Episode 010: Thanks A Lot, Dad!

Sun Jian leaves his son in charge, while Dong Zhuo leaves his son out in the cold for a pretty face.

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Transcript

Welcome to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. This is episode 10.

So hey, we made it into double digits on the episode count. I think that calls for a minor celebration. If we were in the era of the Three Kingdoms, this would be where I get up, bow, and offer you all a cup of wine to show my gratitude for your support. Thank you to everyone who has given this podcast a little bit of your time and attention. My podcast stats tell me that the show’s audience is growing, and I thank those of you who have been spreading the word. If you know someone who might be interested in this show, point them to our website, 3kingdomspodcast.com, spelled with the number 3. Also, don’t forget to check out our Twitter feed and Google Plus page, where I post updates and miscellaneous information related to the show. The links are on the website. Thanks! Now let’s get on with the show.

Last time on the podcast, Sun Jian had set off on an expedition to seek revenge against Liu Biao for an earlier unprovoked attack when Sun Jian was returning home with the imperial hereditary seal. The campaign could not have gotten off to a better start. Sun Jian easily foiled the defenses set up by Liu Biao’s commander Huang (2) Zu (3), and then soundly defeated Huang (2) Zu (3) in a pitch battle. With the opposition on the run, Sun Jian began to advance on Xiangyang Prefecture (1,2), which was Liu Biao’s home base.

Huang Zu (3) gathered his tattered army and scurried back to report to Liu Biao that Sun Jian was unstoppable. This put Liu Biao in a panic, and he turned to his adviser Kuai (3) Liang (2) for answers.

“With this recent defeat, our army has lost its fighting spirit,” Kuai (3) Liang (2) told him. “Right now our best bet is to strengthen our defenses and stall so as to blunt Sun Jian’s momentum. At the same time, we should send a secret message to Yuan Shao to ask for his help. That will solve our problems.”

But Cai (4) Mao (4), one of Liu Biao’s top generals and his new brother-in-law, disagreed.

“That is foolish suggestion,” he said. “The enemy is at the city gates. Are we supposed to just sit on our hands and wait to be slaughtered? I am willing to lead an army to fight a decisive battle.”

Liu Biao decided to grant Cai (4) Mao (4) his request. So Cai (4) Mao (4) gathered up about 10,000 men, went outside the city, and lined up in battle formation to wait for the enemy. When Sun Jian’s forces arrived, Cai (4) Mao (4) rode out to meet them. 

“This man is Liu Biao’s new brother-in-law,” Sun Jian said. “Who will go capture him for me?”

Cheng Pu immediately rode out and raised his spear to engage Cai (4) Mao (4) in combat. Cai (4 Mao (4) proved to be no match for Cheng Pu, and after just a few bouts, Cai (4) Mao (4) turned and ran. Sun Jian directed his forces to charge, and the killed so many enemy soliders that the bodies of Cai (4) Mao’s (4) men were strewn all over the field.

Cai (4) Mao (4) himself managed to escape back into Xiangyang (1,2). Seeing the outcome of the battle, Kuai (3) Liang (2) told Liu Biao that Cai (4) Mao (4) must be executed for ignoring good advice and bringing a costly defeat upon himself.

Well, considering that Liu Biao had just recently married Cai (4) Mao’s (4) sister, it was a pretty sure bet that he wasn’t going to send his brother-in-law to the chopping block. It’s a decision he’ll regret later on, but for now, he had bigger problems to worry about, like Sun Jian’s army laying siege on his city from all four sides. 

Things were looking pretty good for Sun Jian. Liu Biao’s forces haven’t been able to put up much of a fight since this expedition began, and it seemed only a matter of time before the city is breached. But then one day, there came an ill omen. A strong wind suddenly sprang up. It was so ferocious that flag pole from which Sun Jian’s banner flew was snapped in half. 

“This is an inauspicious sign,” Han (2) Dang (1) said to Sun Jian. “We should return home.”

But Sun Jian wasn’t about to walk away when he’s so close to total victory simply because of the questionable workmanship of one flag pole.

