Three Kingdoms: Lu Bu and Diaochan · chapter 4 of 6
The First Ring
第一环
Wang Yun and Diaochan build a secret plan out of a single promise. When Lu Bu comes to dinner, the plan begins to turn.
Read what you hear
- Wang Yun 貂蝉，你想好了吗？这件事很危险。
Diāochán, nǐ xiǎng hǎo le ma? Zhè jiàn shì hěn wēixiǎn.
Diaochan, have you thought it through? This is very dangerous.
- Diaochan 想好了。大人，您只管说，要我做什么？
Xiǎng hǎo le. Dàren, nín zhǐguǎn shuō, yào wǒ zuò shénme?
I have. Just tell me, my lord. What do you need me to do?
- Wang Yun 董卓和吕布叫父子，可是两个人都很贪心。如果他们都想要同一个人，会怎么样？
Dǒng Zhuō hé Lǚ Bù jiào fùzǐ, kěshì liǎng gè rén dōu hěn tānxīn. Rúguǒ tāmen dōu xiǎng yào tóng yí gè rén, huì zěnme yàng?
Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu call themselves father and son, but both are greedy. What if they both wanted the same person?
Chapter 4 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Three Kingdoms: Lu Bu and Diaochan is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood and Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing from start to finish.
- Diaochan 他们会吵架，吵得很凶……您是说我？
Tāmen huì chǎojià, chǎo de hěn xiōng… Nín shì shuō wǒ?
They would fight, fiercely... You mean me?
- Wang Yun 你不要怪我。我老了，想不到别的办法。
Nǐ bú yào guài wǒ. Wǒ lǎo le, xiǎng bú dào bié de bànfǎ.
Don't blame me. I'm old, and I can't think of another way.
- Wang Yun 对不起，孩子。我不应该请你做这样的事。
Duìbuqǐ, háizi. Wǒ bù yīnggāi qǐng nǐ zuò zhèyàng de shì.
I'm sorry, child. I shouldn't ask you to do such a thing.
- Diaochan 大人，快站起来！您这样，我会不好意思的。
Dàren, kuài zhàn qǐlái! Nín zhèyàng, wǒ huì bù hǎoyìsi de.
My lord, please stand up! You'll make me embarrassed.
- Wang Yun 好。计划有两步。第一步，我把你许给吕布。第二步，我把你送给董卓。
Hǎo. Jìhuà yǒu liǎng bù. Dì-yī bù, wǒ bǎ nǐ xǔ gěi Lǚ Bù. Dì-èr bù, wǒ bǎ nǐ sòng gěi Dǒng Zhuō.
Good. The plan has two steps. First, I promise you to Lu Bu. Second, I send you to Dong Zhuo.
- Diaochan 我明白了。先让吕布高兴，再让董卓高兴，最后……他们会自己打起来。
Wǒ míngbai le. Xiān ràng Lǚ Bù gāoxìng, zài ràng Dǒng Zhuō gāoxìng, zuìhòu… tāmen huì zìjǐ dǎ qǐlái.
I see. First make Lu Bu happy, then make Dong Zhuo happy, and in the end... they'll fight each other.
- Wang Yun 这叫连环计。一环接着一环，你要很聪明，也要很小心。
Zhè jiào liánhuán jì. Yì huán jiēzhe yì huán, nǐ yào hěn cōngming, yě yào hěn xiǎoxīn.
This is called the chain scheme. One ring follows the next. You must be clever, and very careful.
- Diaochan 大人放心。我不怕。我只怕一件事：他们要我做饭。
Dàren fàngxīn. Wǒ bú pà. Wǒ zhǐ pà yí jiàn shì: tāmen yào wǒ zuò fàn.
Don't worry, my lord. I'm not afraid. I only fear one thing: that they'll ask me to cook.
- Wang Yun 哈哈，你放心，他们只会要你笑。今天晚上，吕布会来我家吃饭。你准备一下。
Hāhā, nǐ fàngxīn, tāmen zhǐ huì yào nǐ xiào. Jīntiān wǎnshang, Lǚ Bù huì lái wǒ jiā chīfàn. Nǐ zhǔnbèi yíxià.
Ha ha, don't worry, they'll only ask you to smile. Tonight Lu Bu comes to dinner at my house. Get ready.
- Diaochan 是。我会把最好的衣服拿出来。
Shì. Wǒ huì bǎ zuì hǎo de yīfu ná chūlái.
Yes. I'll take out my best dress.
- Wang Yun 吕将军，欢迎欢迎！请坐，请喝酒！今天的酒，是我最好的酒。
Lǚ jiāngjūn, huānyíng huānyíng! Qǐng zuò, qǐng hē jiǔ! Jīntiān de jiǔ, shì wǒ zuì hǎo de jiǔ.
General Lu, welcome, welcome! Please sit, please have some wine! Tonight's wine is my very best.
