Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 547 Slap in the face
When Mr. Zheng returned from the yamen, the old lady had basically arranged everything.

When he listened to the end of the story in confusion and learned that Shi Ding was going to collude with Shui Rong and contact the chieftains in the southwest to fight against the court, he was almost scared to death.

"Grandpa Tian, ​​this is a heinous crime that could lead to the execution of nine generations of the clan. Did Shi Ding get kicked in the head by a donkey?"

As a person who had never used a foul language in most of his life, for the first time he wanted to go to a brothel and learn a few rude words so that he could greet Shi Ding's ancestors...

Never mind, that’s also his mother’s ancestor.

"Mother, Shi Ding must not stay. If he stays, not only can Lan Yatou and the others not be saved, but our family will also suffer."

After three days of separation, you should look at each other with admiration.

What's more, although Mr. Zheng is just a little old-fashioned, he still has some political acumen.

He sighed and raised his hand to rub Baoyu's head.

"Baoyu, if you encounter these things next time, you must tell your father as soon as possible."

He didn't use a big stick to hit Baoyu. Although his son's actions were a bit rough, his original intention was good. He was worried that the old lady would not be able to bear it after hearing this, so he worried for several days.

Finally, a man has taken responsibility!

The growth of his son has also changed Master Zheng. He no longer hides when things go wrong like he did a few years ago. Instead, he takes the initiative to take responsibility.

Master Zheng pursed his lips and thought for a moment, then said to the old lady and Master She, "Although son-in-law Liu is under the name of Duke Liguo's Mansion, he is a little young after all, and I am afraid that he will not be able to suppress those arrogant and powerful generals in the southwest. I will go to the palace to meet you early tomorrow morning and ask for an errand to go south together..."

"What? No way!"

The old lady was shocked when she heard this and immediately spoke up to stop him.

On the contrary, Master She changed his mind about his brother. He nodded secretly, but he was not forgiving and threatened: "Second brother, the second girl's son-in-law is not going to the glamorous places like Jiangnan. Not only will he deal with Shi Ding and others, but he will also go to the Ten Thousand Mountains in the southwest to negotiate with those chieftains. Are you sure you want to go?"

After living in the prosperous capital for a long time, the Ten Thousand Mountains in the southwest became a place for exile of criminals for the nobles in the capital.

Upon hearing this, Master Zheng's face turned pale, but thinking that this matter concerned his second daughter-in-law's family, which was originally the concern of his second branch, Master Zheng gritted his teeth and nodded firmly.

"Oh my! I can't rest assured if I leave this matter to others. Besides, with me, a second-rank official of the court, the father of the imperial concubine, and the second master of Rongguo Mansion, here, those chieftains can also see the sincerity of the court."

These words made everyone look at Master Zheng with new respect. To negotiate with those chieftains who would rebel at any time was a truly dangerous job and no one could avoid it.

"Second brother, I won't stop you if you want to go, but you have to bring some people with you..."

"Boss, you..."

As soon as Master She opened his mouth to speak, the old lady became furious and wanted to scold him, but she only said three words, sighed, leaned back in her chair again, and let the two brothers She and Zheng discuss it on their own.

She is old and she doesn't know how long she can hold on. Isn't it what she has always hoped that her two sons can work together to handle household affairs?
"You two go and discuss this among yourselves. There is only one thing... Second Brother, you must come back safely!"

She and Zheng both nodded and told their mother not to worry.

Master She continued to talk about his plan. The emperor would not just negotiate and appease the people. The reason why Yunnan could implement the policy of converting natives to officials so smoothly and quickly was because of the deterrence of the army of Prince Mu's Mansion.

Whether it is Guangxi or Guizhou, they have been the places with the greatest power of chieftains since ancient times, and the local garrisons have not had much strength.

Therefore, the emperor would never allow those who were determined to follow the rebels to continue living the life of local emperors.

"I will go to the palace with you tomorrow. His Majesty will definitely arrange for a large army to march south secretly. You must be careful at all times. If you fail to recruit them, the army will be sent to suppress them. You must not be soft-hearted. You can take half of the personal soldiers in the palace with you. Kill them when they should be killed. Don't hold back..."

