Can't Tell Them Apart!

Chang'an County Office.

Today, Li Nuo had finished judging all the cases before it was even time to close the office.

Judging cases was his old profession. As he gradually became more familiar with the Great Xia Codex, he had grown faster and faster at handling cases, allowing him to complete his task ahead of schedule.

He had made a decent haul today. Although the cases were still all trivial disputes and domestic squabbles, the Code of Law had actually added two days to his lifespan. When he woke that morning, he had twenty-four days left to live; after he finished judging the final case that afternoon, it had become twenty-six days.

By the reckoning, he had made a clean profit of one day.

After walking out of the Court Hall, Li Nuo said to the Magistrate of Chang'an, "As for tomorrow's cases, I'll have to trouble Lord Pei with them."

Pei Zhe wore an embarrassed expression and hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

Li Nuo noticed that he seemed to have something to say and asked, "What is it?"

The Magistrate of Chang'an explained, "Young Master may not know this, but tomorrow is a rest day. Whether they're constables, runners, clerks, or officials, everyone will be resting and bathing at home..."

Then he added, "As for whether we rest or not, this humble official has no objection. I'm only worried that my subordinates may have complaints. After all, they've already worked hard for ten days, so they must be rather exhausted..."

Li Nuo had gone through the Great Xia Codex these past few days, and it contained regulations regarding officials' holidays. Civil Servants in Great Xia worked for ten days and rested for one.

At first glance, that seemed more grueling than the later generations' five days of work and two days of rest. In reality, Great Xia's officials had it much easier. They received a day off for the Spring Equinox, Autumn Equinox, Summer Solstice, and Winter Solstice. As for major festivals like Qingming, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Double Ninth Festival, they received at least three days off, with no holiday adjustments ever required.

Great Xia valued filial piety. When their parents' birthdays or death anniversaries came around, officials could also request leave from their superiors, and approval was guaranteed.

If a superior refused, all it took was for an impeachment memorial to be submitted. The censure officials' torrents of spittle would be enough to drown him.

How could someone who was not even filial to his parents be expected to be loyal to the country?

By that calculation, out of the more than three hundred days in a year, they could probably take over one hundred and fifty days off.

Li Nuo glanced at the runners around him. They really did look rather listless. They had struggled through ten days just to await a single day off. If he made them work overtime, how would he be any different from the damn bosses of the later generations?

But if he did nothing, wouldn't his own day be wasted for nothing?

Li Nuo thought for a moment and said, "How about this? Lord Pei, please help me choose ten people who are willing to remain at the office and serve tomorrow..."

Before he had finished speaking, quite a few runners secretly shuffled one step backward.

They had finally managed to look forward to a day off and had long since planned to spend it carefree and wild. Who would be willing to remain at the office?

Li Nuo continued, "I'll give those ten people a month's salary as compensation."

The group of runners abruptly raised their heads.

What?

They could earn an entire month's salary just by working one day tomorrow?

Then what the hell were they taking a day off for?

Afraid of being left out, the quick-witted ones had already rushed forward and said to the Magistrate of Chang'an, "My lord, I'm not tired. I'm willing to remain at the office tomorrow!"

"Me, me, me! I'm not tired either!"

"And me!"

"I'll stay too!"

In the blink of an eye, the number of applicants exceeded ten. Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, those who stepped forward later immediately said, "My lord, choose me! I only need half a month's salary!"

The others cursed this fellow inwardly, but they had no choice except to lower their price as well, speaking up one after another.

"We only need half a month's..."

"Ten days. Ten days' salary will be enough."

Pei Zhe understood these eager fellows very well. If he could work for one day and receive a month's salary in return, he would be willing too. His salary was all managed by his wife; if he could save up some private spending money, he would have silver to go to Phoenix Perch Tower next time and help those unfortunate women...

A gambling-addicted father, a sick mother, an unmarried younger brother, a pitiful girl—as the official responsible for the people, if he did not help them, who would?

Thinking of this, he looked at Li Nuo and said with a smile, "Young Master has no official rank. Judging cases alone at the county office may invite gossip. How about this? Tomorrow, I'll have my wife return to her parents' home, while this humble official remains here to work alongside Young Master..."

Li Nuo said awkwardly, "That doesn't seem right. How could I cause trouble for Lord Pei's family affairs?"

Pei Zhe waved his hand and said, "The people's affairs are the greatest affairs. I am unworthy of being their parent official, and there is still much I must learn from Young Master..."

Before long, Li Nuo left Chang'an County Office.

The runners and constables looked imposing, but their salaries were actually not high—only two taels a month. Ten people would amount to just twenty taels. Li Nuo did not know exactly how much money his family had, but they should still be able to afford twenty taels.

When he returned to Li Manor, Song Mu'er was already waiting in his courtyard.

