San kuo; or, Romance of the three kingdoms (volume 1 of 2)Luo, Guanzhong
History
San kuo; or, Romance of the three kingdoms (volume 1 of 2)
Luo, Guanzhong
China -- History -- Three kingdoms, 220-265 -- Fiction
One day Lü Pu went to enquire after his father’s health. Tung Cho was
asleep and Cicada was sitting at the head of his couch. Leaning forward
she gazed at the visitor, with one hand pointed to her heart, the other
at Tung Cho asleep, and her tears fell. Lü Pu felt heartbroken. Cho
drowsily opened his eyes, and seeing his son’s gaze fixed on something
behind him, turned over and saw who it was. He angrily rebuked Pu
saying, “Dare you make love to my beauty?” He told the servants to turn
him out and not allow him to come in again.
Lü Pu went off home very wrath. Meeting Li Ju he told him the cause of
his anger. The adviser hastened to see his master and said, “Sir, you
aspire to be ruler of the State, why then for a small fault do you
blame the Marquis? If he turn against you, it is all over.”
“Then what can I do?” said Cho.
“Recall him to-morrow; treat him well; overwhelm him with gifts and
fair words and all will be well.”
So Tung Cho did so. He sent for Lü Pu and was very gracious and said,
“I was irritable and hasty yesterday owing to my illness and I wronged
you, I know. Forget it.”
He gave him ten catties of gold and twenty rolls of brocade. And so the
quarrel was made up. But though Lü’s body was with Tung his heart was
with his promised bride.
Tung Cho having quite recovered went to court again and Lü Pu followed
him as usual. Seeing Tung Cho deep in conversation with the Emperor, Lü
Pu, armed as he was, went out of the palace and rode off to his chief’s
residence. He tied up his steed at the entrance and, halberd in hand,
went to the private apartments to seek his love. He found her and she
told him to go out into the garden where she would join him soon. He
went, taking his halberd with him, and he leaned against the rail of
the Phoenix Pavilion to wait for Cicada.
After a long time she appeared, swaying gracefully as she made her way
under the drooping willows and parting the flowers as she passed. She
was exquisite, a perfect little fairy from the Palace of the Moon.
Tears were in her eyes as she came up and said, “Though I am not the
Governor’s real daughter yet he treated me as his own child. The desire
of my life was fulfilled when he plighted me to you. But Oh! to think
of the wickedness of the Minister, stealing my poor self as he did. I
suffered so much. I longed to die, only that I had not told you the
real truth. So I lived on, bearing my shame as best as I could but
feeling it mean still to live. Now that I have seen you I can end it
all. My poor sullied body is no longer fit to serve a hero. I can die
before your eyes and so prove how true I am!”
Thus speaking she seized the curving rail as if to jump into the lily
pond. Lü Pu caught her in his strong arms and wept as he held her
close.
“I knew it; I always knew your heart,” he sobbed. “Only we never had a
chance to speak.”
She threw her arms about Lü Pu. “If I cannot be your wife in this life
I will in the ages to come,” she whispered.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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