fake gentry

Yang Man opened the imperial edict in front of everyone.

Disciples:

I have heard that emperors, when ruling the world, honor the virtuous to show their merits and select the capable to establish their dynasty. Therefore, those whose merits reach the heavens are granted a full fief, and those whose achievements are lofty are granted the title of marquis.

We hereby acknowledge Xie Hong of Chenjun, a man of pure and refined character, with a simple yet far-sighted mind. He remains steadfast in both safe and dangerous situations, and spreads benevolence and kindness throughout the Jiangnan region. His calculations benefit the people, and he has established numerous merits to be enshrined in the temple.

I hereby appoint Yang Man, the Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate, to enfeoff you as the Marquis of Duxiang, with a fief of one thousand households. You shall obey my command and ensure the perpetual continuation of the Jin dynasty. How can you not be cautious?

Everyone in the hall wondered if there was something wrong with their ears.

Starting from the Cao Wei period, noble titles became commonplace.

The Han dynasty didn't have so many rules; it was just dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons.

Marquises were divided into Marquises within the Pass and Marquises of the Realm.

Nowadays, even dukes are divided into county dukes and prefectural dukes. Marquises are further divided into four ranks.

County Marquis: Third rank; Township Marquis: Fourth rank; Pavilion Marquis: Fifth rank; Marquis within the Pass: Sixth rank.

The township marquises and pavilion marquises were each divided into two categories.

To be honest, even though the titles of nobility in the Jin dynasty were commonplace and basically just honorary titles, no one would dislike them.

Xie Kun was the first person from the Xie clan of Chen Commandery to be granted the title of Marquis, which led to the rise of the Xie clan.

Ge Hong was a general who made great contributions in battle, but he only received a consolation prize as the Marquis of Guannei.

Lu Wan hasn't even reached the threshold of being granted a noble title yet.

Of course, he didn't know that he would be granted the title of Earl of Xingping in a few years.

Yang Man himself did not have a title, but his ancestor Yang Hu did pass down the title of Marquis of Nancheng, but unfortunately it did not fall to him. It will be inherited by his son Yang Ben in the future.

The fact that the emperor and the crown prince each offered high-ranking officials of the third rank to recruit Xie Hong was already astonishing.

Now the emperor has even bestowed upon Xie Hong the title of Marquis of Duxiang.

On what grounds?

What are the calculation rules? What are the thank-you amounts?

It should be noted that many renowned ministers in the central government did not hold such a prestigious title.

What right does Xie have?

Wang Han, Wang Ying, Qian Feng, and the others looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock, jealousy, and resentment.

Lu Wan, Guo Pu, Ge Hong, and the others were first astonished, then delighted, and then their feelings became extremely complicated.

Wang Yue was dumbfounded, while Wang Xizhi became extremely excited.

He wasn't happy for Xie Hong; he just felt that if Xie's son could be granted a marquisate, why couldn't he, Wang Yishao?

If the emperor knew my abilities, he might just grant me the title of county marquis.

I will work hard to completely outdo Xie's son.

Yang Man smiled at Xie Hong: "Young Master Xie, are you still going to resign?"

Ge Hong suddenly coughed softly and repeatedly winked at Xie Hong.

Xie Hong immediately understood and nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Your Majesty, I am but a humble and ignorant subject, lacking any extraordinary virtue in my youth. I was unaware of the good fortune I had received and the auspicious opportunities I had encountered. Your Majesty's reign has been resounding, bringing about a new era in governance. Your ministers are wise and virtuous, and now the Emperor has bestowed upon me such great favor, granting me the title of Marquis of Duxiang, with a fief of a thousand households. I humbly reflect upon myself, having neither served in the military nor achieved any merit in the court. To suddenly receive this title and rank would be to display my personal ambitions to the world. Although I cherish Your Majesty's grace, I dare not accept this decree."

Yang Man held up the imperial edict and said, "Your refusal is denied."

Xie Hong resigned again, but Yang Man refused to allow it.

After this was done three times, Xie Hong finally knelt down to express his gratitude and accepted the imperial edict with both hands.

This scene left everyone in the hall speechless.

