fake gentry

Holding the insignia of the General Who Conquers the South, Tao Zhan walked proudly into the Taiji Hall.

As soon as he entered the hall, he sensed that something was wrong.

He knew everyone in Wang Dun's staff, after all, he and his father had stayed in Wuchang for a period of time.

But why are there three more people than Your Highness?

Yang Zuyan is actually here?

What shocked him most was that Wang Yue and Wang Xizhi were present.

Who in the world doesn't know about the scandalous affairs of the Langya Wang clan? How dare Wang Dao send his eldest son with the most outstanding descendant of the Wang clan to Wuchang?

Aren't they afraid that Wang Dun will detain them and use them to threaten Wuyi Lane?

Tao Zhan, like his father, possessed the demeanor and resourcefulness of Tao Kan, and quickly understood the situation.

not good.

Yang Zuyan and Wang Changyu are here to steal my people.

Judging from the expressions of the people in the hall and the yellow paper scroll in Xie's son's hand, Yang Zuyan probably represented the emperor, while Wang Changyu, as the lecturer of the Eastern Palace, must have been the crown prince's envoy.

Furthermore, the conditions offered by both sides must be extremely generous, and Xie's son has even accepted the emperor's summons.

Of all those in the hall, only Xie's son remained unmoved, which speaks volumes about his character.

The rest of the crowd were either lost in thought, envious, resentful, or simply daydreaming.

Tao Zhan immediately changed his mind.

It seems that the terms for conscription that were previously agreed upon with my father are no longer valid.

Since I hold the tally, I can make a decision with a single word.

With this in mind, Tao Zhan calmly greeted Wang Dun: "I am a military advisor under the General Who Conquers the South, and I pay my respects to the Prime Minister."

Wang Dun looked at Tao Zhan with a forced smile: "Daozhen, I heard that you are a Gentleman Attendant and will soon be entering Jiankang?"

Tao Zhan replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "It is truly unworthy of a person from a humble background to suddenly attain a high position."

Wang Dun laughed and pointed at Xie Hong: "This is Xie Fengzhi. He has also been summoned by the emperor to serve as a Gentleman Attendant. The two of you can enter the capital together."

Tao Zhan was speechless with astonishment.

He could maintain his composure in front of Wang Dun, but when he heard that the emperor had actually summoned Xie Hong to be a junior attendant, he was immediately bewildered, and his expression was momentarily dazed.

The emperor is being far too frivolous.

Has Xie's son answered the summons?

In his letter, the tenth brother praised Xie's son to the skies, which must not be an exaggeration. Therefore, he absolutely cannot accept the summons.

What is the imperial edict in his hand?

When Wang Dun saw Tao Zhan lose his composure, he immediately burst into laughter.

"Daozhen, your father sent you here with an imperial edict. Was it also for the sake of the Xie family's son?"

Yang Man and the others were also taken aback.

Tao Shiheng has also come to recruit Xie's son?

In the imperial court, if we only consider reputation, Tao Kan is undoubtedly number one.

Whether it was Wang Dao, Wang Dun, or any other so-called great scholar, their fame was only associated with the gentry class.

However, Tao Kan's reputation in the court was unmatched, even by Zu Ti.

After all, the Sima clan had no intention of launching a northern expedition, and Zu Ti faced obstacles at every turn, so how could he possibly have a good reputation?

However, Tao Kan rose from humble beginnings to become the governor of Jingzhou, and he managed Jingzhou so well that people would not pick up lost items on the road and would not lock their doors at night. His Jingzhou army was the strongest fighting force under his command, and he had no disloyal intentions. He obediently listened to the court. In the eyes of the Sima family, this was the most loyal minister.

Of course, in terms of real power in Jiangzuo at present, none other than Wang Ahei is more powerful than him.

But everyone knows that Wang Ahei is also wary of Tao Shiheng.

Wang Ahei was only different from Tao Shiheng in terms of background.

Stripped of the glory of the Langya Wang clan, Wang Ahei was no match for Tao Shiheng.

If the Tao family had not been from a poor family, or even a minor aristocratic family, Wang Ahei would not have been chosen as the Grand General, given Tao Kan's achievements.

This is the difference between a powerful minister and a capable minister.

Now even Tao Shiheng wants to recruit Xie's son. Has Xie's son become so famous?

Tao Kan hated empty talk that harmed the country the most, so doesn't this further prove that Xie's son has real talent?

For a fleeting moment, Yang Man blamed the emperor.

Why create such a prestigious and intimidating position? Isn't this pushing away talented individuals who could serve as prime ministers?

Wang Yue was also thinking that he must personally visit Xie Fengzhi afterward and make sure that he became a guest of the Crown Prince so that he could be used by the Crown Prince in the future.

And look at how Tao Shiheng sent his eldest son with the imperial insignia; this is no small matter.

So, what position would Tao give Xie's son?

Tao Zhan's voice rang out in the main hall: "The General Who Conquers the South has not come to recruit Xie Fengzhi."