“I’ve won every battle so far, and I’m on the verge of taking Xiangyang (1,2). How can I abandon everything we’ve achieved just because a gust of wind broke a flag pole?”

So instead, Sun Jian pressed his attack on the city.

Inside the city, Kuai (3) Liang (2) had seen some ominous signs as well and went to see Liu Biao.

“Last night I was studying the stars and saw that a great star was about to fall,” he said. “It was in the region of heaven corresponding to Sun Jian’s position. My lord, you should immediately write to Yuan Shao and ask for his help.”

Liu Biao quickly wrote a letter, but he needed someone to fight through the sea of soldiers currently laying siege to his city in order to deliver the message. Lü (3) Gong (1), one of his best warriors, immediately volunteered. Before Lü (3) Gong (1) set out, Kuai (3) Liang (2) drew up a strategy for him.

“Take 500 men, including a lot of good archers, and head toward Xian (4) Mountain,” Kuai (3) Liang (2) said. “Sun Jian will no doubt come after you. Send a hundred of your men to gather lots of rocks and boulders and lie in wait on the mountain. Have another hundred hide in the woods with bows and arrows. When the enemy catches up, don’t try to run away. Instead, lead them on a winding pursuit. When they fall into your trap, spring your ambush and besiege them with rocks and arrows. If you are victorious, set off a series of bombs as a signal, and we will send out reinforcements. If Sun Jian does not come after you, then just be on your way as quickly as you can. Tonight will be a dark night, so you can leave the city at dusk.”

So Lü (3) Gong (1) went to gather up his men. At dusk, they secretly opened the east gate and stormed out of the city. Sun Jian wa in his tent at the time. When he heard the sudden cries from outside, he quickly hopped on his horse and led 30-some riders out to what’s going on. A soldier told him that a squad of men had stormed out of the city and was headed toward Xian (4) Mountain. 

Sun Jian didn’t even bother calling up his officers. Accompanied only by the 30-some riders, he set off in pursuit. By this time, Lü (3) Gong (1) had already set up his trap. Sun Jian’s horse was faster than those of his entourage, so he darted out in front alone. Soon, he could see the enemy fleeing in the distance ahead, and he shouted for them to stop.

Lü (3) Gong (1) turned around and came back to fight Sun Jian. After just one bout, Lü (3) Gong (1) turned and fled into the mountain. Sun Jian followed into the mountain, but there was no sign of Lü (3) Gong (1).  He was just about to head up the side of the mountain when the clanging of a gong echoed across the slopes. This was the signal to spring the trap. At once, rocks and boulders flew down from the mountain side, while a torrent of arrows shot out from the woods. Sun Jian had nowhere to hide. He was hit by a bunch of arrows, and a rock crushed his head. Soon, he and his horse laid dead in the mountain. He was just 37 years old when he died.

Having killed the enemy’s leader, Lü (3) Gong (1) now came back down for mop-up work. He and his men jumped on the 30-some riders who followed Sun Jian and killed them all. They then set off a series of bombs to signal their victory. Within the city, Huang (2) Zu (3), Kuai (3) Yue (4), and Cai (4) Mao (4) each stormed out with an army, and their attack threw the enemy into chaos.

While this was going on, Huang (2) Gai (4), who was commanding the navy for the Jiangdong forces, heard the commotion and moved in with the navy to join the battle. He ran right into Huang (2) Zu (3). After just a couple bouts, Huang (2) Gai (4) captured Huang (2) Zu (3) alive. Meanwhile, Cheng Pu escorted Sun Jian’s son, Sun Ce, out of the chaos. As they were trying to figure out which way to go, they ran into Lü (3) Gong (1). Cheng Pu rode forth to take him on, and after a few bouts, he stabbed and killed Lü (3) Gong (1). The two sides tangled in a huge melee before both pulling back around dawn. Liu Bao’s army returned to inside the city, while Sun Ce led his army back to the banks of the River Han (4). 

