Chapter 6: Confrontation

  Wait, Liu Ze is familiar with the history of the Three Kingdoms. Neither the Records of the Three Kingdoms nor the Romance of the Three Kingdoms has ever mentioned that Liu Bei had a younger brother. What's going on here? A thought flashed through Liu Ze's mind - even if there's no record in historical materials, it doesn't mean Liu Bei didn't have any brothers. In ancient times, there was no family planning policy, and if you really wanted to find some only children, that would be extremely rare. Although the birth rate was high back then, so was the mortality rate, and many children died young before reaching adulthood. Maybe Liu Bei really did have a younger brother who went missing.

  At this thought, Liu Ze's heart felt warm and fuzzy. He had originally thought that he would be all alone in the Han Dynasty with no one to rely on, but unexpectedly, a brother had fallen from the sky. And this brother was also super awesome. Although he was nothing now, in the future, he would become an emperor, and following him around would at least get him a title like king or marquis, which was already not bad for a reincarnated person.

  However, since he had bitten off Gongsun Fan's finger, this guy would never let him off easily. It was a fool's dream to expect Liu Bei, who was now one-armed and weak, to protect himself. The only person who could possibly save him now was Gongsun Zan, but it was unknown how close Liu Bei and Gongsun Zan were. Would Gongsun Zan be willing to turn against his own brother for the sake of an insignificant outsider? And considering Gongsun Zan's current position in the Gongsun family, did he have enough authority to speak up? The situation looked precarious!

  Liu Ze, who had already steeled himself for certain death, was as calm as still water, but this sudden unexpected turn of events made him see a glimmer of hope again, and his mood became anxious instead. Anyway, he first acknowledged this brother before doing anything else.

  Liu Bei cried so hard that his tears flowed like a burst dam, and he couldn't stop them no matter how hard he tried. Liu Ze could only patiently wait for him to finish venting, forcing out two tears of his own as he sobbed: "Today, being able to meet with Big Brother is truly the heavens' blessing; even if Little Brother were to die today, he would have no regrets."

  "Don't worry, little brother. Even if I have to sacrifice my own life, I will ensure your safety." At this moment, Liu Bei also realized the predicament Liu Ze was in, and while comforting him, he cast a pleading glance at Gongsun Zan.

  Without Liu Bei saying another word, Gongsun Zan also understood implicitly. He hesitated for a moment, then strode swiftly towards Gongsun Fan and said in a deep voice, "Third brother, I have an unreasonable request to make of you."

  Gongsun Fan was sitting on a stool at this time, with his legs crossed and his eyes slanted to watch what was happening over here.

  "Hey, don't be so presumptuous! When have you ever had the nerve to ask me to lower myself like this? Since brother has already spoken, how can I, as his younger brother, refuse his request? However...” Gong Sunfan's face sank, and he drew out his words, “If brother is speaking up for that little thief, it would be better if you didn't bother opening your mouth. Otherwise, I won't care about our fraternal bond!"

  Gongsun Zan and he didn't get along well in the first place, so he knew this matter couldn't be resolved with just a few words. However, Liu Bei was his classmate and their relationship was very close. Since Liu Ze was Liu Bei's younger brother, then he absolutely couldn't stand by and do nothing.

  "Third brother, killing someone is just a matter of a nod, but you've injured him so badly. Give your foolish older brother some face and let him off this time, how about it?"

  "Let him off?" Gong Sun Fan raised his right hand, which had a severed index finger, and gritted his teeth. "Who can return this finger to me? I wouldn't mind letting him off! Otherwise, with his lowly status as a pig or dog, even being minced into meat paste couldn't compensate for half of my finger."

  Gongsun Zan hesitated for a moment, and this severed finger could not be reattached. Gongsun Fan's request seemed rude, but it was impossible to refute, after all, Liu Ze had bitten off his finger. Liu Bei stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said with a smile: "This matter is indeed my brother's fault first, I am willing to cut off one of my own fingers to ask Master Gongsun to spare my brother's life."

