Chapter 0005: Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art

Wang He's heart sank suddenly. In his memory, his son had never read this book before; he had only casually flipped through it for a couple of days after getting off the sickbed a few days ago. When he studied this book years ago, it took him half a year to grasp it, so how could Wang Shichong possibly master it in just a few days

Wang Shichong stood up, calmly cupping his hands towards Ji Wei, and said in a clear voice: "Military Advisor Ji, the answer is 38 dou 7 sheng, 66 out of 100 sheng."

Wang Shichong turned around and sat down on the chair behind the desk, raised a hand towards Ji Wei across from him, and said with a smile: "Military Advisor Ji, please go ahead and pose your question first"

Ji Wei's expression changed suddenly, and he then asked: "Today there are forty-nine out of ninety-one, how much is approximately obtained?"

Upon hearing these words, Wang He and his two sons, who had been too afraid to speak, let out a sigh of relief, while the servants of the Wang family all applauded in unison

Wang Shichong's words conveyed a sense of confidence amidst calmness: "Indeed."

Ji Wei's smile suddenly froze on his face; he had not calculated this result himself just moments ago, and he was taken aback when Wang Shichong announced it as soon as he looked up. The small mustache on his lips twitched as he lowered his head and picked up the abacus (the abacus appeared during the Eastern Han Dynasty and became quite popular during the Sui Dynasty, although its shape differed significantly from that of later abacuses) to start calculating. He calculated twice, and both times yielded the same result, causing his complexion to turn a shade more ghastly than that of a corpse.

"Please listen carefully. In the second chapter of the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, the method of millet is mentioned, stating that the ratio of millet is fifty and the ratio for imperial rice is forty-two. Now, if there are nine dou and eight sheng of millet, how much imperial rice can be made?" Ji Wei inquired

Wang Shichong turned to Wang Shiji, whose face was turning red, and with a cupped fist salute said, "General Wang, I concede."

Wang Shichong felt a surge of emotion in his heart, his nose tinged with a hint of bitterness, but he soon smiled and softly said: "It's nothing, just watch me."

Ji Wei disdainfully curled his lips: "No need, if it ends in a draw, then we lose."

Wang Shichong curled the corner of his mouth and replied without hesitation: "To obtain rice with millet, it is twenty-one, twenty-five and one, for the rice is eight dou and two sheng, eight of twenty-five fen sheng."

Wang Shiji immediately took out a command token from his bosom and said in a deep voice to the guard beside him: "Take my command token back to the camp outside the city. Within one hour, bring the account books from last month here. If you are late by even a quarter of an hour, military law will be enforced!"

Now it was Ji Wei's turn to start sweating, while Wang Shiwei suddenly clapped his hands and exclaimed "Well done." At this moment, Wang Shiji's dark face turned as black as a pot bottom, while Wang He let out a long sigh of relief

Wang Shichong calculated on paper and arrived at a total of 38.766 dou, which, when converted to the calculations of this era, amounts to 38 dou and 7 sheng, with 66 out of 100 sheng.

At this age, a typical boy would be frightened to the point of wetting his pants upon seeing himself fully armed and exuding a fierce aura; it would be considered fortunate if he did not. Just a few days ago, during our last meeting, this child was also so scared that he did not dare to raise his head.

Ji Wei did not take the young man opposite him seriously at all, and lazily said: "As people who handle accounts and finance, we must first learn the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art. I will ask you three questions from the Nine Chapters; if you answer them correctly, I will consider you the winner. How about that?"

Wang Shiji nodded in satisfaction and said, "Let's begin"

Time passed second by second, and before they knew it, two hours had gone by. Wang Shiji appeared as calm as a general facing the collapse of Mount Tai, with his eyes slightly closed. In contrast, Wang Shishi and Wang Shiwei were restless, fidgeting and pulling at their hair. Wang He, with a face as somber as water, sat in his chair, yet his slightly trembling hands revealed the agitation within him

Wang Shichong raised his head, and across from him, Ji Wei was looking at him with great satisfaction, while Wang He beside him wore a face of anxiety. He also knew that this question was not an original problem from the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art. Although Wang Shiji did not understand arithmetic, he couldn't help but smile slightly at the expressions of Ji Wei and Wang He.

Wang Shichong and Ji Wei were as if pricked by a needle, simultaneously beginning to calculate on their abacuses. After a few calculations, Wang Shichong abandoned the abacus and switched to manual calculations using the methods of later generations

In less than half an hour, the guard brought over a dozen account books, heavily stacking them onto Wang Shichong's desk, and then respectfully returned the command token to Wang Shiji.

Wang Shiji, accompanied by his subordinates, entered the courtyard, where the servants of the Wang family had already set up two sets of desks and chairs in the courtyard, adorned with the Four Treasures of the Study. Just before Wang Shichong entered the courtyard, Wang Shishi tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Second brother, feel free to fight with all your might; regardless of the outcome, your brother will always be your strong support"

Yue wrote two copies, and after both parties signed, Wang Shiji laughed heartily. He was now full of confidence, knowing that at least one rice shop was securely going to be his. With this thought, his mood improved significantly, and he looked at Wang Shichong with eyes full of disdain: "Cousin, how do you plan to gamble?"