It wasn’t until he had arrived at the river that Sun Ce found out his father had been ambushed and killed. What’s worse, his body had been carried off into the city by Liu Biao’s forces. Both Sun Ce and the army wept at this loss and disgrace.

“How can I return home when my father’s remains are in the hands of the enemy?” Sun Ce said.

“Well, we captured the enemy commander Huang (2) Zu (3),” said Huang (2) Gai (4). “We can send a messenger into the city to negotiate a truce and exchange Huang (2) Zu (3) for our lord’s body.”

Hearing this suggestion, Huan (2) Jie (1), an officer in the army, stepped forward and volunteered.

“Liu Biao and I go way back. I am willing to be the messenger,” he said.

Sun Ce agreed, and Huan (2) Jie (1) went to see Liu Biao, who was in the mood for peace.

“I have already laid your master’s body in a coffin,” Liu Biao said. “You can take him back as soon as you release Huang (2) Zu (3). Then both sides should stop fighting and never encroach on each other’s territory again.”

Huan (2) Jie (1) thanked Liu Biao and was just about to head back to camp, but Kuai (3) Liang (2) spoke up.

“No, no, no. We can’t do this. I have a suggestion that can wipe out the entire army of Jiangdong. Let’s first execute Huan (2) Jie (1) and then put this plan into action.

“Sun Jian is dead and his sons are young. They are at their weakest right now. If we attack now, we can conquer Jiangdong in one fell swoop. But if we cease fighting and allow them to recuperate, they will become a thorn in our side.”

This is where a hero of the times would not hesitate for a moment, execute the messenger, and start marching on Jiangdong. However, Liu Biao was not a hero of the times, despite a lofty reputation. 

“But Huang (2) Zu (3) is their hands,” he said. “How can I abandon him?”

“Giving up a witless man like Huang (2) Zu (3) for the entire region of Jiangdong is a great bargain,” Kuai (3) Liang (2) countered, but to no avail.

“Huang (2) Zu (3) is a close confidant of mine, and it would be dishonorable for me to abandon him,” Liu Biao said. 

He then sent Huan (2) Jie (1) back to his camp with the agreement to exchange Sun Jian’s body for Huang (2) Zu (3). Upon the return of his father’s remains, Sun Ce called off the war and went home to Jiangdong. After his father’s funeral, he set up base in Changsha (2,1). There, he did exactly what Kuai (3) Liang (2) predicted as he began to rebuild his family’s power base. He was humble and generous and courted men of wisdom and valor. Naturally, talented men from everywhere began to trickle into his service. 

If it sounds like Sun Ce is setting himself to make some noise later on, it’s because he is. For now, however, he is just some no-name kid. At least that’s what Dong Zhuo thought when he got the news that Sun Jian was dead and that his oldest son was just 17.

It’s been a while since we caught up with everyone’s favorite villain, so let’s stay in Changan (2,1) for a while and see what Dong Zhuo is up to. We haven’t talked about him much in the last couple episodes, but things have been actually going really well for him. The coalition against him has fallen apart. Two of the leaders of that coalition — Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan — are now taking a favorable stance toward him after he helped them resolve their conflict. Another leader of the coalition — Sun Jian — is dead. With seemingly no one left who’s able to threaten him, Dong Zhuo became even more arrogant than before. He gave himself the title “Honorary Father”. 

Now this was an extremely prestigious title bestowed upon the rarest of ministers. The first guy who was recorded to have received that title was Jiangzi (1,3) Ya (2), one of the most famous ministers and military strategists in Chinese history, who helped found the Zhou dynasty. The use of the word “father” implies a high degree of reverence for the minister from the emperor, so the relationship between the lord and his officer is no longer one of master and servant.

Dong Zhuo didn’t stop at just the fancy title. Whenever he appeared in public, he acted as though he was the emperor. He made his younger brother Dong Min (3) general of the left and Lord of Huazhou. His nephew Dong Huang (2) was named privy counselor and had command of the imperial guard. All of Dong Zhuo’s relatives, old and young, received titles of nobility.

