第98部分(第2/7 页)

e　very　angry；　and　it　will　make　him　worse。　That　would　be　most　undutiful；　and　you　should　return　to　your　mand　at　once。〃

Liu　Qi　stood　out　for　some　time；　but　admittance　was　denied　him　in　spite　of　his　tears。　So　he　returned　to　his　post。　Meanwhile　Liu　Biao　rapidly　grew　worse。　He　anxiously　looked　for　his　son；　but　Liu　Qi　came　not。　Suddenly　Liu　Biao　uttered　piercing　shrieks　and　then　passed　away。

When　the　Yuans　were　lords　of　the　north；

And　Liu　Biao　held　the　bank　of　the　river；

It　seemed；　so　strong　were　they　both；

That　they　would　endure　forever。

But　the　family　affairs　troubled　their　states；

And；　meddling；　confusion　made；

It　was　mournful　indeed　to　see

How　quickly　the　houses　decayed。

So　Imperial　Protector　Liu　Biao　died。　Then　the　widow　and　her　partisans　took　counsel　together　and　forged　a　testament　conferring　the　lordship　of　Jingzhou　on　the　second　son　Liu　Zong　before　they　published　the　news　of　the　death。

The　wrongful　heir　was　then　fourteen　years　of　age。　But　he　was　a　cunning　boy；　so　he　assembled　the　officials　and　said；　〃My　father　has　passed　away；　and　my　elder　brother　is　at　Jiangxia。　More　than　that；　our　uncle　is　at　Xinye。　You　have　made　me　lord；　but　if　my　brother　and　uncle　e　here　with　an　army　to　punish　me　for　usurping　the　lordship；　what　explanation　can　I　offer？〃

At　first　no　one　replied。

Then　Adviser　Li　Gui　rose　and　said；　〃You　speak　well。　Now　hasten　to　send　letters　of　mourning　to　your　brother　and　ask　him　to　e　and　take　his　inheritance。　Also　call　upon　Liu　Bei　to　e　and　assist　in　the　administration。　Then　shall　we　be　safe　against　our　enemies………Cao　Cao　on　the　north　and　Sun　Quan　on　the　south。　I　consider　this　the　most　excellent　plan。〃

But　Cai　Mao　replied　harshly；　〃Who　are　you　to　speak　thus　wildly　and　op