Chapter 3

From Qin Feng's perspective, the banquet of the Eastern Han Dynasty was quite advanced in terms of hygiene, with each person having their own seat and individual servings. His task was to serve wine and dishes during the banquet, as it would be inappropriate for male guests to be served only by female attendants.

This was much easier than being a hotel waiter, and he could also listen to these great men discuss major events, gaining knowledge. No wonder commoners wanted to work for these wealthy families.

As Cai Yong and a few others drank and chatted, Qin Feng gradually learned who the four guests were. The first person on the left was the Middle General Lu Zhi, opposite him was the Governor of Jingzhao Yang Biao, the person in front of him was the Counselor Ma Rui, and opposite him was the Advisor Zhang Xun. Each of these men was a great figure, and during Emperor Xian's troubles and eastward relocation, each was an important minister.

"Brother Bojie, the stele inscriptions of the 'Xiping Stone Classics' you wrote have been widely praised throughout the land. Congratulations," Yang Biao said with a smile.

"Yes, indeed. It took more than a few years to complete the stone carvings, and they are now erected outside the Imperial Academy. I hear that students from all over the country come to observe them every day," Lu Zhi added.

"Hehe, this is the work of all of you. How could an old man like me take the credit?" Cai Yong laughed.

After a few rounds of wine and several dishes, the formal matters were concluded, and they began to chat casually.

Zhang Xun then said, "Brother Bojie, I've heard that you are fond of numerology. A few days ago, I found a person who is very skilled in the art of calculation. This person admires you greatly, and I saw that he had talent, so I brought him over today."

Numerology is one of the main schools of the I Ching, and the art of calculation is a part of numerology, which was a serious academic discipline in ancient times.

"Oh, please bring him in," Cai Yong, who enjoyed academic exchanges, said with a smile.

A moment later, a thin middle-aged man walked in. Qin Feng noticed that his eyes darted around, not looking like a proper person.

This man walked to the center of the hall, though he was a commoner, he showed no fear, and bowed, saying, "I am Wu Ji, Wu Chunan, and I greet all the gentlemen."

"Mr. Wu, there's no need for formalities. I've heard that you are skilled in the art of calculation?" As the host, Cai Yong said.

The art of calculation is used in everything from military strategy and internal administration to business and accounting. It is a fundamental skill, and those who are proficient in it are rare talents. Lu Zhi and the others stroked their beards and observed him, nodding in approval of his demeanor.

"Lord Cai, I have a question. May I ask for your guidance?" Wu Ji, calling himself a student, said with confidence in his eyes.

Cai Yong did not expect him to ask for guidance directly and frowned slightly. He slowly said, "Feel free to ask."

This man is here to challenge! Qin Feng, seeing his behavior and the question he asked, knew exactly what was happening. In modern times, there are many such people who try to gain fame by stumping experts.

"Then I will use wine as the subject. The wine shop has fifty jars, each containing thirty hu, one hu is ten dou, and one dou is ten sheng. Now, 342 hu and 84 sheng have been sold. How many sheng of wine are left?" Wu Ji said.

Sure enough, he is here to challenge. Cai Yong, with his vast knowledge, would naturally face such challenges. Qin Feng wanted to see how well the ancients could do in mathematics.

Hmm?

Lu Zhi and the others frowned, realizing that this man was here to gain fame. They looked at Zhang Xun, thinking, "Brother, you've gone too far, bringing someone to challenge an old friend."

Zhang Xun immediately showed his displeasure and scolded, "Wu Chunan, you came here to... ."

"Never mind!" Cai Yong stopped Zhang Xun. Such things happened occasionally at the Imperial Academy, and he was a fair man. He said to Jiang Chuan, "Go get paper and pen, I will work it out."

"Yes!" Jiang Chuan hurriedly gave the order.

"Big Brother Qin, this question must be very difficult. Look, even Lord is using paper and pen, which he usually doesn't need," Xiao Hong whispered.

Using paper and pen for this question! Qin Feng scoffed, having already calculated the answer in his head.

After a while, Cai Yong, who was writing furiously, frowned deeply. The problem seemed simple at first, but the numbers involved were enormous and daunting.

It seems he is facing a challenge. Seeing Cai Yong, a renowned scholar, stumped by an unknown person, Lu Zhi and the others were displeased. But with the situation as it was, they could only wait and see. Zhang Xun was so angry that he wanted to kick this person out, knowing that if this young man used this opportunity to gain fame, he would be in trouble.

