fake gentry

We traveled at a leisurely pace until the end of Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

Suddenly, a somewhat urgent call came from the roadside: "Young Master Xie, Young Master Xie."

Xie Hong looked in the direction of the voice, then smiled and waved to Dong Xuan, saying, "Lord Dong, come and ride with me."

The surrounding scholars all looked over, and Dong Xuan was immediately flattered and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "I dare not, I dare not!"

He immediately followed the oxcart and held onto the shaft with his hand.

Seeing that even the clan chief dared not get on the carriage, Ah Heng, who was sitting in the carriage, immediately wanted to get off and walk, but Xie Hong stopped her and asked in a low voice, "Lord Dong, have you found out?"

"My lord, I offered Magistrate Tao fifty catties of fine honey, and he finally relented."

Xie Hong couldn't help but grin.

A pound of top-quality rock honey costs two thousand coins, so fifty pounds would cost about one hundred thousand coins.

Tao Yuanming, oh Tao Yuanming, your grandfather was truly ruthless! Since that's the case, don't blame me for playing you for a fool.

"Explain in detail."

Dong Xuan glanced around somewhat fearfully, his voice so low that only Xie Hong could hear him: "Young master, the Zhou Prefect is the head of this county, and other families such as the Tao, Zhai, and Lei families, as well as the Zhang, Zong, and Zhou families who are residing here, all have scholars attending the gathering. Most of them are unknown people."

Xie Hong looked up and smiled, "What about Yuzhang Prefecture?"

"The heads of the four clans of Yuzhang will bring their sons and nephews, as will other gentry such as the Xu family. The Marquis of Xinwu will not attend in person to avoid suspicion. As for the others, Magistrate Tao, it is unknown."

Who are these so-called famous scholars?

"Uh... The first one is naturally Lord Daoyuan, he should be the leader. His eldest son, Zhai Zhuang, has the same style as his father and is known as the second Zhai Tang."

"There is also Gu He and Gu Junxiao of Wu County, who are the nephews of Gu Rong, a leader of the southern gentry, and are famous throughout Jiangzuo."

Xie Hong's heart skipped a beat.

Gu He was called the "unicorn of our family" by Gu Rong when he was two years old, who said that he would bring prosperity to the family. He first served as an official under Wang Dao, and rose to the position of Situ Yuan. Next year, he will serve as Wang Dun's chief clerk and chief secretary, which is equivalent to replacing Xie Kun.

"Then there is Zhu Faqian, the foremost scholar outside the secular world, who is said to have been invited by the Marquis of Xinwu three times."

Xie Hong was taken aback again.

Tu Qin really goes to great lengths to promote his grandson.

This Zhu Faqian was no ordinary person. He came from the Langya Wang clan and was the younger brother of Wang Dun. He became a monk at the age of eighteen and was a famous monk and scholar in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

These three individuals alone, if present at any gathering of scholars, would become a celebrated story.

Gu He and Zhu Faqian can be seen as representatives of the top gentry in the North and South, while Zhai Tang is the foremost scholar of high moral character.

As Dong Xuan spoke, he noticed that Xie Langjun seemed to be lost in thought and was not listening attentively.

He couldn't help but feel sorry for the fifty catties of rock honey he had given away.

One hundred thousand coins! These weren't small, privately minted coins, but five-zhu coins—a real fortune. If he hadn't received Xie Hong's instructions when he went down the mountain that day, he would never have been willing to part with them.

Let alone 100,000 coins, he would feel the pinch even if he gave away 20,000 coins.

Xie Hong slowly came to his senses and noticed that Dong Xuan was looking at him with a strange expression. He smiled and asked, "Is there anyone else?"

"The rest are just passing scholars, and even Magistrate Tao may not know them."

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Dong."

After another half hour, the oxcart could no longer move forward. The roadside was full of oxcarts that had stopped, and the servants of each household drove the oxen to graze nearby.

Xie Hong had no choice but to get off the oxcart, entrust it to Dong Xuan, and then lead Liu Chong and the other two to begin climbing the mountain.

