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Chen Shimei and Qin Xianglian

Chen Shimei is a Chinese opera character and a byword in China for a heartless and unfaithful man. He was married to Qin Xianglian, also translated as Fragrant Lotus.[1] Chen Shimei betrayed Qin Xianglian by marrying another woman, and tried to kill her to cover up his past. This fictional couple are also popular in legends.

The story of Beijing opera “Mei's Beheading Case” (铡美案)：

In the Song Dynasty, Chen Shimei (陈世美) was a poor scholar studying for the imperial examinations. Chen Shimei was married to Qin Xianglian (秦香蓮), who took care of him, his parents, and their children so Chen Shimei had time to study. When the time for the examinations came, Shimei went to the capital to take them, leaving Xianglian and their children behind. He did not return. In the meantime, a famine hit the country and killed their parents. With nothing left in the countryside, Xianglian and the children traveled to the capital to look for Shimei.

It turned out that Shimei had placed first in the examinations and had been awarded an official post as a result. The Emperor favored him, and offered to marry his sister to Shimei. Although Shimei was already married, he coveted wealth and power; he kept his previous marriage a secret and married the princess, hoping to forget about Xianglian and their children. This put Shimei in a bind when Xianglian came to the capital to look for him. Still, aware that his position was in danger plus that he had lied to the Emperor to marry the princess, Shimei not only claimed to not know Xianglian and their children, but also secretly ordered his bodyguard Han Qi (韩琪) to murder them.

Han Qi cornered Xianglian outside the capital. However, when Xianglian begged Han Qi to raise her children after her death, Han Qi could not bring himself to kill them. Caught between his conscience and duty, Han Qi committed suicide in Sanguantang (三官堂). After burying Han Qi, Xianglian then approached Bao Zheng to force Shimei to recognize her. Bao Zheng sent a subordinate to Shimei and Xianglian's hometown, verifying Xianglian's story. He then planned to have Xianglian confront Shimei in court, and tried to give Shimei another chance to recognize Xianglian as his first wife, for their children's sake. Instead, Shimei again denied knowing Xianglian. When Shimei denied sending an assassin to kill Xianglian as well, Xianglian proved that Shimei was lying by showing the court Han Qi's sword. Bao Zheng convicted Shimei for attempted murder and for lying to the Emperor, the punishment for which was death.

When the princess heard of the impending execution, she was aggrieved that Shimei had lied to her, but also did not want to become a widow. Therefore, she went with her mother, the Empress Dowager, to pressure Bao Zheng to stop the execution. Bao Zheng refused. However, when the Emperor issued an edict pardoning Shimei, Bao Zheng was left with no choice but to obey. Lamenting that justice would not be served, he offered Xianglian some money and planned to resign from office. Xianglian refused the gift, crying so hard about how the officials were shielding each other that she fainted. Ordering his subordinates to help Xianglian, Bao Zheng indignantly resolved to proceed with the execution in spite of the edict. When the Empress Dowager pointed out that the penalty for defying an imperial edict was also death, Bao Zheng took off his official headwear and declared that Shimei should be executed first before himself. Shimei was executed. Afterwards, peasants throughout the country gave Bao Zheng the honorific "Justice Bao" (包青天).

After the foundation of the People's Republic of China, Changchun Film Studio (長春電影製片廠) produced the colorful opera film “Qin Xianglian” in 1964 to preserve the stagecraft of Beijing opera performers such as Zhang Junqiu (張君秋), Ma Lianliang (馬連良), Li Duokui (李多奎) and Qiu Shengrong (裘盛戎).

陈世美

京剧《铡美案》剧情：

北宋時期，家境清貧的湖广窮苦書生陈世美為求取功名而日夜苦讀，妻子秦香蓮為了丈夫前程，一肩扛起家計並供錢給陳世美赴京趕考。後來陳世美高中状元，又受皇帝青睞欽點為驸马，利慾薰心的陳世美瞞著已婚的事實而應了這門親事。湖广大旱，陈世美的父母不愿拖累儿媳和孙儿们，悬梁自尽。聞丈夫中舉卻久未返家的秦香莲带著一双子女入京寻夫，陈世美不认糟糠妻與子女反將她們轟出去，事後又派手下韩琪追杀她们母子灭口。秦香莲哭告实情，韩琪愧疚自刎于三官堂。

秦香莲聞包拯清廉公正，遂到包拯处告狀，包拯召来駙陳世美与秦香莲對質，陈世美自以为有太后撐腰而强词狡辩，包拯欲殺之，太后、公主聞訊前来劝阻，包拯命秦香蓮與太后相見，太后喝令太監強奪秦氏子女，包拯立命王朝等人搶回。

包拯受到皇室壓力深感棘手，乃取銀三百兩交與秦香蓮要她回家，並勸子女長大切莫做官。秦香蓮聞言垂淚下堂，怨包拯官官相護，有負青天之名，此話一出包拯驚醒覺悟，乃取下頭上烏紗帽以表捍衛司法不懼強權的決心，不顧太后和公主阻攔，請出尚方寶劍，以龍頭鍘（火龍鍘）處斬陳世美。