Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/371



s was said, Ts‘ao P‘ei, having made his way into the Yüan Palace, saw two women there whom he was about to kill. Suddenly a red light shone in his eyes, and he paused. Lowering his sword he said, “Who are you?”

“Thy handmaid is the widow of the late Yüan Shao, née Liu,” said the elder of the two, “and this is the wife of Hsi, his second son. She was of the Chên family. When Hsi was sent to command in Yu her family objected to her going so far from home and she stayed behind.”

Ts‘ao P‘ei drew her toward him and looked at her closely. Her hair hung disordered, her face was dusty and tear-stained, but when, with the sleeve of his inner garment, he had wiped away these disfigurements he saw a woman of exquisite loveliness, with a complexion clear as jade touched with the tender bloom of a flower petal, a woman indeed beautiful enough to ruin a kingdom.

“I am the son of the Minister Ts‘ao,” said he turning to the elder woman. “I will guarantee your safety so you need fear nothing.”

He then put by his sword and sat down at the upper end of the room.

As the great Minister Ts‘ao was entering the gate of the conquered city Hsü Yu rode up very quickly, passed him and pointed with his whip at the gate saying, “A-man, you would not have been here but for my plans.”

Ts‘ao laughed, but his captains were very annoyed. When he reached the Yüan residence he stopped at the gate, and asked if any one had gone in. The guard at the gate said, “Your son is within.” Tsʻao called him out and chid him, but the wife of the late Prefect interposed, saying, “But for your son we had not been saved. I desire to present to you a lady, of the Chên family, as a handmaid to your son.”

Ts‘ao bade them bring out the girl and she bowed before him. After looking at her intently he said, “Just the wife for him!” and he told Ts‘ao P‘ei to take her to wife.

After the conquest of Ch‘ichou had been made quite sure, Ts‘ao made a ceremonial visit to the Yüan family cemetery, where he sacrificed at the tomb of his late rival, bowed his head and lamented bitterly.