Anecdotal Stories or Legends About Zhuge Ke
An anecdotal story regarding Zhuge Ke's fame during his childhood or adolescence involved a banquet. Among top Eastern Wu officials, a running joke was that Zhuge Jin's face resembled that of a donkey. To tease Zhuge Ke, Sun Quan brought in a donkey; it bore a sign reading "Zhuge Ziyu" (Ziyu being Zhuge Jin's courtesy name). Sun Quan then turned to Zhuge Ke and told him to add any two characters that he wanted to the sign. Zhuge Ke added quickly "The donkey of" (zhi lü, 之驢) and requested that the donkey be given to his father, and this quick wit impressed Sun Quan.
At another banquet, Sun Quan asked Zhuge Ke, "Is your father superior, or is your uncle Zhuge Liang superior?" Zhuge Ke quickly responded, "My father is." When asked why, Zhuge Ke responded, "My father knows the right emperor to serve, while my uncle does not, and therefore my father is superior." Sun Quan was impressed by the subtle flattery and told Zhuge Ke to offer wine to all the senior officials present (considered a high honor for the junior officials). Upon reaching Zhang Zhao, Zhang Zhao refused the alcohol offered by Zhuge Ke, saying, "This is not the proper form for the ceremony of nourishing an elder." After learning of his refusal, Sun Quan quite simply said to Zhuge Ke, "Get Zhang Zhao to drink for me."
Wine in hand, Zhuge Ke ventured back to Zhang Zhao's seat and said, "Long, long ago the great counsellor Jiang Ziya — at the age of 90 — grasped the signal banner, steadied the battle axe, and never once called himself 'old'. On days of trial by arms, you are always in the rear; on days of banqueting, you are always in the front. What do you mean, 'I have failed to nourish an elder?'"
At a loss for words, Zhang Zhao consented and accepted the wine offered by Zhuge Ke. After this incident, Sun Quan prized Zhuge Ke more than ever and consequently made him the guide to his heir apparent, Sun Deng.
On yet another occasion, a Shu Han ambassador arrived with a gift of horses for Sun Quan. Sun Quan knew that Zhuge Ke was a good rider, and summoned him with intent to award him one of the horses. When Zhuge Ke arrived, he immediately knelt and thanked the bestowment. Sun Quan was surprised at how he knew what he was summoned for, and Zhuge Ke's response was, "Shu Han only serves as your imperial majesty's stable, and it is certain that the ambassador has offered a tribute of horses." This remark deprecated Shu Han and flattered Sun Quan, and Sun was again impressed.
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