……

The next day, Jia Cong personally collected the old lady's letter and Xiangyun's letter and took them to the Dragon Guards, which then secretly sent them to Jinling through the Dragon Guards' special communication channels.

Master She got up early in the morning for the first time ever and went to the palace with Master Zheng.

Regardless of how the two brothers talked with the emperor in the palace, I think the emperor would be very happy that the Jia family is as loyal and sensible as usual.

After leaving Cao Jiugong, he took a carriage to He's house to meet Baochai.

He has something busy today, as the diviner Zisun Mountain is waiting for them to challenge him.

Just after the Si hour, the Imperial College was already packed with people.

To be honest, Jia Cong rarely participated in poetry and literary gatherings, and had no impression of Sun Shenxing.

However, Sun Shenxing still has a great reputation in the official circle and even among merchants, especially among merchants. Which business does not need mathematical talents?
As long as one has the title of a disciple of the divine fortune teller Zisunshan, all major business houses will scramble to get him.

Jia Cong was fine, as he was a marquis of the imperial court and had a reputation as a top-ranked scholar. Everyone just talked about it and said that a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger.

But Baochai is different. Although she once gained some reputation as a talented woman for managing the Xue family's business, she is still far behind Sun Shenxing, an old scholar...

"I bet Sun Ru will win!"

"Okay, ten taels of silver, Sun Sheng, I'll buy it... 15% to 10%, here, take the ticket!"

Uh……

Jia Cong looked towards the gathering of people and found it was indeed an old acquaintance, the Palace Censor Fang Jingyan.

"Hey, Senior Fang, don't you have to work today?"

Wow!

Fang Jingyan looked embarrassed when she saw Jia Cong.

He swept all the gold and silver beans on the table into a bag on the hem of his clothes, then walked up to Jia Cong.

"What a coincidence! I had nothing to do today so I took a day off to come and see the Yongfeng Marquis show off his power... and earn some pocket money."

I believe you!
Jia Cong didn't believe a word of this. Fang Jingyan had been holding the position of Palace Censor for ten years.

He is obviously working diligently and has a good reputation as an official, but he just refuses to move.

On the contrary, his honorary titles kept rising rapidly, and now he has become a senior official of the second rank, namely Zheng Zhiqing and Zhongfeng Daifu.

Where is the Palace Censor?

The full name is Palace Attending Censor, an unofficial official title of the seventh rank.

According to ancient system, the Palace Censor was in charge of the ceremony of offering sacrifices in the palace.

Whenever there were grand court meetings on the Winter Solstice and New Year's Day, the emperor would wear formal attire and go up to the palace.

If there are suburban sacrifices or imperial tours, then the procession must be checked for violations and all must obey orders at the gate. If any cultural relics are missing, they must be corrected.

In the two capital cities, there were left and right patrols, each of which was responsible for investigating any illegal activities within the area they were patrolling.

In other words, he is the shadow Censor-in-Chief in the Censorate. He can take care of everything and is only responsible to the Emperor. Whoever he glares at is afraid.

Come to think of it, it is normal that this gambling saint who dared to set up gambling in the Fengtian Hall and share the spoils with the emperor did not get a real position in ten years.

After all, he is the emperor's confidant.

"We are all family, Senior Fang, please stop hiding things..."

Jia Cong took out his purse and stuffed it into Fang Jingyan's arms: "I bet on me and Sister Xue to win!"

Fang Jingyan's teeth were aching. This kid...

"You'd better not bet on it this time, my Lord. It's a small business and we can't afford to lose it!"

What a joke! Others might be intimidated by Sun Shenxing’s reputation as a fortune teller, but who is Fang Jingyan?

He knew best the levels of the experts in mathematics in the dynasty and who was better.

Not to mention Jia Cong, this weirdo, the young wife of the He family is a genius that even Lin Ruhai admires very much.

Sun Shenxing? The master of calculation?
I'm afraid that after today, the beads on his abacus will never make a sound again.

