(1) Name.
Diao Chan, a combination of mink and cicada, a small animal and a small insect. This name is very unusual. It has never been seen in the past and will never be seen in the future. "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has an explanation of this. It turns out that "Diao Chan was a very fashionable military attache's hat in the early years of the Han Dynasty, and later gradually evolved into an official name." The explanation is simple and clear. Is this really the case?
I think it is correct. Check the "Wu Guan" entry in "The Eastern Han Dynasty Hui Yao Volume Ten Yu Service" records: "Wu Guan, one is called Wu Bian Da Guan, which is crowned by all military officers. The servants in the middle and the regular servants add a gold bracelet, with a cicada as the inscription, and a mink tail. As a decoration, it is called 'Zhao Huiwen Guan'". At that time, the hats of senior military officers decorated with this kind of gold bell with a cicada-shaped pattern and a mink tail were commonly known as "diao cicada crowns." Later, because of this kind of decoration, there was also an idiom allusion, that is, "the dog's tail continues the mink".
After Jin Sima Yan unified the three kingdoms, he named his ninth uncle Sima Lun the King of Zhao, and he became one of the eight kings in the "Eight Kings Rebellion". The king of Zhao granted officials and titles indiscriminately. The "Jin Shu Biography of Zhao Wanglun" records that "the slaves and servants were also given titles." Therefore, "every court meeting is filled with Diao Chan". It's not about sitting in a room full of beautiful women like Diao Chan, but referring to the officials he has unfairly appointed. At that time, there were too many officials, and mink tails were very rare and precious. There were not enough of them, so some officials had to find dog tails instead. "If the mink is not enough, the dog's tail will continue." It is estimated that there were many bald-tailed dogs at that time. Officials are not eating dog meat, but just using their tails. You can imagine the depressed and irritable mood of a dog whose tail is chopped off. Therefore, Shan Tianfang's commentary likes to say that a person is "more arrogant than a bald-tailed dog."
"Diao Chan" later evolved into an official name, but there is no record.
"Explaining the style in detail" Professor Li Dongfang said, "The word Diaochan was originally the official name of the female officials in the harem of the Han Dynasty (the status was much lower than that of concubines)." If there is such an official, what specific duties is she responsible for? The Yuan Dynasty drama "Jinyuntang secretly decides on the serial plan" explains Diao Chan's position, "because Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty elected him to the palace and held Diao Chan's crown, so he was named Diao Chan."
Combining the above two statements, it is very interesting. How strange is it that you want to use the official women in the emperor's harem to control the hats and crowns of the generals in the court! In addition, how could a female official in the emperor's harem work as a singer in the home of Minister Situ Wangyun? Could it be like in the TV series "Iron Teeth and Bronze Teeth Ji Xiaolan", where the emperor's god-sister lives in the home of an old bachelor minister? This was impossible in feudal society. Li Dongfang also doubted the theory that Diao Chan was a female official, and said, "It is impossible for Wang Yun to have such a maid in his family, but there may be one in Dong Zhuo's family." "The Biography of Dong Zhuo in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty" records that Dong Zhuo once "tangled with the princess and cheated the palace with his wife." Therefore, it is very possible that he brought Diao Chan from the palace to his home.
Diao Chan's name is not found in the "Three Kingdoms" and Pei Song's notes and quotations. So who named this beauty? The earliest record is that "Mr. Li Zhuowu's Criticism of the Three Kingdoms" quoted the poem of Shao Yong, the Neo-Confucian scholar of the Northern Song Dynasty, Shao Kangjie who wrote "Shao Zi Shen Shu":
Dong Zhuo wielded great power for no reason and burned the palaces and abandoned the tombs. The emperors of the two dynasties were hindered by demons, and all living creatures in the world were hanging upside down.
It is Lu Bu who kills the rebellious officials with force, and Diao Chan who kills the rebels with his tongue. All evil done in this world must be repaid eventually, and there is an infinite and eternal heaven above.
I feel that the poem is written in general, and it may not be written by Shao Kangjie, but may be an attachment. Diao Chan in the poem is actually a "tongue-killing traitor". Could it be that Dong Zhuo was scolded to death by Diao Chan? It is only right to scold him until he becomes angry. How could Dong Zhuo commit suicide in shame? Can't tell clearly.
