With great fanfare Diaochan is escorted to the palace. Teary-eyed Lu Bu and Diaochan can only silently look at each other as they pass in the street. (Off topic, the actress looks fabulous in red.) Of course she isn't taken to the imperial palace but to Dong Zhuo's palace instead. He's all touchy feely. (Ack, my skin! How it crawls!) Diaochan manages to make excuses to get away from him for a moment. She starts to kill herself but the pleas of her father to save the Han come to her mind and she stops.
The next morning old man Wang finds a despondent Lu Bu sitting outside the imperial palace. Wang asks what the young man is doing here. Lu Bu says he was hoping to see Diaochan. This is when Wang breaks it to Lu Bu that Diaochan isn't here, she was taken to Dong Zhuo's house, his bed. Lu Bu can't believe his adopted father would do such a thing to him. Really, Lu Bu? You have no clue by now what kind of man Dong Zhuo is? Are you that thick? Wang uses his wiles to get the young man worked up into a frenzy. Lu Bu stomps off to Dong Zhuo's home, coming into the sleeping area just in time to see Diaochan getting up from the grizzly man's bed. (My skin! The Crawling!)
Out in the courtyard Lu Bu runs into that suck-up, Li Ru, who asks what is the problem. Lu Bu spills his painful story. Worried, Li Ru goes to Dong Zhuo and advises him to give Diaochan to Lu Bu in order to keep the general's loyalty. Otherwise Lu Bu may rebel or go join Yuan Shao. Dong Zhuo goes to Diaochan and tells her he's going to give her to Lu Bu. However, that would spoil Wang's plans. Diaochan manages to work up some tears, asking why Dong Zhuo no longer wants her. She doesn't want to go to Lu Bu. What, is Dong Zhuo afraid of Lu Bu? If this got out, that Dong Zhuo feared his adopted son and greatest general, what would the people think? Ah, smart girl. So smart. And so able to bear sitting on that creepy guy's knee. I salute you, Diaochan. Dong Zhuo therefore changes his mind and decides to keep the girl.
During court we catch word that Cao Cao's military strength is growing while Yuan Shao loses another ally. Also, there's a famine going on. While Dong Zhuo is busy with official business, Lu Bu sneaks away to find Diaochan. She tells him now that she's able to see him one last time she can finally kill herself and end this shame. Lu Bu begs her not to kill herself. He will come and take her away, just give him some time to come up with a plan. It is at this time that Dong Zhuo comes home and finds the young couple in an embrace. Dong Zhuo chases Lu Bu off. What's your plan, Lu Bu? Get the fat old man to die of a heart attack while chasing you?
Dong Zhuo goes back to Diaochan, who has ripped her clothes and made herself cry. She gives the story that basically Lu Bu was attacking her. Dong Zhuo totally believes this and vows to punish his villainous son. About this time old man Wang shows up. He pulls Dong Zhuo aside and practically gives the same speech Li Ru did earlier; that Dong Zhuo should give the girl to Lu Bu to keep the general's loyalty. Wang goes to tell his daughter he's taking her to Lu Bu's place. With Dong Zhuo watching, Diaochan refuses to go and instead slams her head into a stone pillar. They do that a lot in Chinese dramas, I find.
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