fake gentry

Three people came to the outside of the earthen house.

The leader was dressed in a dark-colored, narrow-sleeved official robe, with a black sash around his waist and a headscarf on his head.

This is the standard attire of a village tax collector, who was a grassroots official in the countryside since the Qin and Han dynasties, in charge of taxes and lawsuits in a village.

Behind the other party were two bailiffs in narrow-sleeved short clothes, carrying bamboo slips and account books and a wooden bucket, with short sticks hanging from their waists.

The man bowed and approached, pleading in a low voice, "Stingy fellow, I haven't raised enough money, please grant me another six months..."

The village foreman shook his head. The bailiff behind him, who was holding bamboo slips, directly opened the slips and read aloud: "Seven able-bodied men, one wife, one son, required to perform 30 days of corvée labor. The fee for corvée labor is 900 coins. The tax is half a bolt of silk, three catties of silk, and two zhang of cloth, which can be converted into 5,000 coins. The tax is 30 liters of rice."

The man's face paled even more upon hearing this: "You shrew, why is there more silk and cloth?"

The village head sighed and said, "The imperial court wants to take it; what can I do?"

The man knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, uttering words of pleas for mercy.

Xie Hong listened in the room, his heart pounding with fear.

In the early Eastern Jin Dynasty, a family of three would have an annual income of no more than 20,000 coins. For someone like Dong Qi, who only had one able-bodied person, 10,000 coins would be the maximum they could earn.

These exorbitant taxes and levies amounted to more than six thousand coins, while Jiangxi, with its three-season crop rotation, boasted the best harvest in the entire country.

Even so, self-sufficient farmers like Dong Qi are on the verge of starvation.

Ultimately, they either became reclusive members of the aristocratic families, losing their land and freedom, or they gave up everything and became refugees.

Xie Hong stood up and asked, "Who are they?"

The woman, holding her child, shrank back and lowered her head, saying softly and with a somber tone, "The patriarch of the Dong clan, the head of the village, and the village head."

Xie Hong snorted, grabbed his sword, put on his shoes, pushed open the door, and went out.

He adopted an air of ethereal elegance and unrestrained behavior, which was exactly the style of the top aristocratic families of the time.

The village head and his servants were taken aback when they realized that Dong Qi had a guest, and a young master from a noble family at that.

The young master before me was dressed in flowing robes, his clothes gleaming slightly with white light, clearly made of top-grade silk, something that ordinary nobles could not afford.

He stood there exuding an air of refined elegance, with a handsome and unique appearance.

The two bailiffs, feeling ashamed of themselves, shrank behind the village foreman, afraid that Xie Hong's gaze would fall on them.

The village head was dumbfounded. He swallowed hard, and his back hunched over unconsciously.

Where did this gentry gentleman come from? Let alone Dong Qi's earthen house, he doesn't even fit in with the Dong family's fortified village.

He was no stranger to gentry. Although Xunyang County was not as densely populated as Jiankang or Kuaiji, the neighboring Yuzhang County had many gentry who owned large amounts of land. Moreover, the scenery of Mount Lu was the best in Jiangzhou, and almost every day groups of gentry men and women would come here to play and stay for a while.

The question is... what level of aristocratic family does this young master belong to?

The village headman bowed respectfully to Xie Hong: "I am Dong Xuan, a humble village headman. May I ask about your ancestral home, sir?"

Xie Hong did not answer, but simply raised his chin slightly and looked at the other person indifferently.

The village head was roughly equivalent to a village chief, a small or medium-sized landowner, the vast majority of whom came from humble backgrounds, though some were impoverished members of the lowest rank of aristocratic families.

Xie Hong's gaze made the village foreman feel ashamed, his back and voice lowered even further than before: "I dare to say, young master and Dong Qi..."

Xie Hong reached around his neck and took off a jade pendant that was about an inch square.

"This item is worth 300,000 to 500,000 coins to someone who knows its value, and even to someone who doesn't, it's worth 100,000 coins. You don't need to collect taxes from Dong Qi for five years; use the rest as your wine money."

As he spoke, he tossed the jade pendant to the village head, who caught it in a flurry of activity.

Feeling the warmth and smoothness in my hand, and seeing the ancient seal script character "谢" (xie, meaning thank you) engraved on it, I knew this was clearly top-grade mutton fat jade, something ordinary people couldn't afford in their entire lives, but the gentry would casually give it away as a treat.

"My lord, a gentleman never partes with his jade without a good reason, I dare not accept it. Please ask again, my lord..."

"The Xie family of Chen Commandery." Then he turned to Dong Qi and said, "I have nothing to give you in return for the food you provide, so I will name your son Dong Sheng. Raise the child well. I will build a hut at the foot of Xianglu Peak in Mount Lu and stay for a while. I still need a cook. The salary is one thousand coins a month. Is your wife willing?"

The courtyard suddenly became very quiet.

