Wong Tai Sin Sign 47 · Lu Su Demands the Return of Jingzhou

This stick references a diplomatic crisis from China's Three Kingdoms period (220-280 CE). Lu Su was chief advisor to Sun Quan, ruler of the Wu kingdom. He came to demand the return of Jingzhou province from Liu Bei (Lord of Su), who had borrowed it years earlier when he was desperate and homeless. Liu Bei had promised to return it once he established himself, but success made him reluctant to give up this strategic territory. When Lu Su arrived for negotiations, Liu Bei could only weep - he knew he should honor his word, but returning Jingzhou would severely weaken his position. This moment captures the painful conflict between moral obligation and practical survival, when doing the right thing might cost everything you've worked to build.