Only she and a maid from Song Manor were in the little courtyard. Song Jiaren was nowhere to be seen. Li Nuo worried that Song Mu'er might once again ask him to accompany her in kicking a shuttlecock or doing her makeup. The portraits of the female assassin and Steward Zheng's concubine had both dimmed, and at present, apart from being good-looking, he could be said to have no special talents at all.

The thing Li Nuo worried about did not happen. Song Mu'er walked over holding a small booklet and said coquettishly, "Brother Li Nuo, there's a question I don't understand. Could you explain it to me?"

Hearing that she only wanted him to explain a problem, Li Nuo relaxed slightly.

Back then, he had been a perfect scorer in high-school entrance mathematics. Could elementary-school math really stump him?

He took the little booklet Song Mu'er handed over. When his gaze fell upon it, Li Nuo froze slightly.

It was not that he could not solve the problem. These past few days, he had spent his free time reading books. Most of it was skimming rather than careful study, with the goal of learning about this world as quickly as possible.

Li Nuo had a rough idea of Great Xia's mathematical level. Modern mathematics had yet to sprout here. Great Xia's mathematical studies were all aimed at solving practical problems, such as measuring area and volume, and calculating grain prices and taxes...

Song Mu'er's problem was precisely for calculating grain prices.

"Now there are nine dou of hemp, seven dou of wheat, three dou of beans, two dou of adzuki beans, and five dou of millet, worth one hundred and forty coins; seven dou of hemp, six dou of wheat, four dou of beans, five dou of adzuki beans, and three dou of millet, worth one hundred and twenty-eight coins...; one dou of hemp, three dou of wheat, two dou of beans, eight dou of adzuki beans, and five dou of millet, worth ninety-five coins. Asked: what is the price of one dou?"

In terms of type, this problem belonged to the same category as the classic "chickens and rabbits in one cage."

The difference was that the chickens-and-rabbits problem had only two unknowns, while this one had a full five.

For Li Nuo, solving a system of five linear equations was not difficult. He could use either elimination or matrices.

The difficult part was explaining it clearly to Song Mu'er.

After all, she was only six years old. Even in the later generations, this was high-school mathematics, and high-school math exams generally would not even test something this difficult.

Song Mu'er did not even have the concept of a system of equations. It would not be easy for Li Nuo to make her understand it.

He first found a sheet of draft paper, wrote out the matrix for the problem, and quickly calculated the answer using linear algebra. Then he converted the problem into Great Xia's mathematical notation and wrote it out on another sheet.

Great Xia's numerals also had simplified forms, and addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division likewise had corresponding symbols.

Song Mu'er could understand the individual equations.

But she did not understand why the two equations could be added together.

Li Nuo had no choice but to start from the most basic principles and explain everything to her step by step. Fortunately, Song Mu'er was clever. After he gave a few examples, she gradually began to understand the operations between systems of equations.

After that, things became much simpler.

Solving a system of five linear equations was nothing more than a process of adding, subtracting, and eliminating variables. Li Nuo had already calculated the answer, so he only had to tell Song Mu'er how to proceed and let her calculate it step by step herself. Although it took a little longer, she ultimately worked out the answer on her own.

Li Nuo looked at her and asked, "Do you understand now?"

Song Mu'er was amazed to discover that the problem she had thought was so, so difficult had actually been solved by her just like that.

She pouted and murmured, "I knew it. You explain it better than Teacher does. Teacher will be unhappy if he hears that..."

She wore a relaxed expression, but Li Nuo was not relaxed at all.

To help her understand, he had begun with simple examples and proceeded step by step, patiently advancing in sequence. He had practically broken every piece of knowledge apart, crushed it into crumbs, and fed it into her mouth bit by bit. If she still failed to understand after all that, Li Nuo would have been completely helpless.

Fortunately, Mu'er had not disappointed him. Li Nuo rubbed her head and said, "You can't put it that way about Teacher..."

"Brother Li Nuo!"

Before Li Nuo could finish speaking, a familiar voice came from not far away.

He turned his head and saw Song Ninger and Song Jiaren walking in from outside together.

Song Ninger ran over the whole way and greeted him with a smile.

Li Nuo was somewhat surprised. When had he and Song Ninger become so familiar?

Halfway across the courtyard, Song Mu'er suddenly stopped. Her eyes fixed intently on the person beside Li Nuo.

Song Ninger glanced at her and raised her chin smugly.

A moment later.

Li Nuo looked at Song Mu'er, who had turned away with puffed cheeks and refused to acknowledge him, then at the smug Song Ninger. Somewhat helpless, he covered his face.

Who could have imagined that Song Ninger would disguise herself as Song Mu'er to ask him questions?

The two sisters looked exactly alike. Their clothes were identical, their hairstyles were identical, their jewelry was identical—even the sachets they wore carried the same scent. He truly could not tell them apart, could not tell them apart at all!