“Liu Bei will want to marry again now that his wife is dead. Our lord has a sister who is a veritable amazon. Her female guards number many hundreds, all armed with weapons of war, and her chamber is arrayed with all kinds of weapons. I will write to our lord asking him to send an intermediary to Jingzhou to propose a marriage between her and Liu Bei so that we can entice him to come here for the wedding. But instead of marrying, he will find himself a prisoner, and then we will demand Jingzhou as ransom. When they have handed over the city I will have some other plan ready. Nothing will fall on your head.”
Lu Su bowed to him in gratitude. Then Zhou Yu wrote a letter to his master and chose a swift boat to take Lu Su to see Sun Quan.
When he saw his master, Lu Su first told him about Liu Bei’s desire to retain Jingzhou and then presented him the document.
“What is the use of such nonsense as this?” said Sun Quan angrily, after he’d read it. “How could you be so muddle-headed?”
“Here is a letter from General Zhou and he says that if you will employ his scheme you can recover Jingzhou,” replied Lu Su.
Having read that letter, Sun Quan was pleased and began to consider who would be the best man to send to propose the marriage. Suddenly he cried, “I have it—Lu Fan is the man to send.”
He summoned Lu Fan and said to him, “I have just heard that Liu Bei has lost his wife. I have a sister whom I should like to marry to him and so make a bond of union between our two sides. Thus we should be united against Cao Cao and in support of the House of Han. You are the most suitable man to be the intermediary and I hope you will go to Jingzhou without delay to attend to this.”
Under these orders Lu Fan at once began to prepare for the voyage and soon set out.
Liu Bei was greatly distressed at the death of Lady Gan, fretting day and night. One day he was talking with his advisor when the arrival of Lu Fan, an envoy from Wu, was announced.
“One of Zhou Yu’s devices,” said the advisor smiling. “He must have come for this city. I will stand behind the screen and listen. But you, my lord, just agree to whatever he proposes and send him to the guesthouse. We can arrange what is to be done later.”
So the envoy was invited in. After the greetings the guest was served tea. Then Liu Bei asked, “Your coming must have some special purpose, sir. What can I do for you?”
“I have heard that you, sir, have just been bereaved of your consort. I happen to know of an advantageous match so I venture to propose it to you. Are you disposed to listen?”
“To lose one’s wife in middle age is truly a great misfortune,” said Liu Bei. “But her body is hardly cold, how can I bear to consider another marriage?”
Lu Fan said, “A man without a wife is like a house without a beam. At your age one should not live an incomplete life. I have come on behalf of my lord, who has a sister, beautiful as well as accomplished and well-fitted to be a mate for you. Should our two sides form an alliance of marriage, then that ruffian Cao Cao would never dare so much as look this way. Such a union would be to the benefit of both our houses and to the state. I hope, sir, that you will have no doubt about the proposal. However, since the girl’s mother is dotingly fond of her, she does not wish her to go far away, and so I must ask you to come into our country for the wedding.”
“Does your lord know of your coming?”
“How dare I come without his consent?”
“I am nearly fifty and grizzled,” said Liu Bei. “But your lord’s sister is now in the flower of her youth. I do not think I can be the right companion for her.”
“Although she is a woman yet in mind she surpasses many men, and she has said she will never marry anyone who is unknown to fame. Now you, sir, are renowned throughout the four seas. A marriage with you would be a case of ‘the virtuous maiden marrying the born hero’. Of what consequence is the difference in age?”
“Please stay here awhile and I will give you a reply tomorrow,” said Liu Bei.
So that day the envoy was entertained at a banquet and then conducted to the guesthouse to rest. That night Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang discussed their plans.
“I knew what he had come about,” said the advisor. “Just now I consulted the oracle and obtained an excellent forecast. Therefore you can accept the proposal and send someone to Wu with Lu Fan to arrange the details. When the engagement has been ratified we will choose a day and you can go to Wu for the wedding.”
“How can I enter enemy territory?” objected Liu Bei. “Zhou Yu is plotting to slay me.”
