連環記 A Plot of Menage à Trois
連環記
東漢末, 董卓擅權跋扈, 義子呂布驍勇善戰，司徒王允憂心國事, 欲誅董卓, 卻苦無良策，偶見義女貂蟬於院中拜月，容貌端麗，知她也為國家不寧而擔憂，，便訂下“連環計”, 欲離間董卓父子，假借呂布之手刺殺董卓。
次日，請呂布赴宴，讓貂嬋與其相見，並許以婚事。又請董卓，讓貂蟬殷勤侍奉，使董卓為其美色所迷惑，也許以婚姻，並訂於中秋成婚。其後慫恿董卓將呂布派到虎牢關。八月十五日，急將貂蟬送入董府。
呂布從虎牢關回來，聞知貂嬋已嫁入董府，責怪王允無信，王允則說是被迫無奈。呂布乘董卓熟睡之機，與貂蟬相會，貂嬋訴說董卓霸道，責怪呂布無情。董卓醒來，見呂布擅入內室，調戲貂蟬，怒將呂布趕走。第二日，呂布乘董卓上朝，潛入鳳儀亭與貂嬋相會，又被董卓撞見，於是二人反目，董卓盛怒下，將畫戟擲向呂布，未中，女婿李儒及時趕到，呂布憤憤而去。後來在受禪儀式上，呂布終於將董卓殺死，與貂蟬結為夫妻。
A Plot of Menage à Trois
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220AD), Dong Zhuo, a mighty and ruthless general, seizes power from the emperor. Wang Yun, the loyal Prime Minister, worries about Dong’s threat to the throne. One day Wang chances to see Diao Chan, his beautiful adopted daughter, praying to the Moon Goddess in the garden and finds out that she too is worried about the chaotic state of the country. Together they set up a Plot of Menage-à-Trois to turn Lu Bu, a gallant warrior and Dong’s adopted son, against Dong and to assassinate him.
Wang meets the father and son on two separate occasions. He first promises to marry his daughter Diao Chan to Lu, praising him as the Greatest Hero of the nation. Wang later meets Dong and makes another promise to send Diao Chan to his residence to be his concubine. He then persuades Dong to assign Lu to fight against a powerful enemy battalion two days prior to the wedding day he promised to both of them. Returning with victory, Lu is surprised that his beloved Diao Chan has become Dong’s concubine. Driving by uncontrollable rage, Lu challenges Dong’s authority and vows to win Diao Chan back. The father and son thus become enemies. Before long, Lu kills Dong, but soon he himself is killed by other warlords.
As for Diao Chan, after saving her country by this Plot of Menage-à-Trois, she bids farewell to her adopted father and resides in a nunnery for the rest of her life.