"Zigan, I see that Bojie is having difficulty. It seems Wu Ji's goal is about to be achieved," Yang Biao said to Lu Zhi.

Lu Zhi nodded slightly. "If Bojie can't solve it, this news will spread, and Wu Ji will become famous."

"Wu Ji, you have a lot of nerve. We are gathered here today, where is the time to solve this problem? You can leave now," Zhang Xun, who brought Wu Ji, stood up and shouted.

Being able to stump one of the most renowned scholars of the time, this news will spread throughout Luoyang and perhaps the entire country tomorrow. My reputation, Wu Chunan, will be made. Wu Ji, who had spent a lot of effort to get this opportunity, was not about to leave. He said humbly, "If Lord Cai can't solve it, I can help clarify it for everyone."

Seeing his old friend about to lose face due to his oversight, Zhang Xun was filled with self-reproach and anger. He shouted, "Ridiculous...!" If this were his house, he would have had this disrespectful person beaten out long ago.

However, Cai Yong, a renowned scholar of the time, was a fair man. When faced with a difficult problem, he would seek guidance. Wu Ji had calculated this, and seeing the time pass, he was afraid that Cai Yong would solve the problem if it dragged on. He said, "Lord Cai, it has been half an hour. Can you solve the problem?"

Cai Yong's face turned red. He thought the problem was not difficult to solve, but the calculations were tedious and time-consuming. "This... sigh..." Cai Yong threw down his pen and was about to seek guidance.

Wu Ji, seeing his actions and expression, knew his plan had succeeded, and his joy was evident on his face. Fame was within reach!

Cai Yong's paper was filled with countless seal script characters. In the Han Dynasty, there were no addition or subtraction symbols, no Arabic numerals, and no abacus. So even if Cai Yong could calculate, it would take a tremendous amount of time to write out the answer in seal script.

"Wait!" Qin Feng, unable to stand Wu Chunan's opportunism, walked to the hall.

Everyone's surprised gazes immediately focused on him.

Jiang Chuan was shocked, thinking, "You're asking for trouble, coming out like this!"

Qin Feng carefully observed Wu Ji. He thought, "You want to be famous, and so do I. It looks like I'll have to take this opportunity."

Cai Yong and the others were unsure why Qin Feng had come out, while Wu Ji, eager to have Cai Yong admit defeat, shouted, "Who are you?"

"Easy, I am Qin Feng, Qin Zijin," Qin Feng said with a smile.

Seeing his rough clothes, Wu Ji sneered, "You are just a servant, what are you doing here?"

"Hmph, my lord doesn't bother with the likes of you. I have learned a bit from my lord, so I will answer your question on his behalf," Qin Feng said with a smile.

"Ha ha ha ha, truly laughable. Lord Cai, a great scholar of the time, finds this difficult. You, a young upstart, couldn't solve it even if you had a year or two," Wu Ji mocked.

"Fine, listen up!" Qin Feng shook his sleeves and said, "The wine shop has fifty jars, each containing thirty hu, which is 1,500 hu. After selling 342 hu, 1,158 hu remain. One hu is ten dou, and one dou is ten sheng, so 1,158 hu is 11,580 dou, which is 115,800 sheng. After selling 84 sheng, 115,716 sheng remain."

Qin Feng flicked his sleeve and said disdainfully, "Young man, is what I said correct?"

Wu Ji, who had spent two days and nights calculating this problem, was stunned. The answer Qin Feng gave was exactly the same as his, leaving him in shock.

"How did you calculate it?" Wu Ji asked in a panic.

Qin Feng dismissed him, saying, "How could I reveal such a secret technique to you? Just answer, is what I said correct?"

"Huh!" Lu Zhi and the others looked at each other, wondering if what this man said was correct.

Cai Yong's eyes widened, and he quickly took up his pen again. With the answer, he calculated quickly and soon got the same result as Qin Feng. He was amazed, thinking, "I didn't expect this man to be so skilled in mental calculation. Who can compare to him in the world?" Cai Yong knew he couldn't do it, and if he couldn't, few others could. His eyes sparkled as he asked Jiang Chuan, "Who is this man?"

"Lord, this is the new Qin Feng, Qin Zijin, who just joined the household," Jiang Chuan, sweating, quickly replied. He was also worried, thinking that if Qin Feng was wrong, he would be in trouble.

"Is what I said correct?" Qin Feng asked again.

Wu Ji, facing Qin Feng's questioning, was sweating profusely and no longer had the composure he had before.