Dong Zhuo could not stop marveling at her voice. Wang yun ordered Diaochan to serve more wine. Dong Zhuo lifted his cup and asked, "How many springs have you passed?" "Your servant is just sixteen," she replied. "You must have come from a land of fairies," Dong Zhuo said. At that moment Wang Yun rose from his mat and declared, "I would like to present this girl to the imperial preceptor, if it would be agreeable." "I would be at a loss to repay such a boon," Dong Zhuo responded. "To serve the imperial preceptor would be splendid luck for her," Wang Yun added. Again Dong Zhuo voiced his thanks. Wang Yun immediately ordered a felt-lined closed carriage to carry Diaochan ahead to the prime minister's residence. Then Dong Zhuo rose and bade his host goodbye. Wang Yun escorted his guest home before taking his leave.
Wang Yun was halfway home again when he saw two lines of red lanterns on the road ahead; in their light stood Lü Bu, armed and mounted. Lü Bu reined in and reached over, taking hold of Yun's upper garment. "You promised Diaochan to me," he snarled. "Now you give her to the imperial preceptor. What kind of game are you trying to play?" "This is not the place to talk," Wang Yun responded. "Come to my house. Please." Lü Bu accompanied Wang Yun home. They dismounted and went to the private apartment. After the amenities Wang Yun asked, "What grounds do you have for such an accusation, General?" "It was reported to me," Lü Bu answered, "that you delivered Diaochan to the prime minister's residence in a felt-lined closed carriage. What is the meaning of this?"
"Then you really do not know! Yesterday," Wang Yun explained, "the preceptor said to me at court, 'There is something I wish to discuss. I will visit you tomorrow.' So I prepared a small banquet. As we were dining, he said, T understand you have a daughter, Diaochan, whom you have promised to my son, Fengxian. Lest the agreement seem less than official, I have come especially to confirm it and to meet your daughter as well.' I could hardly disobey, so I led her out to pay her respects to her future father-in-law. The preceptor said, 'Today is an auspicious day. I shall take Diaochan back with me for my son.' A moment's reflection, General, and you will realize that I could hardly refuse the preceptor's personal request." "Then you must forgive me, Your Honor," Lü Bu said. "I was mistaken and will come another time to apologize properly." "My daughter," Wang Yun added, "has a sizable trousseau. I will deliver it as soon as she joins you at your residence." The general thanked the minister and left.
The next day Lü Bu made inquiries at Dong Zhuo's residence but was unable to learn anything. He went directly into the ministerial quarters and questioned the serving maids. "Last night," they informed him, "the imperial preceptor had a new girl with him. They have not yet arisen." Lü Bu felt great anger swell within him. He stole close to the outside of Dong Zhuo's bedroom and peered in. Diaochan was combing her hair by the window. Suddenly she saw a reflection in the pool outside, that of a huge man with a headpiece that caught his hair in a knot. Assuming it was Lü Bu, she puckered her brows, feigning sorrow and dabbing at her eyes with a filmy scarf. Lü Bu observed her a good while before moving away. Moments later he reentered the main hall where Dong Zhuo was seated.
Dong Zhuo saw Lü Bu come in and asked, "Is everything all right outside?" "No problems," answered Lü Bu and stood in attendance beside the preceptor. Dong Zhuo was eating. Lü Bu glanced around. He spotted a young woman moving back and forth behind a damask curtain, peeking out now and then and letting a corner of her face show. Her eyes bespoke her affection. Lü Bu knew her to be Diaochan, and the soul within him fluttered. Dong Zhuo noticed Lü Bu's distraction and, pricked by jealousy and suspicion, said, "If there is nothing else, you may go." Sullenly, Lü Bu left.
Enthralled by Diaochan's charms, Dong Zhuo let official business lapse for more than a month. Once he fell ill, and Diaochan stayed up every night catering to his needs and wishes. On one occasion Lü Bu entered the private apartments to see him. Dong Zhuo was sleeping. Behind the bed Diaochan tilted her shoulders toward Lü Bu and pointed first to her heart and then to Dong Zhuo. Her cheeks were moist. Lü Bu felt his own heart crumble within him. Dong Zhuo opened his eyes and slowly focused on Lü Bu, who was staring at the rear of the bed. Dong Zhuo swung around and spied Diaochan behind him. "Have you been flirting with my favorite concubine?" he screamed and ordered Lü Bu thrust from the room. "Never enter here again!" he shouted.
