Lady Xu 徐氏

Chapter 38 of the Romance says that Sun Quan's younger brother Sun Yi, Administrator of Danyang, was rough by nature and fond of wine and when drunk would often flog his soldiers, and that Gui Lan, the Supervising Commander of Danyang, and Dai Yuan, Assistant of the Commandery, became of one mind with Sun Yi's attendant Bian Hong and plotted to kill Sun Yi. When the generals and county magistrates gather at Danyang and Sun Yi is about to hold a banquet to entertain them, his wife Lady Xu, saying that the hexagram she has drawn that day is gravely ominous, urges him not to go out and meet his guests. Romance, Ch. 38 §31

Sun Yi does not listen and holds a great gathering, and in the evening, when the party breaks up, he is killed by the sword of Bian Hong, who has followed him out of the gate. Gui Lan and Dai Yuan lay the blame on Bian Hong and behead him in the marketplace, and plunder Sun Yi's property and his concubines. When Gui Lan, seeing Lady Xu's beauty, tells her that since he has avenged her husband she should follow him, and that if she does not she will die, Lady Xu replies that as her husband has not long been dead she cannot bear to follow him at once, and that it will not be too late to marry after she has held the sacrifice on the last day of the month and put off her mourning clothes. Gui Lan agrees. Romance, Ch. 38 §32–33

Lady Xu secretly summons to the official residence Sun Gao and Fu Ying, old generals who had been Sun Yi's trusted men, and tells them in tears that Gui Lan and Dai Yuan murdered her husband, laid the blame on Bian Hong alone and divided up the family's property and servants among themselves, and that since Gui Lan wants to take her by force, she has feigned consent to put him at ease. She then asks them to send someone through the night to inform the Marquis of Wu and to plot against the two traitors with a secret scheme, and bows to them again and again. The two, weeping, say that they will follow her command, and secretly send a trusted messenger to inform Sun Quan. Romance, Ch. 38 §33–34

On the last day of the month Lady Xu first hides Sun Gao and Fu Ying behind the curtains of an inner chamber and holds the sacrifice in the hall, and then takes off her mourning clothes, bathes, perfumes herself with incense, puts on heavy makeup and fine clothes, and laughs and talks as if nothing were amiss. Gui Lan, delighted to hear this, is invited to the official residence at night to drink, and when he is drunk she calls him into the inner chamber. When Lady Xu cries out, 'Generals Sun and Fu, where are you!', the two leap out from behind the curtains with swords in hand; Fu Ying cuts Gui Lan down and Sun Gao strikes again, killing him on the spot. Lady Xu then sends someone to invite Dai Yuan to the feast, and Dai Yuan too, on reaching the middle of the hall of the official residence, is killed by the two generals. She also has the families and remaining followers of the two traitors put to death. Romance, Ch. 38 §35–36

Lady Xu puts her mourning clothes on again and offers the heads of Gui Lan and Dai Yuan in sacrifice before Sun Yi's spirit tablet. Before long Sun Quan himself arrives at Danyang leading his troops and, seeing that Lady Xu has already killed the two traitors, appoints Sun Gao and Fu Ying Generals of the Standard to guard Danyang, and takes Lady Xu to his home to support her for the rest of her life. The Romance says that there was no one in Jiangdong who did not praise Lady Xu's virtue, and quotes a poem by a later writer that extols her as 'the heroine of Eastern Wu'. Romance, Ch. 38 §37–38