Who Was Good at Arithmetic?

Guo Jitong nodded vigorously. "That's right, I remember it very clearly, there's not a single mistake."

A bad feeling rose in his heart. "Could it be that the data in the memorial is different from the data I calculated?"

Before Xiao Ge could answer, his pupils widened suddenly, as if he had thought of something. However, he quickly lowered his head to hide his earlier lapse in composure.

But Xiao Ge, sitting on it, could see everything clearly.

He asked, "Has Lord Guo remembered something?"

Guo Jitong shook his head. "No, I just think that the officials who collected the grain might have made a mistake in weighing it. But without concrete evidence, I can't make things up."

Xiao Ge narrowed his eyes, then turned and ordered, "Have Qi Xugu delegate this matter to someone else, and tell him to come over immediately."

Upon hearing this, Guo Jitong lowered his head and knelt there, his eyes darting around, seemingly lost in thought.

Qi Xugu arrived shortly after.

Xiao Ge threw the memorial and Guo Jitong's notebook directly in front of Qi Xugu. Before Qi Xugu could even look at the number of words, Xiao Ge scolded, "Look at this! How come the data from the Ministry of Works is different from the data in your memorial and from Lord Guo's data?"

He openly addressed Qi Xugu, but his attention was actually on Guo Jitong. Guo Jitong visibly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Upon hearing this, Qi Xugu was greatly surprised and quickly picked up the memorial and Guo Jitong's notebook from the ground to read them.

There were two memorials: one was submitted by the Ministry of Revenue, and the other was submitted by the Ministry of Works regarding the preparation of vehicles.

The military situation was urgent. In the past few days, not only was the Ministry of Revenue busy collecting grain, but other departments were also working tirelessly. The Ministry of Works was responsible for preparing and inspecting the transport vehicles, while the Palace Guards were preparing to select the grain delivery teams.

The number of vehicles that the Ministry of Works needed to prepare was based on the amount of grain calculated by the Ministry of Revenue.

The data from the Ministry of Revenue matches the data Guo Jitong just wrote, but the amount of grain and the number of vehicles to be transported in the memorial from the Ministry of Works of Works are clearly inconsistent.

Guo Jitong also wanted to see, but because he was kneeling and Qi Xugu was standing, he couldn't see him even if he craned his neck, and he couldn't be disrespectful in front of the palace. So he had no choice but to look away and kneel there obediently.

Qi Xugu knelt down. "Your Majesty, I do not know why the data is incorrect. I wrote this memorial based on the data written by Lord Guo. The number of vehicles in the Ministry of Works should have been determined based on my data. Now there is a mistake, and I do not know where the problem lies. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."

Guo Jitong had already become suspicious when he heard the discrepancy in the vehicle count. But upon hearing Qi Xugu's words, he immediately understood where the problem lay.

He gritted his teeth and said, "It was Zhou Zhao, it must be Zhou Zhao. He said my calculations were wrong and insisted that I use his calculations to determine the amount of grain and carts. I couldn't stand his nagging, so I told him to send my calculations to the Ministry of Works, to calculate how much grain a cart could carry, to make sure the cart data was accurate, and to supervise the Ministry of Works to prepare the carts. I never expected him to be so audacious as to tamper with the data."

Xiao Ge asked Qi Xugu, "Who is Zhou Zhao?"

"They are the officials who assist Lord Guo in calculating the amount of grain," Qi Xugu said. "There is also one named Gu Shanyue."

As he spoke, he became nervous.

If something goes wrong with Zhou Zhao, then he, as the Minister of Ministry of Revenue, will also be implicated. After all, he was the one who sent Zhou Zhao to assist Guo Jitong.

Xiao Ge ordered the Imperial Guards, "Go and bring them here. Interrogate them separately first, then bring them here."

Zhou Zhao were at the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Revenue was not far from the palace. The Imperial Guards went out and soon brought the two men in after interrogating them.

Gu Shanyue was in his forties and an eighth-rank official who had never seen the emperor in his life. Now, however, he was brought before the emperor under such circumstances, and he was so nervous that his whole body was shaking like a leaf.

Zhou Zhao was only in his early twenties, very young. He was Ninth Rank official, Gu Shanyue. Although he also looked very nervous, compared to Gu Shanyue, his performance was quite good.

The Imperial Guards pointed at Zhou Zhao and said, "Your Majesty, this Lord Zhou says he believes Lord Guo's calculations are incorrect. The number of vehicles in the Ministry of Works was prepared based on his calculations."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ge slammed his hand on the table. "How dare you!"

Gu Shanyue was startled and began to tremble even more violently. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he had done something wrong.

Zhou Zhao remained calm and bowed to Xiao Ge, saying, "Your Majesty, I felt that Lord Guo's calculations were incorrect and reminded him several times. However, Lord Guo not only ignored me but also tried to send me home on the grounds that I was interfering with his work. I did not want him to cause trouble for the soldiers on the border, so I took this risky move."

Guo Jitong rebuked him, "Lord Zhou, how old are you? You're lucky if you can even do a simple abacus calculation. I've been in the Ministry of Revenue for seven or eight years. How dare you question my mathematical abilities? What evidence do you have to prove that your calculations are correct and mine are wrong? What do you mean by 'causing trouble for the soldiers on the border'? You're slandering your superior; that's a crime punishable by law."

"Furthermore, if you felt you were wrong, shouldn't you have reported it to Lord Qi? Why did you arbitrarily alter the data?"

Xiao Ge and Qi Xugu nodded as well.

If you think Guo Jitong is wrong, you should report it. How can you act on your own initiative?

"Your Majesty, I only wish I could see Lord Qi," Zhou Zhao helplessly, spreading his hands. "Lord Qi is so busy he's nowhere to be seen, and Lord Guo is watching me like a hawk. I was afraid that if I went to look for Lord Qi, I would die before I even saw Lord Qi. I had no choice but to play the fool and get this job at the Ministry of Works, so that I could be granted an audience with Your Majesty."

Guo Jitong laughed in exasperation, "Then you've really gone to great lengths."

He turned around and bowed to Xiao Ge: "Your Majesty, I have served in the Ministry of Revenue for seven or eight years, and the data I have calculated has never been wrong. The military situation on the border is of utmost importance; a mistake in calculation would be a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. How could I dare to be careless? The data I have calculated is certainly correct."

Xiao Ge had heard about Guo Jitong's style of doing things from time to time. Xiao Lingyan would mention him from time to time. Xiao Ge had a very bad impression of him.

At this moment, Guo Jitong of confidence, but Xiao Ge dared not believe his one-sided story. He had already become suspicious of Guo Jitong.

According to Zhou Zhao's calculations, the capital city was already short eight cartloads of grain, and this was right under his and Qi Xugu's noses. If the shortage in the northern cities was even greater, wouldn't there be a huge mess when all the grain was transported to the border? They thought the border had enough grain in the capital, but it was far from sufficient.

It's freezing cold, the journey is long, and the battle situation is critical. If a message comes from the other side and then supplies are sent from the capital, it will inevitably delay the mission. At that time, the soldiers on the border will be in an extremely dangerous situation.

He couldn't entrust the safety of the entire border region to Guo Jitong.

This man was of poor character and had a terrible reputation. If he trusted Guo Jitong and something happened at the border, he would be a sinner for all time.

He turned to Qi Xugu and asked, "Who else in the Great Jin is skilled in mathematics and can calculate these data extremely quickly?"