“Zhou Yu is an interfering scoundrel,” cried she. “We of the land of the south have never harmed you, and Liu Bei, the Uncle of the Great Family, is my husband. I have already told my mother and my brother of our journey, and now I find you with an army at the foot of these hills preventing our passage. Is it that you would plunder us of our valuables?”
The two generals mumbled dissent; they would not dare such a thing.
“We pray you, O Lady, stay your anger. This is no plan of ours; we do but obey our General's orders.”
“So you fear Zhou Yu and not me!” cried she scornfully. “Think you that if he slays you, I will not slay him?”
She broke into a torrent of abuse of Zhou Yu. Then she bade them push her carriage forward.
The two leaders thought within themselves, “We are but men of lowly rank, we dare not dispute with Lady Sun.”
Beside they saw Zhao Yun was bursting with wrath. So they ordered their troops to stand aside and leave the road clear.
The cavalcade had only gone a few miles when up came the pursuers. The two generals told the new-comers what had happened.
“You were wrong to let them pass,” said Chen Wu and Pan Zhang. “We have orders from the Marquis himself to arrest them.”
Thereupon all four went in pursuit. When the noise of the approaching force reached the ears of Liu Bei, he said to his wife, “They are again pursuing us; what now?”
“Husband, go on in front. Zhao Yun and I will keep them off.”
So Liu Bei and a small company went on toward the river bank, while Zhao Yun reined up beside the lady's carriage and set out his troops ready for battle. And when the four generals came up, they dismounted and stood with folded arms. “What are you doing here, Generals?” asked Lady Sun.
“We have orders from our lord to request you and Liu Bei to return.”
Calmly but bitterly she said, “So this is the sort of fools you are! You would make dissension between brother and sister. But I am a wife on my way to my husband's home. Nor am I leaving clandestinely, for I had my mother's gracious permission. Now we, husband and wife, are going to Jingzhou; and if even my brother were here himself, he would let us pass in all politeness. But you, because you have weapons in your hands, would slay us!”
She abused the four men to their faces so that they looked from one to another in shame. And each in his heart thought, “Say what one will, after all they two are brother and sister and the Dowager Marchioness is the controlling power. Sun Quan is most obedient and would never dare oppose his mother's decision. When the reaction comes, then indeed we shall certainly be found in the wrong. We would better be kind.”
Another thing was that one of the two they sought, Liu Bei, was not there and Zhao Yun looked angry and dangerous. Finally, muttering to themselves, they gave way and with one accord retired and left the road open. Lady Sun passed through.
“We four will go to see the Commander-in-Chief and report,” said Xu Sheng.
But that did not please them all and they stood irresolute. Presently they saw a column of troops sweeping down on them like a hurricane. These were Jiang Qin and Zhou Tai with their company.
“Have you fellows seen Liu Bei?” they cried as they rushed up.
“He has just passed along.”
“Why did you not arrest him?”
“Because of what Lady Sun said.”
“That is just as the Marquis feared, and so he gave us this sword and told us first to slay his sister and then Liu Bei. And if we disobey, he will put us to death.”
“What can be done? They are far away by now.”
Jiang Qin said, “After all they are but a few and on foot; they cannot travel very fast. Let Xu Sheng and Ding Feng go to Zhou Yu to tell him, and he can send fast boats to pursue them on the river while we follow up on the bank. We must get them either on water or land, and we must not listen to what they say.”
Whereupon two went back to report and four to the river bank. Meanwhile Liu Bei had got a long way from Chaisang and reached Butterfly Shore. He now felt calmer. He went along the bank of the river seeking a boat, but there was no craft on the broad bosom of the stream. He bowed his head in deep sorrow.
Zhao Yun bade him be of good courage, saying, “My lord, you have just escaped from the tiger's jaws and had not far to go. Moreover, I suspect Zhuge Liang has something prepared for us.”
