Wang Yun - in Fiction

In Fiction

The classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, by Luo Guanzhong, was a romanticization of the events that occurred before and during the Three Kingdoms era. Luo Guanzhong delineated an elaborate and cunning scheme for Wang Yun's plot to eliminate Dong Zhuo. It involved two stratagems from the Thirty-Six Strategies: the Strategem of Beautiful Women (美人计) and the Strategem of Combining Tactics (连环计).

In Chapter 8, Wang Yun was contemplating a plot to assassinate Dong Zhuo late one night when he heard a girl grieving in his garden. Tracing the sound, he found Diaochan, a song girl who was brought up in his household but whom he had been treating like his own daughter. An idea then struck Wang Yun to use Diaochan to plant the seed of dissension between Dong Zhuo and his foster son, Lü Bu.

Inviting Lü Bu over one night, Wang Yun asked Diaochan to serve wine to the guest. Lü Bu was immediately seized by the girl's beauty. Well aware of this, Wang Yun then promised to marry Diaochan to the mighty warrior.

A few days later, however, Wang Yun laid a feast for Dong Zhuo and repeated the feat. Like Lü Bu, Dong Zhuo could not lift his eyes off the beautiful Diaochan, who also displayed her prowess in song and dance. Dong Zhuo then brought Diaochan home and made her his concubine.

When Lü Bu heard this the next morning, he headed for Dong Zhuo's bedroom and peeped in through the window. There he saw Diaochan sitting up grooming her hair while Dong Zhuo was still asleep. Aware of Lü Bu's presence, Diaochan then put up a sorrowful expression and pretended to wipe tears off her eyes with a handkerchief.

A similar incident recurred about a month later, but this time Dong Zhuo woke up in time to see Lü Bu staring fixedly at Diaochan. Lü Bu was then shoved away and forbidden to come into the house.

Then one day, while Dong Zhuo was holding a conversation with Emperor Xian, Lü Bu stole to his foster father's residence and met with Diaochan in the Fengyi Pavilion (凤仪亭). Weeping, Diaochan pled with Lü Bu to rescue her from Dong Zhuo. Placing his halberd aside, Lü Bu held Diaochan in his arms and comforted her with words.

Right then, Dong Zhuo returned to find the duo in the pavilion. The startled Lü Bu turned to flee. Dong Zhuo grabbed the halberd and gave chase. Being too obese, Dong Zhuo could not catch up with the agile Lü Bu. He then hurled the halberd at Lü Bu but the latter fended it off and got away.

After he had calmed down, Dong Zhuo took the counsel of his advisor Li Ru and decided to marry Diaochan to Lü Bu in order to consolidate support from the powerful warrior. When Dong Zhuo told Diaochan of the plan, however, she wailed and threatened to kill herself. Dong Zhuo then gave up the idea.

On the other hand, Lü Bu was becoming increasingly displeased with Dong Zhuo. This displeasure was further heightened by Wang Yun, who suggested subtly that Lü Bu take over Dong Zhuo. Lü Bu attempted weakly to argue for Dong Zhuo's paternal relationship to himself, but Wang Yun dismissed it, saying, "His name is Dong and yours is Lü. Where was the paternal feeling when he threw the halberd at you?" Upon hearing this, Lü Bu made up his mind to kill Dong Zhuo.

After Dong Zhuo's death, his former subjects Li Jue and Guo Si led a coup and surrounded Emperor Xian and Wang Yun at the Xuanping Gate (宣平门). To ensure the safety of the emperor, Wang Yun then gave himself up to the rebel leaders, who jointly slew him.