Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

After greeting Liu Bei and Lü Bu, Gongsun Zan wore a smug smile, as if he were the undisputed protagonist of the scene, the one everyone looked up to. But when his gaze shifted to Ma Chao, the smile instantly vanished like the tide, replaced by a sullen, arrogant expression. He even began to criticize, "Hmph! I've heard Master has accepted a last disciple, some Ma Chao. He's been rumored to be incredibly talented, both civil and military, and incredibly handsome. Hmph! Yet, you haven't even stepped forward to greet me, Senior Brother? Hmph! I wonder what Master taught you, you're so clueless about etiquette!" He then deliberately puffed out his chest and leered at Ma Chao with a sidelong glance, his arrogance truly sickening.

As for Ma Chao, he just stood there calmly, his eyes as still as a lake, watching Gongsun Zan's clumsy performance of deliberately finding fault, as if everything Gongsun Zan said had nothing to do with him and did not stir up any waves in his heart at all.

Xu Shu, who was standing by, saw Gongsun Zan being so arrogant and domineering, and making things difficult for Ma Chao in such an unreasonable way, and suddenly a nameless fire surged in his heart. He has never been a person who can swallow his anger, so he immediately said sarcastically: "Oh, General Gongsun, you are full of the majesty of your senior brother when you open your mouth, and talk about the relationship between master and apprentice. I just don't know, when Master Lu passed away, where were you, General Gongsun? Humph!" When saying this, Xu Shu raised his head slightly, his eyes showed undisguised contempt and disdain, and the corner of his mouth curled up with a sarcastic smile, as if to say, let's see how you, Gongsun Zan, can quibble.

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Zan's face flushed crimson, his heart aching with shame and anger. He glared at Xu Shu fiercely, his eyes threatening to burst into flames, yet he still managed to defend himself. After all, he was in the wrong regarding the relationship between master and disciple. He stammered, "You... you know nothing! I was in Youzhou at the time, fresh off a fierce battle with Jizhou. It was a battle so intense I was completely exhausted. I was completely overwhelmed, so I couldn't make it to Master's funeral in time to pay my respects. This... this is understandable!" By the end, his voice had subconsciously weakened, clearly losing some of his confidence.

Xu Shu, however, was not willing to give in. Upon hearing Gongsun Zan's far-fetched explanation, he snorted coldly and continued, "Oh? Really? That's a coincidence. My general was also in Tianshui at that time. He had just finished a fierce battle. The brutality of the battle was no less than your battle in Jizhou. But after that, my general rode non-stop, leading only two or three thousand personal guards and light cavalry, rushing back day and night, just to be able to come back to carry the coffin and hold the funeral for the master. So, General Gongsun, don't you think that you are being impolite by doing this? Is it my general who is ignorant of etiquette? Humph!" Xu Shu became more and more excited as he spoke. The expression on his face became more and more stern, and his eyes became more and more sharp. His words were like sharp blades, stabbing straight at Gongsun Zan.

Gongsun Zan was so angry at Xu Shu's words that he was shaking all over. In his rage and shame, his eyes widened as big as copper bells as he stared at Xu Shu, and said viciously: "What a sharp-tongued and corrupt scholar! Humph! Do you think that the sword in my hand is not sharp and I can't kill people?" After that, he suddenly stretched out his hand and drew out the sword from his waist with a "clang". The sword flashed with a cold light in the sunlight. He raised the sword high and was about to attack Xu Shu fiercely. Judging from his posture, he really wanted to kill him.

At this critical moment, seeing this, Ma Chao's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he quickly drew out his sword with a "clang". His figure flashed like lightning, and he took a step forward in an instant. He swung the sword in his hand, and accurately knocked away the sword raised in Gongsun Zan's hand. The sword drew an arc in the air, and with a "puff", it pierced the ground between the two of them, splashing a small cloud of dust. Ma Chao's face was stern, and he looked at Gongsun Zan with ice-cold eyes, but his tone was relatively calm as he said, "Senior brother, this is the first time we meet today, and we haven't had a good chat yet. Even though my counselor's words may be biased and a little rude, why would you go to so much trouble to draw your sword? Don't tell me that you have come all the way here today just to fight with us?" After saying that, Ma Chao still held the sword tightly in his hand, staring at Gongsun Zan coldly. His posture clearly told Gongsun Zan that if he dared to act rashly again, he would not be polite at all.

Outside the city of Chang'an, the atmosphere was extremely tense. The atmosphere between Ma Chao and Gongsun Zan was tense, and there was no trace of the friendship that should exist between brothers meeting for the first time. Both sides were filled with anger, as if they could explode at any moment.

