This is a scene from the Beijing opera Catching and Releasing Cao Cao, originating from the classical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The story is at the point before Cao Cao (centre) became Prime Minister of the Wei Kingdom. Cao was caught by Chen Gong (right) having failed to murder the former Prime Minister, but successfully persuaded him to release and follow him as a new master. Chen finally discovers Cao’s real character when Cao kills their host Lü Boshe (left) after a misunderstanding, saying: ‘I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me!’
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