When he was done handing out titles, he set about building some nice digs for himself. At a site about 80 miles outside Changan (2,1), he drew up plans for … well, to call it a residence would be an understatement. It was more like a city, and it was dubbed Meiwu (2,4). He drafted 250,000 commoners as laborers to build this city. There were palaces and granaries, enclosed by walls that modeled the capital in height and thickness. Within the walls, the granaries held enough food for 20 years. Dong Zhuo’s family lived in this city, and he selected more than 800 beautiful young women from around the country and sent them to live in the city to cater to his needs, along with countless gold, silk, pearls, and all sorts of treasures. 

After his city was built, Dong Zhuo commuted between there and Changan (2,1), sometimes spending up to a month away from the capital. Whenever he left or returned to the capital, all the court officials had to either see him off or greet him outside the city’s northwest gate, and Dong Zhuo often set up tents by the side of the road and feasted with the officials.

Now, were he to stop here, Dong Zhuo perhaps would be just another corrupt official drunk on power and wealth. But he also did things that took him from just run-of-the-mill super-villainy to cartoony uber-villainy. For example, one day, as he was about to leave the capital again, all the officials gathered to see him off and they feasted outside the gate. During this feast, Dong Zhuo ordered that several hundred enemy soldiers from the north who had voluntarily surrendered be brought to the tent. There, in front of all the court officials, he handed out some rather sadistic orders. Some of the enemy soldiers had their hand or foot chopped off; some had their eyes gouged out; some had their tongues cut out; and others were boiled alive in a giant cauldron. And remember, these guys had surrendered voluntarily. The howls of the victims shook the heavens, and everyone in attendance was so shaken that they couldn’t even hold their chopsticks steady. All, that is, except Dong Zhuo, who ate and laughed like nothing was going on.

On another day, Dong Zhuo summoned all the officials for another feast. After a few rounds of wine, Lü Bu entered and whispered a few words by Dong Zhuo’s ear. Dong Zhuo smiled and said, “So that’s how it is.” He then ordered Lü Bu to drag Zhang (1) Wen (1), the minister of public works, from his seat and out of the banquet hall. All the officials turned pale upon seeing this. A few moments later, an attendant entered and offered up to Dong Zhuo a red platter carrying the head of Zhang (1) Wen (1). By now, everyone was scared out of their wits, but Dong Zhuo laughed and reassured them.

“Have no fear. Zhang (1) Wen (1) was collaborating with Yuan (2) Shu (4) to assassinate me. But a message from Yuan Shu was mistakenly delivered to my son Lü Bu. That’s why I had Zhang (1) Wen (1) executed. It has nothing to do with you all, so don’t worry.”

The rest of the officials chimed in obsequiously before the banquet broke up. But you have to imagine it’s a little hard to take Dong Zhuo’s words to heart given his past actions and the sight of a colleague’s severed head on a platter. And so it was the case with one of the officials, Wang (2) Yun (3), the minister of the interior. When he got home, he couldn’t help but think about what happened during the banquet, and it made him restless all night. The moon shined brightly on this night. With the help of a walking stick, Wang (2) Yun (3) strolled into his rear garden. There, standing by a rose trellis, he looked up toward the heavens and wept. 

Suddenly, he heard moans and sighs coming from the Peony Pavilion. He silently walked over to investigate and saw that it was Diao (1) Chan (2), a singing girl in his service. Wang (2) Yun (3) had taken in Diao (1) Chan (2) since she was a child and treated her like his own daughter. She was taught to dance and sing, and now, at 16, her beauty was unrivaled.

After listening to Diao Chan sigh for a while, Wang Yun spoke up.

“You wretched girl. Are you pining for someone?”

Startled, Diao Chan dropped to her knees and replied, “I would never dare!”

“If that’s the case, why are you sighing here in the middle of the night?”

“Please allow me to explain and tell you what’s on my mind.”

“Alright, hold nothing back. Tell me the truth.”