As for Lu Bu, he stood calmly by and watched their fierce confrontation. His expression was calm, without a trace of panic. He just watched the good show unfold quietly, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Liu Bei cast his gaze towards the Emperor. He knew that the Emperor had intended to stir up their anger, but he absolutely did not want to see them come to blows. Sure enough, the Emperor quickly spoke up, "Hey, Generals, you two are both trusted ministers of our court, and you are fellow disciples. How can you be so angry upon meeting each other? Cool down your tempers. There's no such thing as an overnight grudge between disciples, so don't ruin the relationship. Uncle, please help calm you down and stop your anger. We'll all go to pay our respects to Master Lu soon, and this behavior is extremely inappropriate. If Master Lu were to see this, how could he rest in peace?"

As soon as the emperor finished speaking, the two generals, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, sprang into action. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu rushed to Ma Chao's side. Guan Yu looked at Ma Chao sternly, while Zhang Fei urged him urgently, "Mengqi, don't be angry anymore. After all, he's your senior brother. Don't let this upset you."

Meanwhile, Liu Bei was firmly tugging Gongsun Zan aside. Gongsun Zan refused to yield easily. His face flushed crimson, and he tried to struggle, feeling a sense of humiliation. He thought to himself, "I'm a powerful lord after all. How could I possibly swallow this insult from Ma Chao in public?" But how could he possibly be Ma Chao's opponent? The moment they clashed, Ma Chao had easily knocked his sword away. It remained stuck in the ground, mocking his incompetence.

Ma Chao's unyielding attitude truly embarrassed Gongsun Zan. He was so angry that he trembled all over and shouted several times, "This junior brother is so ungrateful. He completely disregards the etiquette of fellow disciples and has no regard for seniority. This is truly unreasonable!"

Liu Bei lowered his voice and said softly, "Brother, don't be like this. Ma Chao's bravery is well-known throughout the world. Don't act rashly. If you still refuse to give up like this, the situation will be difficult to handle if a fight really breaks out." The voice was so small that only Liu Bei could hear it.

Liu Bei continued to pull Gongsun Zan aside, saying, "Brother, although you claim to have brought a hundred thousand troops, look! Ma Chao has already deployed forty to fifty thousand cavalry outside Chang'an alone, and there are another three hundred thousand in Xiliang. Do we really want to break off relations here? If we do, where will this leave Master? And how will the Emperor handle this thorny matter?"

Gongsun Zan actually took Liu Bei's words to heart, but at this moment he lacked a step to step down, so he could only stand there gasping for breath, his chest heaving violently, obviously very angry.

At this stalemate, Liu Bei suddenly spoke loudly, "Alas, we are all fellow disciples, we just didn't know each other well before. The reason you're all so angry today is because we're about to go to pay our respects to our master, and our hearts are filled with grief, so our emotions are a bit out of control. Put away your weapons quickly, and don't let others laugh at you."

At this moment, Zhang Fei took a big step forward, bent down, and pulled out Gongsun Zan's sword that was stuck in the ground. Then he quickly walked over and handed it to Gongsun Zan. Although Gongsun Zan was very reluctant, under the gaze of everyone, he had no choice but to reach out and take the sword. Guan Yu also stood beside Ma Chao, his eyes fixed on Gongsun Zan, until he saw Gongsun Zan put away his sword, and then Ma Chao also sheathed his own sword.

The emperor looked at the tense and tense situation before him, secretly satisfied, and said, "It's getting late. Let's go pay our respects to Master Lu first. After that, we can return to the palace. I have prepared a banquet to welcome Marquis Ji. This was just a minor friction between brothers. Everyone, please don't take it to heart. You are all my trusted ministers, and we must work together to revive the Han Dynasty. Let's not let this matter become a stalemate any longer."

However, after the emperor finished speaking, the two men remained silent. Gongsun Zan remained furious, his face brimming with resentment, clearly still brooding over his recent clash with Ma Chao. Ma Chao, on the other hand, remained as calm as he had been at the beginning, as if the tense confrontation hadn't stirred a single ripple in his heart.

Seeing this, Liu Bei hurried forward and first pulled Gongsun Zan to Ma Chao's side, saying as he walked: "Hey, since the emperor has already ordered us to shake hands and make peace, how can we refuse the emperor's face? Come on, come on, the most important thing now is to go and worship the master together. I think the master's spirit in heaven would certainly not want to see the relationship between us brothers become so stiff." After that, Liu Bei held Gongsun Zan tightly on one side, and reached out to hold Ma Chao on the other side, and forcibly put the matter aside for the time being.

Afterwards, the emperor ordered everyone to rush to Lu Zhi's tomb outside the city of Chang'an. Everyone had to suppress their emotions for the time being. As the team slowly moved forward, the solemn atmosphere still lingered in the air.