fake gentry

Chen San pulled Liu Chong aside, and the two whispered to each other for a long time.

Then, upon returning, Chen San looked at Xie Hong and said, "If Young Master Xie can truly teach us how to find honey, my master will let you leave."

Xie Hong was overjoyed and, without further ado, clapped his hands and walked towards the peach grove: "Come with me, everyone."

He seemed not to have even considered the possibility that the other party might be lying to him.

At this moment, rays of sunlight have pierced through the clouds and mist. Above the mountainside, the clouds and mist are vibrant and colorful, and in the distance, waterfalls cascade down. Below the mountainside, the forests are ablaze with color, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

Isn't this Incense Burner Peak?

Xie Hong suddenly wanted to compose a poem, but then thought better of it.

After leading people around for half a day, they finally found a bee covered in dew, which stumbled and flew past them.

"That's the solution."

Xie Hong pointed at the bees and said, "Bees collect nectar from flowers and make honey. The honeycomb is where the honey is. You just need to find a bee and follow it to find the honeycomb."

Liu Chong rolled his eyes and scoffed, "That bee flies so fast, who can catch up with it on two legs?"

"No need to chase after them." Xie Hong smiled faintly. "Go find some pheasant feathers that were plucked last night, or dove feathers will do. They should be white, the lighter the better, and also pluck a hair."

Without Chen San even giving any instructions, the refugees all ran to the stream to search.

Before long, they came over cautiously, each clutching a handful of feathers in their hands.

Xie Hong selected a white downy feather, then took the hair that Liu Chong handed him, folded the hair in half, tied one end to the base of the feather, and left a slipknot at the other end.

"Now go and catch a few bees. Don't be afraid of being stung. When you catch them, use a blade of grass to hold them, don't pick them up directly with your hands. Remember, the lighter the better."

The refugees were not afraid of bee stings and soon caught several bees.

Xie Hong selected the largest one, gently tied its hair to the bee's waist, and then said, "Bees are naturally inclined to return to their hives. The feather tied to its waist makes it fly slower. You two work in pairs, follow my method, and then follow that tuft of white fluff. You will naturally find the hive."

As he spoke, he looked up and found everyone staring at him blankly, their expressions as if they were listening to gibberish.

It's no wonder they looked like that. They only knew there was honey in the hive, but as for how to find a hive in the vast mountains, that was a matter of luck. Some people wander around the mountains and don't even find one on a good day.

They never imagined they could find the beehive with just a feather or a hair.

This method is unheard of, yet so simple.

Xie Hong possessed knowledge that was more than a thousand years ahead of its time. He vaguely remembered that people had started beekeeping as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty, and he vaguely remembered seeing the method of tracking bees to find hives in some literature, but he couldn't remember it.

To put it simply, this is the original application of animal behavior.

He carefully raised his hand and slowly released it.

The bee began to flap its wings and take flight. It had a fluffy white feather tied around its waist. It flew much slower and lower than usual, like a small, moving white ball of fluff, drifting and flying into the depths of the valley.

"Brother, quickly take your men and follow," Xie Hong said.

Liu Chong glanced at Xie Hong, then charged forward with his ring-pommel sword, and Chen San pointed out three more refugees to follow.

Several people trudged through the bushes, the white ball of fluff rising and falling in the air, getting farther and farther away, until it finally disappeared into the depths of the forest.

Xie Hong was too lazy to waste words with Chen San and started wandering around the peach grove on his own.

That old bastard treated him like a Japanese person yesterday, so Xie Hong didn't want to give him a friendly look and just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

About half an hour later, Xie Hong heard a sound coming from the depths of the valley.

The shouts carried an irrepressible joy.

About 15 minutes later, two young refugees stumbled back, one of them with a swollen cheek.

That was from a bee sting.

Before Chen San could ask any questions, the two rushed into the cave, each carrying two large pottery jars, and then rushed out the same way they came.

About half an hour later, Liu Chong returned with his men.

All four of them had bites on their faces. Liu Chong was the worst hit, his eyes were squinted into slits, but he still grinned, unable to hide his smugness.

He was holding a clay jar filled with honey, the golden honey still flowing out from the crack in the jar and dripping down his arm.

Xie Hong quickly went over to him.

The honey is crystal clear under the sunlight, with a delicate texture, a golden color with a white waxy sheen, and a rich color like flowing amber, emitting an intoxicating sweet aroma.

The other three were also each holding a ceramic jar filled with honey.

All the refugees gathered around. Chen San dipped his finger in the overflowing honey, put it in his mouth, took a deep breath, and sighed, "Top-quality honey."

Xie Hong looked at him and a cold smile crept across his face.

They've fallen into my trap.

These refugees, who were once law-abiding citizens, couldn't afford honey, but now that they're refugees, they can eat honey that's as precious as gold. Life's twists and turns are truly amazing.

Four jars of honey weigh at least a hundred pounds. How much grain, how much cloth, how much salt could that be exchanged for?

"Young Master Xie is truly a divine being!"

Chen San bowed solemnly to Xie Hong, then instructed one of the refugees, "Prepare some honey water for everyone."

The refugees were overjoyed and knelt down before Xie Hong in a flurry of activity. Liu Chong looked at Xie Hong with astonishment in his eyes.

Xie Hong accepted the bows from everyone, then looked at Chen San, who was also looking at him.

Their eyes met, as if sparks were about to fly.

Chen San quickly conceded defeat: "Young Master Xie, you've got quite the scheme."

Xie Hong smiled calmly.

Do you really think honey can be collected just anywhere?

What was honey during the Jin Dynasty?

This stuff is a necessity for the upper class; some counties even designate honey as an officially controlled product. Chen San's attempt to monopolize the benefits with dozens of refugees is tantamount to suicide.

If ordinary people find a little bit of wild honey, no one will care if they exchange it for money. But if they find a lot, the township, county, or even prefecture will definitely come knocking.

For these refugees to continue to monetize their honey on a large scale, the identity of a member of the gentry was the best protection. No matter how low the status of the Xie family of Chen Commandery was now, with this reputation, other gentry families could not make a move.

This is because the aristocratic class must maintain their dignity.

But the honey supply has been seized by a group of refugees? Ha! I'm afraid they'll suffer even more than that beastly squad leader.

Liu Chong was a delusional teenager and couldn't think of that much, but Chen San had obviously thought of it.

Therefore, Xie Hong could not refuse any conditions Xie Hong proposed at this moment.

Chen San thought Xie Hong would ask to leave, but after seeing so many top-quality rock honeys, he understood Xie Hong's plan.

The other party has no intention of leaving.

Xie Hong thought about it all night. Whether it was out of danger or because he had no choice in the matter, he had to stay in Lushan for a while.

Actually, being a handsome vagrant isn't so bad.

But with such a small number of people, they are definitely vagrants, and they certainly can't be handsome.

What did the gentry of this era like most?

Find solace in nature.

To live in seclusion and cultivate one's talents.

Decades later, Xie An employed the same tactic.

Therefore, Xie Hong planned to use these refugees to live a life of ease in Lushan for a while.

"Master Chen, shall we chat inside the cave?"

Chen San entered the cave with a dark face, and Xie Hong followed with a smile.

Liu Chong, feeling a great sense of accomplishment, led the refugees to share the honey.

Good honey is obviously not for eating; it needs to be saved to be exchanged for food when taken down the mountain. The honey that overflows from the earthenware jar, or contains impurities, becomes a delicacy that the refugees have never tasted in their entire lives.