  As soon as he heard this, Liu Ze's heart suddenly warmed up. It is said that the relationship between brothers is deep and true, it seems that it is not false. Liu Bei is willing to cut off his finger to atone for his newly recognized brother, just this kind of righteousness is precious enough. Having relatives is good! Liu Ze sighed deeply in his heart.

  Even Gong Sun Zan couldn't help but change his expression, and he whispered to Liu Bei: "Younger brother, please retreat for the time being, I have my own plan."

  But Gongsun Fan didn't buy it, and with a look of disdain, he sized up Liu Bei before sneering: "Who do you think you are? With just that broken finger of yours, you're worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as me?"

  Gongsun Zan said seriously: "Third brother, you must not be rude. This is a member of the imperial family of Han, a descendant of Zhongshan Jingwang and Liu Bei of Zhuo County."

  "Alas, is the Han royal family not worthy of respect? Is the King of Zhongshan not worthy of respect? Bah! Even if imperial relatives came, what would it matter? Today, even if I were to speak out against the heavens, unless you return my severed finger, don't think about letting me off!" Liu Bei wore ordinary clothes, and Gong Sunfan really didn't take him seriously. How could he swallow this insult of having his finger cut off, when the Gong Sun family was used to being all-powerful in Liaoxi?

  "No matter what, they are still friends of my Grandson Zan. My third brother was also seriously injured, so I'll give my foolish brother some face and consider this matter settled. As for how my third brother will compensate, just speak up, and as long as it's something I can do, I'll definitely make an effort."

  "Hmph, Gong Sunzhan, my brother, I've lost a finger, and you don't help me seek justice. Instead, you keep speaking on behalf of outsiders. What kind of brother are you? You even want me to give you face? You're born from a lowly woman, and you're worthy?"

  Gongsun Zan's face turned iron-green, Gongsun Fan's words had insulted his ancestors, and no matter how high a person's self-cultivation was, they couldn't remain silent any longer. "Gongsun Fan, watch your mouth! If you continue to spout nonsense, don't blame me for turning ruthless!"

  Gongsun Fan still had a frivolous appearance, coldly smiling and saying: "Gongsun Zan, are you seeking me? Seeking me with this attitude? Your family's indeed arrogant and overbearing."

  Gongsun Zan suppressed the anger in his heart, thinking that he indeed needed him now and it was not convenient to turn against him. So he said: "Third brother, I apologize for my previous words which were wrong, please forgive me. This young brother is impulsive and has offended you, please be magnanimous."

  Gongsun Fan burst out laughing and said, "Alright! I wouldn't dare not give my brother face. This is what we'll do: originally, I was thinking of skinning this little thief alive and making him into a human lantern, but since my brother has spoken up, let's just give him a quick death instead. You guys, chop off his head and throw it to the back mountain to feed the wolves!"

  Several soldiers under his command were about to step forward, but saw Gong Sunyan's furious eyes and loud rebuke: "Who dares!" They were so frightened that they trembled all over, stopping there to look at Gong Sunyan, then looking at Gong Sunfan, neither advancing nor retreating.

  Gongsun Fan drew a ring-headed knife from the waist of a nearby soldier and shouted: "Then I'll do it myself, I'd like to see who dares to stop me from avenging myself!"

  Gongsun Zan drew out the sword at his waist and stood in front of Liu Ze, saying in a deep voice: "Want to kill him? First get past me!"

  "You - Gong Sun Zan! I'll fight you to the death!" Gong Sun Fan roared in uncontrollable anger, raising his ring-headed knife as if to chop down.

  Gongsun Zan smiled coldly and said disdainfully: "You think you can? Then try first?"

  Gongsun Fan held a knife in his left hand, the knife hovering in mid-air, unsure whether to chop down or not. To say nothing of his injured right hand, even if he were uninjured, three of him would be no match for Gongsun Zan. Cold sweat suddenly broke out on his face, but if he retreated today, he would lose too much face.

