Dong Zhuo Buys Lü Bu
Neutral
The poem
Original: 无限好言君记取 / 却为认贼将作子 / 莫贪眼下有些甜 / 更虑他年前样看
The story
Lü Bu, the finest fighter of his age, served Ding Yuan as his adoptive father. Dong Zhuo, unable to beat him in the field, sent an envoy with heaps of gold and the famous Red Hare horse. Lü Bu took the bribe, killed his adoptive father and went over to Dong Zhuo, whom he also murdered later, and died disgraced.
What it means
The image is taking a thief for a son: what is presented as genuine is counterfeit. The verse compresses everything into one warning. Do not mistake an enemy for one of your own, and do not let a mouthful of present sweetness spoil the years ahead. The risk now is not incompetence but misjudging good and bad while dazzled by an advantage. One wrong move loses the whole board. Remember what past mistakes cost you, neither offer bribes nor take them, and lengthen your view.
By area of life
Wealth
A buoyant market is exactly when heads are turned. Remember past lessons, hold rather than reach, and do not chase the immediate profit.
Love
Marriage does not fit. Desire without a long view brings suffering later; those already parted are better off going their own ways.
Work
Take the long view in seeking work and refuse small immediate gains. Build experience and credit honestly and avoid all speculation.
Health
Take other people's experience as reference only, not as prescription. Make an offering, keep an easy mind, and avoid unverified remedies.
Travel
Do not be talked into going abroad by someone else's enthusiasm. Working honestly where you already are will produce just as much, with far less exposure.
Advice
This sweetness has a price attached, so ask how it will look to you in a few years.