After Chen Xi ca out from Liu Bei, representatives from various aristocratic families seed to have received a signal. They changed into their prepared robes and headed towards the location previously decided by Chen Xi.
"Patriarch, why do we have to go so early?" the personal maid asked Zhen Mi, who was dressed in a sunset-red silk dress with a layer of white fur, with a bow.
"No matter what, we must go first. From any perspective, we must fulfill our duties as hosts," Zhen Mi slowly donned the palace attire of the Zhen Family’s patriarch, then had the maid fasten the complicated clasps on the outfit.
Among all the families under heaven, only the Zhen Family would have a female patriarch’s robe. This unlucky aristocratic family has been passed down to the brink of extinction, with unmatched wealth but only won remaining in the direct lineage.
The maid bowed and no longer obstructed Zhen Mi. Instead, Zhen Mi placed her hands together over her abdon and chest, and stepped out slowly as if asuring each step. Once in the carriage, she knelt within, and after the curtain was gently lowered, the carriage with the unique Zhen Family emblem proceeded at a steady pace to the courtyard provided by the Zhen Family.
The wheels turned slowly without any bumps. Upon arriving, Zhen Mi gently opened the courtyard gate, removed the gold dal from her wrist, tucked it into her sleeve, and hung the Zhen Family’s gold dal on her wrist.
"You stay here to welco the guests. I will be inside," Zhen Mi’s clear, cold voice was heard as she stepped inside the courtyard. The place had been cleaned many tis, with every corner checked, and nurous people were vigilantly watching, so there was no need for any worry.
All the servants of the Zhen Family responded in unison, while Zhen Mi, maintaining a solemn expression, slowly proceeded forward until she reached the second main seat beneath the head seat. With a calm gesture, she flicked her robes and sat there with her eyes closed.
After sitting quietly for a while, Zhen Mi slowly raised her wrist. The dazzling gold dal with the character "Zhen" made her slightly cross-eyed. She lifted her sleeve, took out another gold dal, observed it for a long ti, and then closed her eyes to unfasten its strap, securing it around her neck.
After completing all this, the internal hall once again restored its previous silence, and Zhen Mi, as if having completed a task, began to rest with her eyes closed.
After the Chen Hour, aristocratic families began to arrive one after another. However, this group of visitors was conscious enough to walk in. Although so were surprised to see the Zhen Family carriage at the gate, none uttered a sound. They entered in small groups and chose seats at the back to rest with their eyes closed.
As ti passed, more and more aristocratic families arrived. However, there weren’t many who made any noise. Almost everyone quickly chose their positions upon entering, as the families were not lacking in self-awareness.
In the world of aristocratic families, there are not too many, nor too few, to count as such. Reaching back, they are either ancient surnas or nobility. These truly ancient aristocratic families have one distinct point: their ancestors either contributed to laying bricks and tiles for the entire Huaxia civilization or once laid the groundwork for the current map of Huaxia.
This is also why Yuan Shu would say that the aristocratic families have betrayed their forr paths. The aristocratic families themselves did not celebrate acting for the Emperor to govern and educate, nor did they indulge in the later, more deplorable exploitation of the lower classes.
The achievents recorded in the classic books about the aristocratic families were not for one person or one group but for the entire nation.
Even reaching back, the surnas represented the achievents of this group. They were once the inheritors of civilization, the scribes of history, and the descendants of the pioneers of the Huaxia people.
Therefore, when these families had not yet fallen, they had every qualification to enjoy everything they have now.
Sadly, not everything excellent is eternally good. Five hundred years ago, a stead bun could save a life for the ancients of that ti, but now it is downright poison.
Confucianism of the Qin and Han of the Spring and Autumn Period still counted as advanced thought, while Song Confucianism and Ming Confucianism were almost unendurable; the notion that the Dao changes with ti is such.
Any philosophy that exists has its applicable ti, and the breadth of ti is enough to erase all sacred texts.
Calculating from ancient surnas, even from the Late Han, the Yuan Family’s originating Gui surna has barely three thousand years. The aristocratic family’s evolution from nobility took only four hundred years, moving from stabilizing regions and coordinating contradictions to becoming a tumor in just two hundred years.
Originally, every surna represented a naless person taking a step towards expansion, adding their stroke to Huaxia’s landscape. Over ti, each surna ca to represent significant achievents, and every family appearing here represents achievents traceable back to ancient tis.
The seating was almost completely filled, with only fifty or sixty people yet to arrive. These fifty or sixty families practically represented the county prestige of each Han Dynasty prefecture, aning these families not only had histories tracing back over a thousand years but also the matching strength.
Briefly, in the counties where these families were, the prefectural governor was generally chosen by them, and those controllable positions were often occupied by trusted family mbers. Without a policy of official avoidance, it would be difficult for other officials to insert themselves into the county.
Of course, the so-called official avoidance, or being an official elsewhere, wasn’t really foolproof. The Yingchuan Chen Family indeed had instances of family mbers officiating locally, and the Xun Family had similar experiences. As for the Yuan Family, just think of Yuan Shu, so these families are called the First Sequence families.
With the Wei Family of Hedong and the Wei Family of Chenliu appearing jointly at the intersection, the First Sequence of aristocratic families finally began to appear one after another.
So of these families had recently suffered heavy blows, so had only scattered branch lineages remaining, while others were in their pri, yet none mocked another’s failure.
Moreover, no one proposed canceling their qualifications. An aristocratic family can fall or fail, but as long as they haven’t lost their spirit or their heritage, ti will naturally verify everything.
At this juncture, Zhen Mi could no longer remain seated in the main seat, letting the attendants receive the guests. With the final batch arriving, she needed to go out and greet them as well.
She slowly opened her eyes and, like a statue, stood up from the second main seat where she had been sitting. With a calm and solemn deanor, she went to greet the guests. The entire main hall was silent as a grave.
As soon as the head of the Hedong Wei Family, Wei Ji, entered the courtyard, he saw Zhen Mi moving towards the door. Although neither the Hedong Wei Family nor the Wei Family of Chenliu had a particularly good relationship with the Zhen Family, they couldn’t afford to be impolite in front of so many aristocratic families under heaven. Seeing the Zhen Family’s patriarch coming to welco them, he imdiately quickened his pace towards her. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to recomnd it on Qidian (qidian) or vote for monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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