You're Good at Calculations, Huh?

The sky had only just begun to brighten when Li Nuo got up early and sat up in bed, stretching with a contented sigh.

The past two days had been especially fulfilling, and he'd been sleeping like a log. He woke up brimming with energy. The only downside was that his already short lifespan had dwindled by another day. After wolfing down breakfast, he set off for the Chang'an County Office with Steward Wu.

Before long, Magistrate Pei Zhe came out of the rear offices, yawning. He greeted Li Nuo listlessly. "Young Master, you're up early..."

One of them was going to work; the other was fighting for his life. Naturally, their enthusiasm wasn't the same.

Li Nuo smiled and asked, "Lord Pei, did you sleep badly last night?"

Pei Zhe rubbed his lower back. Yesterday, the tigress at home had suspected he'd sneaked off to a brothel again. He said he hadn't gone, but she insisted he prove it. To clear his name, he'd been proving his innocence until well past midnight. He'd planned to sleep in, but a constable reported that the county office hadn't opened yet—and Li Nuo had already arrived. So he had no choice but to come out and greet him.

Seeing how tired Magistrate Pei looked, Li Nuo waved him off. "Lord Pei, go back to bed. You don't need to bother with me."

Pei Zhe covered his mouth and yawned. "No, no. Now that you're here, how could I go back to sleep? There's still plenty of official business to handle."

To be fair, aside from having his sweet dreams disturbed, he had to thank Li Nuo.

As the magistrate of a county—and the capital county at that—he had far too much to oversee. He had an assistant magistrate and a county commandant to help, but in Pei Zhe's eyes, those two were incompetent men who'd gotten their positions through connections. They'd formed their own clique and didn't fear him in the least. They never helped lighten his workload and hadn't come to the county office in days.

And Li Nuo... Compared with Li Nuo, Pei Zhe sometimes felt that he himself was the incompetent one who'd gotten his position through connections.

Whenever he thought of how Li Nuo could pick out a culprit from hundreds of people at a glance, Pei Zhe was shaken to his core.

He wasn't just good at investigating cases; he liked investigating and solving them. He was practically born to cultivate the Legalist school.

Wait a minute...

Pei Zhe seemed to realize something and instantly woke up a little. He looked at Li Nuo and asked tentatively, "Young Master, you aren't planning to cultivate the Legalist school, are you?"

Li Nuo nodded. "I am. Is there a problem?"

Pei Zhe froze in place.

The Legalist school? That wasn't a path one should cultivate...

It was true that Legalists grew stronger by judging cases, but if they judged a case incorrectly, their cultivation would regress instead of advancing.

That wasn't even the main issue. Throughout history, low-realm Legalist disciples could still be active in the imperial court. But once they reached the fourth realm, the danger increased dramatically. Most powerful Legalists met miserable ends and died without a proper burial. As a result, the Legalist school had all but ceased to exist.

And besides... It was one thing for other people to cultivate the Legalist school, but why would the son of the Minister of Justice get involved?

The Legalists cultivated the law in their hearts, and everyone had a different path. But in the end, they still had to uphold justice, protect the weak, and punish the wicked.

Surely he knew who the greatest villain in Great Xia was, didn't he?

The natural order had been turned upside down!

But Pei Zhe couldn't say that. Facing Li Nuo's question, he gave an awkward smile. "No, no. As long as you like it, Young Master. As long as you like it..."

Li Nuo had asked Lord Pei to arrange some cases for him the day before. Once the county office opened, the people involved in the cases were already waiting in line outside Court Hall. Li Nuo didn't waste any time. He entered the hall and began hearing the cases.

Meanwhile, at Song Manor.

An elderly man with grizzled hair looked over the two booklets in his hands and nodded. "You've both done well on your assignments this time. Mu'er especially—even you solved the Pheasant and Rabbit Problem. Did you work it out yourself?"

Song Mu'er answered honestly, "I asked Big Brother Li Nuo, and he explained it to me."

The old man made no comment. Every day, in addition to assigning them basic exercises, he gave them a difficult problem to think through on their own, to develop their mathematical ability.

It didn't matter whether they solved it themselves or asked someone else, as long as they understood it.

The old man continued, "Then explain to me how to solve this problem."

The Pheasant and Rabbit Problem was actually the simplest kind of "equation" problem. Confucian school disciples who had studied mathematics could solve it with ease, but it was still quite difficult for a six-year-old child.

Without hesitation, Song Mu'er said, "Suppose we're having spicy rabbit legs and braised chicken legs for lunch. We need to use up one leg from every rabbit and chicken, then use up one more leg... In the end, the answer is eighteen chickens and nine rabbits."

The old man was stunned when he heard this.

Her method differed from the standard equation method in the Calculations Classic, but it seemed more ingenious. Even a child could understand it easily.

However, this clever shortcut only worked for a simple problem like the Pheasant and Rabbit Problem.

If they added one or more variables, this method wouldn't work. They would still have to use "equations," one of the Nine Calculations.

This was the perfect opportunity to teach them the Nine Calculations, so he said, "Today, I'll teach you 'equations.'"

Song Mu'er asked in confusion, "Teacher, what are equations?"

The old man explained, "A system of equations means a method of calculation. When different things are mixed together, list the quantity of each kind and give the total. Let each row represent a ratio; with two things, use two rows, and with three things, use three. In every case, the number of rows should match the number of things. Set them side by side, and that is why it is called 'equations'..."

The two little girls gradually grew more and more bewildered.

Song Mu'er's explanation had been so simple that even Song Ninger, who had been sitting nearby, understood it. But now, she couldn't make sense of a single word their teacher was saying.

She pouted and muttered, "What is this? Even a fool explains mathematics better than Teacher does..."

Though her voice was soft, the old man still heard her.

He had spent his whole life studying mathematics and mastered the Nine Calculations. He'd taught countless students, including a Top Scholar in the mathematics examinations. Now, a little girl was saying he taught mathematics worse than a fool. Even if it was just childish talk, he still felt as though his life's work had been insulted.

The several great authorities on mathematics in Great Xia never yielded to one another, and now he was being told he was worse than a fool...

Humiliation. What humiliation...

But he couldn't take his frustration out on two little girls.

In a foul mood, he finished teaching the day's lesson. Then, looking at the two identical little girls, he suddenly had an idea. He took a flower ornament he'd bought for his granddaughter from a wooden box on his desk and gave it to Song Mu'er. "Mu'er, you did well on yesterday's assignment. This is your reward."

Song Mu'er had plenty of pretty flower ornaments of her own, and this one wasn't as lovely as the others, but she was still very happy.

Because Song Ninger didn't have one.

When Song Mu'er was happy, Song Ninger was bound to be unhappy.

That was an unshakable law between twin sisters.

The old man left them an assignment and smiled at the sisters. "That's all for today. Next time, whoever does better on her assignment will get a reward..."

As he watched the sisters leave, the old man gave a disdainful chuckle. "So you're good at calculations and teaching, are you? Let's see how you teach them this time..."

The sisters returned to their courtyard. A maid asked, "Miss Mu'er, Miss Ninger, what would you like for lunch? I'll have the kitchen prepare it."

Song Ninger, who was a little unhappy, thought for a moment and said, "I want spicy rabbit legs and braised chicken legs."

The maid immediately turned to Song Mu'er. "And you, Miss Mu'er? Would you like the same?"

Usually, the sisters even had to eat the exact same things every day. Not the slightest difference was allowed.

Song Mu'er shook her head. "I don't want any. I had some at Big Brother Li Nuo's house yesterday. The cook at Big Brother Li Nuo's house makes the most delicious food..."