Liu Bei (Xuande) asked Zhuge Liang (Kongming), "Liu Biao wants to give me Jingzhou. How should I refuse?" Liu Bei replied, "Liu Biao has been kind to me and very courteous. How can I bear to take his territory when he is in trouble?" Zhuge Liang, upon hearing this, exclaimed, "You are truly a benevolent master!" While they were discussing this, someone reported that Liu Biao's son, Liu Qi, had come to see him. Liu Bei received him. Liu Qi knelt down, weeping, and said, "My stepmother (Lady Cai) cannot tolerate me. My life is in danger at any moment. I hope Uncle (Liu Bei) will have pity on me and save me." Liu Bei said, "This is your family matter. Why are you asking me?" Zhuge Liang smiled slightly. Liu Bei then asked Zhuge Liang if he had any solutions. Zhuge Liang, however, said, "This is a family matter; I dare not interfere." A while later, Liu Bei saw Liu Qi out and whispered in his ear, "Tomorrow I will have Kongming visit you in return. You can do this and that; he will surely have a good solution for you." Liu Qi thanked him and left.
The next day, Liu Bei feigned a stomachache and asked Zhuge Liang to visit
Liu Qi in his place. Zhuge Liang agreed and arrived at Liu Qi's house. Liu Qi
invited him to the back hall, and after they finished drinking tea, Liu Qi
said, "My stepmother cannot tolerate me; I hope you, sir, will say a word
to save me." Zhuge Liang said, "I am merely an outsider, residing
here as a guest; how dare I interfere in your family affairs? If this were to
leak out, the consequences would be unimaginable." Having said this, he
rose to take his leave.
Liu Qi said, "Since you have graced me with your presence, how could
I dare to be negligent?" He then grabbed Zhuge Liang and invited him to a
secret room to drink together.
While drinking, Liu Qi said again, "My stepmother can't tolerate me.
I beg you, sir, to give me a plan to save me." Zhuge Liang replied,
"This is not something I dare to participate in." He then tried to
take his leave. Liu Qi said, "If you won't help me, fine, but why are you
in such a hurry to leave?" Zhuge Liang had no choice but to sit down
again.
Liu Qi said, "I have an ancient book. Please take a look at it for
me." He then led Zhuge Liang to a small building. Zhuge Liang asked,
"Where is the book?" Liu Qi suddenly knelt down, crying, and said,
"My stepmother can't tolerate me, and my life is in danger at any moment.
Can you bear to say nothing and save me?" Zhuge Liang's expression
changed. He got up to go downstairs, only to find that the stairs had been
removed. Liu Qi said, "I wish to ask you for a good strategy, but you are
afraid of revealing secrets and refuse to speak. Today, we are in a desolate
place, so your words will only reach my ears through your mouth. Can you teach
me now?" Zhuge Liang said, "'Outsiders should not interfere in the
family relationships of others,' how can I devise a plan for you?" Liu Qi
said, "Sir, are you really unwilling to teach me? My life is surely
doomed. Please let me die before you!" Having said this, he drew his
sword, intending to commit suicide.
Zhuge Liang quickly stopped him, saying, "I already have a good
plan." Liu Qi knelt down and said, "Please tell me quickly!"
Zhuge Liang said, "Haven't you heard the story of Shen Sheng and Chong'er?
Shen Sheng died while staying in the country, while Chong'er escaped abroad and
was safe. Now that Huang Zu has just died, Jiangxia (a place) lacks manpower
for defense. Why don't you write to your father and request to lead troops to
garrison Jiangxia? This way, you can avoid disaster." Liu Qi knelt again
to thank Zhuge Liang for his guidance and immediately ordered someone to bring
a ladder so that Zhuge Liang could come downstairs. After Zhuge Liang took his
leave, he returned to see Liu Bei and told him the whole story. Liu Bei was
very pleased.
The next day, Liu Qi wrote to his father, Liu Biao, requesting to go and
defend Jiangxia. Liu Biao hesitated and asked Liu Bei to discuss it with him.
Liu Bei said, "Jiangxia is a very important place, and indeed, it cannot
be defended by anyone else. It is precisely because of you, my lord, that it
needs to be guarded personally. You and your son will be responsible for the
affairs in the southeast; I am willing to take responsibility for the affairs
in the northwest." Liu Biao said, "I recently heard that Cao Cao has
built the Xuanwu Pool in Ye County to train his navy. He must be planning a southern
expedition, and we must be on guard." Liu Bei said, "I already know,
you don't need to worry." Then Liu Bei took his leave and returned to
Xinye. Liu Biao then ordered Liu Qi to lead three thousand soldiers to garrison
Jiangxia.
045
Liu Biao of Jingzhou had two sons vying for power. Liu Qi, worried about being harmed by his stepmother, sought advice from Liu Bei. Since it was a family matter, Liu Bei felt it inappropriate to offer advice, so he arranged for Zhuge Liang to do so. Zhuge Liang, also feeling it was inappropriate to offer advice, deliberately lured Zhuge Liang to the pavilion with a very rare and excellent book. Once there, Zhuge Liang gave his advice: Liu Qi should lead troops to guard the border, away from the center of power.
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