This paper examines the possibility of Zhu Youdun 朱有燉 having access to the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (hereafter referred to as the novel) at the time when he composed the drama entitled Guan Yunchang Righteously and Bravely Refuses Gold 關雲長義勇辭金 (hereafter referred to as the drama). By comparing the depiction of the character Xiahou Dun 夏侯惇 in the two works, we believe that the novel did not exist in 1416. Zhu's characterization was based essentially upon the negative portrayal of Xiahou in traditional works such as the Sanguozhi pinghua 三國志平話, where he was cast in a role completely different from what we find in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This paper examines three episodes in these two works: (1) the officer whom Guan Yu 關羽 defeats before he kills Yan Liang 顏良; (2) the person who blinds Xiahou, and (3) the farewell letter penned by Guan Yu. All three cases show that Zhu possessed no awareness of these details in the novel, which leads one to conclude that the novel did not exist in 1416. The date of its composition would have to be within the period of 1435- 1457. Its authorship, generally attributed to 羅貫中 (1330-1400), would also have to be refuted.