  Just as Gong Sun was hesitating, a loud shout came over: "Halt!" Gong Sun Fan dismounted his donkey and took a step back, putting down his knife and said respectfully: "Uncle."

  It was Gongsun Zan who arrived, he was in charge of all affairs in Liu City and Wu Fortress. He had just received a report from his subordinate that the two princes had a conflict, so he rushed over. Seeing Gongsun Zan and Gongsun Fan with their swords drawn, he hastily intervened to stop them.

  "What's going on between you two brothers, why are you quarreling to the point of drawing swords?"

  Gongsun Fan, the wicked man, spoke out first and said: "Uncle, it's like this: today I sent someone to capture the fleeing civilians outside the city. They saw this little thief sneaking around suspiciously, thinking he might be a Xianbei spy, so they captured him and brought him back for questioning. Who would have thought that this little thief spoke nonsense and refused to admit anything? Instead, when I was off guard, he bit off one of my fingers! Please, uncle, do justice for me."

  Gongsun Zan looked at his wound and comforted him, saying: "Fan'er, don't worry, I have a way to deal with this." He turned around and looked at Gongsun Zan, smiling and saying: "Zan'er, isn't he just a spy? Why did you brothers become enemies because of him?"

  In front of his elders, Gong Sun Zan didn't dare to draw his sword again. He quickly sheathed it and paid his respects, saying: "I'll report back to Uncle, this young brother is the younger brother of a friend of mine, and he's also a member of the Han imperial family, a descendant of Zhongshan Jing Wang. What spy could he be? Third Brother didn't distinguish between right and wrong and brought him back, using severe torture to extract a confession, beating him until his whole body was covered in wounds. In the chaos, Third Brother's finger was accidentally injured. Third Brother wants to take his life, but I, Gong Sun Zan, had to intervene to stop him."

  "Ah, he is actually a member of the imperial clan? But I don't know what position his father holds?" It was said that Liu Ze was a descendant of the imperial family, and Gongsun Xun was also very interested.

  His family's ancestors lost their marquisate due to the downfall of the Jin dynasty, and had lived in Zhuo County for several hundred years. His father currently serves as a secretary in the Zhuo County government. Gongsun Zan reported this fact.

  Gongsun Zan let out a soft snort and didn't say anything else. If Liu Ze's father was a high-ranking official of the imperial court with a salary of 2,000 dan or more, Gongsun Zan would have to consider it carefully. But as the county clerk, he was just a minor official, not even worth mentioning.

  Gongsun Fan's face lit up with excitement, and he hastily said: "Uncle, this little thief actually dares to run to our Gongsun family's territory to cause trouble. If we don't chop him into eight pieces, it will be hard to vent the hatred in my heart."

  Gongsun Xun glanced at him and said calmly, "Fan'er, don't worry, I'll handle it fairly." As the head of the Gongsun family, he naturally had the right to decide on family matters. Although Gongsun Fan was unwilling in his heart, he could only retreat with a sullen expression.

  Liu Bei looked at Gongsun Zan hastily, wanting to say something, but was stopped by a glance from Gongsun Zan. Now it's Gongsun Zan's turn to take charge, and Gongsun Zan had no reason to draw his sword like before. Firstly, one should not be rude in front of elders, and secondly, Gongsun Zan knew that Gongsun Zan was a kind and fair person who handled matters fairly. For now, the only option was to listen to his decision.

  Everyone's eyes were focused on Gong Sunzhen, even Liu Ze, who was crawling on the ground, waiting for this thin and frail old man to make a final judgment.

  Gongsun Zhan coughed and said, "The actual situation is already quite clear. It should be a misunderstanding. Fan'er mistakenly took this young brother as a spy and brought him back. Although it's an extraordinary period, it's better to be cautious than to let the guilty go free. This young brother bit off Gongsun Fan's finger, which was also an accidental injury. Although he was wrong, his crime is not punishable by death. Cut off one of his arms as punishment!"