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Fei Qian stood before the gates of Fei Min's residence and, for a fleeting moment, felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.
He still remembered how, back then, he had been unable to resolve even the most trivial of matters on his own. In the end, he had no choice but to trade away the books left behind by his father in exchange for a measure of personal freedom.
Such were the rules of the aristocratic families.
Over the centuries, there had been no shortage of people who tried to defy these norms—but every single one of those who dared had been crushed beneath the weight of these long-established customs.
Would the Heluo Fei Clan be an exception?
Fei Qian didn't know.
All he knew was that those who managed to rise to the position of family head amidst fierce competition were never simple individuals…
In the Han Dynasty, unless the direct descendants of the family head were utterly incompetent, leaving no other options, most family heads would ensure that their own children inherited their position.
Of course, this so-called inheritance was still framed as a "fair competition"—though everyone knew exactly what that meant.
Most family heads had already monopolized certain knowledge through various means, and as their children, they naturally enjoyed more opportunities and resources. Unless they deliberately sabotaged themselves, becoming the next family head wasn't particularly difficult.
In truth, the origins of aristocratic families could be traced all the way back to the era of the Yellow Emperor and the Flame Emperor.
At that time, the Yellow Emperor and the Flame Emperor were merely nominal leaders. When major events arose, they still had to summon the chiefs of subordinate tribes to form alliances and deliberate on matters of great importance. The powerful families that emerged from these tribal alliances rose and fell over time, but the overarching structure of aristocratic families ruling alongside the emperor remained the dominant model, persisting all the way to the present day.
Fei Qian handed his name card to the gatekeeper and waited quietly as the man fawned over him.
Gatekeepers were among the sharpest-eyed people around. The last time Fei Qian had come with Uncle Fu, the gatekeeper of Fei Min's residence wouldn't have given him the time of day if not for the handful of wuzhu coins. But this time, Fei Qian didn't offer a single coin—yet the gatekeeper was grinning from ear to ear like a blooming flower.
Everyone had their own way of surviving in this world.
Just like the various social strata of the Han Dynasty, each class played its own role.
Broadly speaking, Han society was divided into four tiers.
The first, naturally, was the imperial family—the central government represented by the Liu clan. Their goal was to weaken the powerful families and consolidate their own dynasty's rule, ensuring the Liu family's dominance for generations to come. This was why the Han Dynasty repeatedly saw the phenomenon of maternal relatives and eunuchs taking turns in power.
Next came the aristocratic families and the emerging scholar-official class. Their primary political demands revolved around land and population. On this point, the interests of the aristocratic families and scholar-officials aligned, so to some extent, they would join forces to resist imperial authority and protect their own status. However, they were also locked in fierce competition among themselves.
The economic foundation of the aristocratic families and scholar-officials was the monopolization of mountains and marshes—the large-scale annexation of land to build their manorial economies. Their targets for annexation were the self-cultivating farmers, who also happened to be the economic foundation of the central imperial government. Taxes and military conscription both relied on these farmers, meaning the manorial economies of the aristocratic families were in direct conflict with the central government's revenue. In essence, the aristocratic families grew fat by drinking the imperial family's blood.
The third tier consisted of the minor gentry—the so-called "impoverished scholars." These local elites were more regionally focused than the aristocratic families, who were a fusion of high-ranking bureaucrats and powerful clans. The minor gentry had lower political ambitions and more pragmatic demands: they simply wanted a "wise ruler" who could maintain peace and stability, ensuring their families wouldn't be ravaged by bandits like the Yellow Turbans, allowing them to live comfortably as local landlords.
As for the impoverished scholars—the small landlords—their demand was to break the aristocratic families' monopoly on official positions and secure opportunities for career advancement. The current system of selecting "filial and incorrupt" candidates was nominally based on merit, but in reality, it had been monopolized by the aristocratic families. Those from lesser backgrounds faced constant disdain.
With their paths to upward mobility blocked, the elites from small landlord families grew desperate for opportunities, yearning for their own chance to rise to prominence.
As for the lowest tier—the commoners and self-cultivating farmers—they had only one primary demand: stability. They wanted food to eat and clothes to wear.
Now, Fei Qian felt as though he was caught between the impoverished scholars and the aristocratic families. Could he be considered part of the aristocracy? To some extent, yes—after all, his marriage into the Huang family of Jingxiang meant he was no longer just an impoverished scholar. But was he truly part of the aristocracy? Not quite, because he was still a collateral member of the Heluo Fei Clan, and the family head remained Fei Min.
Fei Min, as always, was dressed in brocade robes, his square face adorned with a neatly trimmed beard and his plump figure exuding an air of prosperity. This time, however, his smile was noticeably warmer than before.
Standing at the entrance of the hall, Fei Min took two steps forward upon seeing Fei Qian approach with the steward. Chuckling, he said, "Nephew Ziyuan, it has been too long! I trust you have been well?"
Fei Qian stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Uncle! It has indeed been some time. Your esteemed presence is even more radiant than before!"
Fei Min laughed heartily and gestured for Fei Qian to enter the hall and take a seat. Fei Qian naturally deferred, insisting that Fei Min enter first. After a brief show of modesty, Fei Min strode into the hall and seated himself at the center.
Once Fei Qian was seated, Fei Min ordered tea to be served and amiably inquired about Fei Qian's experiences in Jingxiang.
Fei Qian briefly recounted some of his adventures, then bowed his head slightly in apology. "My marriage was rather sudden, and I was unable to inform the family head in advance. This was my failing, and I beg for your forgiveness, Uncle."
Fei Min tilted his head back and laughed twice, his eyes narrowing as he stroked his beard. "Your late father once mentioned that he wished to find you a fine wife. Alas, he departed this world too soon… But now that you have married into the Huang family, it seems his wish has been fulfilled."
As he spoke, a faint, indescribable emotion flickered in Fei Min's heart. Originally, he had assumed that Fei Qian's branch of the family was in decline, with few descendants and a bleak future ahead. That was why he had schemed to acquire the books left behind by Fei Qian's father when Fei Qian was still a lowly minor official. But who could have predicted that, in the blink of an eye, this very same Fei Qian would forge ties with Cai Yong, becoming a disciple of both Cai Yong and Liu Hong? His status had skyrocketed almost overnight…
Left with no other choice, Fei Min had considered selecting a daughter from his own family to marry Fei Qian. But before his plans could even take shape, Fei Qian had already fled to Jingxiang—and worse, he had married the sole daughter of the Huang family of Jingxiang. From any angle, Fei Qian had now escaped his previous position of weakness and had become a figure of considerable influence within the Fei Clan.
Truth be told, Fei Qian's failure to inform Fei Min before his marriage was slightly improper by the standards of etiquette. However, given the distance between them and the fact that Pang Degong—Jingxiang's foremost cultural leader—had acted as matchmaker, Fei Min's importance had been effectively supplanted. By bringing up the matter now, Fei Qian was subtly testing Fei Min's reaction.
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