Rage and hatred struck deep in Lü Bu. On the way home he met Li Ru and told him what had happened in the bedroom. Li Ru rushed to see Dong Zhuo. "Imperial Preceptor," he pleaded, "if you hope to make the realm your own, there's no point in blaming Lü Bu for so trifling an offense. Our cause is lost if he turns against us." "What shall I do?" asked Dong Zhuo. "Summon him tomorrow morning," Li Ru counseled, "and honor him with presents of gold and silk. Mollify him with gentle phrases. There should be no further problems." Dong Zhuo agreed and the next day had Lü Bu called before him. "Yesterday," Dong Zhuo began, "I was unwell and not at all myself. I said the wrong thing and did you injury. Do not hold it against me." Dong Zhuo conferred on his general a bounty of ten catties of gold and twenty rolls of silk. Lü Bu thanked him and went home. But from then on, though his body remained with Dong Zhuo, his mind dwelled on Diaochan.
After Dong Zhuo got over his illness, he held court once again. Lü Bu, armed as always, attended him. One day he saw the preceptor in conference with Emperor Xian and slipped away to Dong Zhuo's residence. He tied his horse at the front entrance and went into the rear chambers, halberd in hand, where he found Diaochan. "Wait for me," she said, "in the back garden by the Phoenix Pavilion." Lü Bu went where he was told and stood by the curved railing that surrounded the little belvedere. After a long while he saw her coming, parting the flowers and brushing aside the willows—truly, to any mortal eye, a celestial being from the Palace on the Moon. Weeping, she joined him and said, "Though I am not his real daughter, Minister Wang Yun treats me as his own flesh and blood. The moment he presented me to you, my lifelong prayers were answered. I can't believe that the preceptor's conscience could permit him to stain my purity, so that 1 now despair of life itself. I have borne my shame and prolonged my worthless existence only for the chance to say good-bye to you. Our fortunate meeting today answers my wish. But never again, disgraced as I am now, could I serve a hero such as you. I shall die before your eyes to show my earnest heart." With that, she grasped the curved railing and started into the lotus pool.
Lü Bu lunged forward and caught her. Through his tears he said, "I have long known your real feelings, but alas, we could never speak." Diaochan reached out and clutched Lü Bu's clothing. "Since I can never be your wife in this world," she said, "I want to arrange to meet you in the next." "If I cannot have you as my wife in this world," answered Lu Bu, "then I am no hero worthy of the name." "I count my days as years. Pity me, my lord, and save me," the girl implored. "I had to slip away or else the old villain would suspect something," Lü Bu said. "Now I must go back." Diaochan would not let go of him. "If you are so afraid of the 'old villain,'" she cried, "then I will never see the light of day again, for I am lost." Lü Bu stood still. "Give me time to think," he said finally, as he took his halberd and turned to leave. "Oh, General!" cried Diaochan, "even in the seclusion of my boudoir your name resounded like thunder. I thought you the foremost man of the age and never imagined another could subjugate you." Her tears rained down. Shame covered Lü Bu's face as he leaned on his halberd, listening. Then he turned and embraced Diaochan, comforting her with tender words. The pair clung together fondly.
Dong Zhuo, who was still at court, began to wonder where Lü Bu had gone. He bid the Emperor a hasty good-bye and returned home in his carriage. Seeing Lü Bu's horse tied at his front gate, he questioned the gateman and was told that the general was in the rear chamber. Dong Zhuo dismissed his servants roughly and went looking for Lü Bu. Not finding him in the rear chamber, he called for Diaochan. She too was not to be found. "She is in the back garden viewing the blossoms," the maidservants told him. Dong Zhuo rushed there and saw the amorous pair tete-a-tete at the Phoenix
Pavilion. The halberd had been set aside. Dong Zhuo's anger flared and he let out a dreadful shout. Lü Bu spotted him, panicked, and fled. Dong Zhuo picked up the great halberd and gave chase. Lü Bu was swift. Dong Zhuo, too fat to catch up, heaved the weapon. Lü Bu knocked it aside. Dong Zhuo retrieved it and continued running, but Lü Bu was already out of range. Dong Zhuo dashed out the garden gate, collided head on with another man running in, and fell to the ground. Indeed:
His fury mounted to the sky,
But his heavy frame sprawled upon the ground.
Who had knocked him down?
Read on.
