Chapter Thirteen Return to Hometown

  Gongsun Zan and other officials of the provincial government welcomed the heavenly envoy to announce the imperial edict. Zhao Yan was rewarded for his loyalty and filial piety, and was posthumously enfeoffed as Marquis of Fu; Gongsun Zan was promoted to Governor of Xuantu Commandery for his contributions in defeating the Xianbei; other officials below the rank of Chief Marshal also received rewards. As for the vacant position of Governor of Liaoxi Commandery, it was filled by Liu, the Taishou of Gaoping Commandery and Gongsun Zan's father-in-law.

  As a result, Gong Sunzong temporarily couldn't leave and had to wait until his father-in-law took office before leaving. He also advised Liu Bei brothers to stay for a few more days before leaving, but Liu Bei was eager to return to Zhuo County, and Gong Sunzong could only give up.

  At the farewell banquet, Liu Ze presented several volumes of Buddhist scriptures that he had copied over the past few days to Gongsun Juan. Although paper was still a relatively valuable commodity during the Eastern Han dynasty, it wasn't a big deal for the Gongsun family. Originally, Liu Ze had planned to copy the scriptures onto paper, but after some thought, he decided to copy them onto bamboo slips instead, which looked more substantial. He only needed to write a few thousand characters to fill up several large volumes. As for the content, it was just excerpts from the Diamond Sutra and the Lankavatara Sutra. Firstly, he didn't have time to copy everything, and secondly, even if he had copied everything, it would be too much to handle, not even a scholar as learned as the Five Carriages could compare.

  Gongsun Yang was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. "I don't know what plans Liu brothers have after returning to their hometown to visit their relatives? If you're not disdainful, the Xuan Tu County is still short of a county officer, I wonder if Liu brothers can condescend to take the position?"

  As soon as this was said, everyone present was shocked. To know that Gongsun Zan was only a small official in the county, and Gongsun Yang gave Liu Ze a high-ranking position in the county with just one word, and it's easy for high-ranking officials to be promoted to county officials. With Gongsun Yang's appreciation and promotion, young Liu Ze must have had a bright future.

  Liu Ze, however, had other plans. Where was Youzhou Prefecture? He hadn't even heard of it before, and only learned from Gongsun Zan a few days ago that Youzhou Prefecture was in the area of modern-day Shenyang, which was an extremely cold and desolate place in the Eastern Han dynasty with sparse population. Since he had already set foot in the Three Kingdoms and become Emperor Liu Bei's brother, there was no reason for him to follow others anymore.

  "Thank you for your kindness, Second Master. However, I have yet to meet my parents below, and must see them first before making a decision."

  Gongsun Yang also did not force it and just smiled.

  Having left Yangping, Liu Bei and Liu Ze spurred on their horses, hastening towards Zhuo County in a cloud of dust.

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  Wu li south of Lousang Village is a large mulberry tree, about 5 or 6 zhang high, with a canopy like clouds.

  "Little brother, do you still remember this old mulberry tree?" Liu Bei pulled on the reins, leading his horse to a stop under the big mulberry tree, and patted the trunk with force.

  "Ah, this must be the famous mulberry tree written about in Chen Shou's 'Records of the Three Kingdoms'. Liu Bei used to play under it with other children when he was young and said things like 'I will ride a chariot with feathered canopy', which earned him a scolding from his uncle Liu Ziren: 'You should not speak such nonsense, speaking like this is a crime punishable by death for nine generations'."

  It seems that this kind of children's game, which no one played in our childhood, is considered a strange thing, but it was seriously recorded by Chen Shou in the "Records of the Three Kingdoms". It was used to illustrate Liu Bei's extraordinary nature as a child. Now, it just seems like a joke. If someone really said something similar, or like Xiang Yu's famous quote when he saw Qin Shi Huang: "He can be taken and replaced." Then, using this to speculate that this person will surely ascend to the throne in the future, then there wouldn't have been only those few hundred emperors in Chinese history. It would have been at least tens of millions.

  Liu Ze shook his head and mumbled something about being Liu Bei's younger brother. How did he know what had happened before?

  Liu Bei smiled and said, "But it was for the sake of brother that I was confused. When my younger brother left home, he was not yet four years old, how could he remember these things?"

