fake gentry

There is a villa on the southern slope of Mount Lu that belongs to the Langya Wang family.

Many young noblemen who come to Lushan for sightseeing use this villa as a gathering place, and it has been especially lively these past few days.

About twenty young men from aristocratic families sat scattered on bamboo mats, with wine vessels and dried fruit on the table, and more than a dozen singing girls busy refilling the empty wine vessels.

Those present were all prominent gentry from Jiangzuo, including two from the Langya Wang clan: Wang Huzhi and Wang Biaozhi, both nephews of Wang Dao.

Wang Hu was only nineteen years old, with a handsome face, but a rather arrogant temperament. At this moment, he was leaning lazily against the armchair. Wang Biao was two years younger than him, but much calmer, and was sitting upright.

Sitting opposite the two was Yang Ben of the Yang clan of Taishan, the son of Yang Man. Before the Yang clan moved south, it had produced many famous scholars, and Yang Man was one of the Eight Elite Men of Yanzhou. After moving south, he was also listed among the Eight Outstanding Men of Jiangzuo and was on good terms with Xie Kun.

Yang Ben inherited his father's carefree spirit, but also possessed a sharp wit that his father lacked, with a subtle mockery always playing at the corners of his mouth when he spoke.

To his left sat He Xi of the He clan of Kuaiji. The He clan were natives of Kuaiji, and He Xi had been quite talented since childhood. Next to He Xi were two young men from the Wang clan of Taiyuan. They were both quite young and seemed to have just been released from their clan to see the world. They always looked at Yang Ben's expression before speaking, as if Yang Ben was the weathervane for their group.

Others included members of the Zhang family of Wujun, the Shen family of Wuxing, and the Yuan family of Chenjun, who sat scattered about, some talking and laughing loudly, others discussing in hushed tones. One young man was speaking with great enthusiasm, spitting as he recounted his experiences at the Jiankang intellectual forum. Several people around him nodded frequently as they listened, but Wang Huzhi remained indifferent and unresponsive.

Sitting next to him were Lu Na and Lu Shi. As the direct descendants of the Lu family of Wu County and the sons of Lu Wan, their status was no lower than anyone else present.

Lu Shi had a cold and stern look, the kind of person who was hard to get along with at first glance. He sat there without saying a word, just slowly drinking from his wine cup, his cold gaze sweeping over the people in the room who were talking loudly, a faint disdain hanging on the corner of his mouth.

The Lu family has been a prominent clan in Jiangnan since the time of Sun Wu. Although they were not as powerful as the Langya Wang family after the Jin dynasty was established, they still firmly held the second position among the Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang families. With a family heritage spanning hundreds of years, they have a deep foundation. Lu Shi is the eldest son of the Lu family and never looks down on others easily.

Wang Huzhi suddenly asked lazily, "I heard there's some Xie Langjun who can't even be subdued by Master Gu and Master Zhu. Who was there at the time? Tell me about it."

Yang Ben toyed with the wine cup, the mockery at the corner of his mouth deepening even more than before: "I arrived late that day and didn't see Xie's arrogant demeanor, but his theory of the Four Books and Five Classics made Master Gu bow to him in front of hundreds of people. I've never seen or heard of such a scene before."

"The Four Books and Five Classics?" Wang Huzhi frowned. "I've only heard of the Five Classics, where did the Four Books come from?"

"This is the brilliant insight of that Xie family scion." Yang Ben put down his wine cup and looked around, as if waiting to see everyone's reaction.

"He extracted the Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean from the Book of Rites and placed them alongside the Analects and Mencius, calling them the Four Books. He also offered a new interpretation of the Great Learning, emphasizing the concept of inner sagehood and outer kingship. Even though Gu was a scholar of the Five Classics, he was so impressed by his arguments that he immediately bowed down."

He Xi frowned and pondered, "The Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean are indeed the essence of rites, but to put them on the same level as the Analects and Mencius, isn't this Xie family member being too arrogant? Elevating the books of the philosophers to the status of classics is a heretical and unorthodox doctrine."

Several young men from aristocratic families nearby nodded in agreement. One of the sons of the Zhang family of Wu County laughed and said, "Could this Xie fellow be some arrogant and ignorant fool?"

