Jin Shengse, a native of Jinning, married Miss Mu from the same village. They had a son who had just turned one year old. Suddenly, Jin Shengse fell gravely ill, knowing his end was near. He told his wife, "When I die, you don't have to remain a widow; you are free to remarry." Miss Mu wept and swore she would never betray him. Jin Shengse waved her silent, then spoke to his mother, "My grandson Abao is young and ignorant. After I pass, I entrust him to your care, Mother. As for my daughter-in-law, she may stay or go as she pleases; do not force her."

His mother nodded through her tears. Shortly after, Jin Shengse indeed passed away. The maternal grandmother came to mourn, weeping for a time before saying to Jin's mother, "Heaven has dealt a cruel blow; our son-in-law died too young. My daughter is in the prime of her life; what is to be done?" Jin's mother, already grieving, felt a surge of resentment at the words and snapped back out of pique, "Let her remain a widow."

The grandmother withdrew in shame. That night, she slept with her daughter and persuaded her, "There are plenty of good men still. My daughter is peerlessly beautiful; why should she lack a husband? It would be foolish to spend her youth tending to an infant in swaddling clothes. If the mother-in-law insists you remain chaste, you need not be overly deferential to her." Coincidentally, Jin's mother passed by the door and overheard every word of the grandmother’s counsel, becoming even angrier.

The next day, Jin's mother confronted the grandmother, saying, "My son's dying wish did not command his wife to remain a widow. But before his bones are cold, you are already impatient to see your daughter remarried. Then she must remain a widow." The grandmother was furious and departed resentfully.

That night, Jin's mother dreamt her son appeared to her, saying, "If my wife wishes to remarry, let her go." Jin's mother ceased her insistence and told Miss Mu, "After my son is interred, whether you marry or remain here is for you to decide."

The family hired a geomancer to examine the son's burial site. The geomancer declared, "It is inauspicious to bury him within this year." Jin's mother reluctantly agreed to temporarily store her son's coffin in the main hall.

Miss Mu could not bear the solitude. Despite being in her mourning period, she still applied makeup and dressed, always ready to remarry. While at her mother-in-law's home, she maintained some restraint, wearing only plain clothes. However, the moment she returned to her natal home, she instantly dressed anew, dazzling in bright silks and adornments. Jin's mother knew of this and felt sullenly unhappy, but recalling her son's final request, she could only suppress her feelings. Miss Mu, emboldened by this tolerance, grew increasingly reckless.

A local scoundrel named Dong Gui had long lusted after Miss Mu's beauty. He bribed an elderly neighbor woman with silver to act as a go-between, creating an opportunity for him to meet the beauty. One night, the scoundrel scaled the wall from the old woman's house and entered Miss Mu's bedchamber, where they indulged in their illicit passion. After more than ten nights of debauchery, the scandal spread throughout the entire village, known to all—save Jin's mother, who remained ignorant.

Miss Mu had only one trusted maidservant by her side. One evening, as the two were entwined, they suddenly heard a loud banging from within the coffin, sounding like firecrackers. The maid waited outside. She watched as Jin Shengse crawled out of the coffin, gripping a sharp sword, and burst into the sleeping quarters.

Not long after, shrieks of terror erupted from inside the room. Soon, Dong Gui bolted out naked, while Jin Shengse pursued him, dragging his wife by the hair. The wife screamed, a piercing sound that startled Jin's mother awake. She saw Miss Mu, entirely undressed, running wildly into the courtyard, hands flailing as she tried to open the main gate, shouting hoarsely, "Husband, spare me! Spare me!"

Jin's mother was filled with doubt. "Is my son here? Why can't I see him? Ah, he is a ghost, and I am living; there is a clear boundary between the living and the dead, so naturally, I cannot see him." Seeing Miss Mu smash through the door and vanish in an instant, Jin's mother sighed.

She turned and returned to her daughter-in-law's room. She saw the lamps brightly lit, and beneath the bed, a pair of men's cloth shoes. A chill ran through her heart. "Not good, my daughter-in-law has strayed." She called out the maidservant's name. The maid emerged, trembling, and reported the entire truth. Jin's mother was both furious and deeply disappointed.

Dong Gui, having narrowly escaped, scrambled over the wall into the neighboring yard and hid in a corner, daring not to breathe. After a long silence settled, Dong Gui slowly stood up, exposed to the air, shivering as the cold wind struck him. He thought, "The old neighbor woman took my silver; I might as well ask her for some clothes." He peered closely and noticed a bedroom in the yard with the door slightly ajar. He slipped inside. Fumbling in the dark, he climbed onto the bed and his hands brushed against a woman's slender feet. He mused, "I've heard the old lady has a daughter-in-law with a beautiful face; it would be a good chance to enjoy myself and take advantage."