  Just as the brothers were talking, a man with a high hat and a wide belt walked up from in front and said from afar: "Has young Master Bei returned from his travels?"

  Liu Bei looked at him and found it was his uncle Liu Yuanqi, so he hastily bowed and said: "Junior nephew has seen uncle."

  Liu Yuanqi's eyes scanned the unfamiliar Liu Ze and asked: "Who is this?"

  "Uncle, this is my long-lost brother Liu Ze. We happened to meet in Liucheng, Liaoxi."

  Liu Yuanqi's face showed a look of surprise, and he grabbed Liu Ze's hand, excitedly.

  "This is indeed Ze Xian, nephew. I didn't expect that in ten years you've grown so tall. Thinking back to the year you got lost at the Lantern Festival, your mother was crying her eyes out and was heartbroken. Fortunately, heaven has shown mercy, and Brother Hong's family will finally have a day of reunion."

  Liu Zeke was a blur, who was this? So enthusiastic, holding his hand and refusing to let go. Liu Bei smiled and introduced: "My brother probably doesn't remember, this is Yuan Qishu, he's a relative of our family, our family was poor, thanks to Yuan Qishu's help, I could attend Lu Gong Academy."

  Liu Yuanqi? Liu Ze, who had read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, was not unfamiliar with this name. This man had a discerning eye and saw that Liu Bei's prospects were boundless, so he took out his money to make a long-term investment. His wife was unhappy and said: "Each family has its own affairs, you can help them for a while, but how can you help them for a lifetime?"

  Liu Yuanqi completely ignored her feminine views and continued to support her as before.

  Liu Ze naturally couldn't help but show some courtesy, Liu Yuanqi said: "You two brothers go back home and see your parents first, I'll be there soon." After finishing speaking, he left directly.

  Having arrived at the gate of his home, Liu Bei was so impatient that he pulled up Liu Ze and pushed open the door to enter.

  He's really going to enter the Liu family, but Liu Ze's heart is a bit apprehensive. Only his mother knows him best, will this fake "Liu Ze" be seen through by his mother? Liu Ze has no idea at all. To be honest, he was completely recognized as a relative by Liu Bei in a passive situation, but he gradually developed a sense of identity with this status. Subconsciously, he really regarded himself as Liu Bei's younger brother. If Madam Deng truly refused to acknowledge him, Liu Ze would really not know what to do.

  The Liu family's courtyard was very small, the wall of the yard was only made of reeds and thatch, the main house was a three-roomed grass house, with two smaller wing rooms on either side, a woman in her thirties sat at the door of the hall embroidering.

  "Mother, look who I've brought back!" Liu Bei shouted as soon as he entered the door.

  The woman raised her head, revealing a smile. Liu Ze only then saw her appearance, although she was dressed in plain clothes and had not applied powder or rouge, but still could not conceal her elegant beauty. Her gaze also fell on Liu Ze's body, and the smile froze for an instant.

  "He... he... is..."

  "Mother, it's Hiroshi! My little brother Hiroshi!"

  "Zhe'er..." The needlework in Deng's hand fell to the ground, and she muttered to herself, as if she didn't dare to believe that all of this was real.

  Liu Ze knelt down in front of her and knocked his head on the ground, saying: "Child pays respects to mother."

  Deng could no longer hold back tears, tightly embracing Liu Ze in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

  A few coughs came from inside the house, and a middle-aged man walked out. He was slender in build and thin in face, looking at everything in front of him with some doubt. Needless to say, this was Liu Bei's father, Liu Hong.

  Liu Bei stepped forward and bowed, reporting to his father how he had met Liu Ze in Liucheng and the various encounters they had there. Of course, in order to show that Liu Ze was indeed his own brother, he specially mentioned that it was only by virtue of the blue birthmark on Liu Ze's left shoulder and the red mole on the sole of his right foot that they had recognized each other.

  When she heard that Liu Ze was beaten by Gong Sunfan in Liucheng and almost died, Deng's family cried even more sorrowfully. While crying, she also blamed Liu Hong for asking this and that, saying that her own child could be recognized at a glance, why did he ask so many questions?

  Liu Hong could only smile and apologize to her, and Deng finally stopped crying and returned to the main room with them. Deng tightly held onto Liu Ze, asking about his well-being and showing concern, her eyes filled with love and pity.

