Before Fei Qian could leave Heluo, there was one place he absolutely had to visit and inform—the head of the Heluo Fei family.
After all, giving a heads-up wouldn't result in someone clinging to his leg to stop him from leaving. However, leaving without notice would, in the highly ritualistic and etiquette-conscious scholarly circles of the Han Dynasty, essentially brand him as an arrogant upstart for life. Such a move would be a grave mistake.
The concept of aristocratic families had been forming since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Their influence only began to wane during the Tang and Song dynasties, and it wasn't until the Ming Dynasty, with the true implementation of the imperial examination system, that these families officially exited the historical stage.
Before the Ming Dynasty, every emperor's first task was to confront these aristocratic families. They couldn't do without them, yet they had to find ways to restrict and suppress them. However, only a handful of emperors in history managed to truly subdue these families and keep them in check.
The reason why the Han Dynasty was trapped in a vicious cycle of power struggles between maternal relatives and eunuchs ultimately boiled down to these aristocratic families. During this era, these families often acted in the nation's best interests, guiding its direction. However, when it came to family interests, they wouldn't hesitate to harm the state. Thus, Han emperors first relied on maternal relatives to suppress these families. When the maternal relatives grew too powerful, they turned to eunuchs to curb their influence. And when the eunuchs became too dominant, they used the scholarly elites from these families to purge the eunuchs.
This cycle led to the Han Dynasty being particularly famous for its powerful maternal relatives, such as the formidable Huo Guang and Wei Qing, as well as the less impressive Dou Wu and He Jin.
In the Han Dynasty, openly opposing aristocratic families under the banner of overthrowing the aristocratic families was futile. Even with knowledge and foresight spanning millennia, it was nearly impossible to succeed. After all, these families held the most advanced knowledge of the time, and governing the state relied on their members. The vast majority of ordinary people couldn't even read or count—how could such illiterates suddenly understand state governance?
Fei Qian belonged to the Heluo Fei family, which traced its origins back to the Qin Dynasty.
The Qin ancestor Feizi was enfeoffed by King Xiao of Zhou in the land of Qin, becoming known as Qin Feizi. Among his descendants, one was granted the title of marquis and enfeoffed in Pei Township, earning the title Lord Pei. His descendants took their fief as their surname, becoming the Pei family. Over time, the family branched into Fei and Fei lineages.
The Fei family had been rooted in Luoyang for nearly a century. Although they hadn't produced any high-ranking officials like the Three Excellencies, they had their share of court officials, regional governors, and commandery administrators. Thus, when Fei Qian was recommended as filial and incorrupt, it was partly due to the local officials' awareness of his family connections. After all, large commanderies had annual quotas for such recommendations, and using them to curry favor with Luoyang's aristocratic families wasn't uncommon.
Fei Qian felt like he was paying a visit to the local big shot, and in reality, aristocratic families were essentially just that—local powerholders.
The current head of the Fei family was Fei Min, courtesy name Zihao. By family hierarchy, he was Fei Qian's uncle.
Fei Min held the position of Grand Master of Remonstrance, responsible for offering counsel. As a subordinate of the Superintendent of the Imperial Household, he held a rank of 600 shi. Although not as prestigious as the Three Excellencies, the role granted him the right to submit memorials directly to the emperor, making it an important position.
Fei Min wore a brocade robe, sported a neatly trimmed beard, and had a square face with a slightly plump build. His stern expression and serious demeanor exuded authority. When he entered the hall, he didn't even glance at Fei Qian, who stood respectfully to the side. Only after properly arranging his robes and kneeling in the center of the hall did he seem to notice Fei Qian. "Nephew, I trust you've been well?"
Good—he addressed Fei Qian as "nephew," indicating that Fei Min intended to keep the tone familial. If he had used "young official," it would have signaled a strictly formal, distant approach.
The etiquette of the Han Dynasty was exhausting, and dealing with a family head who was also an official made it even more so. Fei Qian grumbled inwardly but maintained proper decorum, lowering his gaze and responding with polite formalities.
In the Han Dynasty, juniors or subordinates couldn't look directly at their elders or superiors when speaking unless explicitly instructed. When answering, their gaze could rise no higher than the other person's chest, and after speaking, they had to lower their eyes to the ground. Direct eye contact was either a challenge or a prelude to a fight.
After the pleasantries, the real conversation began.
When Fei Qian mentioned his intention to leave Heluo and travel south to Jingxiang for further studies, Fei Min stroked his beard, seemingly lost in reminiscence. "Your father, Ziyun, was also a man of great learning, with a vast memory. His travels to Qi were the stuff of legend… Nephew, you take after your father. If he were alive, he would surely be proud of your pursuit of knowledge. However…"
Fei Min's tone shifted. "However, if you're leaving to study, what will become of the hundred or so scrolls your father left behind? The journey is long and treacherous, and the times are unstable. If anything were to happen to them, wouldn't that be a lifelong regret?"
"Uncle, you speak wisely. What do you suggest?"
"In my opinion, why not entrust your father's collection to me for safekeeping? Once you return from your studies, I'll return them to you. This way, you'll be spared the burden of carrying them, and your father's legacy will remain secure. What do you think?"
