Si Fan 司蕃

In Chapter 107 of the Romance, when Sima Yi rises up and shuts the gates of Luoyang, Cao Shuang's Major Lu Zhi (魯芝) and Army Adviser Xin Chang lead several dozen horsemen, cut their way through the barrier and force a gate to get out. Hearing of this, Sima Yi fears that Huan Fan too will flee and hastily sends men to summon him. Following his son's advice that, since the Son of Heaven's carriage is outside, it would be better to go out to the south, Huan Fan mounts his horse and reaches the Pingchang Gate, but the gate is already shut, and the officer guarding it is Si Fan, his former subordinate official. Romance, Ch. 107 §5 · 7

When Huan Fan takes a bamboo tablet from his sleeve and says that there is an edict of the Empress Dowager and the gate must be opened at once, Si Fan says that he will verify the edict if he is shown it. Huan Fan rebukes him: 'You are my former subordinate; how dare you act like this!' and Si Fan has no choice but to open the gate and let him out. Once outside the city, Huan Fan calls to Si Fan that the Grand Tutor has rebelled and that he should follow him quickly; greatly startled, Si Fan gives chase but cannot catch him. Hearing this, Sima Yi is greatly alarmed, saying that the bag of wisdom has leaked out, and Jiang Ji says that a worn-out nag pines for the beans in its stable, so his plan will surely go unused. Romance, Ch. 107 §7–8

When the Cao Shuang brothers enter the city, Sima Yi, from horseback, points his whip at Huan Fan, who has reached the side of the floating bridge, and asks, 'Grandee Huan, why did you do this?' Huan Fan lowers his head and enters the city without a word. After Sima Yi has obtained the confession of the eunuch of the Yellow Gate Zhang Dang, arrested and interrogated He Yan and the others, and put them in long cangues, Si Fan, the officer who had guarded the city gate, reports that Huan Fan forged an edict to leave the city and loudly declared that the Grand Tutor was plotting rebellion. Saying that one who falsely accuses another of rebellion must himself receive that punishment, Sima Yi has Huan Fan and the others thrown into prison as well, and the three Cao Shuang brothers and the criminals implicated with them are beheaded in the marketplace and their clans exterminated to the third degree. The Romance says nothing more about Si Fan after this. Romance, Ch. 107 §20 · 22–23