Three Kingdoms: The Empty Fort · chapter 2 of 3
The Zither on the Wall
城墙上的琴
With the gate open and a smile on every face, Zhuge Liang waits on the wall as Sima Yi's army arrives and stops to think.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二天早上，风很大，远处好像有很多马在跑。
Dì-èr tiān zǎoshang, fēng hěn dà, yuǎnchù hǎoxiàng yǒu hěn duō mǎ zài pǎo.
The next morning the wind was strong, and far away it seemed that many horses were running.
- Old Chen 先生，请您喝点茶。我的腿一直在抖，站不住。
Xiānsheng, qǐng nín hē diǎn chá. Wǒ de tuǐ yìzhí zài dǒu, zhàn bú zhù.
Sir, please have some tea. My legs keep shaking and I can hardly stand.
- Zhuge Liang 谢谢你。你快下去，在门口扫地，记得要笑。
Xièxie nǐ. Nǐ kuài xiàqù, zài ménkǒu sǎodì, jìde yào xiào.
Thank you. Now hurry down, sweep at the gate, and remember to smile.
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Three Kingdoms: The Empty Fort 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.
- Old Chen 我笑，我一直笑。先生你看，我笑得好不好？
Wǒ xiào, wǒ yìzhí xiào. Xiānsheng nǐ kàn, wǒ xiào de hǎo bù hǎo?
I'm smiling, I'll smile all day. Look, sir, is my smile good?
- Zhuge Liang 有一点儿太大了。笑一半就好。
Yǒu yìdiǎnr tài dà le. Xiào yíbàn jiù hǎo.
It's a little too big. Half a smile is enough.
- Old Chen 笑一半？好，我试试。先生，您也要小心啊。
Xiào yíbàn? Hǎo, wǒ shìshi. Xiānsheng, nín yě yào xiǎoxīn a.
Half a smile? All right, I'll try. Be careful too, sir.
- Zhuge Liang 手啊，你别抖。我是诸葛亮，我什么都不怕。
Shǒu a, nǐ bié dǒu. Wǒ shì Zhūgě Liàng, wǒ shénme dōu bú pà.
Hands, don't shake. I am Zhuge Liang, and I fear nothing.
- Zhuge Liang 他们到了。琴啊，今天请你帮帮我。
Tāmen dào le. Qín a, jīntiān qǐng nǐ bāngbang wǒ.
They're here. Zither, please help me today.
- Sima Zhao 父亲，您看！西城就在前面！
Fùqīn, nín kàn! Xīchéng jiù zài qiánmiàn!
Father, look! Xicheng is right ahead!
- Sima Yi 所有人停下！先不要动。
Suǒyǒu rén tíngxià! Xiān bú yào dòng.
Everyone halt! Don't move yet.
- Sima Zhao 奇怪，城门是开着的，旗也没有，一个兵都看不见！
Qíguài, chéngmén shì kāi zhe de, qí yě méiyǒu, yí gè bīng dōu kàn bú jiàn!
Strange. The gate is open, there are no flags, and not one soldier in sight!
- Sima Yi 我看见了。城墙上坐着的那个人是谁？
Wǒ kànjiàn le. Chéngqiáng shàng zuò zhe de nà gè rén shì shéi?
I see that. Who is that man sitting on the wall?
- Sima Zhao 是诸葛亮！他一个人在城墙上弹琴！
Shì Zhūgě Liàng! Tā yí gè rén zài chéngqiáng shàng tán qín!
It's Zhuge Liang! He's up on the wall all alone, playing the zither!
- Sima Zhao 门口还有几个老人在扫地，他们还在笑呢！
Ménkǒu hái yǒu jǐ gè lǎorén zài sǎodì, tāmen hái zài xiào ne!
There are a few old men sweeping at the gate, and they're even smiling!
- Sima Zhao 城里一定没有人了，我们快进去吧！
Chéng lǐ yídìng méiyǒu rén le, wǒmen kuài jìnqù ba!
The town must be empty. Let's hurry in!
- Sima Yi 你别急。诸葛亮做什么事都很小心。
Nǐ bié jí. Zhūgě Liàng zuò shénme shì dōu hěn xiǎoxīn.
Slow down. Zhuge Liang is careful in everything he does.
- Sima Yi 他今天为什么把城门打开？我想不明白。
Tā jīntiān wèishénme bǎ chéngmén dǎkāi? Wǒ xiǎng bù míngbai.
Why would he open the gate today? I can't figure it out.
- Sima Zhao 因为他没有兵了！他只有这些老人！
Yīnwèi tā méiyǒu bīng le! Tā zhǐ yǒu zhèxiē lǎorén!
Because he has no soldiers! All he has is these old men!
- Sima Yi 也可能，他的兵都在城里等着我们。那是埋伏。
Yě kěnéng, tā de bīng dōu zài chéng lǐ děng zhe wǒmen. Nà shì máifu.
Or maybe his soldiers are all inside, waiting for us. That would be an ambush.
- Sima Zhao 可是您看，那些老人真的在扫地啊！
Kěshì nín kàn, nàxiē lǎorén zhēn de zài sǎodì a!
But look, Father, those old men really are sweeping!
- Sima Yi 越是这样，我越不放心。你听，他的琴声又慢又好。
Yuè shì zhèyàng, wǒ yuè bú fàngxīn. Nǐ tīng, tā de qínshēng yòu màn yòu hǎo.
The more it looks like this, the less I trust it. Listen, his zither is slow and lovely.
- Sima Zhao 琴声好听，可是现在不是听琴的时候！
Qínshēng hǎotīng, kěshì xiànzài bú shì tīng qín de shíhou!
It sounds lovely, but this is no time to listen to a zither!
- Sima Yi 人如果很怕，就弹不好琴。他的心里一定有办法。
Rén rúguǒ hěn pà, jiù tán bù hǎo qín. Tā de xīn lǐ yídìng yǒu bànfǎ.
A frightened man can't play well. He must have a plan in his heart.
- Sima Zhao 父亲，让我带一百个人进去看看吧！
Fùqīn, ràng wǒ dài yìbǎi gè rén jìnqù kànkan ba!
Father, let me take a hundred men in to have a look!
- Sima Yi 不行！要是里面有埋伏，一百个人都回不来。
Bù xíng! Yàoshi lǐmiàn yǒu máifu, yìbǎi gè rén dōu huí bù lái.
No! If there is an ambush inside, none of the hundred will come back.
- Sima Zhao 那……我们现在怎么办？
Nà… wǒmen xiànzài zěnme bàn?
Then… what do we do now?
- Sima Yi 所有人听着，向后退，慢慢地退！
Suǒyǒu rén tīng zhe, xiàng hòu tuì, mànmàn de tuì!
Everyone, listen! Fall back, slowly!
- Sima Zhao 父亲……我总觉得，那座城里什么人也没有。
Fùqīn… wǒ zǒng juéde, nà zuò chéng lǐ shénme rén yě méiyǒu.
Father… I keep feeling there is nobody in that town at all.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How does Old Chen feel as the army gets close?
“我的腿一直在抖，站不住。”
- How big should Old Chen's smile be?
“有一点儿太大了。笑一半就好。”
- What does Sima Zhao want to do when he sees the open gate?
“城里一定没有人了，我们快进去吧！”
- Why does Sima Yi hold back?
“诸葛亮做什么事都很小心。”……“那是埋伏。”
- What does Sima Yi order at the end?
“向后退，慢慢地退！”