fake gentry

"Hahaha!"

Luo Shao laughed loudly, tucked the bamboo slips into his sleeve, then took a step back, bowed deeply to the side towards the pine forest, and his voice suddenly rose, filled with barely suppressed excitement:

"Young Master Youyu, please show yourself!"

Huangshiyan suddenly fell silent.

Everyone kneeling on the ground looked at each other in surprise, then hurriedly stood up. Even Zhai Tang, Gu He, and Zhu Faqian stood up.

A man strode out of the woods, leaning on a bamboo cane. He was not tall and wore a black-edged robe with wide sleeves and a plain brocade belt around his waist.

The mountain wind blew his robe sleeves and the strange hat on his head.

Scholars often used this kind of hat to cover their faces. In the Book of Jin, it is described as being shaped like a hat and applied to the face, so it is called a face covering.

It's essentially a modern hat with a face mask, made of materials ranging from linen to light gauze, with more elaborate styles featuring delicate beads sewn along the edges.

Besides covering one's face and protecting against wind and sand, this thing was also a social buffer for scholars at the time, helping people to conceal their emotions and adapting to the complex social scenarios of the gentry. It was an absolute social artifact.

The newcomer lifted his veil, revealing his face. All the whispers on the platform ceased, and everyone bowed in unison, saying, "Greetings, Lord Youyu!"

If everyone here is a renowned scholar, and Zhai Tang is especially known for his noble character and always acts with utmost aloofness, why is he so respectful to Xie Kun?

Was it because of his official position?

Previously, Xie Kun was the chief secretary of Wang Dun's staff, which was comparable to the governor of a prefecture, but now his official position is only the governor of Yuzhang, and Wang Dun has blocked him from taking office.

Everyone respects him because he is Xie Kun.

Xie Hong also felt dizzy for a moment.

This is Xie Kun, Xie Youyu.

One of the Eight Worthies of Jiangzuo, he left behind countless anecdotes and was one of the most famous scholars of his time.

The Xie family of Chenjun was originally a family of Confucian scholars, but Xie Kun changed his Confucianism to metaphysics, which gave the Xie family the necessary conditions to enter the ranks of high-ranking families and laid the foundation for the Xie family to be mentioned together with Wang and Xie.

Only by experiencing it firsthand can one truly understand what the name Xie Kun represents.

Wang Yan was about to offer him his seat.

Wang Dao had to address him as "brother".

When Yu Liang saw him, he only dared to sit on half of his buttocks.

Back when he was at the Imperial Academy in Luoyang, he had just begun to master metaphysics and, with only a whisk, managed to defeat seventy-two people in a debate.

No one dared to stop Wang Dun from raising an army, except for one man who dared to say to Wang Dun's face that Liu Wei was nothing but a city fox and a temple rat, and there was no need to mobilize a large army.

Wang Dun was furious and removed him from his position as chief secretary, exiling him to Yuzhang as a nominal prefect.

Even so, Wang Dun dared not kill him.

Because no one in this world can bear the infamy of killing Xie Youyu.

His stories can be found in "In Search of the Supernatural", "A New Account of the World", and "Book of Jin".

Luo Shao actually invited such a person?

Xie Kun, leaning on his bamboo cane, arrived at the center of the terrace. He didn't look at Luo Shao, nor at Xie Hong, but instead bowed to Zhai Tang, saying, "Lord Daoyuan."

Zhai Tang returned the greeting deeply: "Lord Youyu."

Xie Kun then greeted Gu He and Zhu Faqian, who returned the greetings solemnly.

Xie Kun then turned around, his calm gaze falling on Xie Hong.

Xie Hong's heart suddenly tightened, and he forced himself to stand up straight, but cold sweat had already broken out on his back, slowly soaking through his inner garment.

His face showed no sign of anything amiss.

He knew this moment would come sooner or later.

From the moment he uttered the words "Chenjun Xie Clan" to Chen San, he knew that one day he would stand before the true members of the Xie Clan and face this calamity.

He just didn't expect this day to come so soon, so quickly being pushed to the edge of a cliff by a complete stranger, a prefectural magistrate.

"I am Xie Youyu."

Xie Kun's voice was not loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire plateau: "I came here today because I heard that someone is impersonating a member of the Xie family, so I came to verify their authenticity."

He paused, tapped his bamboo cane lightly on the ground, and glanced at the hundreds of eyes below the stage before his gaze returned to Xie Hong's face.

"Young master, you claim to be a member of the Xie clan of Chen Commandery. I am the patriarch of the Xie clan. From Yangxia to Jiankang, and from Jiankang to Dongshan, I know all the members of the Xie clan, but I have never seen you before."

Xie Kun spoke in a calm tone, not at all like he was questioning someone.

He looked at Xie Hong, gently twirling his bamboo cane on the ground, his clear eyes looking directly into Xie Hong's eyes.

The plateau was deathly silent.

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Luo Shao's lips.

This is the moment he's been waiting for.

Xie Hong was silent for a moment, then spoke. His voice was not loud, but it was remarkably steady.

