Song Jiang
Originally from the national capital Kaifeng, Yan Poxi is a beautiful young girl who came to Shandong with her parents to find a relative, but unable to find him they are stuck in Yuncheng County and depend on Yan Poxi's singing to get by. Her father dies, but she and her mother are too poor to give him a proper burial. After learning about their situation, the Yuncheng County clerk Song Jiang pays for his funeral. Her mother then pressures her to marry Song Jiang as a way to express her gratitude. Because Song Jiang does not spend much time with her, Yan Poxi quickly starts an affair with Song's assistant Zhang Wenyuan after her marriage.