Chapter 3: One Cry Shocks Heaven

  In Qin Feng's view, this Eastern Han wine party was quite advanced in terms of hygiene, with one person per seat and separate meals. His task was to add wine and dishes during the wine party, after all, it would be inconvenient for male guests to have only maidservants.

  This is much easier than being a hotel service staff, and you can also listen to these big shots talk about the world's major events and gain knowledge, no wonder ordinary people all want to come to this wealthy family to work.

  As Cai Yong and others drank and chatted, Qin Feng also knew who the four people were. The first person on the left was Zhonglang Jiang Lu Zhi, opposite him was Jingzhao Yin Yang Bi, the person in front of him was Jianyi Daifu Ma Rizhi, and opposite him was Yilang Zhang Xun. These several were all important figures, and when Emperor Xian fell into trouble and moved east, each one was an important minister.

  Yang Piao smiled and said: "The inscription of the 'Xiping Stone Classics' written by my brother Boji has been completed, and it is widely spread throughout the world, which is a joyous occasion to be congratulated."

  "Yes, yes, after several years, this stone carving was finally completed. It has now been erected outside the Imperial Academy. I heard that scholars from all over the country go there every day to observe and admire it in an endless stream." said Lu Zhi.

  "Haha, this is your achievement, how can I take credit for it?" Cai Yong said with a smile.

  After three rounds of drinks and five dishes, the serious talk is over and it's time for casual conversation.

  Zhang Xun said, "Brother Boji, I've often heard that you're fond of mathematics. The other day, I found someone who is skilled in the art of arithmetic. This person has a great deal of admiration for you, and I think he's talented, so today when I came to the mansion, I brought him along."

  Shù shù is the first of the Six Classics and a major school in the Book of Changes, while the way of arithmetic is contained within Shù shù, which was also an orthodox subject in ancient times.

  "Oh, but please come up and have a look." Cai Yong said with a smile.

  A moment later, a thin middle-aged man walked up. Qin Feng saw that the man's eyes were darting around everywhere, not like an upright and honest person.

  This man walked into the center of the great hall, wearing white clothes but showing no sign of fear. He bowed and said: "I am Wu Ji, Wu Chuyan, I have met all of you gentlemen before."

  "Mr. Wu, no need for excessive politeness," said Cai Yong as the host, "I heard you are well-versed in the arithmetic of numerology?"

  The way of arithmetic, from the deployment of troops and governance to business transactions and accounting, all rely on it. It is a necessary skill for the righteous path, and those who master it are rare talents. Lu Zhi and others stroked their beards, sizing up this person, seeing that he had some flair, they nodded in secret.

  "Lord Cai, a student has a question and wonders if you would be willing to enlighten him?" Wu Ji called himself a student, but his eyes were full of confidence.

  Cai Yong did not expect this person to speak frankly and ask for advice, slightly furrowing his brow. He slowly said: "But it's nothing."

  This guy is here to cause trouble! Qin Feng saw the newcomer's behavior and knew that he was a knowledgeable person who could answer questions with ease. In modern society, there are many people like this, and it's no wonder that experts and professors have become famous.

  "Now let's talk about wine. The wine shop has 50 jars of wine, each jar containing 30 pecks, and one peck is equal to 10 dou, and one dou is equal to 10 sheng. Now, if we have sold 342 pecks and 84 sheng, how many sheng of wine are left?" said Wu Ji.

  As expected, here comes someone to disrupt the scene. This Cai Yong is indeed a master of mathematics. It's inevitable that there are people who come to disrupt the scene. Qin Feng wants to see how good this ancient mathematician really is.

  Huh?

  Lu Zhi and others frowned, at this moment also saw that the person was here to make a name for himself. Slightly frowning, he looked at Zhang Xun and thought, "Brother Ren, you're going too far, actually finding someone to make things difficult for an old friend."

  Zhang Xun immediately showed dissatisfaction and scolded: "Wu Chuyan, you came here last year..."

  "It doesn't matter!" Cai Yong interrupted Zhang Yun's words. Such things had happened occasionally in the Imperial Academy, and he was a straightforward person who didn't think deeply about it. He turned to Jiang Chuan beside him and said, "Go get paper and pen, I'll work out the calculation."

  "Yes!" Jiang Chuan hastily ordered.

  "Qin big brother, this question must be very difficult. Look, even the old master is using paper and pen now, usually he doesn't need to." Little Red said in a low voice.

  This question still needs to be calculated with pen and paper! Qin Feng snorted in disdain, mentally calculating for a moment before having an idea.

  After a while, Cai Yong's eyebrows were tightly furrowed as he wrote hastily. This question seemed simple at first, but the numbers were staggering when calculated.

  It seems that a difficult problem has been encountered. Seeing Cai Yong being stumped by an unknown person, it's inevitable to cover his face in shame. Lu Zhi and other friends are displeased with Wu Ji. But since things have come to this point, they can only wait and see what happens next. Zhang Xun's teeth itch with anger, he had known that this kid would try to make a name for himself by taking advantage of the situation, no matter what he says, he won't bring him along, and will drive him out of the mansion as soon as they return.

