Lady Sun and Cao Jie before and after Mao Lun and Mao Zonggang’s textual revision
At the hands of Mao Lun and Mao Zonggang, Romance of the Three Kingdoms underwent extreme changes: to promote their political agenda (which could be summarized as “Liu Bei FTW”) the Maos combined systematic critical commentary with a thorough textual revision.
Mao Lun and Mao Zonggang’s revised version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, first published in 1679, was so successful that it drove earlier versions from the market and has remained the standard text of Romance down to the present day.
Of all their changes made to the original text by Luo Guanzhong, I especially detest what they did to Lady Sun and Empress Cao Jie. In both cases the allegiance of these women was changed from their families to their husbands.
1. Historically there was no love between Liu Bei and Lady Sun (it’s even debatable whether their marriage was consummated). Lady Sun constantly had armed guards around her, and returned home after only a year of marriage.
She even attempted to kidnap Liu Bei’s heir, Liu Shan. However, Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei managed to intercept her and retrieve the heir. Her further fate is unknown, but in a folklore story Lady Sun throws herself into the river when she is caught attempting to steal back to her native land.
Mao Lun and Mao Zonggang not only scraped away or modified episodes that didn’t match their political agenda. In many cases they also expanded the narrative by quotes from historical documents (such as Chen Lin’s denouncement of Cao Cao) and from anecdotes (Guan Yu virtuously guarding Liu Bei’s wives, Cao Pi shaming Yu Jin, etc.)
So they inserted this folklore tale about Lady Sun’s suicide into their edition, but changed it so that Lady Sun kills herself on hearing of the death of Liu Bei.
2. In earlier editions of Romance of the Three Kingdoms Empress Cao Jie scolds her husband Emperor Xian for not acceding to her brother Cao Pi’s demands for his abdication. Of course Mao Lun and Mao Zonggang couldn’t have that: in their edition Cao Jie fiercely berates her brother Cao Pi and his generals for being disloyal to the Han dynasty.
Here are Cao Jie’s words to Emperor Xian in the original text:
You call my brother a usurping traitor! What was your Supreme Ancestor [Liu Bang] if not a drunken lout, without standing, a nobody! Yet he stole the empire from the Qin! My father [Cao Cao] cleared the realm of rebels. My brother has many achievements to his credit. Why shouldn’t he become emperor? You could never have held the throne in safety for more than thirty years without my father and brother.
And this is after the Maos revision:
Empress Cao asked him, “Why do Your Majesty not hold the court as usual, especially when you are requested to go out?” “Because your brother wishes to depose me and become Emperor himself. He has set the whole host of officers against me to force me to abdicate, and I will not expose myself to this compulsion.” “But what can have induced my brother to do such a dreadfully rebellious thing?” said she angrily. Just as she spoke, Cao Hong and Cao Xiu, both armed, forced their way into the inner apartments and requested His Majesty to come to the Hall of Audience. The Empress broke out into abuse: “So you are two of the disorderly rebels who, for the sake of your own ends, have conspired to upset all the good service of my father. Though he overshadowed the whole land, yet he never dared to aspire to the sacred throne. But my brother, who has only just succeeded him, sets no bounds to his ambition and temerity and would usurp the Throne. Heaven will surely cut off his offspring!”
