by Luo Guanzhong
27Bu looked at the horse, and was overjoyed. He thanked Su, saying, "Now that you have given me this fine horse, how shall I repay you?" Su replied, "I have come here because we share a personal bond, how could I expect anything in return?" Bu poured more wine for his guest. After feeling a bit tipsy, Su said, "I don't get to see you that much, but your dear father comes quite often." Bu said, "You're drunk! My father passed away many years ago, how could you meet with him?" Su responded, "No, no; I'm talking about provincial governor Ding." Bu said timidly, "I am not with Ding Jianyang by choice." Su replied, "But you are so incredibly talented; in the entire world, who wouldn't admire you? For you, fame, fortune and prestige are as easy to come by as reaching into to your own pocket for something. How can you say that you have no choice about whom you serve?" Bu said, "I regret not having such a lord under which I could serve." Su smiled and said, "'A good bird chooses for himself the tree upon which to perch, the talented subject chooses for himself the lord that he shall serve.' Your time is running out for spotting opportunities, you may regret waiting until it's too late." Bu said, "You are at court, which person do you consider to be a world-class hero?" Su responded, "I have looked around at all of the ministers, and none of them can compare to Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo respects men of talent; he rewards or punishes based on merit. He will end up doing great things." Bu said, "I would like to follow him; unfortunately, I don't have an in with him."
28
Su took out the gold, pearls and jade belt, and laid them out before Bu. Bu was astonished, and said, "What is all this for?" Su commanded all of the attendants to withdraw, then told Bu, "Lord Dong has been an admirer of yours for quite some time; he especially ordered that these gifts be presented to you. Red Hare is also a present from Lord Dong." Bu said, "How can I ever repay Lord Dong for such kindness?" Su said, "Look at me, I have no great abilities, and yet I was made Captain of the Imperial Guard; if you were to switch allegiance to him, the rewards would be beyond anything you could imagine." Bu said, "Unfortunately, I have not performed even the slightest deed which could be offered as tribute for such a benefactor." Su said, "There is one thing that would be as quick and easy as turning over your hand, but you probably would not be willing do it." Bu muttered to himself for a long time, then said, "What if I were to kill Ding Yuan, and bring his army over to Dong Zhuo's side, how would that be?" Su said, "If you could do that, it would be a huge accomplishment! But you would have to take action before it's too late, so you'll need to decide quickly."
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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