fake gentry

"Did Zhai Daoyuan send Feng Zhi an invitation?"

Xi Zhong looked at the letter Xie Hong handed him and couldn't help but feel very suspicious.

Through these two days of interaction, Xi Zhong fully understood Xie Hong's situation.

Although he was a member of the Xie family of Chen Commandery, he came from a minor clan and was virtually unknown. How could Zhai Tang possibly know his name?

With Xie Hong's appearance, demeanor, and talent, he will surely become famous throughout the world in the future.

But that's in the future.

For gentry sons to make a name for themselves, they had to stand out in various elegant gatherings, intellectual discussions, metaphysical debates, and critical arguments.

Ge Hong also looked at the invitation.

The invitation was made of mulberry bark paper, which was coarse and yellow, and the handwriting was extremely neat.

However, the handwriting is problematic. Zhai Tang's handwriting is not in this style at all. The one on the invitation can only be described as having rounded strokes, while Zhai Tang's handwriting is strictly regulated. The handwriting is Zhai's, but the style is not Zhai Tang's.

"Fengzhi, this letter seems suspicious. Please explain in detail."

Xie Hong put the invitation away and remained silent for a while before recounting how Dong Xuan had come to see him on the mountain.

"How could Zhai Daoyuan, a man of high moral character, have such despicable descendants?"

Ge Hong's expression immediately changed, and he said angrily, "I will write a letter to Zhai Daoyuan to make things difficult for him and sever all ties with him. With such a descendant, the Zhai family will surely perish after two generations. They are not worthy of my attention, Ge Zhichuan."

Xi Zhong also looked quite disappointed.

Zhai Tang enjoyed a very high reputation among the Jiangzuo gentry. Such a family should have had excellent upbringing. However, a son or grandson of his suddenly appeared and actually set a trap for an unknown young man for the sake of mere commercial gain. This was clearly an attempt to get Xie Hong to compete with the grandson of Tu Qin, the Marquis of Xinwu.

The gathering of scholars on the first day of June was specially organized by Tu Qin to make his grandson Tu Xiu famous. Xie Hong went there and was questioned. Should he fight back or not?

With his talent, if he were to retaliate, he would immediately become the absolute protagonist of public opinion.

So where should Tu Qin be placed?

If they do not retaliate, the reputation of the Xie family of Chenjun will be ruined, and then how will Xie Hong face himself?

"Fengzhi, just destroy this invitation. It's better not to go. I won't go either. I'll travel with you and Lord Zhichuan for the next few days."

Xie Hong just smiled and didn't say anything.

He saw further and deeper than Ge Hong and Xi Zhong; there was definitely something unusual behind Dong Xuan sending the invitation.

If it were merely for the benefit of the rock honey, Xie Hong wouldn't take this guy named Zhai Qian seriously, even if he was just using someone else's name to make a big fuss.

This is because the invitation was not sent by Zhai Qian to Dong Xuan.

It was the magistrate of Chaisang County, that fellow named Zhang De.

Who is the magistrate of Chaisang County?

Tao Kan's tenth son, Tao Mao, even if the Zhai family was very proud, they still had to respect Tao Kan's status.

Given the nature of the gentry, the Tao family, being from a humble background, not only suppressed the local gentry but also forced the gentry of Yuzhang County and Jiangzhou to lower themselves and curry favor. This naturally created a conflict between the gentry and commoners.

Tao Mao's high regard for Dong Xuan made Zhai Qian feel slighted towards the Zhai family, but what did that have to do with the county magistrate?

Xie Hong learned from Dong Xuan that Zhang De was a collateral branch of the Yuzhang Zhang clan, a powerful family that had been rooted in Nanchang for over a hundred years and had a complex relationship with the four surnames of Yuzhang.

To reiterate, the aristocratic families are essentially a small circle. They maintain their status and identity through intermarriage and the exchange of benefits. Zhang De must be plotting to seize Tao Mao's position as county magistrate.

Behind the struggle between the aristocratic and the commoner families lay a hidden danger that even Zhai Tang was unaware of.

Xie Hong thought he had become the pretext for the Yuzhang gentry to deal with the Tao family, but little did he know that the other party's target was him and the Xie family of Chenjun.

"Master Xi, what do you think if I were to attend this gathering and discussion?"

Xi Zhong was taken aback for a moment, then gave a wry smile.