(2) Origin
In "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and storytelling, Diao Chan became a singer in Wang Yun's family as soon as she appeared. Fang Erba is good at sex and tricks, so I promise to treat him as my own daughter." This is the situation.
Diao Chan's complete life experience was explained in "Three Kingdoms" and the Yuan drama "Jinyuntang Secretly Determined the Lianlian Plan". "She was born in Xinzhou's Mur'er Village. She was the daughter of Ren Ang, with a small name of Hongchang. She was chosen by Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty to be in the palace and held the Diao Chan crown, so she was named Diao Chan. Later Emperor Ling gave it to Ding Jianyang. At that time, Lu Bu and Ding Jianyang were adopted sons, and Jian Yang general Diao Chan married Lv Bu, but due to the chaos caused by the Yellow Turban bandits, she got separated in the battle and her whereabouts are never known. She turned out to be with the old Zaifu (Wang Yun)."
According to this, Diao Chan was originally Lu Bu's wife. Wang Yun and Lu Bu knew about this, and used Diao Chan as bait to plot against Dong Zhuo. Lu Bu was really heartless, Wang Yun deserved to die, and Diao Chan was a strange woman.
There is also a folk legend about "Diao Chan grows out of the sky". It is said that Wang Yun picked up a little girl on the roadside. At that time, the little girl was lying on the roadside licking the dew from the grass. After Wang Yun picked it up, she loved it like a treasure. The mink was a rare animal in the mountains and the cicada also drank dew and grew like a little girl, so he named her Diao Chan.
In "Three Kingdoms", there is no record of Diao Chan, let alone her background. However, it is said in "The Biography of Lu Bu in the Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms" that "(Dong) Zhuo often sent Bu to guard the middle pavilion, and Bu had an affair with Zhuo's maid. He was afraid that something would be discovered and he felt uneasy." Ordinarily, Lu Bu should not be blamed for this, Dong Zhuo was looking for trouble. To actually let people like Lu Bu serve as guards near the women's bedrooms, isn't this the same as letting a cat look at a fish or a gangster looking at a big girl? I couldn't find any opportunities, and now I'm here to show him to you. If I don't hook up with someone, I'll cry out for Lu Bu.
I am afraid no one can tell whether the "maid" in the quotation is Diao Chan.
(3) Deeds
The Great Situ Wang Yun was very average in politics, but the director’s serial plan was first-rate. First, the status of the singer Diao Chan in the mansion was raised to that of an adopted daughter, and she pretended to be her biological son, and then implemented the serial plan. First, he invited Lü Bu to his mansion for a drink. At the banquet, he promised to marry his daughter Diao Chan to Lü Bu. He asked Lü Bu to be his son-in-law and waited for the marriage to be completed on a good and auspicious day. Then he invited Dong Zhuo to come to the house for a drink, served Diao Chan at the banquet, and gave Diao Chan to Dong Zhuo as his mistress. After the banquet, Diao Chan was immediately sent to Dong Zhuo's house. The prelude to the serial plot was arranged flawlessly.
Things develop smoothly. Lu Bu plays Diao Chan in Fengyiting. (According to Pinghua and Yuan dramas, it was Lu Bu who molested his wife.) Diao Chan's play was performed well and the alienation was successful. Soon after, Lu Bu killed Dong Zhuo, and then "Lü Bu married Diao Chan back to his mansion" ("Lü Bu married Diao Chan back to his mansion") Pingshu Romance of the Three Kingdoms" page 87).
What are the factors that determine success or failure in this serial plan? It's Diao Chan's acting skills. Ordinarily Diao Chan is a little girl and has never studied acting. He can act so well, he is simply a genius actor. Not only is he beautiful, but he is also brave and knowledgeable. Wang Situ is so lucky to find him. Is it a coincidence? Of course not, but there was someone who helped a lot.