Huangshiyan is located not far away on the mountainside. Although it doesn't look far, the winding mountain road is full of people, almost one group after another. You can also see many young nobles singing and laughing loudly by the roadside.

Further ahead, soldiers sent by the Xunyang Prefect were maintaining order. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the young gentry, these soldiers were not even as good as dogs. Who would dare to question the unruly scholars?

Xie Hong caused a stir wherever he went, and others who saw his demeanor and appearance inevitably felt ashamed of themselves.

Even the young soldiers dressed in the most luxurious clothes lowered their postures and stood by the roadside to bow to Xie Hong when they saw him pass by, wondering in their hearts who this gentleman was.

When it comes to showing off, Xie Hong dares to say he's second to none; in this era, absolutely no one dares to claim to be first.

Standing among these nobles and scholars, the She Niu from the information explosion era 1,700 years later is so outstanding that even saying it stands out from the crowd is an understatement.

Liu Chong led the way with Xie Hong's Han sword. Every few steps, the young soldiers would salute and point the way. He felt a strange mix of sadness and a sense of shameful pride.

He was once a gentleman from a noble family.

Even at the height of his fame, he never received such treatment.

Now he still takes pride in using someone else's power to intimidate others.

Dai Jing, Dai Zhuozhi, you are despicable!

A surge of determination rose within Liu Chong: "One day I will restore the Dai family's former glory!"

The group climbed the mountain step by step, and those scholars with ulterior motives were startled when they saw Xie Hong's demeanor.

This is the young man surnamed Xie whom the four Luo families are targeting.

But looking at this young man's appearance and demeanor, how could he possibly resemble a poor commoner with the surname Mao?

Even if you said he was a son of the Xie family of Chen Commandery, or even a son of the Wang family of Langya, no one would doubt it.

It seems that Mr. Luo has made a mistake this time, and messed with the wrong person.

The gentry who had originally been invited by the Luo family to besiege the Xie family of Chen Commandery now all had the idea of ​​standing by and watching.

The world today is not a peaceful one, and a true system of promotion and consolidation has not yet been established within the aristocratic class; otherwise, there wouldn't be figures like Xi Jian and Tao Kan who exploit loopholes in the system.

So, who knows if Xie Hong will soar to great heights?

In the future, when he gains power, he will recall that he was beaten up by those guys when he attended a gathering of scholars and literati in a certain place in a certain year and month, and then he will retaliate.

To become a member of the gentry, the minimum requirement is to be a sensible and learned person.

Laozi and the four families of Yuzhang are not related by marriage, so why should we be tied together?

Xie Hong himself did not expect that he would make a splash simply by showing his face.

The path up the mountain was almost impassable. Many young men from aristocratic families did not have invitations or any notable figures, so they could only desperately try to squeeze their way up, hoping that the closer they got, the more likely they would have a chance to snag a bargain and become famous overnight.

What if someone poses a difficult question that no one can answer, but you can answer it?

This was not uncommon; it happened frequently during the Jin Dynasty. Even a person from a poor family could gain immense prestige simply by receiving a single comment from a famous scholar.

A scholar would be accompanied by at least one maid and one servant. High-ranking families might even bring guards and retainers. The organizers of the gathering wouldn't provide food and drink for just anyone, so everyone would bring their own food and drinks in a food box. Some would also carry straw mats and cushions, as well as musical instruments, which would make the gathering even more crowded.

Some of the young noblemen, knowing that most of them were just there to observe, simply stopped pushing forward and sat down on the ground along the mountain path, starting a chaotic dance.

When Xie Hong passed by, they were surprised to see this peer who looked like a poor man but was beautiful, and who was being led by a clerk. They all peeked at him, cursing inwardly, but had to keep smiling on their faces. Those who were close had to bow to him to avoid looking out of place.

Xie Hong, wearing clogs, always had a faint smile on his face, giving people a feeling of being bathed in a spring breeze. In particular, his calm demeanor and elegant manners were very charming.

Its fame had already spread even before it set foot on Huangshiyan.