fake gentry

The only person in the world who dared to address Wang Dun Ahei to his face was probably Emperor Sima Rui.

Even Director Wang would have to call him "Brother" when he sees him.

But Yang Man shouted.

The people in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment.

Wang Dun leaned back on the couch, his gaze dark and menacing, but he did not show any anger. He merely raised his hand slightly, signaling his servants to arrange a seat for Yang Man and serve him wine.

When Yang Man was drunk, she even dared to curse Sima Rui.

There was nothing he could do; it was because he had a niece named Yang Xianrong.

Who caused the Sima clan to lose even their empress?

This humiliation was not only for the Sima family, but also for the Yang family.

Therefore, Yang Man often went on a drunken rampage, verbally abusing the Sima clan to the point of spitting blood, and Sima Rui could only turn a blind eye.

Xie Hong discovered that Yang Man was an older, handsome man, even more so than Xie Kun. No wonder Yang Ben was so good-looking that he could become a prince consort.

But then Yang Man walked to the center of the hall and stood there as if no one else was there. Her gaze swept over everyone in the hall and then landed on Xie Hong's face.

Yang Man's eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly: "So you must be Xie's son. Indeed, you are quite handsome."

Then he quickly regained his composure and said loudly, "By imperial decree, son of the Xie family, why are you not kneeling down?"

Xie Hong had no choice but to leave his seat and kneel before Yang Man. Yang Man's clear voice echoed in the hall: "By imperial decree, Xie Hong of the Xie family is exceptionally talented and virtuous. At the age of sixteen, he wrote 'Xie Family Mathematical Rules' and studied Xie's mathematics, which has contributed to the country. He is hereby summoned to the court to serve as an Attendant Gentleman of the Palace. He shall go to Jiankang to take up his post immediately and shall not delay."

A Gentleman-in-Waiting (a high-ranking official)?

The hall was completely silent.

This time, the shock was even greater than when Wang Dun wanted to appoint Xie Hong as his chief secretary.

Generally speaking, the standard starting official position for the sons of top aristocratic families is secretary.

This is widely recognized as a first-rate incorruptible official.

With few affairs to attend to and high prestige, this is almost the exclusive starting point for scions of top-tier clans like the Wang and Yu families.

As long as one is summoned to serve as a secretary, one can quickly transfer to important positions such as secretary, imperial attendant, or palace attendant after a few years. This allows one to accumulate prestige and get closer to the central government, thus avoiding all kinds of complicated official positions.

To put it bluntly, these official positions are specifically for building reputation and seniority. The Attendant Gentleman of the Palace is a third-rank official position, and like the Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, it is the most prestigious and noble official position, collectively known as the Attendant Gentleman of the Palace.

If one is sent to a remote area, even if it is a demotion, the starting position is prefect, usually governor, or even provincial governor. If one is given the title of general, the next step is to become someone like Wang Dun, Tao Kan, or Dai Yuan.

Qian Feng slowly clenched her hands, which were hidden in her sleeves, into a fist, and then slowly relaxed them. This movement was extremely slow, as if she wanted to suppress the tremors in her heart little by little.

If he had such an opportunity, why would he have encouraged Wang Dun to rebel?

Wang Ying opened his mouth wide, looked at Wang Han, then at Wang Dun, and then gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Father, did you hear that? Yuanwai Changshi, when I first entered officialdom, I was only a Zhonglang General."

The so-called "Yuanwai Sanqi Changshi" refers to a candidate for the official position of Sanqi Changshi.

Wang Ying dreamed of becoming a secretary in the government; nowadays, probably only Wang Huzi and Wang Xizhi from the Langya Wang clan have received such treatment.

Lu Wan, standing to the side, looked at Xie Hong and felt a sense of absurdity.

Has the emperor gone mad?

Even if Xie Hong was highly regarded, he should have been given the position of Secretary. Instead, he was given the position of Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, the very official position the emperor rose to power in.

The position of Secretary is the most coveted starting position for us Jiangzuo gentry, but unfortunately, I don't know if Zuyan and Shiyan can obtain it.

However, Lu Wan also knew that this position was always reserved only for the direct descendants of top-tier aristocratic families such as the Langya Wang clan and the Yingchuan Yu clan; second-class aristocratic families could not even dream of it.

Not to mention teenagers like Xie Hong.