He is Hua Tuo, the miraculous medical expert who invented Ma Fei Powder and Wu Qin Xi, and scraped the bones of Guan Gong to cure poison. It is said that Wang Yun designed a series of schemes, but could not find a suitable beauty for a while. Diao Chan, the singer in the mansion, was sixteen or seventeen years old. She had a very good figure, but her appearance was above average and she had acne on her face. She was not qualified for the job. Wang Yun was very depressed. It happened that my good friend Hua Tuo came to visit. After Hua Tuo heard about this, he told Wang Yun how difficult it was, so he gave Diao Chan some anesthetic powder, took out Xi Shi's head from the leather bag, and performed a head transplant on Diao Chan. Xi Shi's head happened to be stolen from Xi Shi's tomb when Hua Tuo came (some say it was borrowed from the Queen Mother of the West). It seems that this Ming doctor was also good at robbing tombs. After changing her head, Diao Chan turned out to be as beautiful as a flower, even better than Xi Shi. Wang Yunsui told Diao Chan about the serial plan. Who would have thought that when Diao Chan heard Dong Zhuo's cruelty and Lu Bu's irritability, she was so frightened that her hands and feet were cold, and she was frightened. She slapped her chest and said, "I'm so scared, so scared!"
Wang Yun slapped his thigh and said to himself: "It took me a long time to finish it. Diao Chan is too timid." Hua Tuo saw it and told Wang Yun that it was okay, so he rushed to Xianyang at night, robbed Jing Ke's tomb, and stole Jing Ke's gallbladder to put on Diao Chan (some say it was sponsored by the Eight Immortals). Jing Ke dared to assassinate the King of Qin. Since ancient times, no one has been braver than him. His courage is stronger than an egg and his strength is stronger than a stone. In this way, Diao Chan, who is as beautiful as Jing Ke and as courageous as Jing Ke, was born, making great contributions to the chain plan. (In the later Three Kingdoms, there was Jiang Wei and Jiang Boyue. He was also as bold as an egg. When peeled off, he could cover the sky. He was so bold that he was even bigger. He was one of the unique individuals in the cross talk "Eight Screens".)
This is a folk legend spread in Hubei.
Listening to official history, unofficial history, and legends is not necessarily a bad thing.
(4) Destination
Diao Chan lived with Lu Bu after the serial plot. This is the case in many versions. So, after the death of Lu Bu in Baimenlou, what was the fate of Diao Chan?
"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" does not have a single table, it just says "Carry Lu Bu's wife and daughter back to Xudu". No more explanation.
Page 223 of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" explains that after Lu Bu was killed, "Cao Cao sent an order to bring Lu Bu's family, old and young, back to Xudu." Logically, this should include Diao Chan. However, his whereabouts are unknown. Then the storytelling tells a folk legend about Guan Gong beheading Diao Chan under the moonlight. I think Guan Gong is also unreasonable, and Diao Chan has nothing to do with him. It makes no sense for Guan Gong to kill Diao Chan. Because of his lustful nature, he could secretly admire Diao Chan and marry Diao Chan.
But most of them cannot marry. Xiapi City was destroyed, and Guan Yu couldn't find Madam Du, let alone Diao Chan, who was much more famous than Madam Du. (Some of the above statements can be found in my other article "Liu Guanzhang's Family Affairs") After Diao Chan was brought back to Xudu by Cao Cao, it was impossible for Guan Yu to kill her. Guan Yu had no chance and no motive for killing.
Did Cao Cao take her as his concubine? It's true that Cao Cao was lustful, but I don't think he would be the case with Diao Chan. After all, if Diao Chan is real, the political influence will be too great. For the sake of the Han Dynasty, Diao Chan's contribution was quite large, and Cao Cao had to be cautious. In the Peking Opera "White Gate Tower", there is a libretto by Cao Cao. I think it is Cao Cao's true mentality. (Singing by Cao Cao) "Nv Diao Chan has a clever plan and extraordinary achievements. She saved the Han Dynasty by offering a chain. Call someone to send Diao Chan to live in the palace for retirement. Maybe she will be safe and happy in peacetime." Once you stay in a nursing home, you can plant some flowers and plants, write some memoirs or something, it's very possible. From this point of view, Diao Chan's life in her later years is not bad.
When the TV series "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" came to the end of Diao Chan, she sang a long interlude. I actually didn't see clearly whether she was dead, gone, or a monk.
Dead, that is a white silk, hanging himself.
If he left, his whereabouts must be unknown. We meet each other everywhere in life, maybe we meet Guan Yu somewhere. Guan Yu's motives are impure, Diao Chan is pure and self-sufficient, not afraid of rape, and offends Guan Yu, so it is possible that she will be beheaded.
If you become a monk, you may be the earliest nun or Taoist nun.
In short, Diao Chan is a mystery from beginning to end. I am not original