Fang Jingyan returned Jia Cong's purse, pulled it aside, and whispered, "Your Majesty asked me to keep an eye on it. The capital has been very busy these past three days. A large group of people have been colluding everywhere to push Sun Shenxing to the position of Minister of Finance. Even if the Marquis wins the competition today, they will find all kinds of excuses..."

"For example, the weather is too hot, which affects the fortune teller's ability to move the abacus beads?"

puff……

Baochai covered her mouth to hold back her laughter, and the tension in her heart mostly dissipated.

Fang Jingyan's expression was serious: "My Lord, I'm not kidding. I have heard a lot of news these days. They have already discussed that if Sun Shenxing loses to you, my Lord, they will say that since Yongfeng Marquis won, it is time for Yongfeng Marquis to take over the Ministry of Revenue. If Your Majesty is talking about your age, it's just right. Sun Shenxing can go to the Ministry of Revenue first, and when you grow up, he will abdicate and let you take over the position first..."

ha?
What a plan!
The emperor never thought of letting Jia Cong take charge of the Ministry of Revenue and become the Minister of Finance of Daxia.

Although the name "Fortune God" is a joke, it still means something.

Apart from Gan Luo, who else in history would allow a young man to be appointed as prime minister?
"If Sun Shenxing beats the Marquis, then Sun Shenxing will have beaten the innately intelligent and talented scholar of Daxia. Who else could be a more suitable candidate for the Minister of Revenue than Sun Shenxing?"

Speaking of this, Fang Jingyan had to admire the shamelessness of this group of people.

It seems that they have reasons and advantages whether winning or losing, so Sun Shenxing is the most suitable person to be the financial advisor, right?

"Ah……"

Jia Cong looked from afar at the crowd gradually gathering around the high platform. They were all wearing long robes with wide sleeves, a group of elegant gentlemen.

"They are so naive. They don't even think about it. If Sun Shenxing loses to the elder sister of the Xue family, will he still have the nerve to continue to call himself a divine fortune teller?"

Baochai looked stunned. To be honest, she herself was not sure.

"Brother Cong has so much confidence in me?"

Before Jia Cong could answer, He Chong, who had settled his grandmother, mother and other family members, walked over quickly, bowed to Fang Jingyan, and said with a smile: "Grandfather also said that Madam has a good chance of winning."

"That's right, in my opinion, Sun Shenxing's mathematical ability is more from books. Xue Yuanwai is more focused on practice. Only practice can bring true knowledge!"

Fang Jingyan once served in the same dynasty as Sun Shenxing. When Sun Shenxing was in the Ministry of Revenue, he not only did not focus on his duties, but hung out with censors every day, talking nonsense and harming the country!

I'm afraid Sun Shenxing himself has almost forgotten all his mathematics.

After being praised by three people in a row, Baochai's anxiety and tension were greatly relieved.

She knelt down and bowed to the three of them: "Then I will risk it all today, and it will be worth it for everyone to trust me so much."

dang dang...

After a few bell rings, the noisy Imperial College parade ground gradually quieted down.

The person presiding over the competition today is Li Shouzhong, the chief academic officer of the Imperial College.

Sitting on the stage were seven great scholars from the capital, all of whom were famous, talented and had good character.

On both sides of the platform are the three people who will be competing today.

At the head of the left sat an old man with gray hair, a serious face and slightly narrowed eyes. After glancing at Jia Cong and Baochai, he turned his gaze to the blue sky.

"This old man actually despises us!"

It might be an exaggeration to say that he despised them, but Sun Shenxing definitely looked down on the two of them.

Jia Cong picked up a pen and wrote four words on the paper and handed it to Baochai.

"A quick victory?" Baochai whispered.

Jia Cong nodded and explained, "I wanted to save his face, but this old man is too arrogant and doesn't even look at us. I am a marquis and Sister Bao is also a deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue, both of them are officials appointed by the imperial court. Why does he look down on me?"

