During the Qianlong period, Suzhou scholar Liu Mengqing came from a poor family and lived in an abandoned garden in Baiyun Mountain in order to prepare for the exam. A hundred-year-old peony in the garden transformed into a red-clad woman named Ayao under the moonlight - she was a peony spirit enlightened by an immortal, and she waited for three hundred years just to meet a scholar who treated her sincerely. The two get along day and night, and their love gradually grows. After Liu Mengqing won the election, she was greedy for glory and betrayed her oath, which made A Yao heartbroken and withered. He repented, watered the peonies with his heart's blood, and guarded the garden for three years. Ayao is reborn but loses her memory. Liu Mengqing patiently accompanies her and helps her regain her past. During this period, corrupt official Ma Wencai and his backstage household minister Zhao Deming repeatedly committed crimes and colluded with Taoist priest Zhang Xuanqing to steal the real body of Peony. Liu Mengqing was assisted by Wang Zhao, the censor of the Imperial Procuratorate, Zhou Yuanqing, the elder of the Tianshi Mansion, and his ancestor Zhang Ling, and finally overthrew Zhao Deming. Ayao regained his memory, the two got married, had children, and lived a peaceful and happy life on Baiyun Mountain. The story praises the sincerity that transcends the barriers between human beings and monsters, and reveals the profound theme of "keeping one's heart to achieve good results".
