Tang Chen: Starting from the Xuanwu Gate Incident

Chapter 30 More Money Required

At this time, the Tang Dynasty did not have an abacus. Ordinary people used arithmetic to measure fields and calculate grain and cloth, but they did not use counting rods.

A handwritten copy of "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art" costs several bushels of grain, which is unaffordable for farmers. Craftsmen and artisans only need to calculate dimensions and can do simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. This was passed down orally from master to apprentice, without any written record.

As for the academy, students could learn about fractions, ratios, equations, Pythagorean theorem, and other related concepts. The average student was roughly at the level of a junior or senior high school student in later generations, while Wan Lushi was only at the level of someone who had just entered the academy.

As for the calculation methods, they are either mental or involve placing bamboo sticks on the table, which is not only cumbersome but also slow.

Seeing that someone recognized its value, Shen Ce raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways at Ma Youyu: "Not bad, it's another kind of counting rod, but I call it an abacus."

Ma Youyu became excited, rubbing his hands together and pacing back and forth in the room. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead, rushed to the table, pointed at the illustration, and said, "Is the lower five the same as the upper one?"

Shen Ce's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected the other party to have such insight, and he couldn't help but praise, "Indeed."

It's so comfortable working with smart people. You don't even need to give them instructions. The carpenter just asked for the approximate dimensions and got to work. He used bamboo, which was easy to find and not easy to break. In just an hour, he had a simple abacus in front of him. Shen Ce casually gave him some money and told him to make a few more abacuses.

With the equipment in hand, they needed test subjects, and soon Pei Huan, who was out, invited Wan Jigang and his eldest son over.

The robust young man, around seventeen or eighteen, was handsome and poised. Standing behind his father, he showed no stage fright and respectfully bowed to Shen Ce: "Registrar Shen, my name is Wan Bingwen, a minor official in the Chang'an County government..."

"Don't be so formal," Shen Ce interrupted, pulling him to the table. "I heard you're better at math than your father, so I brought you here specifically to see for yourself."

"Never mind your stubborn old man, he spent two hours scratching his head trying to figure out the budget the other day. He said you're better at math than him, so you give it a try." With that, he pushed the abacus in front of him.

Wan Bingwen picked up the abacus and examined it closely. Seeing his serious expression, Shen Ce began to explain the addition formulas to him:

"One up, one down; two up, two down; three up, three down..."

"Six goes up, one goes down, five goes down; seven goes up, two goes down, five goes down..."

"One down, five down, four down; two down, five down, three down..."

After reading it twice, he asked, "Did you remember it?"

After closing his eyes and repeating it in his mind, Wan Bingwen said in a deep voice, "I've remembered."

"Come on, calculate how much extra money your dad earned this month."

Wan Bingwen moved the beads.

Ok?

What about this year?

Wan Bingwen dialed again.

Pfft, Shen Ce turned around, squinting his eyes, and forced himself not to laugh out loud.

Wan Jigang, who had been calmly watching the show from the back, now blew his beard and roared at his eldest son, "You bastard! When I was making money, you weren't even up yet! Stop making a racket in front of Registrar Shen! You're not a proper son!"

Wan Bingwen turned to look at his father, puzzled: "Did I just open my mouth?"

Shen Ce stopped the two from bickering, and through his memory, copied the budget Zhang Huaisu had given him that day onto the paper. He then turned to Wan Lushi and said, "Have your eldest son teach you. Try using this to calculate, and see how much faster you can be compared to using counting rods."

Wan Bingwen grinned mischievously, while his father hesitated, repeatedly reaching into his robes.

Shen Ce glanced at the abacus again, then took out the same amount of money from his pocket: "The amount of money is calculated; this is yours."

...

Half an hour passed, and Shen Ce went to check on Wan Jigang, who was still reciting the incantation, occasionally snapping, "Speak slower, I haven't memorized it yet!"

Another half hour passed, and Shen Ce went to check on Wan Jigang, who was still clumsily working on the abacus.

