"Power."
Xiao Ming shook his head, "This barrier was broken a long time ago. As long as one becomes a high official, one has power, but the power of an ordinary major family, no matter how great, does not mean that it can become a noble family."
"Then it's the heritage. 'Shi' means generation after generation, right?"
"Heritage of what?"
"Of course, the surname and status!"
Xiao Ming shook his head again, "It's the foundation."
This is a very vague, even metaphysical concept, like the essence, energy, and spirit in a person. The foundation is the temperament of a family.
Power, wealth, surnames, and status, no matter how many generations they are passed through, are just external appearances. But with an unforeseen event, a family can collapse in an instant.
The descendants of ancient emperors who became officials after dynastic changes are not few, but who can be called a scion of a noble family?