Beauty Trap of the Three Kingdoms? | Four Beauties of Ancient China (2), Diao Chan

In the late Han Dynasty, there was a warlord named Dong Zhuo. He seized power and controlled the country. The young emperor was only a puppet. Dong Zhuo was a tyrant. He often accused officials and brutally executed them. He even randomly killed people for entertainment. People were discontented with him but dared not disobey him. At that time, the power of the regional warlord was expanding. Seeing the brutal behavior of Dong Zhuo, some warlord cooperated to attack him. However, they failed as Dong Zhuo's army was too strong. He was also protected by his adopted son named Lü Bu. Lü Bu was a handsome and talented young man. He was a powerful warrior who supported Dong Zhuo's reign of terror. Therefore, nobody was able to challenge Dong Zhuo's rule. In the court, the emperor's minister Wang Yun also felt unsatisfied with Dong Zhuo. Therefore, he planned to overthrow Dong Zhuo's power with a beauty trap that needed help from his daughter. He had an adopted daughter called Diao Chan who was around 16 years old. She was beautiful and talented in singing and dancing. She was an orphan adopted by the minister Wang Yun who raised her as his own. Diao Chan was eager to repay her father for his kindness so she agreed to participate in the plot. In the next day, the minister threw a banquet for Lü Bu. He pretended that he did not have enough servants so he asked his daughter Diao Chan to serve the guests. When Lü Bu saw Diao Chan, he was attracted by her beauty. The minister then proposed to marry his daughter to him. Lü Bu was glad and accepted it. A few days later, the minister arranged another banquet for the warlord Dong Zhuo. He asked Diao Chan to dance in the banquet. Her performance and her beauty caught the eyes of Dong Zhuo. The minister once again proposed to marry his daughter to him. Dong Zhuo was delighted and took her back to her residence. When Lü Bu found that Diao Chan disappeared, the minister told him that Dong Zhuo spotted his daughter and insisted on taking her home. Lü Bu was shocked and angry. He sneaked in Dong Zhuo's room and found Diao Chan was inside alone. When Diao Chan saw him, she cried and turned her face away saying that she was ashamed because Dong Zhuo violated her. She told Lü Bu that she missed him and wanted to be with him. Lü Bu felt painful and was furious at Dong Zhuo. Therefore, after Dong Zhuo went back to his room, Lü Bu reclaimed his weapon and then killed Dong Zhuo. After Dong Zhuo's death, his followers attacked the capital for revenge. Lü Bu was defeated in the battle and was forced to flee. There were a lot of versions about Diao Chan's ending. Some said she was killed by Dong Zhuo's follower after Lü Bu escaped. Some said she escaped with Lü Bu. Some said she was executed together with Lü Bu after Lü Bu's defeat in the later battle of Xiapi. Diao Chan was one of the four beauties of ancient China. But interestingly, she was mostly a fictional character. Historical records indicate that Lü Bu had a secret affair with one of the Dong Zhuo's ladies-in-waiting. Fearing that Dong Zhuo would find out his guilty, he betrayed and assassinated Dong Zhuo. However, the name of that lady-in-waiting was not recorded. As in the Psychopedia of Han Dynasty, there was another saying that the beauty trend was from another warlord, Cao Cao. To defeat Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao found a beautiful girl called Diao Chan to seduce him. The Diao Chan here pronounced the same as the one in the story, but their written characters were different. Although Diao Chan may not be a true figure, she was still a popular and beautiful character. Her sacrifice for the country was well respected.