During the final years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the ruthless warlord Dong Zhuo seized control of the imperial court, treating the young Emperor Xian as a mere puppet and strutting about with unbridled arrogance, as if he were invincible.
During the Han Dynasty, Imperial Advisor Wang Yun saw Dong Zhuo's tyranny and resolved to eliminate him for the sake of the Han royal house, but he could not think of a way to do it.
One evening, while strolling in his rear garden to clear his mind, the minister Wang Yun suddenly noticed his household singing girl Diaochan sighing deeply by the Peony Pavilion. He asked her why. Diaochan replied, "I am deeply grateful for your kindness in raising me, my lord. Lately, I have seen your brow furrowed with worry and know you must be troubled by affairs of state. I dared not ask you directly, so I found myself sighing as well—unexpectedly catching your attention. If there is any way I can serve you, I would face ten thousand deaths without hesitation."
Wang Yun, struck by a sudden idea, turned to Diao Chan and said, "The court is as precarious as a stack of eggs, and Dong Zhuo will seize the throne any day now. As Han officials, how can we stand by and watch our dynasty crumble? Killing Dong Zhuo is still possible, but he has an adopted son, Lü Bu, whose unmatched ferocity keeps him always at Dong Zhuo's side—leaving us helpless."
Diao Chan asked, "Is there really no other way?"
Wang Yun glanced at Diaochan and said, "I have devised a chain strategy, but I need your help. I will adopt you as my daughter, first betroth you to Lü Bu, then secretly offer you to Dong Zhuo. You must find a way to turn father and son against each other, making them hate one another over you, and finally provoke Lü Bu to kill Dong Zhuo."
Diaochan agreed. Thus Wang Yun set his plan in motion. In the end, the scheme succeeded, and Dong Zhuo was finally killed by Lü Bu.
Later, the idiom "ten thousand deaths without refusal" came to describe a willingness to risk one's life in service.
Source: *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "万死不辞" came to describe a willingness to risk one's life in service.