the grand compound and searched for the path home, he inadvertently glanced back. In the blink of an eye, the houses and courtyard vanished completely, leaving nothing behind but a single, high mound of earth—a grave. The young man suddenly understood: "This was never my father-in-law's house; it was clearly a haunted dwelling. My 'bride' is almost certainly not human, but a female ghost." Filled with urgency and fear, he turned and fled, hurrying back to his own home.

When he told his parents the story, his elderly father said, "My son, do not worry or regret this. If the false bride is gone, the true bride remains. Rest assured, we guarantee to return a sweet and lovely young lady to you."

The following morning, the young man's parents went to the magistrate's office to explain the situation. Magistrate Sun issued a summons: ordering the bride's parents to immediately send their daughter back to her husband's home to complete the marriage rites without delay.