The new Marquis of Wu was the Grand Marshal, and in terms of official rank, he was even higher than Wang Dun before he became Chancellor. However, his power was naturally far less than that of Wang Dun, and also less than that of Tao Kan and his own clan leader, Xi Jian.

The Tu family's fief was in Xinwu County, Yuzhang Commandery, and the family had just settled down. Because of Tu Qin, the Tu family held a certain military and political position in Yuzhang Commandery and could be considered a prominent family.

After all, it had a fiefdom.

However, in the eyes of true gentry, the Tu family was no more than a lower-ranking gentry family than a poor family, and even far inferior to local gentry families like the Luo family of Yuzhang, which had a history of hundreds of years.

It's not even comparable to top-tier aristocratic families like the Wang clan of Langya.

But Tu Qin is seventy-six years old this year.

His purpose in making his grandson famous was naturally to arrange his affairs after his death, so as to ensure the smooth continuation of the Tu family line.

In terms of social standing, although the Xie family of Chen Commandery has only just reached the level of a second-class aristocratic family, they can still utterly crush the Tu family.

However, in terms of power and influence, the Xie family was slightly inferior.

If Xie Hong were to sabotage Tu Qin's plan, it would be tantamount to publicly slapping the Tu family in the face, which would essentially make the Xie family and the Tu family enemies.

Xi Zhong raised his head, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly: "Feng Zhi, Zhai Daoyuan is no ordinary hermit. Even Wang Maohong couldn't persuade him to come. There must be a reason behind his willingness to promote Tu Wensi's grandson."

He paused for a moment and then said, "If you insist on going to Zhai Daoyuan's gathering of refined scholars, do you know what that means?"

Xie Hong nodded.

We've offended the Zhai and Tu families.

Xi Zhong's words are quite clear.

Even if Xi Zhong were willing to skip this gathering for Xie Hong's sake, he wouldn't risk offending Zhai Tang and Tu Qin for Xie Hong's sake.

It's one thing to offend Tu Qin, but it's another to offend Zhai Tang.

At least they are not people he can afford to offend.

The reputation of a celebrity is practically unbeatable these days.

So-called refined gatherings, if not attended by famous scholars, are simply elegant affairs involving drinking and composing poetry.

However, with renowned scholars, the sons of aristocratic families could gain evaluation through public opinion, and this kind of evaluation was key to determining their starting point in their future official careers.

In the refined discussions and debates at gatherings, a person's reputation can be determined in just a few words.

If you are praised, your name will become famous throughout Jiangzuo.

If someone says something bad about you, your reputation will be ruined.

Zhai Tang possesses such a voice and influence.

Even Ge Hong deeply agreed with Xi Zhong's words: "It is the best thing that Feng Zhi does not attend the gathering. I also agree with what Lord Xi said, but..." He changed the subject: "I think you should make the decision yourself."

Xi Zhong looked up at Ge Hong in astonishment.

Isn't Ge Zhichuan just stirring up trouble?

"Listen to me, Master Xi," Ge Hong continued, "The invitation was sent in Zhai Daoyuan's name. Regardless of whether it was sent by Zhai Daoyuan or not, Fengzhi only needs to visit with the courtesy due to a junior, and no one can find fault with that. At that time, Master Xi and I can assist Fengzhi. When Fengzhi sees Master Zhai in person, she doesn't need to say anything; she can simply hand over the invitation. Fengzhi doesn't need to deal with anyone at the gathering; she can just leave on her own. In this way, Master Zhai will naturally be grateful to Fengzhi, and the benefits outweigh the drawbacks."

Xie Hong remained silent for a long while.

He knew perfectly well that he was just a nobody, pretending to be a minor member of the Xie clan of Chenjun to amuse himself and fool people. He shouldn't be reckless if his armor wasn't fully stacked.

If one's family background, education, or character is questioned in public at a gathering, any slight misstep in handling the situation could lead to utter disgrace.

This is where Zhai Qian's wickedness lies.

Damn it, you poor bastards have never seen or tasted anything like this. Is a little bit of honey really worth you digging a pit and setting a trap for me like this?

Kidnapping refugees to steal my honey-seeking methods is bad enough, but they also want to kill me.

This is intolerable! Even if my uncle can tolerate it, my aunt can't.

Xie Hong slowly said, "Master Xi, Mr. Zhichuan, I'll go."