fake gentry

An oxcart arrived at Dongshiwubao.

"Please inform them that Zhang De is visiting."

The young men of the Dong clan responsible for guarding the gate immediately reported to the clan chief.

Three days ago, Dong Xuan was thoroughly defeated by Zhai Qian and returned to the fortified village in a rage.

That's outrageous! They accepted the gifts but wouldn't even let us in the door. If they had any backbone, they should have returned the gifts.

So what if your Zhai family has a big reputation? You're still a poor wretch.

Dong Xuan swore that the Zhai family would never again receive a single ounce of honey from him.

Before long, Dong Xuan, still unclothed and barefoot, ran out and bowed deeply from afar, saying, "Greetings, Magistrate Zhang."

The county magistrate's assistant assisted the county magistrate in handling documents, warehouses, household registration, and other affairs. His rank was ninth grade. In front of Dong Xuan, a lowly village clerk with no rank, that was the difference between an official and a clerk.

"No need for such formalities, Lord Dong. I am not here today as the county magistrate." The county magistrate smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "On the first day of next month, Lord Daoyuan will be holding a grand discussion at Huangshi Rock. All the wise men will be there, and there must be no mistakes. The county magistrate sent me to Dong's fortified village."

Dong Xuan was taken aback. He seemed to sense that something was amiss, because Magistrate Tao Mao was clearly not capable of doing such a thing.

Besides, Zhai Tang's reputation was renowned far and wide, and bandits feared his name and dared not offend him. It was even more impossible for him to run out and rob people when he was holding a gathering of scholars and literati.

Dong Xuan remained outwardly calm and respectfully invited Zhang De into the fortified village.

After the guests and host were seated, Zhang De instructed an old servant to serve tea. Zhang De smiled and said, "Master Dong, this is excellent tea."

Dong Xuan smiled obsequiously, his humility tinged with barely concealed pride: "It is entirely thanks to the gentlemen of the Xie family of Chen Commandery that I was able to entertain the county magistrate with tea."

Zhang De's smile deepened. He glanced at Dong Xuan, then leaned forward slightly and said calmly, "Lord Dong, are you really sure that Xie Hong is a member of the Xie clan of Chen Commandery? Haven't you considered the possibility that someone might be impersonating a member of the Xie clan?"

Zhang De's voice was not loud, but every word was like a knife.

Dong Xuan's face immediately froze.

He stared at Zhang De in astonishment, then after a moment a smile returned to his face: "County Magistrate, you jest. The Xie family of Chen Commandery is not a prestigious clan like the Wang family of Langya. Besides, Young Master Xie has an extraordinary demeanor; how could he be someone who uses a false surname?"

Zhang De put down his teacup and narrowed his eyes slightly: "Lord Dong, do you believe that a gentleman from the Xie family of Chen Commandery would go up the mountain alone and mingle with refugees? Although the Dong family is not a noble family, you have memorized the genealogy of noble families. There is no gentleman named Xie Hong from the Xie family of Chen Commandery."

Dong Xuan put down his teacup and looked at Zhang De: "What does Magistrate Zhang mean?"

Zhang De smiled slightly, took another sip of tea, and then put down the teacup before finally stating his point: "Master Dong, you are a smart man, so why were you so easily deceived?"

Dong Xuan's heart skipped a beat.

He suddenly thought of something.

Although Zhang De was a county magistrate, he was a member of a collateral branch of the Zhang family of Nanchang, and could be considered a scholar to some extent.

Nanchang has four prominent families: Luo, Xiong, Hu, and Deng.

During the Han and Three Kingdoms periods, the four major clans were the core representatives of the gentry and aristocratic families of Jiangzhou. They were rooted in the local area for generations, using Yuzhang as their ancestral hall name, and served as governors, military advisors to the prime minister, attendants, prefects, chief secretaries, and ministers.

Even the family of Tu Qin, the Marquis of Xinwu, only settled in Yuzhang after crossing the Yangtze River and migrating south. They were far from being comparable to the local prominent families.

In this era, it's not about how high your official rank is that others will give you face; it's about your family's ancestral home and lineage.

Although the four prominent families were far inferior to the four prominent families of Wu County, namely Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang, they were still considered second-class aristocratic families.

However, the second class in Jiangzuo is actually the third class, and the Lei, Xu, and Zhang families below Xie are only considered the lowest class.