Tao Zhan then bowed to Xie Hong and said, "Young Master Xie, my father instructed me to tell you that he has ordered me to go to the capital with the imperial edict to recommend you to His Majesty as the Prefect of Jiaozhi."

boom!!!

The room erupted in uproar!

Prefect?

Tao Shiheng is the one who's truly insane.

The prefect was a high-ranking official with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain). Even the imperial court's Yellow Gate Attendant and Palace Attendant were only appointed as prefects when they were sent to other provinces. Only those from high-ranking families who were trusted by the emperor could be appointed as prefects.

While the rank of Sanhuang is indeed extremely noble, it is by no means a high position that a young aristocratic should hold.

Is the secretary's writing room too small for you?

And the prefect...

Even Wang Dun was momentarily confused.

Tao Shiheng's move was too ruthless.

Instead of recruiting, he recommended.

What is a zhengbi?

That is to bring people under one's command.

But a recommendation is completely different.

That was to recommend talented people to the imperial court. Moreover, Tao Shiheng sent his eldest son to the court with imperial credentials, which was an extremely grand gesture.

Once Xie Hong goes to Jiaozhou, what difference is there between this and Tao Shiheng's recruitment?

If you serve under Tao Shiheng, then you're one of his men.

I absolutely will not let you have your way!!

Inside the main hall, almost everyone felt the same thing: absurdity.

Xie Zicheng was indeed a scholar, and perhaps even the best among his peers.

But the prefect...

To give an example, Xie Kun is a prefect, Lu Wan is also a prefect if he is sent to a post outside the capital, and Yang Man, a Yellow Gate Attendant, is also a prefect if he goes out to work.

Wen Qiao was the Prefect of Danyang.

Wang Xizhi's gaze towards Xie Hong changed.

As the most outstanding member of the Langya Wang clan, he never had to worry about his career.

It's not just a matter of being carefree; if a member of the Wang family wants to enter officialdom, he can easily obtain a high position that even lower-ranking noble families could never achieve in their entire lives.

Because of this, Wang Xizhi knew that the Xie family of Chen Commandery was barely even a second-class aristocratic family, yet they would fight over a single son of the emperor, the crown prince, and the two regional governors for positions.

At this moment, the Sage of Calligraphy felt a pang of sadness.

All eyes in the hall were focused on Xie Hong.

Ge Hong was the most excited.

He has a special affection for Guangzhou and is most pleased when Xie Hong goes to Lingnan.

Once Fengzhi goes to Lingnan, she won't need to go to Jiaozhi County to take up her post. She can simply serve as the governor remotely and stay in Tao Shiheng's staff. Then he can naturally return to Luofu Mountain.

But Xie Hong felt a lump in his throat.

Old Tao, you've really gone too far.

Did a pole carry me all the way to Vietnam?

Jiaozhi County.

The Eastern Jin Dynasty continued the Jiaozhou system established by the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Its capital was Longbian County in Jiaozhi Commandery, and it governed seven commanderies: Hepu, Jiaozhi, Xinchang, Wuping, Jiuzhen, Jiude, and Rinan. This covered what is now northern Vietnam and southern Guangxi, making it the most important military and political town on the southern border of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

However, this year, Wang Liang, the governor of Jiaozhou, was killed by Liang Shuo, the prefect of Xinchang County who controlled Jiaozhou. At this time, Jiaozhou was completely out of the control of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

At the end of the year, Tao Kan will send his military advisor Gao Bao to lead troops south to conquer Jiaozhou. Gao Bao will kill Liang Shuo in June of the following year and quell the rebellion in Jiaozhou.

Then the imperial court pulled some questionable moves.

Tao Kan was appointed governor of Jiaozhou for his merits, and Gao Bao also prepared to withdraw his troops from Jiaozhou.

But the imperial court suddenly appointed a new prefect, named Ruan Fang, who was ranked among the Eight Worthies of Jiangzuo along with Xie Kun.

This man was unrestrained and acted extremely. In order to compete with Tao Kan for power, he actually lured and killed Gao Bao.

The result can be imagined.

Gao Bao's men then surrounded and attacked Ruan Fang, who died of fright.

At this moment, Jiaozhou is still in rebellion, and he, as the governor of Jiaozhi, is probably in the same situation as his uncle, the governor of Yuzhang.

Remote collar.

Xie Hong believed that this was definitely not Tao Kan's original intention, but rather Tao Zhan's spur-of-the-moment idea.

He had always wanted to serve under Tao Kan, because only under Tao Kan could he do things and accumulate initial capital.

He might even inherit Tao Kan's military legacy.

But if they start off playing so aggressively, who would dare to take the challenge?

Before Xie Hong could speak, Wang Dun interjected, "Xie Fengzhi, Jiaozhi is the land of the southern barbarians. You will surely die if you go there. Why not appoint you as my chief clerk? I will then appoint you as the governor of Runan."

Everyone in the hall froze.

crazy.

This is insane! This is insane!

Wang Ahei, you are absolutely insane!

Where is Runan Commandery located?