With this thought, his lust boiled over, and he immediately burrowed under the quilt. The woman beneath him instantly woke and asked, "Husband, is that you returning?" Dong Gui lied casually, his voice deep, "Yes, I'm back." The woman suspected nothing and allowed the scoundrel liberties, and the two indulged in endless carnal pleasure.

Earlier, the woman's husband had left on business, instructing his wife before departing, "Do not lock the door; wait for me to return." Not long after, the husband returned. He suddenly heard continuous moans emanating from the room, filling him with rage. He grabbed his long spear and charged in. Seeing Dong Gui scrambling frantically under the bed, he held back no longer. He thrust the spear once—and immediately skewered Dong Gui dead.

The husband's anger not yet spent, he prepared to confront his wife. The wife wept, saying, "It was all a misunderstanding; I mistook him for you—an unintentional mistake, not deserving of death." The husband pondered her words and found some merit in them, deciding to spare her this once. He lit the candles, summoned his mother, and dragged Dong Gui's body out from under the bed. The man's face was smeared with blood, his features almost unrecognizable, and his breathing shallow. He was not quite dead. When asked where he came from, Dong Gui confessed everything, but blood poured ceaselessly from his wound. Before long, his eyes fluttered shut, and he breathed his last.

The old lady was thrown into a panic and told her son, "We caught them in the act; since you’ve killed the adulterer, might as well finish it." The son was indecisive, so under duress, he killed his wife as well.

Meanwhile, Jin Shengse, having seized his wife, knocked her unconscious and dumped her in her father's peach orchard. That night, Mr. Mu was sleeping in his room when he was suddenly disturbed by loud noises outside the window. He threw on his clothes, got out of bed, and went to investigate, only to see towering flames erupting beneath the eaves of his house. A man was stealthily setting the fire. This man was, of course, Jin Shengse.

The fire had just been started and was not yet large. Master Mu directed his servants to fight the blaze, and they quickly brought it under control. Seeing the culprit lurking nearby, refusing to leave, Master Mu shouted, "Grab your weapons! Seize him!"

The servants, armed with blades and bows, rushed forward. The culprit let out a harsh laugh, suddenly vaulted over the wall into the peach orchard, moving with agility, and vanished in a flash. Master Mu led his men, filled with murderous intent, into the orchard. The orchard walls were solidly built on all sides. Several servants propped up ladders against the wall and peered closely, searching, but saw no trace of the culprit.

Suddenly, something near a corner of the wall shifted slightly. The men called out, "Who's there?" After a long silence with no reply, Master Mu commanded, "Shoot arrows! Release!" Instantly, arrows flew in a flurry. They heard a sharp cry from the object by the corner of the wall—it sounded like a woman. Master Mu’s expression changed drastically. He shouted, "Stop! Quickly, light the lamps! Light them!"

The servants lit the lanterns. Under the light, they looked closely and saw a completely naked woman. Her head and chest were pierced through by arrows; her face was ashen white, her breath faint. It was none other than Miss Mu.

Master Mu, realizing he had accidentally killed his beloved daughter, felt a grief beyond measure. He cried out, "Pull out the arrows! Stop the bleeding!" But the arrows had pierced her skull. The servants strained with all their might, pushing with their feet and pulling with their hands, exhausting themselves, but finally managed to extract the shafts. Miss Mu let out a weak moan, blood gushing profusely from the back of her head. Her neck twisted, and it was clear she was beyond saving.

Master Mu was utterly devastated. The next morning, he related the event to Jin's mother, begging for forgiveness. Jin's mother remained expressionless, sighing, "What one sows, one must reap." She briefly recounted the story of Miss Mu's adultery, concluding, "Since it has come to this, sorrow is useless. Bury the deceased quickly and mourn with restraint."

Meanwhile, the son of the neighbor old woman, having caused two deaths, felt uneasy and turned himself in to the authorities. The magistrate flogged him a few times and then released him. The old woman's daughter-in-law was surnamed Ma, and her elder brother, Ma Biao, was learned in law. Seeing his sister killed unjustly, he became enraged and filed a formal complaint. The magistrate took the old woman into custody for interrogation. The old woman confessed truthfully everything: how she accepted Dong Gui's silver to secretly arrange his meetings, and how Miss Mu's biological mother incited her daughter to remarry—all admitted without reservation.

The County Magistrate enforced the law impartially and issued his final judgment: Mother Mu, for lax instruction of her daughter, was sentenced to fifty strokes of the cane and fined three thousand coins. The old woman, for abetting evil and corrupting public morals, was beaten to death with clubs.