Chapter 74

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Liang Xiao's heart stirred as he suddenly realized an issue.

Liu Ling was right; to achieve a marquis title through one's own efforts was indeed not an easy task. Li Guang's failure to be enfeoffed might be due to his own character, but Cheng Bushi and Han Anguo also failed to be enfeoffed throughout their lives, which could not be simply attributed to bad luck.

Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, had the White Horse Alliance: no enfeoffment without merit. Being enfeoffed was a significant matter, requiring extraordinary achievements. In the early Han dynasty, the Qin system of military merit was continued, but it was very difficult for ordinary soldiers to reach the middle rank of Gongcheng, let alone be enfeoffed. Li Rongqing's father, Li Yunming, had exceptional strength, yet he only reached the rank of Qidafu, the ninth level out of twenty, which was already a rare high rank for ordinary soldiers.

Zhong Liqi had it even worse. After more than ten years of warfare, he was left with a body full of injuries and did not even achieve the rank of Gongcheng.

It was easy to obtain an official position, but hard to achieve a noble rank. For the vast majority of people, being enfeoffed was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Wei Qing and Huo Qubing were enfeoffed due to their military achievements, and many of their subordinates were also enfeoffed, but ultimately, it was because they were relatives of the imperial family. Without the relationship with Wei Zifu, even with their military talent, they might not have been enfeoffed so smoothly.

Li Guang and Cheng Bushi could have been mere foils, let alone him.

It had to be said that relying on the powerful was a shortcut to being enfeoffed, and it might be the only possible shortcut. What skills did Li Guangli have? He was only enfeoffed and appointed as a general because his sister, Li Furen, was favored. Before that, he had no military achievements to speak of.

But who to rely on? This was the most headache-inducing problem for Liang Xiao. The Prince of Huainan in front of him was a pit of fire; jumping in would only invite disaster. What about others? As far as Liang Xiao remembered, they were all similar to the Prince of Huainan, none of them had a good end, including the now powerful Tian Fen, the soon-to-be wealthy Wei family, and the later Li family. Which one was not a pit of fire?

Choosing the right person to rely on was a very profound art. Even with his prior knowledge, Liang Xiao still found it difficult to find a foolproof path. After much thought, he concluded that striving on his own was more reliable, though difficult, at least he wouldn't be implicated by others.

Oh, my dear mother, your expectations... are really too high, the pressure is immense.

Seeing Liang Xiao's changing expression, Liu Ling thought he had been persuaded and felt more sympathetic. "Liang Xiao, think about it carefully. If you are interested, come to the Huainan residence. I will be in Chang'an for a while, and you can find me anytime."

"Thank you, Princess." Liang Xiao, though unwilling to enter the Huainan residence, was moved by Liu Ling's enthusiasm and bowed deeply.

"Alright, no more talk. Think it over yourself." Liu Ling called over Deng Guobin. "This is a guest in my residence, a descendant of the Mohists, skilled in mechanical arts. He has studied the swing more deeply than I have and has always wanted to discuss it with you. You came to Chang'an with the tax officials, and I thought you would stay in Huainan for a couple of days, but you didn't enter, making him wait in vain."

Liang Xiao smiled awkwardly. It wasn't just Deng Guobin who had waited in vain; Liu Ling's eyes were also not right. They no longer looked at him like a guest, but more like a friend who appreciated each other.

"Long admired, long admired." Liang Xiao clasped his hands at Deng Guobin. "Please enlighten me."

Deng Guobin took out the swing model and placed it on Liu Ling's chariot. He began to explain his discoveries in detail. Liang Xiao listened quietly, becoming more curious about Deng Guobin. This unremarkable young man indeed had unique insights. He had discovered that the period of the swing's oscillation was related to the length of the ropes, and not to other factors.

Although he had not derived the final formula, the data he had calculated already roughly showed a pattern. However, he had not been able to unify these data into a single formula.

This could not be blamed on him. The formula, though seemingly simple, involved the square root and pi, which made the relationship between the data more complex. The appearance of pi would interfere with intuition and blur the proportional relationship.

So far, pi had only been roughly approximated as three, and no one would connect the multiple to pi.

"What is the formula you mentioned?" Deng Guobin, speaking with foam at the corners of his mouth, his eyes shining like a wolf, had a thirst for knowledge that was unsettling.

Liang Xiao thought for a moment, picked up a bamboo branch, and squatted down to draw.

He drew a Cartesian coordinate system. "Deng brother, go back and conduct an experiment, recording the results each time. The horizontal line represents the length of the swing's ropes, and the vertical line represents the number of swings in a certain period or the time for each swing. When you plot the data, you might be able to derive the formula."

"Really?"

"I can't be certain, but I think it should be so." Liang Xiao smiled, a mix of humility and mystery. "I believe the Huainan residence is not short of people skilled in mathematics."

"Of course, the Huainan residence has all kinds of talents." Deng Guobin said cheerfully, not forgetting to flatter Liu Ling in passing.

While Liang Xiao and Deng Guobin discussed the problem, Liu Ling watched from the side. From Liang Xiao's refusal of her invitation and his unwillingness to enter the Pingyang Marquis residence, she saw his self-respect; from his attitude towards Deng Guobin, she saw his respect for others; from his focused research, she saw his dedication and the confident aura he exuded when focused.

This was a unique young man.

Unfortunately, such a talent was determined not to enter the residence and was dedicated to serving the court.

Liu Ling suddenly felt a bit regretful. If her father were now the emperor, how wonderful it would be. Liang Xiao would certainly not refuse her invitation. She could not only gain his loyalty but also secure a wise and brave general for her father.

I should help him, even if it's to prove to others that the Huainan residence is eager for talent.

Liu Ling leaned against the chariot, propping her chin in her hand, staring at Liang Xiao without blinking.

Lei Bei, seeing this, sighed inwardly, a hint of worry flashing across his face.

Li Rongqing, standing behind Liang Xiao, noticed the unusual look in Liu Ling's eyes and felt a mix of self-pity and pride. As a woman, she could best understand Liu Ling's current feelings. Liang Xiao being favored by someone of Liu Ling's status was enough to prove his excellence. And the person Liu Ling could not obtain was in her possession, even if she was just a concubine, it still made her feel incredibly fortunate.

Liang Xiao, such an excellent man, would surely become wealthy and noble in the future and would naturally marry a woman of higher status, perhaps even someone like Liu Ling. How could she expect exclusive affection?

Although so, Li Rongqing still felt a bit jealous. However, she did not blame Liang Xiao, only her own humble birth. This was her fate, and she could not blame others. She hoped that in the future, she could bear Liang Xiao a child, and with the care of her aunt, she would no longer be bullied as she was now.

First update at midnight, seeking recommendations!

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