Yao An, a native of Lintao, was handsome and refined. The daughter of the Gong family in the same village, nicknamed Lü E, was beautiful, dignified, well-read, and unmarried. Her mother often boasted to people, "My future son-in-law must be as outstanding in appearance and as prominent in family standing as Yao An, before I'll allow the marriage."

Upon hearing this, Yao An lured his wife to the well and pushed her into the water, drowning her. He then married Lü E, showering her with affection. However, because his wife was so beautiful, he constantly worried she might stray, so he remained by her side, never leaving her. Every time Lü E returned to her parents' home for a visit, Yao An escorted her the entire way, using his sleeve to shield her face from the gaze of outsiders. He would also affix a seal on the sedan chair to prevent any disturbance. Lü E could not stay at her parents' house for even one night before Yao An would urge her return. At first, Lü E could tolerate it, but as time wore on, resentment brewed, and she finally scoffed, "If I truly intended to seek another man, would this lowly appearance of yours be enough to stop me?"

On one occasion, Yao An had to leave on business. Lü E deliberately left a key outside the door. When Yao An returned, he was furious and demanded, "Where did this key come from? Is this left by a paramour?" Lü E coldly replied, "I don't know." Yao An’s suspicion deepened, and from then on, he guarded Lü E with heightened vigilance.

One day, Yao An returned from an outing and secretly hid outside the door to listen. After a long while of hearing nothing, he unlocked the door and tiptoed into the room. There, he saw a man clad in a sable hat, resting soundly. Rage erupted in Yao An. He drew the personal saber he carried and thrust it directly into the man's vital spot. Looking closely, it was no man at all, but unmistakably Lü E. It turned out that because the weather was cold, Lü E had draped her sable cloak over herself for warmth, unwittingly inviting disaster and dying under Yao An's blade.

Lü E's death enraged her parents, who immediately went to the magistrate to file a complaint. The county magistrate had Yao An detained and subjected him to severe beatings and endless torture. To save his life, Yao An offered substantial silver bribes to the magistrate and was ultimately released without charge.

From that point onward, Yao An became dazed and restless, as if something essential was missing. One day, while sitting alone in quiet contemplation, he suddenly saw Lü E engaging in intimate acts with a heavily bearded man on the bed. Disgust surged through him. He grabbed his saber and approached the bedside, but the figures vanished instantly. Returning to his chair, the apparitions reappeared. Yao An exploded in fury, hacking down at the bed, splitting the wooden planks and the quilt into pieces.

Yao An’s rage still unspent, he stood by the bed with his saber drawn, poised for battle. Shortly after, Lü E reappeared, her face fixed in a sneer. Yao An brought his long saber down, severing her head. Exhausted, he sank onto the chair to rest, gasping for breath. The moment his buttocks touched the seat, he focused his gaze, and Lü E was once again before him, her mocking expression unchanged.

At night, after extinguishing the lamps, the room filled with sounds of unrestrained coupling—explicit and shameless—day after day, becoming unbearable. Tormented beyond endurance, Yao An reluctantly sold the house for a few hundred ounces of silver, preparing to relocate elsewhere. However, when he slept that night, thieves burrowed through the wall and stole every last bit of silver, leaving not a single coin.

From then on, Yao An fell into destitution, utterly penniless. Consumed by a mixture of anger and grievance, he died soon after. Due to his vile conduct, no one claimed his body after death. A sympathetic neighbor wrapped him hastily in a tattered mat and provided a meager burial.