Xiqu Centre, West Kowloon Cultural District | The Purple Hairpin

Description

Cai Zi Li Yi of Chang'an and Huo Xiaoyu are mutually attracted to each other. One Lantern Festival night, Li Yi finds a purple hairpin dropped by Huo Xiaoyu. Moved by Li Yi's sincerity, Lady Huo agrees to their marriage that very night, and Li Yi pledges his love to Xiaoyu in a blood oath. Li Yi passes the imperial examination with high honors, but he is unable to pay an official visit to Lu, the Prime Minister, and is later forced to join the army in the border regions. Lu creates trouble for Li Yi, causing him to go missing for three years. Xiaoyu falls seriously ill and has to sell her jewelry to make ends meet. At this time, Prime Minister Lu summons Li Yi back to Chang'an, intending to force him to marry his daughter. Coincidentally, Xiaoyu has pawned her purple hairpin, and Li Yi, mistaking her for having remarried, stubbornly swallows the hairpin to refuse the marriage. Enraged, Lu threatens to frame Li Yi for treason with his own poem, leaving Li Yi no choice but to agree to the marriage. On the other hand, Xiaoyu, misunderstanding Li Yi's intentions, grieves to the point of vomiting blood. With the help of a heroic Yellow-Cloaked Lord, Xiaoyu is reunited with Li Yi, and the two clear their misunderstandings. Unfortunately, Li Yi is forcibly taken back to Lu's mansion to be married, and the Yellow-Cloaked Lord, who is actually the Fourth Prince, instructs Xiaoyu to intrude upon the mansion to reclaim her husband. The Fourth Prince acts justly and removes Lu from his position, allowing Xiaoyu and Li Yi to finally reunite.