fake gentry

Five days ago, a new shop specializing in selling honey appeared in Guanshi, Chaisang County.

The shop owner's surname was Dong. He had no background and was just a stingy man from the countryside.

The honey sold by Dong's Honey Shop is of extremely high quality, all of it is top-grade, premium rock honey.

Top-quality rock honey costs two thousand coins per pound.

The best quality is 2,500 coins per pound.

The markets during the Jin Dynasty were divided into two categories.

One type is the formal government-run market.

In addition to selling everyday goods, the official market also sold silk, high-quality writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones, rare and special products, as well as various imported goods. The consumer group consisted of the gentry and the poor.

Another type is called Caoshi.

This was the most widespread market during the Jin Dynasty. The goods sold were mostly grains, vegetables, poultry, farm tools, and everyday handicrafts. Salt and wine were also sold. Some markets even had food shops. The consumer group was the common people.

In addition, there are also dedicated tea and medicine markets.

The number of registered households in Chaisang County is less than three thousand, and the only local gentry family that can be considered a third-class gentry family is the Zhai family.

However, the third class in Jiangzuo was considered unacceptable by the northern gentry.

Besides the Zhai family, there are several other families in Chaisang County who migrated from the south, such as the Zhang family of Nanyang, the Zong family, and the Xiaozong family of the Zhou family of Runan. The rest are poor families who passed down their Confucian knowledge, like the Dong family. There are no more than fifty such families in the whole county.

Logically speaking, only a handful of aristocratic families could afford rock honey. With thousands of kilograms of honey at an exorbitant price, how could it possibly be sold? Yet, within just a few days, the rock honey from Dong's Honey Shop was in short supply.

The reason is simple: honey is a luxury item. Whether it's bought as a gift, a present, or even used as a bribe, it's a real form of hard currency.

The county magistrate alone purchased at least half of the rock honey from Dong Xuan, while the rest was divided up by several large overseas Chinese families. Almost every day, servants would carry baskets full of money to the door of Dong's honey shop, rushing in to grab the honey as soon as the door opened.

The magistrate of Chaisang County was named Tao Mao, the tenth son of Tao Kan.

The resource allocation rules of the Eastern Jin Dynasty's aristocratic politics were as follows:

High-ranking families would only choose central government positions with high prestige and a good starting point, such as the Crown Prince's tutor or the Minister of Personnel. Even branches of high-ranking families rarely condescended to serve as county magistrates.

Second-class aristocratic families would be recruited by the Crown Prince, princes, generals who established their own offices, and governors of various prefectures.

The third-class gentry were the core group of officials serving as county magistrates in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. They included northern gentry who had crossed the border late, local powerful families, and descendants of fallen gentry.

Even those from humble backgrounds had the opportunity to become county magistrates, but these were all in remote, small counties, and even the third-class gentry disdained to take the position.

As the seat of Xunyang County, Chaisang's magistrate was from a family of at least the third rank of aristocratic class, but Tao Mao was born into a poor family.

Indeed, Tao Kan, the Marquis of Chaisang, who held the positions of governor of several prefectures, commanded tens of thousands of mercenaries, and had a fief of four thousand households, was not even a member of the lowest-ranking aristocratic family.

He was also the only general in the early Eastern Jin Dynasty who, despite coming from a humble background, broke the rule that no one from a poor family could hold a high-ranking position and rose to the top echelons of power.

The next person to be so awesome was Liu Yu, the first emperor of the Southern Dynasties.

Dong Xuan was in a good mood after leaving the county government office.

He thought he should also visit the several prominent families in Chaisang County.

He didn't have the qualifications before, but now Dong Xuan has the confidence to do so.

After visiting each household and presenting them with five catties of rock honey, Dong Xuan successfully gained their favor.

The last person Dong Xuan visited was from the Zhai family.

The clan leader of the Zhai clan in Chaisang was named Zhai Tang. His reputation for high moral character spread throughout Jiangzuo, and even Wang Dao twice recruited him.

However, Zhai Tang refused to serve in the government and chose to live in seclusion in Mount Lu.

Historically, Zhai Tang's son Zhai Zhuang, grandson Zhai Jiao, and great-grandson Zhai Faci, all four generations of the Zhai family, repeatedly refused official appointments, thus leaving behind a reputation for four generations of excellence.

He also had a good friend named Gan Bao, who wrote the first book of supernatural tales in Chinese history. The Seven Fairy Maidens, Dong Yong, Gan Jiang and Mo Xie all came from this book.

This book is called "In Search of the Supernatural".

The Zhai family's residence was located in the west of the city. It was not a large house, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and there was a bamboo grove and several vegetable plots.

An old servant was dozing at the doorway. When he saw a guest arrive, he slowly straightened up and squinted at Dong Xuan, who was dressed in a black, narrow-sleeved official robe.