Fei Qian fell silent for a long time.
He knew that "temporary safekeeping" was just a pretext. Once he handed over the scrolls, he could forget about getting them back.
In the Han Dynasty, knowledge was priceless, and as the carriers of knowledge, scrolls held immense value.
These scrolls weren't just books—they represented a family's heritage, a legacy. A single scroll could be worth a fortune, and many impoverished scholars would pay any price to obtain one.
Fei Min, as the head of the Heluo Fei family, saw Fei Qian as young and easy to manipulate. Moreover, Fei Qian had no heirs, and as the family head, Fei Min felt it was his duty to prevent the family's knowledge from falling into the wrong hands. Of course, the real reason was that these scrolls were incredibly valuable. Fei Min's own collection numbered just over 800 scrolls, and Fei Qian's hundred or so scrolls would bring him close to the coveted milestone of a thousand-scroll collection. What a tempting title!
Fei Min had long coveted these scrolls, and now Fei Qian had handed him the perfect excuse to take them. How could he let such an opportunity slip?
Fei Qian couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This was the nature of aristocratic families. To them, family came before the state, and family interests always took precedence.
Helpless, Fei Qian had to bow to the circumstances. As a branch member, he had little say in the matter. The fact that the family head had personally received him and used the pretext of "temporary safekeeping" to request the scrolls was already a gesture of goodwill, likely motivated by the value of the collection. If Fei Qian had been a commoner, Fei Min might have simply sent a servant to handle the matter.
"Very well. Uncle, you speak wisely. However…" Fei Qian knew he couldn't refuse outright, but he also couldn't give in too easily, lest he be seen as weak. "My father cherished the Qi Analects above all else. As an unfilial son, I cannot bear to part with them. I must take them with me."
Did they think Fei Qian was an easy target? The most valuable Qi Analects were off the table!
It was well known that during the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang had burned books and buried scholars, nearly wiping out Confucianism. By the Han Dynasty, the tables had turned, and Confucianism flourished, reaching its peak during Emperor Wu of Han's reign. The court exclusively revered Confucianism, suppressing all other schools of thought. Many followers of other schools were forced to convert to Confucianism, while those who resisted were killed, imprisoned, or exiled to the frontiers.
By the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Confucianism was the only path to officialdom, and the most important Confucian text was the"论语" (Analects).
The"论语" had been compiled during the early Warring States period. Due to oral transmission and repeated copying, variations in the text had emerged. By the late Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Yu, the imperial tutor of Emperor Cheng of Han, had compiled the"张侯论" (Zhang Hou Analects) based primarily on the"鲁论" (Lu Analects) with elements of the"齐论" (Qi Analects), resulting in a 21-chapter text.
The"齐论" that Fei Qian's father had collected during his travels in Qi, though incomplete, was still considered priceless by Confucian scholars of the time.
"This… this…" Fei Min's beard trembled with reluctance, but Fei Qian had raised the banner of孝 (filial piety). How could Fei Min deny him the chance to honor his father's memory? That would go against the very core of Confucian ethics.
"Nephew, why not keep three or five scrolls with you? Surely that would suffice?" Fei Min still refused to give up.
Fei Qian shook his head firmly.
"Ah, very well. As you wish." Though disappointed, Fei Min was satisfied with securing most of the collection without causing a scene. After all, Fei Qian was still a member of the Fei family, and causing too much of a stir would only invite ridicule. It was just a shame he couldn't get everything.
"When do you plan to depart?"
In other words, when can I come and collect the scrolls?
"I've been invited by the Cui family and have some matters to settle. Once that's done, I'll leave within a month and will certainly inform you, Uncle."—The Cui family might cause trouble for me, and if I can't resolve it, I won't be able to leave. If you can handle it, I'll be gone in ten days or so, and I'll let you know when I leave.
"The Cui family, the one north of the city? I understand. Nephew, your journey will be long and arduous. I have little to offer you, but please accept some travel funds. Consider it my wish for your safe travels and successful studies."—Alright, I'll help you deal with it. Here's some advance payment. No backing out now—it's settled.
When Fei Qian left the Heluo Fei family with 500 gold pieces, it marked the completion of his transaction with Fei Min. This was the plight of a branch member. Even if Fei Qian had refused, Fei Min would have found another way to get what he wanted, though it might not have been as amicable as this.
By handing over the scrolls, Fei Qian had secured a degree of freedom and protection from the main family.
If Fei Qian failed to achieve anything significant in the future, the scrolls would be lost forever. However, if he ever rose to prominence, the scrolls might even be returned to him in greater numbers.
This was the nature of aristocratic families. The family head wielded great power but also bore the responsibility of guiding the family's development. Branch members were often subtly exploited by the main family. Of course, if the family head proved incompetent, the family elders would convene to depose him and select a capable replacement from another branch. The wealth of the deposed head's lineage would then be divided among the others, leading to their decline.
Beneath the refined manners and polite demeanor of aristocratic families lay the brutal law of the jungle—the strong devouring the weak.