Is Xie's son now the Marquis of Chengdu?

Wang Han squinted at Xie Hong, seemingly wanting to kill the boy with his eyes.

Wang Ying's face suddenly contorted into a ferocious expression, as if his internal organs were being twisted.

He couldn't kill Xie Hong before, and now he's even less able to.

He was not like Wang Dun, who could arbitrarily execute court officials.

Although Xie Hong did not hold an official position, he did have a fourth-rank noble title.

Everyone looked at Xie Hong, and at the same time, the same thought popped into their minds.

It seems this boy is very likely to be able to do what the Langya Wang clan could not.

That was... the leader of the northern and southern gentry.

Despite Wang Dao's tireless efforts and maneuvering, he could only barely manage to bring the southern gentry under the imperial family's control. However, this harmony was superficial, and the rift between them was as deep as an chasm.

This is the limit that Director Wang can achieve.

But Xie's son is only sixteen years old. It is said that he formed a society in Lushan and won over the gentry from both the north and south, making him their leader.

What will he be like when he turns thirty?

Whether it's Wang Dao or Lu Wan, these scholars held high positions and were very famous, but they lacked Xie Hong's merits.

That's youth.

The higher the social standing of a scholar, the more arrogant they are. People like Wang Huzi and Wang Biaozhi don't even bother to speak to their peers from lower-ranking aristocratic families.

Lu Shi was the same way, as proud as a fighting rooster. If you didn't meet his standards, he could humiliate you to the point of wanting to kill you.

Even the good-tempered Lu Na only tried to get close to Xie Hong at first sight because Xie Hong was handsome and had a good demeanor.

If it were someone else, he wouldn't even give them a second glance.

For the Sima family, Xie Hong's fame didn't mean anything.

Can fame govern a country or something?

What Sima Rui and Sima Shao truly valued was Xie Hong's talent.

For the Sima family, Xie's Calculation Rules and Xie's Numbers were worth more than a Marquis of a Township; they would have been willing to give them even a County Duke's title.

Don't underestimate the Sima clan; they're just naive, not stupid.

Which aristocratic family today doesn't regard knowledge as a closely guarded family treasure? It might even become the foundation of a family.

And what did Xie's son do?

He actually took out "Xie's Calculation Rules" and spread it throughout the world.

This alone makes him even more worthy of the Sima family's court than those so-called famous scholars.

Are Xie's Calculation Method and Xie's Calculation Rules important?

Who gets the points?

That was extremely important to the Sima family.

This is a method that can bring order to the world.

Wang Dun's feelings at this moment can be described as complex.

The emperor is really going all out!

A title of Marquis of Duxiang was given to a sixteen-year-old child.

Aside from inheriting a title, who else could be granted a title at such a young age as Xie's son, based on his own talent and learning?

He also studied Xie's Calculation Rules and Xie's Numbers with Qian Feng.

The combination of the two was nothing short of miraculous; for Wang Dun, coordinating logistics was absolutely of paramount importance.

An army marches on its stomach.

Just how much knowledge does this child possess? Is this really the kind of learning a child should have?

Wang Dun was no country bumpkin; he dared to defecate on the emperor's neck.

Throughout the world, who can compare to the son of the Xie family?

Wang Dun couldn't find anyone who resembled Xie Hong.

Not to mention himself, even Wang Yifu and Wang Maohong cannot compare to him.

Yu Yuangui could barely compare to Xie's son in terms of appearance.

No, I absolutely cannot let such a scholar escape from my grasp.

All the famous scholars in the world must be brought into my fold.

Just as Wang Dun's thoughts were wandering, the armored soldiers outside the palace entered again.

"Prime Minister, the General Who Conquers the South has sent an envoy with imperial credentials."

Wang Dun suddenly looked up: "Tao Shiheng?"

He was not afraid of the emperor, and there were few people he could be wary of.

Zu Ti is one, and Zhou Fang is another.

After the two men died, he was only wary of Tao Kan, so much so that he even wanted to kill him several times.

Tao Kan sent an envoy with an imperial tally, which meant that the envoy represented Tao Kan himself, who commanded 100,000 troops.

Who is this visitor?

What are you here for?