A version of the archetypal handbook for litigation masters featuring general information on the Penal Code, classified examples of complaints, examples of petitions to officials (e.g. to get tax reductions, or to keep a good official in the locality), advice on phrases and language to use in court, examples of proclamations by governors, questions and answers on legal decisions (新增斷律問答, the first question dealing with the classic problem of how to divide property among the four sons of a man, born, respectively, to his principal wife, his secondary wife, a maid, and an adulterous relationship), and sentence proposals at the capital and in the provinces (新增京省招擬). The upper margin features indications on correct pronunciations. J. 1 begins with six items from the Ming founder’s “Grand Pronouncements” (大誥), primarily concerned with how to live an untroubled life. These are followed by four maxims with explanation under the title Guanzhen sishi 官箴四誓. Next come excerpts from Wenxing tiaoli 問刑條例 substatutes concerning the commutation of legal punishments. Then the Code entries on the “ten abominations” (十惡律條) are excerpted. There are also sections on the eight categories of people with special status (八議條例) and related punishments (應議者犯罪), on the five punishments and related commutations (五刑定律), the six spoils (六贓辯) and the corresponding punishments (六贓擬罪歌), the seven types of homicide (七殺辯) and corresponding punishments (七殺擬罪), and more. This chapter ends with a short work on crimes entitled “The hand mirror of the complaint specialist” (詞家手鏡), divided into sections on homicide, robbery, and registered household problems. A sample complaint is provided for each entry. J. 2 continues the same text with sections on household matters, land holdings, mountain land and grave sites, marriage, rape, fraud, and debts. J. 3 begins with a selection of sample requests submitted to the magistrate titled Mingqing chengzhuang bingtie 鳴情呈狀稟帖, followed by a series of sample case summaries (新贈審參法語) and of sample pronouncements from capital and provincial offices (部院告示). Next is the above-mentioned Xinzeng duanlü wenda, and, in j. 4, Xinzeng jingsheng zhaoni. (The order of presentation of materials may vary depending on ed.)