  "Zi Gan, I see Bo Qi's face showing a difficult expression. It seems that Wu Ji's goal has been achieved." Yang Piao said to Lu Zhi.

  Lu Zhi nodded slightly. "If Bo Ji can't do it, this matter will spread out and Wu Ji will gain fame."

  "Wu Ji, you have a big nerve. Today we are gathered here, where do you have the time to do this question, you can go down." Zhang Xun stood up and scolded him.

  Able to stump the best of this generation, tomorrow this matter will spread throughout Luoyang, and perhaps throughout the world. My reputation as Wu Chuyan will be made... Ha ha... How much heart's blood has Wu Ji expended to obtain such an opportunity? Can he just leave like this? With a humble smile: "If Lord Cai cannot do it, I can enlighten everyone."

  Seeing his old friend about to lose face due to his own negligence, Zhang Xun scolded himself in anger and shouted: "How dare you......!" If this were at his own residence, he would have long since ordered someone to beat this shameless rascal who doesn't know the difference between superior and inferior with a stick.

  However, Cai Yong was a renowned scholar of the time, being upright and modest. When encountering difficulties in academic pursuits, he would only ask for guidance. Wu Ji had also taken this into account, seeing that time was passing bit by bit, fearing that if things dragged on, Cai Yong would solve the problem. He said: "Sir Cai, half a stick of incense has passed, do you know how to solve it?"

  Cai Yong's face turned red with embarrassment. In his opinion, the problem wasn't difficult to solve, but it was tedious and time-consuming, and couldn't be figured out in a short moment. "This... uh...", Cai Yong threw down his brush and was about to ask for the answer.

  Wu Ji saw his actions and expressions and knew that his plan had succeeded, the joy in his heart bursting forth on his face. He was going to make a name for himself!

  Cai Yong wrote countless oracle bones on paper, this great Han did not have plus and minus signs, nor Arabic numerals, let alone abacus. So even if Cai Yong could perform arithmetic operations, it would take a huge amount of time to accumulate the answers one by one with oracle bones.

  "Wait a minute!" Qin Feng was furious at Wu Chuyan's opportunistic rise to fame and strode onto the stage.

  Everyone's astonished gaze immediately focused on him.

  Consul Jiang Chuan was shocked and pale, thinking "You little devil, you're courting death, how dare you run out here!"

  Qin Feng looked up and down at Wu Ji, thinking to himself: You little guy wants to make a name for yourself? I also want to make a name for myself. It seems that this fame should be yours.

  Cai Yong and others did not know for a moment what Qin Feng came out to do, while Wu Ji thought about letting Cai Yong say the words of seeking advice, shouting: "Who are you!"

  "Alright, let's go down," said Qin Feng with a smile.

  Wu Ji saw his coarse hemp clothes and disdainfully lectured him, "You're just a lowly servant, what are you doing out here?"

  "Hmph, my master wouldn't bother with someone of your limited experience. Luckily, I've learned some superficial knowledge from him, so I'll substitute for my master to answer your questions." Qin Feng said with a smile.

  "Haha, how ridiculous! Even the great Master Cai finds it difficult to achieve, and you, a young whippersnapper, think you can do it in just one or two years? You're not capable of doing it even if I give you that much time!" Wu Ji sneered.

  "Alright, listen carefully!" Qin Feng shook his long sleeves and began to speak in a clear voice: "The wine shop has 50 jars of wine, each jar containing 30 dou. That's a total of 1,500 dou. If we sell 342 dou, there will be 1,158 dou left. One dou is equal to 10 sheng, so the remaining 1,158 dou is equivalent to 11,580 sheng. If we sell 84 sheng, there will still be 11,576 sheng left."

  Qin Feng swung his sleeve and said disdainfully: "Youngster, am I right in what I'm saying?"

  Wu Ji's question related to wine was something he had been racking his brains for, just to fit in with the background of the wine party, so that people would think it was a sudden idea. This way, people would believe that he was faster than Cai Yong. He spent two days and two nights on this problem, using up countless sheets of paper before finally figuring out the solution. But Qin Feng's answer was not off by even a hair from his own calculation, leaving him shocked and amazed.

  "How did you calculate it?" Wu Ji said in a fluster.

  Qin Feng sneered and said: "Can such a secret technique be told to you? You just answer, is what I said correct?"

  "Huh!" Lu Zhi and others looked at each other in dismay, could this man be right?

  Cai Yong's eyes widened in surprise, and he hastily picked up his brush again. He quickly arrived at the same answer as Qin Feng. He couldn't help but exclaim: "I didn't expect this person's mental calculations to be so remarkable! Who in the world can compare?" Cai Yong asked himself if he was inferior, and if he wasn't, then there were only a few people who could. A hint of surprise flashed across his eyes as he turned to ask Jiang Chuan behind him: "Who is this person?"

  "Reporting to the master, this is Qin Feng, also known as Zi Jin, who has just arrived at the mansion." Jiang Chuan hastily said, sweating profusely on his forehead. He was also frightened, if Qin Feng was speaking nonsense, he would be finished too, and he would also suffer punishment along with him.

  "Am I right?" Qin Feng asked again.

  Wu Ji faced Qin Feng's questioning, his forehead covered in sweat, and he had already lost his previous composure.