"Chenjun Xie family son Hong, courtesy name Fengzhi, pays respects to his uncle."

The deep bow he performed was a gesture of respect between superiors and inferiors, a gesture typically reserved for scholars when meeting elders.

Xie Kun's eyebrows twitched slightly.

He had been secretly observing Xie Hong from the forest from the very beginning.

It must be said that Xie Hong's demeanor and bearing were unparalleled in his life, even surpassing many of the sons of the Langya Wang clan.

In terms of appearance, Xie Hong was even comparable to his close friend Wei Jie.

In terms of demeanor, this young man is second to none.

What is the evaluation of the Langya Wang clan?

Within the Wang family, the best are like dragons and phoenixes, while the worst are like tigers and leopards. Wang Xizhi, for example, was the family's undisputed dragon and phoenix.

"Since you call me uncle, then whose descendant are you?"

Xie Hong looked up at Xie Kun.

Since that's the case, let's use our last resort.

"My uncle, my great-nephew Xie Ji, was a descendant of Bo Deng Gong."

Bo Deng Gong was Xie Zuan, the progenitor of the Xie clan of Chenjun.

"The distant ancestor of the Xie clan was Shen Bo of the Zhou dynasty, who was enfeoffed in Xieyi. His descendants took the name of the fief as their surname. The Xie clan originated from the Jiang clan. King Xuan enfeoffed Shen Bo in Xieyi. During the Spring and Autumn period, Xieyi was annexed by Chu, and the Xie clan scattered between Chen and Song. With the rise of the Han dynasty, the Xie clan settled in Yangxia. The Yangxia Xie clan passed down the tradition of farming and studying, and it was not until the Han dynasty that some members became officials. During the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling, the Xie clan members either served in official positions or lived in seclusion, and there were talented people in every generation."

Xie Kun's expression froze instantly.

There's a chance!

Xie Hong immediately continued his charade: "The Xie family has a precept: Do not compromise your principles based on wealth or poverty, nor change your friendships based on social status. Give food to the hungry, clothing to the cold, and shelter to the refugees. In the Xie family, even commoners do not abandon their principles, and even high-ranking officials do not change their humility."

"Lofty is the summer sun, the ancient territory of Shenbo, the gourds and melons grow endlessly, their fragrance lingering through the ages. Our ancestors above, come and offer their blessings. Our descendants below, show our filial piety and enjoy this offering."

The Wei-Jin style is undoubtedly unparalleled in Chinese history, but when it comes to playing with words...

Song and Ming dynasties were capable of creating all sorts of ingenious entertainment.

Xie Hong plagiarized without any pressure.

Xie Kun stared intently at Xie Hong's face without saying a word, but his heart was in turmoil.

He wasn't surprised when Xie Hong said he was a descendant of Bodeng Gong. But there was no one in the Xie clan named Xie Ji.

But Xie Hong described the origin of the Xie family in perfect detail.

This is not the reason why he lost his composure.

Genealogical records of aristocratic families generally do not record the origin of the family, but only record all the descendants after a certain generation entered officialdom.

Hereditary official positions and stipends had to be verifiable, and this is the origin of the gentry class.

Therefore, anyone who knows that the Xie clan of Chen Commandery originated from the Jiang clan and that Shenbo was enfeoffed in Xie County must be a core member of the Xie clan of Chen Commandery.

Currently, only he, his younger brother Xie Pou, and his son Xie Shang know about this part of history within the entire Xie family.

But Xie Hong in front of him knew.

Xie Kun was even more shocked by what Xie Hong said in the aftermath.

That was clearly a family precept.

There are also eulogies for ancestor worship.

However, the clan precepts and eulogies of the Xie clan of Chenjun today are completely different from what Xie Hong said.

In comparison...

A sense of shame flashed through Xie Kun's heart.

because……

Why not!

Is it some kind of ghost?

Could this child be the true main branch of the Xie clan of Chenjun? And my branch has become a collateral minor branch? Is that why I didn't write it down?

No, no!

He also said that he was a descendant of Boden.

Boden had only one son, his father Xie Heng.

The renowned scholar Xie Kun was dumbfounded.

It was Xie Hong's convincing scheme that was incredibly tempting.

Even Zhai Tang and the others had bright eyes.

The Xie family precepts are truly lofty, so lofty that one can only look up to them with awe.

Xie's eulogy is truly elegant, elegant... well, it's just incredibly elegant.

Gu He asked in a low voice, puzzled, "Has Luo gone mad? Who dares to say this child isn't a member of the Xie family?"

Zhai Tang also expressed his concern: "Even if this boy's identity is questionable, he is by no means a spy from the north as Luo Shao claimed, nor is he the one who murdered the gentry. The Luo family... Hmph, having become the head of the four clans, they should be content. Yet they disregard the safety of their clan and commit such a wicked act. The Luo family is in danger."

Zhu Faqian frowned and asked, "Who is Xie Ji?"

Zhai Tang and Gu He remained silent.

You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?