Romance of the Former Han Dynasty (4)

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au>]

Romance of the Former Han Dynasty (4)

Afetr several days on the road Lu3 Bu4 Wei2 with his house servants 
arrived back to his business resident in Han Dan, the capital of the 
State of Zhao4, in present day Shanxi province. He told his father, Lu3 
Weng, what he had done in Xian2 Yang2. Lu3 Bu4 Wei2 realising his mistress, 
Zhu Ji, looking pale and tired said:
 "What have you done to yourself? I was away for only two months and now 
you look exhausted and tired."
Zhu Ji:
"Last month I found out that I was pregnant. It is more than a month now.
That is why I am so tired."

Lu3 bought Zhu Ji in a market when she was a little girl. At first Lu3 
used her as a house servant, but she became very beautiful when she grew 
up. So Lu3 took her as his mistress. Lu3 was delighted with the news and 
thought that it was an opportunity to become a kingmaker. He told 
Zhu Ji that Yi4 Ren2, the grandson of the King of Qin2, was currently
being held as a hostage in Zhao4. He also told her that when Yi4 Ren2 
returned to Qin2 he would be the successor to his father and later to 
become the crown prince and the King of Qin2.

Zhu Ji:
"What has it got to do with me?"
Lu3 Bu4 Wei2:
"I have a plan and I want you to have an affair with him and later I 
would force him to marry you. When Yi4 Ren2 becomes the King of Qin2 
and you will be become the Queen of Qin2. Our son would become the King 
of Qin2. The future King of Qin2 will be from the Lu3 family and not the 
Ying2 family, ha ha ha."
  
The next morning Lu3 Bu4 Wei2 brought a few presents and went to see 
General Zhao4 Qian2 and Yi4 Ren2. Lu3 stayed for luch with them.
After lunch General Zhao4 went to the bathroom to wash his hands. 
Quietly, Lu3 told Yi4 Ren2 about his trip and Madam Hua2 Yang2 was 
willing to adopt him as her son and his father would appoint him as  
his successor. Yi4 Ren2 was very happy with the good news. Before he 
left Lu3 invited General Zhao4 and Yi4 Ren2 to his house for dinner the 
next evening.  

The next evening General Zhao4 and Yi4 Ren2 came to Lu3's house for 
the dinner. After the dinner Lu3 invited them to the garden at the 
back of the house for a drink. While they were having a good time 
Lu3 asked a servant to call Zhu Ji out to join them. Zhu Ji was a 
very beautiful woman. To Yi4 Ren2, who had not been in contact with 
any female since he became a hostage, Zhu Ji was a fairly just came down 
from the Jade Emperor's palace in heaven. Yi4 Ren2 told Lu3 that he had    
never seen such a beautiful woman like Zhu Ji. 

After a few jars of wine General Zhao4 was drunk. Two servants assisted 
him to a room. General Zhao4 felt to the bed and was snoring away. Lu3 
pretented to be drunk and slept on a long bench. Zhu Ji told all the 
servants to go away. Yi4 Ren2 and Zhu Ji continued their conversation but 
not drinking. Yi4 Ren2 was a green horn without any exprience with women.
In no time Zhu Ji seduced him to have sex with her. In the middle of the 
act Lu3 woke up and caught them redhanded. Lu3, pretending to be very 
angry, scolded Yi4 Ren2 for being ungrateful. Zhu Ji was crying and  
said that she had been sexually molested. She was pretending to look for 
a sword to commit suicide by cutting her own throat. However, Lu3 clamed 
her down and asked Yi4 Ren2 if he was in love with Zhu Ji. Yi4 Ren2 
answered positively. Zhu Ji told Lu3 that she was also in love with Yi4 
Ren2. Finally Lu3 told them that since they were in love they should get 
marry.

General Zhao4, awakened by the noisy commotion, asked what was going 
on. After telling General Zhao4 what had happened between Yi4 Ren2 and 
Zhu Ji while he was sleeping in the bedroom, Lu3 asked him what to do with 
them. General Zhao4 said that they should get marry and he would be their 
match maker.      

Yi4 Ren2 and Zhu Ji married on the ninth month in 252BC. A baby boy was 
born to Zhu Ji on the sixth month the following year. A messenger was 
sent to inform Lu3 on the arrival of the baby. Lu3 went to congratulate Yi4 
Ren2 and General Zhao4 who was the godfather of the baby. Yi4 Ren named 
his son Zheng4 (who was later to become the first Emperor in China).

Lu3 went home and told his father that it was time to take Yi4 Ren2 and 
his family to escape from Zhao4. He told his father to go to General 
Zhao4's resident to invite Yi4 Ren2 and his family for dinner the next 
evening. Without any suspicion General Zhao4 allowed them to go as it 
was customary for the new mother to visit her parental home with the new 
born.

That evening, after the dinner Lu3 sent a messenger to Xian2 Yang2 to  
inform the King of Qin2 that they were on their way to Qin2. Lu3 told 
Yi4 Ren2 to help him to pack some clothings. Assisted by a few house 
servants Lu3 put Yi4 Ren2 and his family to a horse cart. He and a 
few of his trusted servants climbed into another cart. As soon as the 
sky had darkened they were on their way heading towards Xian2 Yang2..
................

CHUNG Yoon-Ngan.