However, the imperial court appointed Xie Hong as a high-ranking official, several levels above him, making the emperor's intentions quite clear.

Didn't you, Wang Ahei, want to detain Xie Hong?

The court will then summon him to court. If you refuse to release him, it will be considered an open act of defiance, confirming your crime of disloyalty.

But if Wang Dun were to release him, it would be tantamount to acknowledging the authority of the imperial court.

Xie Hong knelt in the hall, suddenly feeling an urge to curse.

Sima Rui is setting a trap for him.

This isn't about recruiting me; it's about making me refuse to be recruited!

Wang Dun looked at Xie Hong and sneered, waiting to see how Xie Hong would react.

Xie Hong knelt on the ground, neither saying he obeyed the imperial edict nor disobeying it, but simply appearing as if he were in a daze.

Who in the main hall didn't envy Xie Hong?

If it were a regular summons, the emperor could simply send any messenger.

But who is it that has come to recruit Xie Hong this time?

The renowned scholar Yang Man.

He was the patriarch of the Taishan Mountain Clan, a top-tier aristocratic clan. He came to recruit a young man who barely met the threshold of a second-class aristocratic clan. Where the hell is this reasonable?

Not to mention others, even Ge Xianweng felt a pang of jealousy.

Envy and jealousy.

Look at me, I've worked myself to the bone and only have an empty title. This is probably all I'll ever amount to in my life.

But Feng Zhi is only sixteen years old this year. Wang Ahei is holding onto him and the emperor is making such a big show of recruiting him. I wonder how famous Feng Zhi will become.

It's about as high as the sky.

I might as well follow Feng Zhi from now on; maybe I can even become a prefect.

All the intense gazes around Xie Hong fell upon him.

Even Wang Ying and Wang Han had to admit that, in terms of appearance, only Pan Yue and Wei Jie could compare to him.

Yu Liang and Yu Yuangui were famous for their good looks, but compared to the sons of the Xie family, they had to admit defeat.

Moreover, Yu Liang was a serious and respectful man, far from possessing the carefree and unconventional air of Xie's son.

Just then, the armored soldiers outside the hall entered again.

"Prime Minister, the young masters Changyu and Tu are requesting an audience outside the palace."

Wang Dun stood there dumbfounded, and everyone in the hall turned their gaze from Xie Hong to Wang Dun.

Lu Wan was even more shocked.

The Wang clan is nearly splitting apart. Wang Maohong actually sent his eldest son to Wuchang? Wasn't Wang Changyu a lecturer in the Eastern Palace? Who is Tu Langjun? Is he Wang Yishao, whom the Wang clan praised as having the appearance of a dragon and phoenix?

Could it be that Wang Changyu came to recruit Xie Fengzhi on behalf of the Crown Prince?

Everyone in the hall considered this possibility.

Isn't this Xie son a bit too sought after?

What official position will Crown Prince Sima Shao give to Xie's son?

In fact, given the social standing of the Xie family of Chen Commandery, serving in the military governor's office in a regional military region was the true path to officialdom that suited them.

When Xie Hong heard the words "Tu Langjun," his mind went blank, and he couldn't hear anything else.

Wang Xizhi's childhood name was Atu.

The Sage of Calligraphy.

Wang Xizhi, the author of "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" and "Letter After Snowfall," the Wang Xizhi whose works have been copied by countless people for over a thousand years. The Wang Xizhi that he had seen countless times on screens, in rubbings, and in documentaries before his time travel was about to stand vividly before him.

Then, footsteps were heard outside the hall, and two young men walked in. The one in the lead was about twenty years old, wearing a moon-white silk robe with wide sleeves and a jade belt around his waist. He had a clear face and gentle features. He was Wang Yue, the eldest son of Wang Dao, who had served as a lecturer in the Eastern Palace and was the closest confidant of Crown Prince Sima Shao.

Xie Hong's gaze immediately fell on the young man following behind Wang Yue.

The other person was more than half a head taller than Wang Yue, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He wore a black silk robe, had an extremely handsome face, with eyebrows like ink paintings, a straight nose, thin lips slightly pursed, and a pair of clear and bright eyes.

The moment the other person entered, he didn't look at Wang Dun, but instead looked directly at Xie Hong.

The moment their eyes met, Xie Hong's heart skipped a beat.

The Sage of Calligraphy seems to be quite unfriendly to me.

Did I offend him in some way?