- Lu Bu 王大人客气了！我是来喝酒的，不是来说话的！
Wáng dàren kèqi le! Wǒ shì lái hē jiǔ de, bú shì lái shuōhuà de!
You're too kind, Minister Wang! I came to drink, not to talk!
- Wang Yun 将军，这是我的女儿，貂蝉。貂蝉，给将军倒酒。
Jiāngjūn, zhè shì wǒ de nǚ'ér, Diāochán. Diāochán, gěi jiāngjūn dào jiǔ.
General, this is my daughter, Diaochan. Diaochan, pour the general some wine.
- Diaochan 吕将军，请喝酒。
Lǚ jiāngjūn, qǐng hē jiǔ.
General Lu, please have some wine.
- Lu Bu 好……好美……不是，我是说，好酒！
Hǎo… hǎo měi… búshì, wǒ shì shuō, hǎo jiǔ!
Good... so beautiful... no, I mean, good wine!
- Diaochan 将军喝得太快了，酒都倒在衣服上了。
Jiāngjūn hē de tài kuài le, jiǔ dōu dào zài yīfu shang le.
General, you're drinking so fast the wine is spilling on your clothes.
- Lu Bu 对不起，我的手太大了，拿不好杯子。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ de shǒu tài dà le, ná bù hǎo bēizi.
Sorry, my hands are too big. I can't hold this cup properly.
- Wang Yun 将军，你好像不看酒，只看我的女儿。
Jiāngjūn, nǐ hǎoxiàng bú kàn jiǔ, zhǐ kàn wǒ de nǚ'ér.
General, you seem to be looking not at the wine but at my daughter.
- Lu Bu 王大人，我……我从来没见过这样的人。
Wáng dàren, wǒ… wǒ cónglái méi jiànguo zhèyàng de rén.
Minister Wang, I... I've never met anyone like her.
- Wang Yun 如果将军愿意，我想选一个好日子，让她嫁给你。
Rúguǒ jiāngjūn yuànyì, wǒ xiǎng xuǎn yí gè hǎo rìzi, ràng tā jià gěi nǐ.
If you agree, General, I'd like to pick a good day and let her marry you.
- Lu Bu 真的？！我愿意！我当然愿意！
Zhēn de?! Wǒ yuànyì! Wǒ dāngrán yuànyì!
Really?! I agree! Of course I agree!
- Wang Yun 将军，好日子一到，我就派人告诉你。
Jiāngjūn, hǎo rìzi yí dào, wǒ jiù pài rén gàosu nǐ.
General, the moment the day is set, I'll send word to you.
- Lu Bu 王大人，我心里的高兴，一百匹赤兔马也比不上！
Wáng dàren, wǒ xīnlǐ de gāoxìng, yì bǎi pǐ Chìtùmǎ yě bǐ bù shàng!
Minister Wang, my joy is greater than a hundred Red Hares!
- Diaochan 他真的很高兴……可是我在骗他。
Tā zhēn de hěn gāoxìng… kěshì wǒ zài piàn tā.
He's truly happy... and I'm deceiving him.
- Lu Bu 我回去了！好日子，越快越好！
Wǒ huíqù le! Hǎo rìzi, yuè kuài yuè hǎo!
I'm off! The sooner the good day, the better!
- Wang Yun 貂蝉，第一环好了。明天，我请董卓来吃饭。
Diāochán, dì-yī huán hǎo le. Míngtiān, wǒ qǐng Dǒng Zhuō lái chīfàn.
Diaochan, the first ring is done. Tomorrow I invite Dong Zhuo to dinner.
- Diaochan 大人，我只有一颗心，却要对两个人笑。明天，我该怎么笑？
Dàren, wǒ zhǐyǒu yì kē xīn, què yào duì liǎng gè rén xiào. Míngtiān, wǒ gāi zěnme xiào?
My lord, I have only one heart, yet I must smile at two men. How should I smile tomorrow?
- Wang Yun 笑得越美越好。从明天开始，连环计就转起来了，谁也停不了。
Xiào de yuè měi yuè hǎo. Cóng míngtiān kāishǐ, liánhuán jì jiù zhuàn qǐlái le, shéi yě tíng bù liǎo.
The more beautiful the better. From tomorrow the chain scheme will turn, and no one can stop it.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Wang Yun hope will happen if two greedy men want the same person?
“如果他们都想要同一个人，会怎么样？”
- What are the two steps of the plan?
“第一步，我把你许给吕布。第二步，我把你送给董卓。”
- What is Diaochan's joke about being afraid?
“我只怕一件事：他们要我做饭。”
- How does Lu Bu act when he first sees Diaochan?
“好……好美……不是，我是说，好酒！”
- What does Wang Yun say happens tomorrow?
“明天，我请董卓来吃饭。”