fake gentry

Luo Shao's words caused a sensation at the gathering.

Initially, Zhang accused Xie Hong of gathering bandits and killing members of the gentry.

Now, the Luo family even claims that Xie Hong adopted a false surname.

Is this man truly a heinous criminal? Were we deceived by his demeanor and appearance?

Luo Shao rose from his seat, strode to the center of the platform, bowed to the three people in the main seat, and then turned around and said loudly, "Gentlemen, please hear what I have to say."

Zhai Tang frowned slightly, Gu He shook his whisk, and Zhu Faqian slowly closed his eyes.

"This man claims to be a member of the Xie family of Chen Commandery." Luo Shao pointed at Xie Hong, his voice suddenly rising: "However, since the Xie family of Chen Commandery migrated south, there has only been one lineage of Heng Zai. Heng Zai had two sons, one named Youyu and the other named Youru. All the genealogies of the Xie family members record this, and there is clearly no such person as Xie Hong."

The audience erupted in uproar.

Luo Shao took out a bamboo scroll from his sleeve and held it high, continuing, "This is a list of names that I copied from the genealogy bureau—Youyu Gong had a son and a daughter, named Shang and Zhenshi. Youru Gong had four sons: Yi, Ju, An, and Wan. Apart from Xie Shang, the other sons of the Xie family of Chenjun are still young. So where did this sixteen-year-old nephew Xie Hong come from? This person is impersonating a member of the Xie family and plotting something sinister. Today, I will expose his fraudulent face in public."

The Eastern Jin Dynasty had a special bureau called the Genealogy Bureau, which was in charge of managing the genealogies of aristocratic families.

The genealogy bureau was responsible for revising and preserving the registers of gentry, namely genealogies. It was also responsible for reviewing private genealogies and cross-checking their authenticity with official genealogies to prevent the false identification of gentry members.

Genealogical records served as the core basis for selecting officials under the Nine-Rank System.

The southward migration of aristocratic families led to the loss of many family genealogies, resulting in frequent cases of people using the same surname in recent years. However, unless the family itself investigates, others generally do not get involved in such matters.

To reiterate, the southward migration of aristocratic families not only resulted in the loss of land and wealth, but also led to the deaths of many clansmen along the way, and even the extinction of their family lineages. If a scholar of exceptional talent but humble origin were to adopt their surname, many aristocratic families would actually welcome it.

Of course, if Han Shu dared to impersonate him, he would surely be sentenced to death.

This Xie Hong is clearly not from a humble background, so why would Magistrate Luo expose him in public?

Yes, Xie Kun is now the Prefect of Yuzhang County. It must be that Xie Kun couldn't do it in person, so he ordered Luo Shao to do it.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Luo Shao stared intently at Xie Hong: "Who exactly are you? Where did you come from? Why are you impersonating a member of the Xie family of Chen Commandery? What are your true intentions?"

Hundreds of eyes fell on Xie Hong.

Ge Hong suddenly stood up, but was gently pressed down on the arm by the weight beside him. Xi Zhong shook his head slightly at him, then whispered something. Ge Hong gritted his teeth and sat back down.

Xie Hong stood in the center, his expression calm and his gaze composed, showing no sign of panic.

He glanced at Luo Shao, then smiled slightly, turned and bowed to the three distinguished scholars in the main seat, saying loudly, "Master Zhai, Master Gu, Master Zhu, it is not surprising that my name is not found in the Xie family genealogy."

He paused, then turned his gaze to Luo Shao: "May I ask, sir, is it merely based on this that you can conclude I am an imposter?"

"That's natural." Luo Shao sneered, "You are older than Xie Shang, yet you claim to be a nephew of Youyu Gong. However, Hengzai Gong only had two sons, and Bodeng Gong, the founding ancestor of the Chenjun Xie clan, only had one son, Hengzai Gong. The Chenjun Xie clan has no minor branches or collateral branches. Where did you come from?"

"You're right," Xie Hong nodded and smiled, "but isn't it a bit too hasty to conclude that I'm an imposter based solely on this?"

Luo Shao's expression changed slightly.

He was about to retort, but Xie Hong did not give him a chance to speak.

"First, the Zhang family accused me of gathering refugees to become bandits and murdering scholars. Then you, sir, said I was impersonating a member of the Xie family. It seems you all planned this all along. I will now ask Magistrate Luo in front of everyone here: I live in a hut on Mount Lu, sheltering refugees and exchanging honey for grain, supporting myself through my own labor. If it weren't for Lord Zhai's righteous criticism, I wouldn't have even left the mountain, nor would I have set foot in Chaisang County. How could I be flaunting my position? How could I be deceiving anyone?"

Several renowned scholars couldn't help but nod slightly.

Little Xi Yin leaned against her older sister. When she heard that her brother Xie had been slandered, her little face puffed up with anger. If her older sister hadn't been holding her back, she would have run to Xie Hong's side to take his side long ago.

Xi Xuan couldn't help but applaud Xie Hong's counterattack, but due to her status and the occasion, she could only slightly curl the corners of her mouth.