Half an hour later, Shen Ce, enraged, shoved Wan Jigang aside and pointed at Wan Bingwen, saying, "Come on, you calculate."

People often complain about being underappreciated, boasting about their musical talent, skiing skills, or even athletic talent, but few dare to boast about their mathematical abilities.

Mathematics is something you either know or you don't; there's no faking it.

Shen Cejue felt that the person in front of him was better at math than him. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he could already use the formula he had just mentioned fluently. He was staring at him expectantly, like a hungry wolf that had not been fed.

Inside the side room, Shen Ce sat casually in a chair, while the Wan family father and son sat below him with their hands at their sides.

Shen Ce picked up the brewed tea, took a sip, and pondered. It was a waste to keep such a talented person in the Chang'an government office copying books; keeping him at home to help with management and accounting would be a better option. He then said:

"I didn't get to know you properly earlier. My name is Shen Ce. I was originally a squad leader in the Prince of Qin's mansion and am currently the chief clerk of the Crown Prince's Chamberlain's office, which is your father's superior."

Wan Bingwen was taken aback at first, then turned to look at his father. Seeing that his father did not say anything, he bowed to Shen Ce and said, "I am Wan Bingwen, a clerk in Chang'an County."

"How much is the monthly salary?"

"Annual salary of four strings of cash."

Shen Ce clicked his tongue and asked, "Is this enough to get a wife?"

Wan Bingwen: "..."

"Here's what we'll do: I'll give you fifteen strings of cash a year. How about you come work for me? It'll be a contract job."

Before Wan Bingwen could speak, Wan Jigang, who was standing to the side, shook his head vigorously, saying, "Registrar Shen, my son is currently a minor official in the prefectural government. Although it is a lowly position, he is still a registered servant. Why not strive for an official position in the future?"

"And then, like you, you only become a ninth-rank official in your forties?"

"So what if he's a ninth-rank official? He's still an official."

"Without the patronage of a powerful figure, rising from a clerk to an official is harder than climbing to heaven. Do you think I don't know how you got to your position?"

Unable to reason with this old scholar, Shen Ce turned to Wan Bingwen and said frankly, "There is indeed a benefactor here, but he doesn't want to promote you; he simply wants to give you money. Are you willing?"

Even the usually straightforward Wan Bingwen fell silent. He pushed away his father, who came up to persuade him, and stood alone in the corner, constantly rubbing the hem of his clothes.

For more than a decade, he has been writing diligently. Now, as a clerk, he has lost the path of the imperial examination. Even specialized fields such as law, calligraphy, and mathematics will not accept clerks. He can only wait for seniority to be accepted into the official ranks.

There was an annual assessment and a promotion every three years. Starting from the ninth rank outside the official system, it would take twenty-four years to reach the first rank outside the official system, and only then would one be qualified to become a full-fledged official. After eight years of this qualification, one would pass another assessment and become a full-fledged official. Rather than saying that the junior officials were competing in terms of knowledge, it would be more accurate to say that they were competing to see who could live to the end of the assessment period.

He turned to look at his father, whose hair had turned gray. His meager monthly salary made it difficult for him to make ends meet in Chang'an. Thinking of their past life, he shook his head.

He immediately made up his mind, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "This humble servant is willing to serve Registrar Shen."

Just as Shen Ce was about to get up, Wang Jigang angrily blocked his way and said rudely, "Shen, the registrar, valuing money over status is not the behavior of a scholar."

"I am not a scholar."

"That won't do either."

Shen Ce slammed his fist on the table: "What are you going to do about it?"

Wan Jigang, with his neck stiff, said, "We need to pay more."

Wan Bingwen watched his father blush as he argued for money and grain on his behalf, and he couldn't help but blush with embarrassment as well.

Shen Ce thought he had encountered another pedantic person who wanted to live off his reputation, but upon hearing about the additional payment, he laughed and said, "Would twenty strings of cash a year put your mind at ease?"

"In this way, there will be no taboos."