  Liu Ze felt a bit uneasy, although he was now only in a fourteen-year-old body, but his mind was that of a forty-year-old. Being tightly entwined with a woman who was even "younger" than him made him feel somewhat awkward. However, when he saw the white hair at Deng's temples and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, he still felt a tremble in his heart. For so many years, she had been immersed in the pain of losing her child, and her grief and longing had caused her beautiful face to age prematurely. His "mother" really hadn't had an easy time.

  At this time, a loud and clear laughter came from outside the door. "Today is a great day of joy, why are you still crying?"

  Everyone saw that it was Liu Yuan who had come to visit. Deng's family hurriedly wiped away her tears and composed herself, saying: "I am overjoyed and crying, I'm afraid I've made a fool of myself in front of Uncle."

  Liu Yuanqi laughed and said, "Brother Hong, today our family is reunited, it's a great fortune. Ze Xian nephew returns today, it's also a joy for our clan. I've prepared some wine and meat to celebrate." Liu Yuanqi was holding a large jar of wine and a piece of pork.

  "And it's made Yuan Qi's younger brother spend money again." Liu Hong said with a smile.

  "Let's just have a small drink, it's not worth making a fuss about. Today is the day Brother Hong returns after losing his child, we brothers should get drunk together to celebrate."

  Liu Hong said repeatedly that it was good, and Deng had already taken over the wine and meat, and went down to arrange the dishes.

  A narrow wooden bed, a worn-out grass mat, and some simple dishes - this was Liu Ze's first meal back home. In Liaoxi, Liu Ze had learned the Han Dynasty way of sitting - with his knees together, buttocks on his heels, feet flat on the ground, and hands placed on his knees. Although Liu Ze detested this way of sitting, he had to get used to it since he was already there.

  Liu Yuanqi raised his wine cup and said, "Brother Hong, my two virtuous nephews, today is indeed a grand day of joy. Let us drink to the full this cup, celebrating Ze Xian's narrow escape from disaster and his triumphant return to his hometown."

  The wine cup was a three-legged cup, which would be considered an antique in modern times. However, the wine inside was exceptionally murky. Liu Ze secretly wondered if this wine was drinkable. He lightly sipped a mouthful, and it was slightly sour and astringent, but not difficult to swallow. The alcohol content was also very low, similar to rice wine from later generations. Liu Ze, who was used to drinking high-proof baijiu, really wasn't accustomed to drinking this kind of wine.

  Liu Hong was overjoyed and raised his cup for a toast, drinking it all in one gulp.

  Just then, Deng's wife brought over a dish and saw the situation, couldn't help but scold: "Husband, you're still not well, the doctor told you not to drink wine, how could you forget?"

  Liu Hong's face turned yellow, coughing non-stop, he should have contracted a cold, but at this moment, he laughed and said: "When people encounter happy events, their spirits are refreshed. Today, Ze'er can return home, I feel that my body has become much lighter, drinking a few less cups is also no big deal."

  Deng said, "What else can I say?" Liu Yuanqi laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, don't worry too much. Today is a rare happy occasion, and it's okay if Brother Hong has a few drinks less. Don't worry, he'll only have three cups, absolutely no more!"

  Deng said nothing more and went downstairs to cook after reminding them a couple of times.

  Liu Yuanqi took another sip and said, "Brother Hong, from a young age I have always thought that these two nephews of mine are extraordinary. Especially Ze'er, your nephew, at the time of his birth, do you still remember the purple light appearing on our ancestral tomb, with several white cranes dancing around it? Such an auspicious sign is rarely seen in a hundred years. At that time, I said that this child will definitely become rich and noble in the future. Today, Ze'er has returned after experiencing ten years of hardships, isn't it true to the saying that a noble person must experience a thousand difficulties? After this hardship, he will surely rise to great heights, with a bright future ahead."

  Liu Hong coughed lightly and said with a smile, "How could I forget? For the past ten years, every day has been filled with thoughts of him, day and night. His mother has been crying tears every day. Heaven has taken pity on me, allowing me to see Ze'er again. As for wealth and glory, I don't ask for much. I only wish that his brothers can live a peaceful life, and that would be enough for me."