Two scholars competed and actually asked the common people to come up with questions. This method can be called unique. The common people originally just watched in passing, because they instinctively respected scholars. Even if they were watching, they did not dare to show their anger in the periphery, for fear of disturbing this group of literary stars.
Even if those literati picked up stones and beat people, the common people did not dare to say anything. The literati must know more truths than they, the ordinary people, and maybe there are some truths that they don't know.
They have also heard of the name of His Highness the Fifth Prince. He wrote good poems at a young age and also fought victoriously in the north. He is a good seed born of our Ming Emperor. He is so confident, does he really have a chance to win?
But looking at the elegant and confident scholar above, and the seductive man with black and white streaks on his face and a timid expression, the people were not sure of their decision. They all whispered to each other and began to discuss.
Some people say that His Highness is so confident that the Semu people will definitely win. Some people also say that the scholar has the seed of reading at first glance, and he is full of knowledge. How can he fail to count the number of butcher shops? In short, the noise among the common people began to rise.
Because of Zhu Su's words, they suddenly became contestants. This new feeling gradually made them no longer regard the group of literati as gods, and also allowed them to replace the literati who gathered together and become the main focus of this incident. center.
"Hey, Your Highness, take a look." The butcher shop owner was quite embarrassed and wiped the dirty book on his body again and again, then he knelt on the ground and gave it to Zhu Su's relative with both hands. guard. Zhu Su quickly asked him to stand up and flipped through the "account book". He saw scattered records on it, including the price at which the butcher sold pigs, how many taels of pigs he sold today, and the price of a pound of meat. Everything was recorded in the account book in an extremely disorganized manner.
"Tie Zhong, Yi Zimei, come here." Zhu Susan saw at a glance that the account book had more complicated numbers, and elementary school knowledge was enough to calculate it, so he placed the account book on the desk that had just been brought in. "I'll give you one stick of incense time and calculate it together."
"After the calculation is completed, there is no need to announce it. Wait for the other party to complete the calculation and then check it."
"Xizhi, give them two abacuses. Folks, you are all witnesses to whether this is fair or not."
This method is simple and fair, and the people have no objections. However, many of the literati looked ugly and felt that it was really insulting to ask these ordinary people who could not read Chinese characters to write the question. But the fifth prince above him was not someone to be trifled with. For him to suggest a fight was already a concession. If they push further, this person might take out the hot air balloon again and send them to the sky for a tour.
The last time the three elders of Pingyang went to heaven, they all peed their pants in public when they returned to the ground, and their reputation was ruined ever since. From then on, these scholars regarded the hot air balloon as a tiger and thought it was some evil thing...
So Tie Zhong and Yi Zimei, in full view of everyone, gathered on the table, took the paper and started counting.
Yi Zimei looked at the dirty iron clock on her body and saw that the account book was crookedly written and full of greasy grease, and she almost felt sick. But now that it's over, you just have to hold back your nausea and start calculating. He had actually read several arithmetic books and knew how to do arithmetic, so even though it was difficult to calculate the account book, it was not a problem for him.
After calculating for a while, I felt I had hit a bottleneck. I scratched my head and couldn't help but glance to the side. With my peripheral vision, I saw that the iron clock was writing many crooked characters on the paper like a picturesque charm, and it didn't even use an abacus. Because it was obviously contrary to the calculations, he couldn't help but scorned in his heart: "This barbarian can't even write. How can he be my opponent at this level?"
Just as he was thinking this, he saw the iron bell put down the brush, picked up the paper in his hand and said to Zhu Su: "Your Highness, the villain has finished his calculations."
The crowd onlookers immediately burst into an uproar. Although it was just a small butcher shop, the account book was as thick as a finger. How could it be completed so quickly? Even Zhu Su was surprised. He accepted the manuscript paper he offered and scanned the calculation steps up and down, and found that there were no mistakes or omissions.
"Is there such a talent in my house?" Zhu Su was secretly surprised, but his face remained calm and he just let Tie Zhong wait. Tie Zhong responded quickly, not daring to sit down. He just found a corner and stood aside, still looking panic-stricken.
"How could anyone in the world be able to calculate so quickly!" Yi Zimei was a little panicked, but when she saw the expression on Tiezhong's face and remembered what he had just done by drawing talismans on the paper, she actually became calmer: Then Tie Zhong definitely didn't know how to do arithmetic. He might just be a house slave randomly found by His Highness. Even the meat dealer might be someone whom His Highness found to set up a trap.
There is no conclusion on this matter, and even the meat seller himself is ignorant. When the time comes, His Highness the Fifth Prince insists that the iron bell is right, and no one can do anything to him. I should be careful and make sure every step is correct. If His Highness is unfair, I can ask all my colleagues to do the math together to uphold justice for me.
With so many colleagues here, even if His Highness the Fifth Prince wanted to set up a trap, he would not be able to argue. After refuting His Highness the Fifth Prince who proposed new learning, I became a hero inheriting the Cheng-Zhu lineage. From now on, my future is limitless...
Yi Zimei calculated extremely carefully, making sure every step was correct. The scholars and people in the room did not dare to say anything, for fear of disturbing him.