9
Lü Bu Kills the Tyrant for Wang Yun;
Li Jue Invades the Capital on Jia Xu's Advice
The man who plowed into Dong Zhuo was none other than his most trusted adviser, Li Ru. Horrified, Li Ru scrambled to help Dong Zhuo into the library, where the preceptor sat down and composed himself. "Whatever brought you here?" gasped Dong Zhuo. "I came in through the main gate," Li Ru replied. "They told me you'd charged off into the rear garden looking for Lü Bu. I rushed over, too, and saw him bounding away, crying, 'The preceptor's after me!' So I headed into the garden to try and smooth things over, but I have only offended Your Worship and made things worse. I deserve to die." "Oh, to be rid of that scoundrel!" Dong Zhuo said fiercely. "He was flirting with my darling. I'll have his head for it." "That would be most unwise, Your Worship," Li Ru responded. "In ancient times at the famous banquet where all guests were told to tear the tassels from their hats, King Zhuang of Chu overlooked an amorous gesture toward his queen from Jiang Xiong, the very man who later saved the king from Qin soldiers.1 Now, this Diaochan is just another woman; but Lü Bu is a fierce and trusted general. Give her to him now, and he will risk life and limb to requite your generosity. I entreat you, consider it carefully." After absorbing this advice, Dong Zhuo said, "You have a point. I shall think it over." Li Ru thanked him and left.
Dong Zhuo returned to his private apartments and asked Diaochan, "Are you having an affair with Lü Bu?" Diaochan burst into tears before replying, "I was enjoying the flowers in the back garden when he accosted me. I was frightened and tried to slip away. He said, 'I am the imperial preceptor's son. You don't have to avoid me.' Then he chased me with that halberd of his over to the Phoenix Pavilion. I could see he meant no good. What if he forced himself on me? I tried to throw myself into the pool, but the brute wrapped his arms around me. My life was hanging there in the balance when you came— just in time to save me."
"I have made a decision," Dong Zhuo declared. "I am going to give you into Lü Bu's service. What do you think of that?" Panicked, Diaochan pleaded through tears:2 "Having had the honor of serving Your Worship, I could not bear the shame of being handed down to an underling." She took hold of a sword hanging against the wall and pressed it to her throat. Dong Zhuo snatched it away and embraced her. "I spoke in jest," he said. Diaochan collapsed in his arms. "I know this is Li Ru's doing," she murmured as she hid her face and sobbed. "He and Lü Bu are fast friends and must have worked this out between them without giving the slightest consideration to the dignity of the Imperial Preceptor or to my own life. Oh, I could eat him alive!" "I will never give you up," said Dong Zhuo, comforting her. "Though I enjoy the favor of your attention," Diaochan went on, "I don't think I should remain here too long. Lü Bu will find a way to ruin me." "Tomorrow," said Dong Zhuo, "you and I shall repair to the new palace at Mei and take our pleasure there together. Try not to worry." Diaochan mastered her fears and thanked Dong Zhuo.
The following day Li Ru appeared before Dong Zhuo and said, "Today is an auspicious day for presenting Diaochan to Lü Bu." "Lü Bu and I," Dong Zhuo replied, "are father and son. It would be unseemly for me to present her to him. Despite his offense, however, I will take no action against him. Convey my wishes—and speak gently to comfort him." "Preceptor," Li Ru urged, "you should not let a woman beguile you." Dong Zhuo's expression turned ugly. "Would you care," he asked, "to give your wife to Lü Bu? Let us hear no more of this, or the sword will speak for me." Li Ru left Dong Zhuo's presence and, raising his eyes to Heaven, sighed, "We are all doomed, and at a woman's hands." A reader of later times was moved to write this verse:
Wang Yun staked the empire's fate
on a gentle maiden's charm.
Spear and shield were set aside,
no soldier came to harm.
In the fray at Tiger Pass
three heroes fought in vain.
Instead the victory song was sung
at Phoenix Pavilion.
That same day Dong Zhuo prepared to return to Mei. The whole assembly of officials came to see him off. From her carriage Diaochan picked out Lü Bu in the throng, staring at her. She covered her face as if weeping. The carriage began to move. Lü Bu led his horse to a knoll and watched the dust rising behind the wheels. A sigh of remorse escaped from his lips. "Why are you staring into the distance and sighing?" someone asked from behind. "Why aren't you with the preceptor?" It was Minister of the Interior Wang Yun.
After they had exchanged greetings, Wang Yun said, "A slight indisposition has kept me indoors the past few days—that's why we haven't seen each other—but I felt I had to get myself out for the preceptor's departure. And now I have the added pleasure of meeting you. Forgive my question, General, but is something the matter?" "Your daughter, that's all," was the reply. "You mean, he's kept her all this time?" Wang Yun asked, affecting surprise. "That old villain made her his favorite long ago," answered Lü Bu. "I don't believe it!" Wang Yun exclaimed. Lü Bu then related what had happened to Diaochan as Wang Yun looked skyward and stamped his feet. Finally he spoke: "It amazes me that the preceptor could do such a beastly thing." He took Lü Bu's hand and said, "Why don't we discuss this further at my home?"
