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nusrat-diu:
Wu Yan and Su Liu 
 
Two Ugly Imperial Concubines 
 

In ancient China most men chose their wives by appearance, let alone the emperors. But during the Spring and Autumn Period, two ugly but virtuous and able women became imperial concubines in succession in a kingdom called Qi.

It is said there was a girl so ugly that her eyes sank deep in her face, sparse hair could hardly cover her head, and her skin was as dark as pitch. Born in Wu Yan, she was called after the place. Since she was so bad looking, she lived alone until her 40. At that time wars surged up between the kingdoms from time to time. One day Wu Yan summoned up courage and went to see the Emperor Xuan. When she was presented at court, she said, 'Your majesty, I would like to be at your service since our country is in great danger.' Of course, she was asked to explain why, 'It is in a chaotic state at home with two strong kingdoms, Qin and Chu, surrounding us. But your majesty haven't sensed the slightest danger at this moment of life and death.' The emperor was struck dumb with her words and gave up his luxurious life and put himself in efforts to make the country prosperous. Wu Yan was not only the spouse, but also a straight friend to the emperor.

Things came not singly but in pairs. Several generations later there lived in Qi another ugly girl. Since she had a tumor in her neck, she was named Su Liu. It was goiter in fact. Because of it, people kept away from her. Once Emperor Min went on a sightseeing tour to the suburbs. All the people crowded along the road while Su Liu concentrated on picking mulberry leaves. As she was called before the emperor, she explained she was doing her job wholeheartedly and not noticing things else. Emperor Min thought her a virtuous woman and wanted to take her back. And unexpectedly, she refused and said she should ask her parents' permission first. The emperor respected her will and held a grand marriage for her. Later she assisted in governing the country and brought peace and prosperity to people.


Written by column writer Hao Zhuo.
 

nusrat-diu:
The Donkey of Guizhou 
 
Once upon a time there was no donkey in Guizhou. So someone officious shipped one there, but finding no use for it, he set it loose at the foot of the mountain.

A tiger ran out from the mountains. When he saw this big tall thing, he thought it must be divine. He quickly hid himself in the forest and surveyed it from under cover. Sometimes the tiger ventured a little nearer, but still kept a respectful distance.

One day the tiger came out again. Just then the donkey gave a loud bray. Thinking the donkey was going to eat him, the tiger hurriedly ran away. After a while he sneaked back and watched the donkey carefully. He found that though it had a huge body it seemed to have no special ability.

After a few days the tiger gradually became accustomed to its braying and was no longer so afraid. Sometimes he even came near and circled around the donkey.

Later the tiger became bolder. Once he walked in front of the donkey and purposely bumped it. This made the donkey so angry that it struck out his hind legs and kicked wildly.

Seeing this the tiger was very gleeful, 'Such a big thing as you can do so little!' With a roar he pounced on the donkey and ate it up.
Written by  column writer Hao Zhuo.

nusrat-diu:
A Foolish Man Buys Shoes 
 
In the past there lived a foolish man in a small kingdom called Zheng. One day he wanted to buy himself a pair of new shoes. He measured his feet with a ruler first and wrote down his size. But he was in such a hurry to set out that he left it at home.

When he arrived at a shoe shop, he felt in the pocket only to find that it was not there. So he said apologetically, 'I have left the measurement at home and don't know the size. I'll fetch it in one minute.' With these words he hurried off as fast as his legs could carry him.

He ran back home, found it and then to the shop again. But still it took him quite a while and the shop was already closed then. He had gone to all this trouble for nothing and did not get his shoes.

Then someone asked him, 'Did you buy the shoes for yourself or someone else?' 'For myself, of course.' he answered. 'Then why don't you try the shoes on by yourself?'
Written by column writer Hao Zhuo.

nusrat-diu:
Driving a Wedge between the Enemy 
 
General Liu Yu of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) betrayed his country and surrendered to the emperor of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) in the north.

In 1137, General Yue Fei of the Southern Song got an order to stage a war against the Jin army. Yue Fei knew that there would be a rough battle now that Liu and his new master formed an alliance. But he also knew that there was a conflict between General Liu and Jinwuzhu, a general of Jin. Yue Fei would take advantage of this and weaken the enemy force by driving a wedge between the two generals. But how?

It so happened that Yue Fei received a report that a spy sent by Jinwuzhu was captured. Hearing this, Yue had an idea. He sent a word that he would see this spy.

When the spy was called in, Yue pretended to know the spy and said to him reproachfully, "What has happened to you, Zhang Bing? A few days ago, I ordered you to take Liu Yu a message expecting to collaborate with him to kill Jinwuzhu, but I haven't got any information from you. Where have you been? I am thinking of sending another man to complete the mission."

The spy felt puzzled, but he soon believed that Yue Fei had mistaken him for someone else. He said to himself, "Why don't I make the best of this mistake by taking this important message to my general?" He suddenly knelt down and said beseechingly, "Pardon me, General. Give me one more chance and I promise to hand the message to General Liu this time."

"Well, I pardon you", replied Yue Fei, "I give you another chance. But if you fail again, you can't escape bad luck." He picked up a writing brush and wrote a letter including an elaborated false scheme to kill Jinwuzhu. To make the wedge plan more credible, Yue wrapped the letter in a wax ball. Then he cut open the skin on the spy's leg and put the ball in the cut.

The enemy spy was so excited to get the information. He eagerly ran to Jinwuzhu and handed the letter to him. Jinwuzhu was greatly shocked when he learned that Liu Yu had been plotting to kill him. He immediately reported the message to the emperor. Very soon, Liu Yu was deposed and Yue Fei succeeded in weakening the enemy force and paved the way for his defeating the enemy.

Written by writer Ye Qinfa.

nusrat-diu:
Give the Enemy a Ray of Hope 
 

In 206 B.C., Cao Cao (155-220), a great statesman, artist of war and man of letters, led his army to attack the city of Huguan. As the city was strategically located and very difficult to access, Cao's army could not take it in spite of great efforts. Cao got extremely outraged and said, "Once I get into the city, I will have all those in it buried alive."

Soon his words were spread throughout the city. As the defenders in the city feared that it would really happen to them, they waged a desperate resistance. As a result, Cao's army found it even harder to win the battle. They made months of attempts to get in but in vain. Cao became more uneasy and consulted with his generals for a scheme.

At a meeting, General Cao Ren rose from his seat and said, "The art of war tells us that we should not put the enemy in too tight a ring, that the enemy should be left a way to survive. But now we have been trapping our enemy in a deadly corner. What's more, you have declared to have them all buried alive. This will only make them battle desperately against us, for they would rather fight to death than be buried alive. As I estimate, the enemy has almost run out of supplies. If we now give them a ray of hope by leaving an open in the ring, they are very likely to surrender to us, for they would rather survive than fight to death for nothing."

Cao Cao thought the idea quite sensible and ordered to do as the general said. As had been expected, the defending troops in the city soon crossed over to Cao's side. The city was finally seized without a cruel fight.

Written by column writer Ye Qinfa.

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