Zhu Su was also patient and never said a word, but this person's calculation took too long, which made Zhu Su feel more and more irritable. Finally, when the stick of incense was about to burn out, he stopped his pen and abacus, gently blew the paper in his hand, and presented it with confident hands: "Your Highness, please take a look. This is the answer calculated by the student." .”
"Yeah." Zhu Su took the page and saw that the paper was densely covered with small regular script. Zhu Su was dizzy when he saw it. He simply didn't look at the process and looked directly at the answer. I almost didn't laugh out loud at this sight. Fortunately, I had gone through a lot of training in the past few years and was able to hold it back. There was only a meaningful smile left at the corner of his mouth, and he opened his mouth and said: "In this case, I will make your answers public."
"Yi Zimei calculated that this boss's butcher shop made a profit of one hundred and thirty-two taels of silver in the fifth year of Hongwu." After saying this, the people immediately let out a sigh of admiration. Zhu Su said with a smile: "Congratulations, brother, if according to the calculations of this student Yi, you can do a big business, it is really a good deal!"
The people looked at the butcher with envy, but the butcher had a puzzled look on his face, his eyebrows furrowed into the character "Sichuan".
"Tie Zhong's answer. Well..." Zhu Su picked up another manuscript and said, "Tie Zhong calculated that in the fifth year of Hongwu last year..."
"The total loss from selling meat throughout the year was about twenty-three taels and five cents... Judging from his answer, brother, this is a loss-making business for you!"
Everyone was in an uproar. The two of them calculated together and actually calculated one profit and one loss. They were two completely different answers, and the gap was so big that they could be said to be completely opposite. Yi Zimei was overjoyed and shouted: "It's ridiculous, if there are still losses, why does this butcher continue to do this business?"
"This brother Tie is just talking nonsense and making people laugh! It can be seen that a scholar who studies my theory knows everything."
"Those who are not familiar with saints and sages will never be able to serve as officials. If you can even make mistakes in a butcher's shop, how can you assume the great responsibility of a herdsman for our Ming Dynasty?"
"That's not right." But it was the butcher who spoke up. "If I make more than a hundred taels, why do I feel that money is getting tighter and tighter?"
"My family didn't have much expenses last year, so the scholar must have made a mistake! This brother named Tie, tell me where I lost money?"
"Why do I keep calculating at home and never get it right?"
"You neglected to calculate the cost of food for raising pigs." Seeing Zhu Su nodding in approval, Tie Zhong stepped forward to explain to him. "From May to July, there was hail in Fengyang Prefecture, and I also experienced sudden cold weather for several months."
"In those months, grain production was reduced and grain prices were quite high. Even the bran and bran used to feed pigs had to be purchased at a high price."
"In addition, I saw from your account book that you received a few piglets in May, but did not sell them in June, July, and August. I think it was because of the defeat in Lingbei in those months, and there were few banquets in Beijing. , those restaurants charge less pork from you."
"You have piglets on your hands, but you still have to be generous. Every increase and every decrease is a real loss."
While he was talking, Yi Zimei was stunned. Why is there still such a thing as gluten? He didn't notice at all.
In the corner of the account book, there are indeed a few messy records of how much dressing was purchased. But what does that have to do with raising pigs?
Although Tie Zhong said it plainly, it made the butcher feel like he was in a state of enlightenment. He patted his belly and said loudly: "Come on! That's what happened! Why can't I figure out what I'm losing?"
"My pigs eat real bran, so here in Yingtianfu, the quality of the meat is also top-notch. It's just that the pigs were stranded on hand during those few months, and people have to eat pigs if they want to. It's really hard to raise them." It cost a lot of money.”
"It's amazing! It's amazing! Your Highness, the villain is convinced. It's this brother named Tie who wins!"
After hearing what he said, the people immediately understood the cause and effect, and all looked at the iron bell with surprise and admiration. Tie Zhong was quite shy and shrank back. The people who watched laughed and became closer to this honest young man.
"Dear fellow citizens," Zhu Su struck while the iron was hot. "This time the imperial court opened Enke to select suitable tax collectors to benefit the common people."
"The new tax law stipulates that if the family has connections and the business is profitable and the money is easy to come in, then they will be charged more. If the family is in trouble and they are just doing a small business, then they can no longer cause trouble to the people. , it is necessary to levy less or even no levy. This is the benchmark of the new tax law."
"Nowadays, these scholars feel that the new enke should not be tested on arithmetic, but should be tested on something else. Confucius said in the poem."
"Tell me, do you think the court's tax collectors who calculate the people's taxes should use scholars like them, or people like iron clocks who can calculate clearly whether you are making a profit or a loss, even in places you didn't expect? Can you give me a clear account?"
"It goes without saying that it must be someone like Brother Tie!" The butcher was also a wonderful person, and he even learned to answer questions quickly. "If the court lets Yi become a tax collector and turns a loss-making business into a big profit, then won't we be squeezed out of another tax by him?"
With personal interests at stake, the common people, traders and lackeys gathered here immediately pointed and laughed at the noble literati headed by Yi Zimei.
(End of chapter)