“Let Zhou Yu employ all his ruses—do you think he can get beyond me? I only have to use some little schemes and none of his calculations will work. Then Sun Quan’s sister will be yours and there will be no danger for Jingzhou.”
Still Liu Bei hesitated. However, the advisor acted for him and sent an envoy to Wu to arrange the marriage. With definite instructions in mind the envoy left with Lu Fan to see the lord of Wu.
At the interview Sun Quan said, “I would like your master to come here for the wedding with my sister. He will come to no harm.”
The envoy took his leave and returned to Jingzhou, where he told Liu Bei that Sun Quan was waiting for him to complete the marriage.
However, Liu Bei was afraid and would not go.
Zhuge Liang said, “I have prepared three plans, but they need Zhao Yun to carry them out.”
Then he summoned Zhao Yun and whispered in his ear, “I want you to go with our lord to Wu. Here are three small silken bags in which are three excellent schemes. Take these with you and act as they direct.”
Zhao Yun hid the silken bags inside his undergarments for safekeeping.
Zhuge Liang next sent people to deliver the wedding gifts to Wu, and when these had been received all preparations for the wedding were complete.
It was then the early winter of the fourteenth year of Jian An (A.D. 209). Ten fast ships were prepared and Liu Bei left Jingzhou, accompanied by Zhao Yun, Sun Qian, and an escort of five hundred soldiers to sail down the river to Nanxu. Zhuge Liang remained behind to guard and rule the city.
But Liu Bei was far from feeling comfortable. Presently they reached the shore and when the ships were anchored, Zhao Yun opened the first of the silken bags Zhuge Liang gave him and at once began to act accordingly. He gave each of the five hundred soldiers his instructions as to what to do, and they dispersed.
Next, he told Liu Bei to pay a visit to Lord Qiao, father of the two famous beauties and father-in-law of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. He resided in Nanxu and so to his house, “leading sheep and bearing wine jars,” went Liu Bei. Having made his obeisance he told the old man about the forthcoming marriage and that Lu Fan had acted as the intermediary.
In the meantime, Liu Bei’s five hundred soldiers, all in gala dress, were scattered all over the town buying all sorts of things and spreading the news of the wedding of their master with the daughter of the house of Wu. In no time the marriage became the talk of the whole town.
When Sun Quan heard of Liu Bei’s arrival, he sent Lu Fan to wait upon him and take him to the guesthouse. Meanwhile, Lord Qiao went to see Sun Quan’s mother to congratulate her on the happy event.
“What happy event?” asked the Dowager in surprise.
“The betrothal of your beloved daughter to Liu Bei. And he has arrived too, so why do you try to withhold the news from me?”
“But I don’t know anything about it,” said the Dowager, greatly shocked.
She at once summoned her son but before he came she sent her servants out into the town to find out what was afoot. They quickly returned to confirm the news, saying that the bridegroom was staying at the guest-house and that he had come with a large escort and the men were buying food and fruit, all in readiness for the wedding feasting. They also told her the names of the intermediaries on both sides, and said they were in the guesthouse, too.
The old lady was terribly upset. Presently Sun Quan arrived and was surprised to find his mother beating her breast and weeping bitte
rly.
“What has disturbed you, mother?” he asked.
“What you have just done,” she replied. “You have treated me as a non-entity. Do you remember what my elder sister told you before she died?”
Astonished, Sun Quan asked, “Please speak out plainly, mother—what is this great sorrow?”
“When a son is grown he takes a wife, and when a girl is old enough she is married to a husband. And that is right and proper. But I am your mother and you ought to have told me that your sister was to become the wife of Liu Bei. Why did you keep me in the dark? Surely she is my daughter.”
“Where does this story come from?” said Sun Quan, really alarmed.
“Do you pretend you do not know? There is not a soul in the city that does not know! But you have succeeded in keeping me in the dark.”
“I heard it several days ago,” said Lord Qiao. “And I came just now to offer my congratulations.”
“There is no such thing,” explained Sun Quan. “It is just one of the ruses of Zhou Yu to seize Jingzhou. He has used this trick to inveigle Liu Bei here and hold him captive till Jingzhou is restored to us. And if the city is not given back, Liu Bei will be put to death. That is only a plot. There is no real marriage.”