“You have taken me in, raised me, taught me song and dance, and treated me with kindness and generosity,” Diao Chan said. No sacrifice on my part can repay even a fraction of that. Recently, I have noticed that your brows are always furrowed with worry. I suspected it must be about some important affairs of state, but I dared not ask. Tonight, I saw that you were restless. That’s the reason for the lament that you saw. If I can be of any use, I would never refuse, even if it means ten thousand deaths.”

Upon hearing this from Diao Chan, Wang Yun struck the ground with his walking stick and said,

“Who would have thought that the fate of the empire would rest in your hands?!”

Wang Yun then asked Diao Chan to follow him to one of the rooms in the house. There, he dismissed all the attendants. Once they were gone, Wang Yun asked Diao Chan to take a seat. As soon as she sat down, he fell to his knees and kowtowed to her. Stunned, Diao Chan immediately prostrated herself on the ground and asked the reason for Wang Yun’s actions.

“Please, take pity upon the people of the empire,” Wang Yun said as tears flowed like springs from his eyes. 

“As I have said just now, whatever you ask me to do, I would never back away,” Diao Chan replied.

“The common people are in dire straits, and the emperor and his ministers are on the brink of disaster, and you are the only one who can save us,” Wang Yun said. “The traitor Dong Zhuo intends to usurp the throne, and no one in the court can stop him. Dong Zhuo has an adopted son named Lü Bu, who is an extremely valiant warrior. Both of them strike me as slaves to their lust, so I want to set a double snare for them. 

“First, I would promise your hand in marriage to Lü Bu, and then I will offer you to Dong Zhuo. Then you would be in position to turn them against each other and get Lü Bu to kill Dong Zhuo. That would eliminate a great scourge, stabilize the dynasty, and re-establish the empire, and it would all be thanks to you. Are you willing to go through with it?”

“I have already promised to not refuse even if it means ten thousand deaths,” Diao Chan said. “Please offer me to them at once. I know how to proceed.”

“If word of this plan leaks out, it would mean the extermination of my entire clan,” Wang Yun cautioned.

“My lord, do not fear. If I cannot fulfill my duty, may I die by ten thousand cuts.”

Upon this promise from Diao Chan, Wang Yun bowed again to thank her. The next day, he set to work. First, he got a number of fine pearls that he had in his possession and hired a skilled craftsman to mount them on a golden headdress. He then sent a courier to secretly deliver this gift to Lü Bu. Lü Bu was delighted by this offering and went to Wang Yun’s residence to thank him in person. Wang Yun prepared a feast for the occasion. When Lü Bu arrived, Wang Yun greeted him outside the front door and welcomed him into the rear chamber, which in an ancient Chinese house is the private apartment. There, Wang Yun offered Lü Bu the seat of honor.

“I am but a soldier in the service of the prime minister, whereas you, sir, are a high minister of the court,” Lü Bu said. “What have I done to deserve such misplaced respect?”

“General, you are the only true hero of our time,” Wang Yun said. “What I respect is not your rank, but your talent.”

This fine little piece of suck-up made Lü Bu even happier, and Wang Yun just kept pouring it on, offering him wine time and again while singing Dong Zhuo’s praises. Lü Bu laughed and drank heartily. After a while, Wang Yun dismissed all the attendants except for a few maids to pour wine. After they had been drinking for a while, Wang Yun called out to his servants.

“Go summon my daughter.”

A few moments later, two maids escorted Diao Chan into the room, and she was dressed to impress. Lü Bu was startled by her beauty and asked who she was.

“She is my daughter, Diao Chan,” Wang Yun answered. “General, you have showed me greater favor than I deserve, as if we were family. So I wanted her to meet you.”

Wang Yun then ordered Diao Chan to pour wine for Lü Bu. As Diao Chan handed the cup to Lü Bu, the two of them exchanged suggestive glances. Wang Yun now pretended to speak as if he were a little drunk.

“My child, come have a few cups of wine with the general. Our entire family is dependent on him.”

Upon this suggestion, Lü Bu offered a seat to Diao Chan, but she was going to play hard-to-get and acted as though she wanted to leave, since this wasn’t exactly the kind of setting for a minister’s unwed teenage daughter. Wang Yun played along and insisted that she stay.