Who are you?

Dong Xuan, with a forced smile, bowed deeply and then presented his visiting card: "I, Dong Xuan, bring gifts to see the young master of the Zhai family."

Even if a person from a humble background is a powerful family, they will be treated differently when they visit the lowest-ranking aristocratic family. The aristocratic family will never lower themselves to associate with a person from a humble background.

Even someone as powerful as Xi Jian, who could make Wang Dao lower himself to marry a woman from the Xi family and have all the sons of the Wang family line up to choose her, still couldn't stop the Langya Wang family from looking down on the Gaoping Xi family.

After Xi Xuan married Wang Xizhi, they were deeply in love. However, when Xie An and Xie Wan visited the Wang family, the Wang family went to great lengths to entertain them. But when Xi Xuan's younger brothers Xi Yin and Xi Tan came to the Wang family, they were treated with disdain. Xi Xuan was so angry that she told her brothers, "Have some self-respect! Why do you have to come here and put up with other people's attitudes? Don't come here again."

Dong Xuan presented his calling card and then offered a gift.

When visiting aristocratic families, it is also necessary to present gifts; otherwise, it would be beneath one's dignity.

The rock honey that Dong Xuan prepared for the Zhai family was of the highest quality, golden and translucent, without any impurities, and worth more than ten thousand coins.

The old servant took the visiting card and the honey, then looked at Dong Xuan and said, "Please allow me to announce your arrival."

Dong Xuan immediately straightened his clothes and stood obediently at the door to wait.

They waited for a quarter of an hour before they heard footsteps coming from inside the door. A slender man in his twenties with a fair complexion came out.

The other man looked at Dong Xuan with an aloof expression, a slight downward curve to his lips, conveying undisguised contempt: "So you are Dong Xuan?"

Dong Xuan quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Young Master Zhai, I apologize for the intrusion..."

The man was Zhai Qian, the second son of Zhai Tang and the current head of the Zhai family.

He interrupted Dong Xuan without any politeness: "Do you own that honey shop in the East Market?"

"It is indeed I," Dong Xuan said respectfully. "A few days ago, Xie Hong, a young master of the Xie family of Chen Commandery, found some top-quality rock honey in the mountains and traded it with me. My first thought was to bring it to Lord Zhai to try."

"Is that so?" Zhai Qian stood with his hands behind his back, coldly staring at Dong Xuan as if Dong Xuan were some kind of enemy. "You said you're the first to visit the Zhai family?"

Dong Xuan naturally noticed the other party's unusual behavior and was taken aback.

He suddenly seemed to understand something.

broken!

"Hehe, it's really kind of you to think of me, Lord Dong. I thank you on behalf of my father. Actually, even if you hadn't come, I was planning to visit you in person. But since you're here, I have to ask you, what do you take me, Lady Zhai, for? A beggar dog?"

Dong Xuan was taken aback and looked at the other party with great fear: "What do you mean by that, my lord? Even if I had the greatest courage in the world, I would not dare to slight you, my lord, much less the Zhai family."

Zhai Qian stared at Dong Xuan and sneered repeatedly.

Dong Xuan inwardly groaned.

I made a big mistake.

In Chaisang County, the Zhai family of Xunyang was the true first aristocratic family, but with the rise of the humble Tao family, the Zhai family was completely overshadowed.

Who was Tao Kan, the patriarch of the Tao clan?

Even the emperor had to put on a smiling face when he saw him; he was a fierce man who dared to go against General Wang Dun. Yet, not a single member of the Zhai family held an official position.

Then, several aristocratic families who migrated south settled in Chaisang. They were rich and powerful, and they ostentatiously seized land and property. They not only looked down on the Zhai family, but they also disregarded the Tao family, which was the most powerful family in Jiangzhou at the time.

Even when County Magistrate Tao Mao paid a visit, the other party refused to accept his visiting card, which infuriated Tao Mao but he was helpless.

Tao Kan rose to power through military achievements, from a corrupt county official to the Marquis of Chaisang, governor of several prefectures, wielding considerable military power and becoming a formidable figure in the Jiangnan region.

However, aristocratic families never considered the size of an official's rank when determining social standing.

A person from a humble background is still a person from a humble background. Even if he becomes a great general, the aristocratic families will still call him a dog behind his back.

Although the Zhai family was renowned, they were now being ostracized by the overseas Chinese elites and overshadowed by the newly powerful Tao family. They were caught in the middle and suffered from both sides. When Dong Xuan finally visited them, he was directly humiliated by the narrow-minded Zhai Qian.

Zhai was poor but had a reputation. A mere lowly shrew thought he had gotten close to the Xie family of Chen County and dared to look down on Zhai.

What kind of people are the Xie family of Chenjun?

Who is Xie Hong anyway? He will be utterly ruined.