"But how can we make it quick? If it's a competition, someone will naturally come up with questions. Mathematical questions are nothing more than those types. He is a master of mathematics, it is impossible that he doesn't know..."

Jia Cong naturally understood Baochai's worries. He raised the corners of his mouth slightly and whispered, "The first round is just an appetizer. Our focus is the second round, asking each other questions!"

……

Mathematics is something that students who plan to take imperial examinations are basically familiar with.

The Imperial College had a mathematics subject, and the teaching materials included twelve mathematical classics.

Works like "Zhou Bi Suanjing", "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art", "Haidao Suanjing", "Sun Zi Suanjing", "Zhang Qiujian Suanjing", "Wucao Suanjing", "Wujing Suanshu", etc., all have extremely detailed summaries and descriptions of the art of mathematics.

As Sun Shenxing was the owner of an academy, he naturally knew the Twelve Mathematical Classics by heart. For the first time, when he was given fifty math problems, he could guess the source of the problem at a glance.

Multiplication, addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, radial division, reduction of fractions, etc., these are the questions that are often tested in the subject of mathematics. Just by changing the numbers, you can basically figure out the answers once you think about them in your mind.

He picked up the pen and started writing the answer on the paper. On the contrary, Jia Cong, who was used to using Arabic numerals and addition, subtraction, multiplication and division symbols, had to translate the classical Chinese question first before he could start calculating on paper.

I have to say, our ancestors were really awesome. Many of these questions are even more difficult than the math papers in the college entrance examination in previous lives.

"Now there is a pond one zhang square, with reeds growing in the center. The water is one chi high, and the reeds are led to the shore, where they are level with the shore. I want to know how deep the water is and how long the reeds are."

Jia Cong scratched his head and thought, Pythagorean theorem, start calculating!
shhhhhh...

Next question: "Now there is a bamboo ten feet high. Its end is bent to the ground, and it is three feet away from the root. How high is the bamboo after it is bent?"

It’s the Pythagorean theorem again. It seems the person who set the question is playing with the “Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art”!

As long as the questions were translated, Jia Cong could answer the questions much faster.

Soon, he not only answered faster and faster, but also gradually caught up with Sun Shenxing and surpassed him in the final sprint.

When he finished answering the fifty questions in his hand, he rubbed his sore wrist, turned around and saw Baochai had already arranged the test papers neatly and was sitting upright.

Ok?
Seeing Jia Cong looking at her in surprise, Baochai nodded slightly at him and smiled.

How could a girl from the Xue family not learn mathematics and the twelve classics?
Xue Baochai had been sleeping with "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art" as her pillow when she was only five years old!

dang dang...

The questions were set by the instructor of the Imperial College's School of Mathematics, and before today's competition, the test papers were stored on the third floor of the Imperial College's library, guarded by several upright scholars, so there would be no chance of missing any questions.

When the scholars in the audience were scratching their heads as they looked at the first public test paper, the three people on the stage actually handed in their papers at about the same time.

My goodness, what’s wrong with the brains of these three people?

As everyone waited anxiously, the seven great scholars quickly finished marking the three papers.

Of course, the answers were prepared in advance, and the seven great scholars just reviewed the answers and gave a score.

"Sun Shenxing, you got 48 out of 50 questions correct, and only got two wrong!"

Sun Shenxing frowned, looking quite dissatisfied, and he didn't know whether he was dissatisfied with himself or the seven judges.

"Jia Cong, you got 48 out of 50 questions right, and only got two wrong!"

Ok?
I actually got two questions wrong?
Jia Cong was a little bit unconvinced. Although some of the questions were quite difficult, it didn't make sense that he would get them wrong after careful calculations.

Be sure to check these answers after the judges hand them down!
At this moment, Jia Cong seemed to have returned to the exam in his previous life and began to wait anxiously for the answers. Li Shouzhong finally took out the last test paper.

"Xue Hengwu, fifty questions... all correct!"

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　I have lung inflammation and have been busy with intravenous treatment these two days, which has delayed my writing. I didn’t have time to update yesterday. I’m sorry.

　　I will update one chapter tonight and continue tomorrow...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)