Just as Yang Ben was about to speak again, a voice suddenly rang out from the corner: "What Brother Yang said is nothing more than superficial knowledge."

Everyone turned their heads, and Lu Na put down his wine cup and said, "I was present from beginning to end at the Huangshiyan gathering that day, and I witnessed Xie Langjun's demeanor with my own eyes. If you all don't mind the noise, I will tell you the story from the beginning."

Wang Huzhi raised an eyebrow and gestured for Yang Ben to speak. Yang Ben's mocking smile faded slightly, as if he hadn't expected Lu Na, a member of a prominent southern family, to step forward and speak up for Xie Hong, a member of a northern gentry family.

"On that day, there were three or four hundred people sitting below the stage at the gathering. Luo Shao, the clan head of the Luo family of Yuzhang, stood up and publicly challenged Xie Langjun, saying that he was impersonating a member of the Xie family and swindling people. This led to the three questions and three answers and the challenge that followed."

The hall fell silent, with only Lu Na's voice remaining. Wang Huzhi slowly withdrew his hand from the armchair, and his previously lazy gaze became more serious.

Yang Ben's hand, holding the wine cup, hovered in mid-air, forgetting to drink. The aristocratic youth who had called Xie Hong arrogant had now shrunk back into a corner, a sheepish expression on his face.

He Xi frowned even more, but his solemn expression showed deep thought rather than disdain.

The other young nobles present also straightened their posture and looked at Lu Na.

Lu Shi remained seated with an air of arrogance, but the hint of disdain at the corner of his mouth had vanished, replaced by a cold and indifferent focus.

"The body is a Bodhi tree, the mind a bright mirror. Constantly wipe it clean, lest it be covered with dust." Upon hearing this verse, Master Zhu bowed to Young Master Xie.

"Master Zhu is the foremost scholar beyond the secular world..." He Xi's voice was somewhat dry.

"How could what I saw with my own eyes be false?" Lu Na said, "My brother was there too, and several others were also present."

He looked around, his tone becoming somewhat agitated: "After Master Zhu, it was Master Gu who personally took the stage. Who was Master Gu? That's when the Four Books and Five Classics came into being."

After Lu Na finished speaking and stopped, the hall was completely silent.

No one dared to speak at that moment, because they all knew that Lu Na couldn't possibly be talking nonsense.

Moreover, who is Gu He? He will satirize Director Wang without hesitation, showing him no mercy whatsoever.

Gu He, however, bowed to a sixteen-year-old boy.

"Hmph, even if this person is truly talented, he is still an arrogant fool."

Lu Na immediately became agitated: "Who do you think you are? How dare you speak to Master Xie like that?"

He was surprised to realize how agitated he was as soon as he said it.

He was a member of the Lu family of Wu County, and from a young age he was taught not to show his emotions and to remain calm and composed in discussions. But today, seeing someone slander Xie Hong, he completely forgot these rules.

A cold voice said, "Zu Yan, you've lost your composure."

It was Lu Shi who spoke, coldly throwing the wine cup away: "If you don't believe me, you can go and debate with Xie Hong yourselves. If you can defeat him, the Lu family of Wu County will lower their status whenever they see you."

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly changed.

A young man from a noble family peeked out from behind He Xi and chuckled sarcastically, "The Lu brothers are so quick to defend the Xie family's son, as if the Lu family were a northern noble family. What kind of family is the Lu family? Now they're trying to curry favor with immigrant families from the north. How amusing."

Lu Shi stood up, and the young nobleman immediately shrank back.

He looked at the man coldly and said disdainfully, "If you have the guts, go and ask Nian Xie Fengzhi. If you don't dare, then shut up."

Suddenly, someone from the Wang family of Taiyuan laughed and said, "Why don't we go and meet this young man from the Xie family?"

Wang Huzhi laughed and said, "Count me in."

Yang Ben put down his wine cup, stood up, patted the wrinkles on his robe, glanced at Lu Na with a scrutinizing look in his eyes: "Lu Zuyan, take us there. I want to see just what kind of person this Xie lad is."