Towards the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), Prime Minister Dong Zhuo's manipulation of state affairs sparked widespread public anger, yet no one dared to voice it openly. Upright ministers wished to remove him but could devise no plan.
One night, Minister Wang Yun sighed alone in his garden, his tearful eyes gazing at the moon. Suddenly, he heard a sigh from a nearby pavilion. Investigating, he found Diao Chan, a sixteen-year-old and exceptionally beautiful singsong girl in his household. When questioned, she knelt and said, "Your Excellency has treated me so kindly since my arrival. How can I repay you? I have noticed your furrowed brow, surely burdened by great worries I dare not ask about. I sighed because I wish I could help you in some way."
Wang Yun realized the fate of the Han Dynasty might rest in this girl's hands. He helped her up, then prostrated himself and kowtowed to her. "Why do you bow to me?" the puzzled girl asked, reiterating her offer to help.
Convinced of her resolve, Wang Yun explained straightforwardly: "Both Dong Zhuo and his foster son, Lü Bu, are fond of women. I will adopt you as my daughter, first betrothing you to Lü Bu, then presenting you as a gift to Dong Zhuo. You must find opportunities to sow discord between them and incite Lü Bu to kill Dong Zhuo. This is how we can save the Han Dynasty."
"If I fail in this task," Diao Chan vowed, "may I die a violent death." Thus was laid the interlocking stratagem of Wang Yun and Diao Chan.