"What a silver tongue you have." Luo Shao sneered. "This only reinforces my belief that you are a treacherous person. May I ask you gentlemen, what do you think of this young man's demeanor?"

The distinguished figures present were taken aback.

Need I say more?

Xie Hong's journey up the mountain sparked countless discussions, with everyone speculating about which family could have raised such an outstanding young man.

Even Lu Na of the Lu family of Wu County wanted to befriend him.

"Gentlemen, I have sent men to investigate secretly. This man suddenly appeared here ten days ago, as if he had appeared out of thin air. It is said that the luxurious clothes he wore at that time were not even available to the Wang family of Langya. Yet today he is dressed in coarse cloth, which shows that he is plotting something big. This man's origin is unknown. He is clearly a spy sent by the Jie Zhao of the North, intending to climb into the court. He is even more harmful than Guo Kai."

The entire Yellowstone area was quiet.

Xie Hong almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

You scoundrel!

Who was Guo Kai? He was a favored minister of the State of Zhao during the late Warring States period.

His glorious deeds included framing Lian Po and Li Mu with slander and accepting large bribes from the Qin state, which directly led to the destruction of the Zhao state.

Luo Shao's move was too ruthless.

If Xie Hongruo cannot come up with a convincing explanation, he will surely die today.

"Prefect Luo!"

Just then, an old voice slowly rang out.

Zhai Tang spoke up: "This is the first time I've met this Mr. Xie. I dare not presume to say whether he is genuine or not."

Zhai Tang paused, then glanced at Gu He: "But if you accuse him of being a spy from the North, you must have concrete evidence."

Everyone fell silent.

Luo Shao's expression changed slightly; he hadn't expected Zhai Tang to speak up for Xie Hong at this moment.

Zhu Faqian finally opened his eyes. He first glanced at Xie Hong, then looked at Luo Shao: "Lord Luo, I have a question to ask you."

Nowadays, monks do not refer to themselves as "poor monks." Like Taoists, they refer to themselves as "poor Taoists" or "old Taoists." "Poor Taoist" is actually the same as "poor Taoist," meaning that one's own cultivation and merits are still lacking. It was a common self-deprecating expression used by Taoists and monks at that time, even more humble than "poor Taoist."

Luo Shao quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Please speak, Master Zhu."

He might disrespect Zhai Tang and Gu He, but he dared not disrespect Zhu Faqian, because Zhu Faqian was Wang Dun's younger brother.

"Was what Master Luo just saying about justice or personal grudges?"

Luo Shao's face suddenly flushed red. His hand holding the bamboo slip trembled slightly, and his lips moved for a long time but he couldn't utter a single word.

Under Zhu Faqian's calm gaze, he didn't dare to lie.

Gu He flicked the whisk in his hand, looked at Xie Hong, and slowly smiled, "I will call you 'Master Xie' for now. How do you intend to defend yourself against what Master Luo said?"

Xie Hong chuckled inwardly.

It appears that three renowned scholars are criticizing Luo Shao and speaking up for him.

In fact, the three of them were clearly trying to shift the blame, saying, "Don't bother me with these trivial matters."

Since that's the case, why should I be polite?

You want to shift the blame? I'll make you take the fall.

The kind you can never shake off for the rest of your life.

Xie Hong feigned indignation, flicked his sleeves, and then loudly proclaimed, "Gentlemen, you can all bear witness for me. I, Xie Hong, swear by the Xie family of Chenjun, whether it is Zhang who framed me or Luo who conspired against me, if I cannot testify for myself, I will jump off this Huangshi Rock today."

Zhai Tang's face immediately twitched uncontrollably.

This was the place where he built his hermitage and lived in seclusion. He had finally found such a good place, but now that Xie Hongzhen had jumped, he would have to move.

"If I can prove my innocence, I swear that if either of these two families becomes an official, I will never serve in office again and will never work in the same court as such scheming and despicable people. I beg Lord Zhai, Lord Zhu, and Lord Gu to judge me!"

Everyone present couldn't help but look at Zhai Tang and his two companions.

The three of them felt as if they had swallowed a fly.

Luo Shao sneered, "Who do you think you are? What talent do you have?"

Xie Hong smiled dismissively and said arrogantly, "I am but a humble person, yet I can recite the Four Books and Five Classics fluently and can readily quote from the Book of Changes and Laozi and Zhuangzi."

Luo Shao laughed loudly: "Arrogant!"

The distinguished figures present were all taken aback.

We know the Book of Changes, Laozi and Zhuangzi, the Three Mysteries.

But what are the Four Books and Five Classics?

Are we just ignorant?

But regardless, Magistrate Luo was right.

This boy is arrogant!

Even among the eight prominent figures of Jiangzuo, who dares to claim that they can effortlessly cite the Book of Changes and the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi?

Um! !

That's a brilliant use of the phrase "can recite it backwards fluently".

What story does this phrase, "picked up casually," originate from?

This kid's got something.

Xie Hong took in everyone's expressions.

The pit has been dug!

Please jump.