Zhang De was originally supposed to be the magistrate of Chaisang County, but the Tao family was enfeoffed as a marquis of Chaisang, and Chaisang County basically became the Tao family's territory. It would be easy for them to take away a mere magistrate from Zhang De.

Dong Xuan understood everything and immediately groaned inwardly.

Because of his greed for the profits from honey, he found himself caught in the struggle between local gentry, overseas gentry, and powerful but poor families.

"Master Dong, I've heard that those honey gatherers are all refugees?"

"……yes."

"Heh, this young man from the Xie family does have some skill."

After saying this, Zhang De fell silent, and Dong Xuan dared not speak easily either, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

The exorbitant profits from rock honey have attracted attention, and some people are now eyeing the honey-collecting migrants.

Is it the Zhang family?

Or are they the four major surnames in Nanchang?

Or perhaps Tao?

Suddenly, Zhang De took out a letter and pushed it in front of Dong Xuan: "Lord Dong, there's something I need you to do."

Half an hour later, two oxcarts emerged from Dongshiwubao and headed onto the main road, one heading towards the county and the other towards the mountains.

Dong Xuan sat on the oxcart, dazed and confused, not knowing how he had gotten out of the house.

The oxcart bumped and swayed on the uneven dirt road, making a dull thud.

He took out the letter Zhang De had given him; the envelope was unsealed, and inside was an invitation.

Xie's Langjuntai Qi:

On the first day of the sixth lunar month, this old man respectfully invites scholars to enjoy the scenery at Huangshiyan, and humbly requests your presence.

Zhai Tang bowed deeply.

May 28th.

Dong Xuan was certain that this invitation was not written by Zhai Tang himself, but by Zhai Qian impersonating his father.

Inviting Xie Hong to the Qingyi Gathering on the first day of the sixth lunar month was clearly a way to publicly expose Xie Hong's true identity.

Dong Xuan absolutely did not believe that Xie Hong was an imposter. The demeanor and bearing of a noble gentleman were cultivated through a life of luxury and comfort, something that a commoner could not fake or deceive.

But why is Zhang De so certain? There must be something much more to it than meets the eye.

Dong Xuan suddenly ordered the old servant driving the carriage, "Hurry up, we must return before dark."

The oxcart suddenly sped up considerably.

As Dong Xuan rushed to Taoping, Chen San anxiously and secretly asked Aheng to call Xie Hong out.

Xie Hong was watching Xi Zhong and Ge Hong, two terrible chess players, play against each other.

"Is there something you need, Lord Chen?"

Chen San's expression was a little off, and he directly invited Xie Hong into the cave.

"Thank you, young master. The rock honey harvest has been reduced by half in the past few days. I expect it will be almost over in another seven or eight days."

Xie Hong nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"The method of finding honey that the young master taught us that day is known to no one in the world. A pound of top-quality rock honey can sell for three thousand coins in Jiankang, which is more than the annual harvest of two acres of farmland."

Xie Hong smiled and asked, "What exactly is Master Chen trying to say?"

Chen San paused, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Xie Hong immediately understood, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "Lord Chen, you don't mean to kill these refugees, do you?"

Chen San slowly said:

"Young Master Xie, there is something I haven't yet explained. Five refugees who went out to find honey today have disappeared. I believe they didn't run away on their own. If word gets out about the method of finding honey..."

Xie Hong's expression froze.

Have some refugees fled?

He looked up and met Chen San's eyes, only to find that Chen San's eyes were full of worry.

"You mean..." Xie Hong slowly began, "that someone has misled them?"

"Yes," Chen San replied in a deep voice.

The cave became quiet.

Only he knows his own situation. What is Xie Hong relying on to live on the mountain now?

Honey will be his first pot of gold to establish himself.

In this era, almost all skills were in the hands of the aristocratic families.

"Young Master Xie, in this world today, the businesses run by noble families all have secret methods that they never reveal to others, and they do not treat the common people as human beings. In my opinion, none are more like..."

Xie Hong gave Chen San a deep look.

He knew Chen San was right, but he could never bring himself to treat people like they weren't human.

Moreover, he thought about something deeper.

Someone is targeting me.

This is an intuition.

"Master Chen," Xie Hong said, looking at Chen San, "Don't mention this matter again. It's just some rock honey. Let the refugees go if they want to."