by Luo Guanzhong
20Then, Li Ru saw an imposing person with a dignified bearing, armed with the square sky painted halberd; this person was behind Ding Yuan, and had anger in his eyes. Li Ru rushed forward and said, "We must not talk about matters of state at our banquet today. There is still time for us to have an open discussion tomorrow, when we are at the meeting hall." Everyone advised Ding Yuan to get on his horse and leave. Zhuo asked all of the ministers, "Are my words in accordance with principles of fairness or not?" Lu Zhi responded, "Your Excellency is in error. In the past, Tai Jia was unwise, and Yi Yin exiled him to the Paulownia palace. The Prince of Changyi had only been on the throne for twenty seven days, but had committed more than three thousand infractions, so Huo Guang held a ceremony at the imperial ancestral temple which deposed him. Although the current emperor is young, he is smart, benevolent and wise. Moreover, he has not made a single misstep. You are a provincial governor. You have never taken part in matters of state, and you also lack the considerable talents of Yi and Huo. How can you impose your will, and have the emperor deposed? A sage once said, 'If one has the will of Yi Yin, then it is possible; if one lacks the will of Yi Yin, then it will result in rebellion.'"
21
Zhuo was furious; he drew his sword, intending to kill Zhi. Court Advisor Peng Bo admonished him, "Chief of staff Lu represents the hopes of all of the people. If you harm him now, it will strike terror throughout the entire country." Zhuo stopped. Minister over the Masses Wang Yun said, "A thing like deposing an emperor should not be discussed after one has had too much wine, let us discuss this again on another day." After that, all of the officials began to disperse. Zhuo stood at the gate to the gardens, holding his sword. Suddenly, he saw a person riding a horse with a halberd in his hand. He was outside the gate to gardens, galloping back and forth. Zhuo asked Li Ru, "Who is that?" Ru answered, "That is Ding Yuan's adoptive son. His surname is Lü, and his given name is Bu. His style name is Fengxian.[13] Your Excellency should steer clear of him." After that, Zhuo went into the gardens so he would not be seen.
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from Lays of Ancient Rome by Macaulay.
This is one of four great novels from China, published when it was the most highly civilization in the world. Map shows China at the time of this story.
Chapter Summary: How Dong Zhuo rebukes Ding Yuan in the Garden of Warmth and Brightness; Li Su wins over Lü Bu with offerings of gold and pearls.
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This translation from Wikipedia. See license CC-BY-SA.
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