The village headman's eyes widened, while the bailiff looked at Dong Qi with intense envy. To have a name bestowed by a noble family was a true protective charm for a self-cultivating farmer.

Not to mention those lowly servants, even the village head and the county magistrate would treat three-year-old Dong Sheng with utmost respect.

Dong Qi's eyes reddened, and his lips trembled as he struggled to speak. The woman, overjoyed, wept and bowed to Xie Hong, holding her child, saying, "This servant is willing."

A thousand coins a month would amount to twelve thousand coins a year, which is equivalent to several years of hard work for a family of three.

The village magistrate looked at Dong Qi with envy: "Dong Qi, why don't you quickly thank the young master?"

Dong Qi kowtowed several times in a daze. The village foreman bent down to help him up and said with a smile, "Your family's taxes and corvée will be waived from now on. In two years, we will send your son to the fort so that he can accompany my young son in his early education."

After offering a few more words of comfort to Dong Qi, the village foreman turned to Xie Hong with a forced smile and asked, "Young master, would you like to build a hut here for a while?"

"That's right," Xie Hong answered truthfully, then asked, "I need all sorts of supplies and equipment. I wonder if you could help me prepare them? I'll exchange them for rock honey."

He regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, because he was a member of the gentry, and what gentry would run their own business? Why would they go out of their way to talk to a poor family?

Not only was the strict hierarchy unacceptable, but the prestige of the aristocratic class absolutely forbade it.

Chen San should be the one to talk.

But the village foreman overlooked this point; upon hearing that there was honey, he immediately asked in a trembling voice, "Young master, do you really have rock honey? How much?"

How much do you want?

Dong Xuan's heart skipped a beat: "How many gentlemen do you have?"

"I have as many as you want."

Dong Xuan was somewhat bewildered.

The Dong family has lived at the foot of Mount Lu for more than two hundred years. He knew that Mount Lu produced honey, but the quantity was extremely small. Finding it depended entirely on luck. Sometimes, even after searching for ten or fifteen days in the mountains, they still couldn't find any.

Yes, he is a gentleman from the Xie family of Chen Commandery. Naturally, such extraordinary people raised by aristocratic families would know the art of honey-seeking.

Dong Xuan couldn't understand why the other party wanted to trade with him.

Perhaps this gentleman is different from other gentry gentlemen.

"My lord, please take back your valuables first, and then please come into the fortress to discuss this further."

Dong Xuan handed the jade token back with both hands, and Xie Hong glared and shouted, "Stop making a fuss! Do you think I'll take back what I've given away? You're slapping the face of the Xie family of Chenjun!"

Xie Hong really wanted to take it back.

Because it's genuine Hetian jade, it cost tens of thousands of yuan.

Dong Xuan was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he repeatedly apologized:

"I would never dare to do that, my lord. Please calm your anger. I will keep it for you for a few days."

Xie Hong snorted: "Let's go, let's get into the fort first. By the way, the people I brought are not my servants, but refugees I picked up along the way. Don't make a fuss, or don't blame me for making trouble for you."

Dong Xuan smiled obsequiously.

"No, no, you are too kind-hearted, sir."

Xie Hong then turned to Dong Qi and said, "Go outside the gate and call my men over. Bring a ceramic bowl and scoop out a bowl of honey for your son to try."

Not to mention the two bailiffs, Dong Xuan was jealous of them all.

Honey was too precious for him to afford; he could only afford maltose.

The reason he was so excited when he heard about rock honey was because it was as valuable as gold and jade; a pound of rock honey was equivalent to several months' worth of food for an ordinary person.

Apart from the aristocracy, Buddhist temples, and the imperial court, no one could afford it.

It's something that even honey gatherers would never eat.

Xie Hong also had his own plans.

Building a thatched hut requires materials, and at least three months' worth of food reserves for the refugees. Including the oxcart, servants, and other utensils, it will cost at least 300,000 coins.

This is just the beginning. At least 50,000 coins will be needed every month to maintain the dignity of an ordinary gentry family.

If he wants to elevate his status, he must build a luxurious dwelling.

We can't just build a thatched hut, can we? Shouldn't we build a hall for receiving guests? And shouldn't we have a winding, meandering pavilion?

Do you support servants and retainers? There must be at least twenty servants and ten retainers, right?

Here comes the most important part: the essence of cultivating prestige is actually high-level social interaction. When various gentry come to visit, does it cost money to entertain them? What if a famous scholar comes as well?

This is only part of what Xie Hong thought of; there are many more things he didn't think of, and none of them are free.

You need at least 100,000 yuan a month to maintain a decent appearance.

Dong Qi cautiously led Liu Chong and the other four over. Dong Xuan looked alarmed upon seeing them, his once-enthusiastic heart nearly turning cold.

Are these refugees? They're clearly soldiers and bandits.

But when Chief Dong saw the pottery jars that Liu Chong and the refugees were holding, his heart warmed up again.

It really is rock honey.

Moreover, it is a top-grade rock honey.