Introduction: male and female, ruler and ruled. The role of women in Chinese
civilization is to be 'submissive and meek' within the household.

Lady Fan: Lady Fan curbs her husband King Zhuang of Chu's excessive love
of hunting by refusing to eat the flesh of the animals he killed for three
years.

The Lady of Wei: the Lady of Wei ignores her own love of music to reform
her husband Duke of Huan of Qi's taste for licentious melody.

Lady Feng: Lady Feng selflessly steps into the path of an escaped black
bear that has targeted her husband, Han emperor Yuandi, but is saved by
armed guards.

Lady Ban: Lady Ban refuses to ride in the imperial palanquin for fear
of making her husband, the Han emperor Chengdi, appear like a bad ruler.

The mountain and hunter: a mountain and a hunter with a crossbow about
to shoot a tiger. An illustration of the couplet, 'To rise to glory is as
hard as to build a mountain out of dust; To fall into calamity is as easy
as the rebound of a tense spring.'

The toilette scene: two women are tending to their make-up and hair in
illustration of the couplet, 'Men and women know how to adorn their faces,
But there is none who knows how to adorn his character.'

The bedroom scene: seated on a canopied bed, an emperor and his concubine
eye one another with suspicion to illustrate how false words will cause
even your bedfellow to distrust you.

The family scene: several generations of a family sit together to illustrate
the couplet, 'Let your hearts be as locusts And your race shall multiple.'

The rejection scene: an advancing beauty is rejected by the emperor: 'If
by a mincing air you seek to please, Wise men will abhor you.'

A lady reflects upon her conduct: 'Fulfill your duties calmly and respectfully;
Thus shall you win glory and honour.'

Conclusion: the court instructress. The court instructress writes out
her admonitions for presentation to her peers, as two palace ladies approach
her.