fake gentry

After finishing everything, Xie Hong went straight to sleep.

Overwhelmed with accommodating more than twenty scholars, the villa had nowhere else to sleep.

Fortunately, everyone was tired from playing the night before, so no one disturbed Xie Hong's sleep. When he opened his eyes, he found that the bamboo paper on the table was covered with a layer of gold dust, and it was already past noon.

Ah Ling quietly entered, carrying a bowl of freshly boiled water, and softly asked, "Has my lord washed up?"

Xie Hong scrambled to his feet, washed his face with a cloth, and Aheng served him rice porridge. He ate a little, then instructed Chen San to call Xie Shang over.

Xie Shang truly lives up to his reputation as the future patriarch of the Xie clan. He is far superior to Xie Hong in terms of interpersonal skills. It's obvious that he has been busy until now and hasn't had much rest.

"Brother, did you call me?"

"Jianshi, come here." Xie Hong called Xie Shang by his childhood name: "Go and invite Lu Na, Wang Huzhi, He Xi, and Yang Ben here."

Before long, Lu Na and the others walked into Xie Hong's study, yawning.

"Why did Fengzhi summon us?"

Xie Hong feigned profundity and said, "Brother Zuyan, please take a look."

The group was quickly drawn to the few sheets of paper in front of Xie Hong.

At the end of the Wei hour, in the inner courtyard of He Louju, the straw mats on the bluestone floor were already full of people.

"Why did Xie Fengzhi call us all here?"

"What Xie Fengzhi? You should call her Grand Master."

"Yes, yes, yes, we are now members of the Heaven and Earth Society, so it is only right that we do so."

Before long, Xie Hong came out with Lu Na, Wang Huzhi, and the others, all of whom looked excited.

Gentlemen.

Xie Hong's gaze swept over everyone, and he smiled, "I stayed up all night writing some things, and I called you all here to teach you these things. Brother Zuyan, Brother Xiuling, I'm entrusting them to you."

Lu Na and the others immediately grabbed stacks of papers and started greeting each other.

"Everyone from Wujun Hall, come here."

"Uncle Hu, bring the people from Jiankang Hall to my side."

Lu Shi leaned forward somewhat angrily, feeling extremely frustrated.

Xie Fengzhi looked down on me.

I am clearly the head of Wujun Hall, so why does he always seek out Zuyan instead of me? How can I establish my authority under such circumstances?

Forget it, I'll make things difficult for him when he becomes my brother-in-law.

Xie Shang stood behind Xie Hong, still feeling somewhat distracted, his mind filled with the string of Xie family numbers.

That's right, the Arabic numerals have been named the Xie numerals, or simply Xie numbers.

It was invented by his elder brother.

Xie Shang was naturally intelligent, and arithmetic was originally a required subject for him. Being the head of a noble family was not an easy job, so this was something he had to excel at.

Xie Hong explained the method of calculation only once, and Xie Hong immediately understood it.

Replacing counting rods with Xie's calculation rules is not just a matter of changing the way they are written.

But Xie Shu is the real focus.

Similarly, Lu Na, Wang Huzhi, and others understood immediately and were extremely excited.

A slightly complex calculation, if done with counting rods, would require at least three sets of counting rods, which would need to be combined one by one and then rearranged, taking at least an hour.

However, by using numbers and vertical calculations, a few steps can be written on paper, and ten problems can be solved in a quarter of an hour.

None of these scholars were stupid; even if a small number were not proficient in mathematics, they could still understand the practical value of Xie's mathematical rules.

For a moment, only a buzzing sound remained in the entire thatched cottage of He Louju, which continued until nightfall.

When they encountered things that Lu Na and others didn't understand, Xie Hong would give them some pointers.

After the evening meal, Xie Hong took out the booklet he had prepared and that Ah Ling had sewn together, saying, "Gentlemen, from today onwards, all members of the Heaven and Earth Society may copy this set of 'Xie's Calculation Rules'."