“The general is my good friend. There is no reason you can’t stay,” he said.

So Diao Chan oh-so-reluctantly stayed, but instead of sitting by Lü Bu, she took a seat next to Wang Yun. Lü Bu gazed at her unflinchingly. After a few more cups, Wang Yun pointed toward Diao Chan and said to Lü Bu,

“If you are receptive to the idea, general, I would like to offer this daughter to you as a concubine.”

Well, this was exactly what Lü Bu had been waiting and hoping for. He left his seat and bowed.

“If you do that, sir, I will repay you by serving you as loyally as a dog and a horse!”

“Great! I will pick an auspicious day soon and have her delivered to your residence.”

Lü Bu was joyous beyond belief and fixed his gaze on Diao Chan, while she reciprocated with her own suggestive signs.

The feast soon concluded, and Wang Yun said to Lü Bu,

“I would ask you to stay here tonight, but I’m worried that the prime minister would get suspicious.”

Even though he has to wait a while to hold the object of his affection, Lü Bu was still on cloud nine. He bowed three times to express his thanks before taking his leave.

So step one of Wang Yun’s plan has gone off without a hitch. And now he needs to get the other fish to bite. A few days later, when he saw Dong Zhuo at court and while Lü Bu wasn’t around, Wang Yun kneeled in front of Dong Zhuo.

“Would your excellency deign to dine at my humble abode?” he asked.

“If you are asking, of course I will go,” Dong Zhuo replied.

Wang Yun thanked Dong Zhuo for the honor and went home to prepare a feast in the main hall of his residence that included delicacies from the land and the sea. The floor was covered with embroidered cloths, and drapes were hung inside and outside the hall.

Around noon the next day, Dong Zhuo arrived. Wang Yun went out in his court robes to welcome him and kneeled in front of him. Dong Zhuo dismounted from his chariot and was escorted into the hall by a hundred some armed guards who lined up in two rows. Before the host and the guest took their seats, Wang Yun kneeled again. Dong Zhuo ordered his men to help Wang Yun to his feet and lead him to seat next to Dong Zhuo’s.

“Your excellency’s magnificent virtue is so towering, that not even the great ministers of old, like Yi (1) Yin (3) and Zhou (1) Gong (1), can match.”

Now, thanks to the first supplemental episode, you already know who Yi (1) Yin (3) was. And the other guy that Wang Yun mentions, Zhou (1) Gong (1), is another name for Jiangzi (1,3) Ya (2), whom we mentioned earlier in the episode as the first minister to have been given the honorific title of “Honorary Father.” So this was some real industrial-strength bootlicking by Wang Yun, and it made Dong Zhuo very happy, and he thoroughly enjoyed himself while Wang Yun continued to shower him with compliments throughout the feast.

As day turned into night and the two had drunk a good amount, Wang Yun invited Dong Zhuo into the rear chamber, and Dong Zhuo followed while telling his guards to stay behind. Once they were alone in the rear chamber, Wang Yun poured on the compliments again.

“I have studied astrology ever since my youth. Recently, the night sky has told me that the fortunes of the house of Han are at an end. Your excellency’s accomplishments and virtue are well known throughout the empire. If you follow the example of the ancient sage rulers Shun (4) and Yu (2) and accept the abdication of the sovereign, then you would be fulfilling the wish of heaven and the hopes of men.”

To make a Western analogy, Wang Yun basically just told Dong Zhuo that if he takes the throne, he would be the equal of King Solomon. You can imagine that Dong Zhuo was very pleased by such a comparison, but for propriety’s sake, he had to put on a show of humility.

“How could I even dare to harbor such hopes?” he said, at which point both he and Wang Yun probably had to try real hard to keep from bursting into laughter.

“Ever since ancient times, those who rule wisely have displaced those who rule poorly, and the unvirtuous yields to the virtuous. So you would not be out of line,” Wang Yun said.

Dong Zhuo now dropped his guard and laughed.