But his mother was in a rage and vented her wrath in abusing Zhou Yu. “As commander of our eighty-one towns he cannot find any good means to recover Jingzhou except making use of my child as a decoy. A fine scheme indeed! He is ready to spoil the whole of my child’s life and condemn her to perpetual widowhood simply because he wants to use the ‘fair damsel ruse’ to slay a man! Who will ever consider marriage with her after this?”
Here Lord Qiao also cut in, “By this means you may indeed recover Jingzhou but you will be a shameful laughingstock to all the world. How can you do such a thing?”
Sun Quan had nothing to say—he hung his head and listened to his mother abusing his general.
Lord Qiao tried to soothe her. “After all, Liu Bei is a member of the reigning family. Better now to accept him as a son-in-law and cover up the scandal.”
“But their ages do not match,” interposed Sun Quan.
“Liu Bei is a very famous man,” said Lord Qiao. “There will be nothing disgraceful for your sister to have such a husband.”
“I have never seen him,” said the Dowager. “Arrange for him to meet me tomorrow at the Sweet Dew Temple so that I can have a good look at him. If he displeases me, you may proceed with your plan for him. But if I am satisfied with him then I will simply let the girl marry him.”
Now Sun Quan was above all things a filial son and at once agreed to what his mother said. He went out, called in Lu Fan and told him to arrange a banquet for the morrow at the temple so that his mother might see Liu Bei.
“Why not order Jia Hua to station three hundred men in the wings of the temple?” suggested Lu Fan. “If she is not pleased we can call them out and fall upon him.”
Accordingly guards were posted inside the temple, ready to act if the old lady’s attitude was unfavorable.
When Lord Qiao returned to his own house, he sent someone to tell Liu Bei of the meeting the next day and to advise him to take special precaution.
Liu Bei discussed the matter with Zhao Yun and Sun Qian. Zhao Yun said, “The meeting tomorrow bodes ill. I will take the soldiers out to protect you.”
The next day the Dowager and Lord Qiao came first to the Temple of Sweet Dew and took their seats, followed by Sun Quan and his strategists. When all were assembled, Lu Fan was sent to the guesthouse to request Liu Bei to come. He obeyed the summons, but as a precaution he put on a light coat of mail under his brocaded robe. His attendants all carried their swords upon their backs and followed close. He mounted his steed and the cavalcade set out for the temple. Zhao Yun, fully mailed, escorted him with the five hundred soldiers. At the door of the temple Liu Bei was met by Sun Quan, upon whom his impressive demeanor was not lost. After they had exchanged salutations, Sun Quan led Liu Bei before his mother.
“Just the son-in-law for me!” cried the Dowager, delighted with the appearance of Liu Bei.
“He has the very look and air of an emperor,” remarked Lord Qiao. “What is more, his fine reputation has spread over the whole country. I must congratulate you for getting such a noble son-in-law.”
Liu Bei bowed his thanks. Soon after, they all took their seats at the banquet tables in the temple and a feast began. Zhao Yun presently entered and took his place beside Liu Bei.
“Who is he?” asked the Dowager.
“This is Zhao Yun of Changshan.”
“Then he must be the hero of the Long Slope at Dangyang, who saved the little A-dou.”
“Yes, he is,” replied Liu Bei.
“A fine warrior!” she said and had wine brought to him to drink.
Zhao Yun said to his master, “Just now I went down the corridor and saw a lot of armed guards hidden away in the purlieus of the temple, which can only mean evil. You should tell the Dowager.”
So Liu Bei knelt at the feet of the Dowager and, weeping, said, “If you intend to take my life, just slay me here.”
“Why do you say this?” she asked.
“Because there are assassins hidden in the wings of the temple—what are they there for, if not to kill me?”
The Dowager wrathfully turned on Sun Quan. “As my son-in-law, Liu Bei is just like my own son. Why do you place assassins there?”
