Lady Mi, sister of the wealthy merchants Mi Zhu and Mi Fang from Donghai (modern-day Lianyungang), entered Liu Bei’s life in 196 CE under extraordinary circumstances.
After Lü Bu betrayed Liu Bei and seized Xu Province, Liu Bei fled eastward with nothing but his sword and a handful of followers. It was then that the Mi brothers – impressed by Liu Bei’s reputation as a virtuous leader – offered him over a thousand servants, vast sums of gold and silver, and, most significantly, their younger sister in marriage.
From political alliance to devoted partnership
Though this union began as a political alliance, historical and literary accounts suggest genuine affection developed between Liu Bei and Lady Mi. Unlike Lady Gan – a humble woman of common birth known for her gentle demeanor – Lady Mi was raised in luxury and refinement. She was literate, composed, and capable of offering counsel on matters beyond domestic affairs. Despite their different backgrounds, the two wives coexisted harmoniously, each complementing the other in supporting Liu Bei through years of exile and warfare.
Years of turmoil and reunion
The early years of their marriage were marked by relentless upheaval. In 198 CE, Lü Bu again attacked Liu Bei, capturing his family once more. Only after Cao Cao defeated Lü Bu at Xiapi were Liu Bei and his wives reunited. But peace was fleeting.
In 200 CE, the “Girdle Edict” conspiracy against Cao Cao was exposed. Cao Cao launched a swift eastern campaign, crushing Liu Bei’s forces. Liu Bei fled north to join Yuan Shao, while his wives – Lady Gan and Lady Mi – were taken captive and brought to Xuchang. Guan Yu, also captured, became their protector in Cao Cao’s camp.
Cao Cao, eager to win Guan Yu’s loyalty, treated the two ladies with utmost respect. Yet Guan Yu remained steadfast in his loyalty to Liu Bei. After slaying Yan Liang to repay Cao Cao’s kindness, he departed without taking any gifts – except his two sisters-in-law – embarking on the legendary “Thousand-Li Solo Ride” back to Liu Bei. This act cemented Guan Yu’s image as the paragon of loyalty and chivalry.
For Lady Mi and Lady Gan, however, stability remained elusive. They followed Liu Bei across battlefields, never enjoying the comforts their status might have promised.
The tragedy at Changban: The ultimate sacrifice
In 208 CE, during the chaotic retreat from Xinye toward Jiangling, Cao Cao’s elite cavalry caught up with Liu Bei’s column at Changban Slope (Changbanpo). The army was scattered; panic reigned. Amid the chaos, Lady Mi – carrying the infant Liu Shan (later Emperor Liu Chan, born to Lady Gan) – became separated and surrounded by enemy troops.
It was then that Zhao Yun, the valiant general from Changshan, charged into the fray alone. Fighting his way through wave after wave of soldiers – “seven times in, seven times out” – Zhao Yun finally located Lady Mi and the child. But escape was nearly impossible: Zhao Yun’s horse was exhausted, and Lady Mi, wounded and weakened, knew she would slow him down.
In a moment of heartbreaking resolve, the young Lady Mi – barely in her twenties – made her choice. Handing Liu Shan to Zhao Yun, she declared that the heir must be saved at all costs. Then, to remove any burden and ensure Zhao Yun could flee unimpeded, she leapt into a dry well and perished.
Her sacrifice allowed Zhao Yun to deliver Liu Shan safely to Liu Bei. Upon hearing the news, Liu Bei was devastated. To him, Lady Mi was more than a wife – she was a confidante who understood his burdens, soothed his anxieties, and stood by him through every defeat. Her selfless death left an indelible mark on his heart and on the legacy of the Shu cause.
Historical silence and Literary invention
Despite its emotional power, Lady Mi’s suicide at Changban is not recorded in historical sources. The Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi) mentions that Liu Bei’s family was often captured or lost during his many defeats – but it gives no account of Lady Mi’s death.
Given the chaos of the era, she may have died in obscurity during one of these displacements, or succumbed to illness. Because her fate did not alter major political events, historians like Chen Shou omitted details.
Thus, her dramatic end is entirely the creation of Luo Guanzhong in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Why did Luo Guanzhong invent this scene?
Luo’s fictionalization serves profound narrative and ideological purposes:
Exalting female virtue
Lady Mi embodies the Confucian ideal of the “chaste and loyal woman.” By choosing death over capture – and sacrificing herself to protect the heir – she fulfills the highest standards of chastity, loyalty, and righteousness. Her act extends the “benevolent and righteous” ethos of Liu Bei’s faction to its innermost circle.
Elevating Zhao Yun’s heroism
Her death transforms Zhao Yun’s rescue mission from a military feat into a sacred trust. Carrying not just a child, but the weight of a mother’s final wish, Zhao Yun’s “Seven Charges at Changban” becomes a mythic act of devotion – cementing his status as the epitome of loyalty among the Five Tiger Generals.
Heightening dramatic tension
The sequence – Lady Mi’s suicide, Zhao Yun’s escape, and Liu Bei’s anguished “throwing of the child” upon reunion – forms one of the most emotionally charged arcs in the novel. It underscores the immense cost of founding a kingdom and deepens reader empathy for Liu Bei’s struggle.
Reinforcing Liu Bei’s moral authority
That even his wife would die for his cause testifies to Liu Bei’s exceptional virtue. In contrast to Cao Cao – whose power stems from cunning and force – Liu Bei wins hearts through integrity. Lady Mi’s sacrifice becomes proof that “he who wins the people’s hearts wins the world.”
A martyr born of ink, Not blood
Though Lady Mi’s plunge into the well never happened in history, it resonates deeply in cultural memory. Through her fictional death, Luo Guanzhong transformed a forgotten noblewoman into an eternal symbol of maternal love, wifely devotion, and selfless sacrifice. In the grand tapestry of the Three Kingdoms, where emperors rise and fall, it is often such quiet acts of courage – written not in annals but in tears – that endure longest in the human imagination.
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