He then took out another booklet and held it up in his hand: "This is a set of accounting techniques. Combined with Xie's Calculation Rules, anyone with a basic understanding of mathematics can understand the accounts. For example, yesterday's fundraising, who donated how much money, where how much money was spent, and how much money was left over are all clearly visible."

Lu Na accepted the booklet Xie Hong handed him almost as if on a pilgrimage. He opened the first page, which showed a sample of a three-column ledger. The date, income and expenditure, and balance were separated by vertical lines. Income was marked with a plus sign, and expenditure was marked with a minus sign, making the balance clear at a glance.

He understood it after reading it only once.

This accounting format is much simpler and more transparent than the account books used by the clan's clerk.

He suddenly looked up, his voice trembling slightly: "Feng Zhi—Chief, if this accounting technique is spread, it will benefit more than just one family or clan."

Xie Hong nodded: "Therefore, I would like to ask you all to do something for me."

He slowly swept his gaze across everyone: "I have no intention of keeping the Xie Family Calculation Principles to myself. I intend to promote them throughout the world. You may copy them and take them back to teach your family's accountants and bookkeepers, your relatives and friends, and even to anyone who is willing to learn. Let whoever wants to copy them do so. Let whoever wants to learn them learn them."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment, and everyone stared at Xie Hong as if they were fools.

In this era, knowledge is not disseminated free of charge.

Why is a scholar considered a scholar, while a commoner is considered a commoner?

Ultimately, it all boils down to the monopoly of knowledge.

If someone has a book that no one else has, that's their exclusive, authoritative interpretation.

With Xie Hong's set of accounting methods, "Xie's Calculation Rules," and the invention of Xie's Numbers, he became the world's master of mathematics.

Dissatisfied?

Let's have a showdown!

But now, Xie Hong is willing to share his unique skills with the world free of charge.

What a magnanimous heart!

Wang Huzhi suddenly stood up, straightened his clothes, and bowed solemnly to Xie Hong.

Then came Lu Na, then He Xi, Lu Shi, Yang Ben, and Wang Biao, one after another, bowing respectfully to each other.

Xie Shang stood behind Xie Hong, watching this scene, and was momentarily stunned.

He had met famous scholars and dignitaries from all over the country with his father, Xie Kun. Even his father, Xie Kun, could not inspire such admiration from the gentry and scholars of both the north and south.

Is my brother going to become a saint?

That night, Wang Huzhi refused to indulge in frivolous activities. He borrowed Xie Hong's desk, spread out the paper and pen he carried with him, and copied Xie Hong's "Xie's Calculation Rules" and accounting techniques from beginning to end. Then he wrote a letter overnight.

"Uncle, this book uses ten numbers to encompass tens of thousands of numbers and uses vertical calculation to replace the labor of counting rods. In the past, the 'Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art' used counting rods, and a single problem could not be solved on a small mat. Now, with this method, dozens of problems can be solved on a single sheet of paper. This is not only an innovation in mathematics, but also a powerful tool for governing the world and benefiting the people."

He wrote for two full hours, until dawn, when his wrists ached so much he could barely lift them before he put down his pen.

After finishing writing, he immediately summoned his personal servant and instructed him to go down the mountain immediately and return to Wuyi Lane as quickly as possible, making sure to personally deliver the letter to his uncle, Wang Dao.

His father, Wang Yi, was unparalleled in calligraphy and painting but mediocre in governance. Yet, his uncle, Wang Dun, appointed him as General Pingnan and sent him to Jingzhou instead of Tao Kan, which greatly angered him.

On one hand, his close relatives were rebelling with his uncle, and on the other hand, he was following another uncle, Wang Dao.

Now that Wang Yi is seriously ill, he doesn't even dare to visit him.

The division of the Langya Wang clan to this extent is itself a form of suffering.

"Remember, this item weighs over ten thousand gold pieces; it must be delivered to the clan chief."

The old servant took the package, nodded solemnly, and immediately rode down Mount Lu.