Lü Bu returned with Wang Yun, who ushered him into a private room. Given wine and treated cordially, Lü Bu narrated in full his confrontation with Dong Zhuo at the pavilion. "Then the preceptor has violated my daughter!" responded Wang Yun, "and snatched your wife. We stand shamed and mocked before the world. He is not mocked— only you and I. I am nothing but a useless old man, and I suppose I will have to swallow the insult. What a pity, though, for you, General—for a hero, head and shoulders above them all, to suffer such disgrace!"
Lü Bu's anger could have lifted him to the heavens. He struck the table and roared. "I should never have said what I did," Wang Yun said immediately. "Please compose yourself." "The villain's life will clear my name," Lü Bu shouted. "Do not say so, General," Wang Yun admonished, hastily touching Lü Bu's mouth. "I'm afraid I shall be implicated." "As a man of honor standing before Heaven and earth," Lü Bu went on, "I will not be his underling forever." "A man with your abilities," Wang Yun agreed, "should not be subject to the authority of someone like Preceptor Dong." "I would love to be rid of the old villain," confided Lü Bu, "but history would brand me an unfilial son." Smiling faintly, Wang Yun said, "You are a Lu. He is a Dong. Where was his fatherly feeling when he threw that halberd?" Lü Bu's temper flared again. "I nearly overlooked that!" he cried. "Thank you for reminding me."
As his suggestions took hold, Wang Yun continued working on Lü Bu: "Your service to the Han will secure your reputation for loyalty, and historians will preserve your good name for posterity. But support for Dong Zhuo is disloyal and will earn you an eternity of condemnation." Lü Bu shifted off his seat and bowed to the ground to show his respect. "My mind is made up," said Lü Bu. "Do not doubt it." "But failure means disaster," Wang Yun cautioned. With his knife Bu pricked blood from his arm to seal his pledge. In response Wang Yun dropped to his knees and said, "Your gracious favor enables the temple services of the Han to continue.3 But you must disclose nothing. A plan of action will be ready in due time, and you will be informed." Lü Bu assented and took his leave.4
Next, Wang Yun summoned Shisun Rui, a superviser in the Secretariat, and Huang Wan, commander of the Capital Districts, to try to work out a plan. "The Emperor," Rui bega
n, "has recently recovered from an illness. Send a smooth talker to the new palace in Mei requesting Dong Zhuo's presence in the capital. At the same time have the Emperor secretly authorize Lü Bu to place an ambush at the court gates. Escort Dong Zhuo in and kill him there. That's the best way." "Who will take the message?" asked Huang Wan. "Cavalry Commander Li Su," suggested Rui, "comes from Lü Bu's own district. He has resented Dong Zhuo ever since he was passed over for promotion, but Dong Zhuo is unlikely to suspect him." "A good choice," said Wang Yun.
Wang Yun presented the plan to Lü Bu, who said, "Li Su! He talked me into killing Ding Yuan! He'll go all right, or I'll have his head." Li Su was secretly brought in, and Lü Bu confronted him: "Once you convinced me to kill my benefactor and stepfather Ding Yuan and go over to Dong Zhuo. Now he has wronged the Emperor and caused the people to suffer. His foul crimes have roused the indignation of men and gods alike. We want you to carry the Emperor's edict to Mei, commanding Dong Zhuo to appear at court, where soldiers in hiding will be ready to kill him. We must work for the house of Han as loyal subjects. Do we have your consent?" "I, too," replied Li Su, "have longed to be rid of him, but I despaired of finding allies. If you, General, are so minded, then Heaven itself favors our cause. I am with you, heart and soul." He broke an arrow to confirm his oath. "If your mission succeeds," said Wang Yun, "a handsome commission awaits you."
Li Su and a dozen riders went to Mei the following day. The arrival of the imperial edict was announced, and Dong Zhuo received the bearer. Li Su paid his respects. "What edict from the Emperor?" asked Dong Zhuo. "His Majesty," began Li Su, "has recovered from his illness and desires to call together the full assembly in the Weiyang Hall. This edict was issued in connection with a decision to yield the throne to the preceptor." "What is Wang Yun's view?" asked Dong Zhuo. "The minister of the interior," Li Su replied, "has already arranged for the construction of a platform for the ceremony of abdication. Only your presence is awaited, my lord." Delighted, Dong Zhuo said, "Last night I dreamed that a dragon was encircling me; today these auspicious tidings arrive. My time has come. I must not miss it." Dong Zhuo ordered four trusted generals—Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou—to guard Mei with three thousand men from his Flying Bear Corps.5 Then he made ready to return to Chang'an. "When I am emperor," he said, turning to Li Su, "you will bear the gilded mace as chief of the Capital Guard." Li Su gave thanks, speaking as a subject addressing his sovereign.
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