A merchant from Tianjin, intending to venture out and seek his fortune, borrowed several hundred taels of silver from a wealthy man as capital. This act was witnessed by a petty thief, who, as dusk settled, crept toward the merchant's residence, lying in wait to steal the money once the merchant returned and fell asleep. However, upon receiving the silver, the merchant did not go home but departed immediately for another locality.

The thief waited a long time in the merchant's house, but the merchant never returned. Leaning his ear, he heard the merchant's wife tossing and turning restlessly, unable to sleep. Soon, the door was pushed open, flooding the room with bright light, and a woman gracefully entered. She was exquisitely beautiful and held a silken cord in her hand.

The woman approached the bedside and handed the cord to the wife, offering her a slight, gentle smile. With just that smile, the wife grew dizzy, and in a dazed state, she took the cord, looped it over a roof beam, and hanged herself, quickly succumbing to death.

The thief was greatly alarmed. Seeing the woman depart with a cheerful grin, he immediately bolted and fled in terror. The next morning, when the family discovered the wife had perished, they hastily reported the matter to the magistrate. The county magistrate arrested the wife's neighbor, and without inquiring into the facts, subjected him to a severe beating and relentless torture until he falsely confessed to the murder. The neighbor, unable to bear the pain, confessed under duress, was thrown into prison, and sentenced to be executed after the autumn assizes.

The thief learned of this and, indignant, immediately went to the county yamen to plead the neighbor's case, revealing the true sequence of events. The magistrate dispatched his underlings to investigate everywhere. The bailiffs returned with a report: "The deceased woman’s house was newly purchased, and a young woman had previously died there by hanging herself. The description of her appearance and features matches exactly what the thief described."

The magistrate suddenly understood, declaring, "It was a ghost killing! Likely, the vengeful spirit of the hanged woman, unable to reincarnate due to lingering resentment, must find a substitute." Thereupon, he ordered the neighbor released, absolving him of guilt.