Sun Quan denied any knowledge of this and she sent for Lu Fan, who put the blame on Jia Hua. The Dowager summoned the officer and upbraided him severely. Jia Hua had nothing to say and she ordered him to be executed. At this point Liu Bei interceded, saying that it would not be auspicious for the marriage and would also make it hard for him to stay long at her side.
Lord Qiao also pleaded for the poor officer and finally she conceded and ordered him out. His men all ran away like frightened rats.
By and by, strolling out of the banquet room into the temple grounds, Liu Bei came to a boulder. Drawing his sword, he looked up to Heaven and prayed, “If I am to return to Jingzhou and achieve my ambition to become a ruler, then may I cleave this boulder asunder with my sword, but if I am to meet my doom in this place then may the sword fail to split this stone.”
Raising his sword he struck the boulder. As the sword fell, sparks flew in all directions and the boulder split in two.
From behind Sun Quan witnessed this and asked, “Why do you hate that stone so much?”
Liu Bei replied, “I am nearly fifty and have so far failed to rid the state of evil. I often grieve at my failure. Now I have been accepted by the Dowager as her son-in-law, which is indeed a great opportunity in my life. So I implored Heaven to show me a portent that if I could cut the boulder in two, then I would be able to destroy Cao Cao and restore Han. You saw what happened.”
“That is only to fool me,” thought Sun Quan. Drawing his own sword he said, “And let me also ask Heaven for a sign that if I am to destroy Cao Cao, I may also cut this rock.”
But in his heart he secretly prayed, “If I am to recover Jingzhou and extend my borders, may the stone be cut in two.”
He hit the boulder with his sword and it also split in two. And to this day, the “Boulder of Hate” with the cross cuts is still preserved.
A visitor who saw this relic wrote a poem:
The shining blades fell and the rock was shorn through,
The metal rang clear and the sparks widely flew.
Thus fate then declared for the dynasties two
And there began the tripartite rule.
Both put away their swords and returned hand-in-hand to the banquet hall. After some more courses Sun Qian gave his master a warning look and Liu Bei rose to take leave, saying that he’d had too much to drink. Sun Quan escorted him out of the temple. As they stood by the gate, enjoying the rolling hills and the rippling waves before their eyes, Liu Bei exclaimed, “This is really the finest landscape in the world!”
These words are recor
ded on a tablet in the Sweet Dew Temple and a poem was written about this:
After the rain the water and hills look serene,
And the black clouds roll away,
And this is the place of joy and mirth
Never can sorrow stay.
Here two heroes of ages past
Decided their parts to play,
The rocks flung back wind and wave
Then, as they do today
Yet as they stood entranced by the beautiful scene, along the vast river the wind whipped up the waves into snowy foam and lifted them high toward the sky. And in the midst of the waves appeared a tiny leaf of a boat sailing over the waves as if all was perfect calm.
“The southern people are sailors and the northern men riders; it is quite true,” sighed Liu Bei.
Sun Quan, hearing this remark, took it as contempt of his horseman-ship. Bidding his servants lead up his steed he leaped into the saddle and set off, at full gallop, down the hill. Then wheeling, he came up again at the same speed.
“So the southerners cannot ride, eh?” he said laughing.
Not to be outdone, Liu Bei lifted the skirts of his robe, jumped upon his horse and repeated the feat.
The two steeds stood side by side on the slope, their riders flourishing their whips and laughing.
From then on that hillside was known as the “Slope where the Horses Stood” and a poem was also written about it.
Their galloping steeds were of noble breed,
And both of spirit high,
And the riders twain from the hill crest gazed
At the river rolling by
One of them mastered the far off west,
One ruled by the eastern sea;
And the name of the hill to this very day
Brings back to mind their feat.
When they rode side by side into Nanxu they were met with loud cheering from the people. Liu Bei made his way to the guesthouse and there sought advice from Sun Qian as to the date of the wedding. Sun Qian advised him to fix the date as early as possible, so that no further complications could arise. So the next day Liu Bei went to see Lord Qiao and told him in plain words that it was clear many people in that place meant harm to him and he feared he could not stay long.