“[Laugh] If the mandate of heaven really does favor me, then you would be one of the founders of my dynasty.”

Wang Yun, going with the flow, bowed and thanked Dong Zhuo. He then ordered that candles be lit in the room and only kept some servant girls around to serve food and drink. He then offered some choice entertainment to Dong Zhuo.

“The run-of-the-mill musicians are not worthy of your excellency’s ear. But I have a singing girl in my residence who might be up to the task.”

“That would be splendid,” Dong Zhuo said.

Wang Yun now ordered a curtain be lowered. Outside the curtain, accompanied by pipes and reeds, Diao Chan began to dance. And what a dance it was. In the novel, there are two poems describing the scene, but I’m not going to recite them here, because they are full of cultural references that would take too long to explain. Suffice it to say, it was a bewitching performance. When the dance was over, Dong Zhuo summoned Diao Chan to come closer, so Diao Chan came through the curtain and bowed deeply. Dong Zhuo couldn’t help but notice her beauty and asked Wang Yun who she was.

“Her name is Diao Chan. She is my singing girl,” Wang Yun answered.

“Oh, so she can sing, too?” Dong Zhuo asked.

Wang Yun then ordered Diao Chan to pick up the sandalwood blocks, tap out a rhythm, and sing a song. It was another dazzling performance that left Dong Zhuo praising her nonstop. When the song was over, Wang Yun ordered Diao Chan to serve more wine for Dong Zhuo, who held up his cup and asked, “How old are you?”

“Your humble servant is 16,” Diao Chan replied.

“You are truly a goddess,” Dong Zhuo said.

Seeing his opportunity, Wang Yun got up to close the deal.

“Minister, if you like this girl, I would like to offer her to you.”

“How can I ever repay you for such a treasure?”

“It is her good fortune to be able to serve the prime minister.”

Dong Zhuo thanked Wang Yun again and again. Wang Yun then ordered his servants to prepare the carriage to send Diao Chan to the prime minister’s residence immediately. Dong Zhuo also got up to take his leave. Wang Yun escorted him all the way back to his residence before taking his leave.

So everything is going exactly according to plan so far for Wang Yun. Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo have both fallen for the girl, and she is now in position to stir up resentment between them. However, before Wang Yun had gotten halfway home, he saw two rows of red lanterns approaching, with Lu Bu following on his horse with halberd in hand. When he came across Wang Yun, Lu Bu stopped and seized Wang Yun by his robe and asked sternly,

“Minister, you have already promised Diao Chan to me, but now you have given her to the prime minister. Are you trying to play me?”

Well, that didn’t take long for Wang Yun’s plan to fall apart. To find out his fate, tune in next time on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. Thanks for listening.

Key Characters in This Episode

Name	Military / Civil / Other	Serves	Introduced In Episode	Died in Episode	Died of
Cai Mao (蔡瑁)	Military	Liu Biao (刘表)	8
Cheng Pu (程普)	Military	Sun Jian (孙坚)	6
Diao Chan (貂蝉)	Other	Wang Yun (王允)	10
Dong Zhuo (董卓)	Military	Dong Zhuo (董卓)	1
Han Dang (韩当)	Military	Sun Jian (孙坚)	6
Huang Gai (黄盖)	Military	Sun Jian (孙坚)	6
Huang Zu (黄祖)	Military	Liu Biao (刘表)	9
Kuai Liang (蒯良)	Civil	Liu Biao (刘表)	8
Kuai Yue (蒯越)	Civil	Liu Biao (刘表)	8
Liu Biao (刘表)	Civil	Liu Xie (刘协)	8
Lü Bu (吕布)	Military	Dong Zhuo (董卓)	4
Lü Gong (吕公)	Military	Liu Biao (刘表)	10	10	Cheng Pu (程普)
Sun Ce (孙策)	Military	Sun Jian (孙坚)	9
Sun Jian (孙坚)	Military	Liu Xie (刘协)	2	10	Lü Gong (吕公)
Wang Yun (王允)	Civil	Liu Xie (刘协)	4