Wang Shichong smiled and said: "General Wang, how about this? Military Officer Ji and I will each propose a question. Whoever can answer both questions correctly will be the victor. If each of us answers one question correctly, we will have a tiebreaker question, which you will set. What do you think?"

Wang Shichong looked at Ji Wei, who was already sweating profusely, and said: "My challenge is to compare our accounting skills, Brother Ji. I will provide you with the account books of five shops from last month, and you will give me the account of the military supplies from General Wang's unit for the same period. We will calculate here, and whoever calculates faster and more accurately will be the winner"

Ji Wei suddenly became spirited: "Is this true?"

Wang Shiji also had some doubts in his heart; after all, he was a general who had commanded troops for many years. He felt that Wang Shichong's calmness and confidence did not seem to be feigned, not to mention that he was merely a thirteen-year-old child

Thinking of this, Ji Wei shouted: "It is still the method of millet, with a ratio of fifty for millet and twenty-one for imperial rice. Now there are ninety-two dou and three sheng of millet. How much imperial rice can be made from this?"

Wang Shichong said calmly, "I would like to ask Military Officer Ji to pose a question."

This question, which elementary school students in later generations can solve, was considered a difficult problem in the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art during this era. When Wang Shichong first encountered such problems, he couldn't help but laugh.

Wang Shichong and Ji Wei almost simultaneously raised their heads and said: "I have calculated it."

Wang Shichong replied without changing his expression: "Seven thirteenths"

Wang He, in a fit of anger, stamped his foot and secretly cursed his son for being overly ambitious. How could the accounts of provisions for an army of tens of thousands possibly compare to the revenue of five shops? Unless the calculation ability was five or six times that of Ji Wei, it seemed that defeat was inevitable, and they would have to wait for the third round to see the outcome

In order to gauge the enemy with leniency, Wang Shiji had made up his mind and said to Wang He: "Let us proceed according to the wishes of the virtuous nephew."

At this point, the size of the beads of sweat on his forehead had changed from that of green beans to yellow beans, and his palms were also drenched with sweat.

This is a direct quote from the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art. In that era, there were no decimal points, nor were there multiplication and division. "Twenty-one" refers to multiplication by twenty-one, while "twenty-five and one" refers to division by twenty-five. "Twenty-five fen per sheng" means one-tenth of each sheng, and when divided by twenty-five, it results in zero point zero zero four sheng. "Times eight" refers to multiplication by eight, resulting in zero point zero three two sheng. Adding this to the previous eight dou two sheng gives exactly eight point two three two dou.

Wang Shiji pondered for a moment. The military's account books had always been a record of his manipulations, embezzling military funds to support his private soldiers. Recruiting Ji Wei was precisely to balance these false accounts. Over the years, Ji Wei had performed admirably; even when the auditing officials from the Ministry of War came, they had never discovered any discrepancies. Although the current Wang Shichong appeared to be quite capable, Wang Shiji did not believe he could see through the intricacies involved. Ji Wei had performed admirably; even when the auditing officials from the Ministry of War came, they had never discovered any discrepancies. Although the current Wang Shichong appeared to be quite capable, Wang Shiji did not believe he could see through the intricacies involved.

Wang Shiji had already begun to think of a hundred ways to deal with Ji Wei after returning, but Wang Shichong's words pulled him back to reality. In front of the younger generation, he still needed to maintain a certain demeanor of a great general, so he laughed heartily and said, "This round is won by my virtuous nephew, so please present your question."

Wang Shichong smiled slightly and said, "General Ji, have I made any mistakes in my calculations?"

Wang Shiwei also said in a low voice: "Regardless of win or lose, as long as our brothers have a meal to eat, there will be no shortage for Second Brother."

Ji Wei thought to himself: Surely this kid hasn't memorized all these problems from the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, has he? If I lose the next question, then I will have lost half of today. Even if I manage to turn the tables in the end, I will have no face to come back to the Wang family to conduct business in the future

Wang He felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Given the circumstances, he found himself at a loss. Observing Wang Shiji's demeanor, it was clear that unless a piece of flesh was cut, he would not easily relent. He could only regard it as a financial loss to avert disaster. Meanwhile, Wang Shichong, within his line of sight, exhibited a composure and steadiness that transcended his age, leaving him momentarily perplexed.

Ji Wei originally wanted to open his eyes and speak nonsense, claiming that Wang Shichong had made a mistake in his calculations. However, when he turned to look at Wang Shiji, he was startled by the fierce glint in his eyes, causing him to shudder and uncontrollably utter: "That's right"

The guard received the token and swiftly ran out, leaping onto the horse, and soon the sound of hooves disappeared.

Wang Shiji turned his head and glared fiercely at Ji Wei, causing Ji Wei to shut his mouth and lower his head, not daring to speak