Even so, there was a large crowd of heirs from noble families vying to get in.
Why? Because many noble families, after several generations, faced certain awkward situations. In order to maintain certain privileges, the family needed a certain number of new talents.
Here, we have to mention the peculiarities of the hereditary system of noble titles: Many noble titles did not inherit "Qi Fortune," did not extend longevity, nor did they help in advancing one's realm.
A noble title did not equal an official position (except for the Marquis). Take Xia Jing as an example, his father was a First-class Marquis.
If he inherited it, he would be downgraded to a Second-class Marquis. At this point, he still counted as a Marquis, and the court would arrange a corresponding official position for Xia Jing, sending him into office.
