Volume 2 Chapter 9

Need to know:

Abacus: is a calculating tool used primarily in parts of Asia for performing math processes. It is often constructed from bamboo with beads sliding on wires, but originally they were beans or stones moved in grooves in sand or on tablets of wood, stone, or metal. The abacus was in use centuries before the adoption of the written modern numeral system and is still widely used by merchants in this day and age.

YES a new character and one that would be prevalent throughout the plot. I’m sure the Third Princess’s profile is floating around somewhere…but meh…!!

Ruo Yan is one hot bis.h.i.+e – he is actually considered quite handsome but because Feng Ming is exposed to so many attractive people. He believes Ruo Yan is average XD.

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Forced into the tiger’s den, Feng Ming armed himself with courage and stepped with his best foot forwards to bite the bullet.

Upon entering the building and making his way into the inner chambers he was welcomed by warmth, the air inside was laced with a distinct smoky scent. It was the smell of aromatic incense. Feng Ming felt like he was visiting a Buddhist temple, the air was thick but the smell was rather pleasant. Listening carefully, Feng Ming caught the sound of a water flow hidden in his surroundings. It created a serene and calm atmosphere. He continued his way until he finally reached the inner sanctum.

His eyes rested on three individuals, sitting casually in the main room. An attractive woman sat in between two men, she was wearing a deep plum coloured dress, the design of her outfit was long and graceful. The cuffs of her sleeves were decorated by extremely detailed trims and patterns. Her cheeks were naturally a shade of peach blush and her eyes were as sharp and bright as lacquer.

There was no doubt in Feng Ming’s mind that she was the Third Princess, she was really living up to her rumoured beauty.  He was used to seeing pretty girls on television, none the less he had his fair share at admiring beauties from all over the world. However, she was a rare specimen in this ancient world; he nodded slightly in appreciation but didn’t feel embarra.s.sed about his eyes lingering on her.

The Princess’s personal attendants were standing to the side of the room, Fen Yan stood near her master. All of them were observing Feng Ming secretly and they were bewildered by the Prince’s calm composure and the fact that he didn’t intend to intrude.

Official Xia was right on the money, the two men accompanying his Aunt were indeed the King Li, Ruo Yan and the math genius Master Dong.

The trio sat around a sand pit, purposely installed for etching their discussions and calculations. Master Dong appeared quite brutish, grizzly and unkempt. The man had a big upturned pompous nose. Feng Ming never would have guessed the man was a genius if he had pa.s.sed him on the streets.

The old man was holding a bamboo pole in his hand, and was occupied with drawing and discussing his work. The Third Princess was completely caught by the lecture, her head bobbed as she processed the information.

Looking at Rou Yan, Feng Ming figured the King was in his twenties, appearing mature Feng Ming guessed he was perhaps around twenty seven or eight. His appearance was nothing special, and at his waist was a very modest looking sword. If it wasn’t for Lie Er’s and Official Xia’s warnings, Feng Ming wouldn’t have felt Ruo Yan was much of a threat. To be honest, he really couldn’t see how the man was anything to be reckoned with.

The Prince continued to monitor the proceedings of the party he wasn’t really invited to, he didn’t want to ruin the happy atmosphere. He guessed that the moment he opened his mouth and interrupted the exchange of knowledge he would be immediately escorted out for his impertinence. It was cold outside and having to brace the chilly winter wind again wasn’t on his menu.

Knowing better, he resigned and chose to quietly wait in the sidelines. He found a seat and settled himself down.  From his location, he sat listening in and playing the role of the obedient and respectful youngster.

Master’s Dong’s voice was very light and everything that left his mouth was professional jargon. Feng Ming barely even understood half the sentences that the man spoke. The prince basically continued to rot away in the shadows for almost an hour. Boredom was one of his worst enemies and this was a cruel. He cursed inwardly, his suffered in silence. Thinking to himself, he should have marched right in and announced himself to the Princess to save his current brain punis.h.i.+ng wait. But no, he wanted to look generous and caring, by not cras.h.i.+ng the cla.s.s only G.o.d knows how long he would have to wait until he gains an audience with his Aunt.

Ancient people were terrible at interpersonal management - it was obvious they placed little value on people’s precious time. Fan Jia and Xi Rei currently aren’t in the best part of their political buddy relations.h.i.+p. One would have thought matters of a Country would be more important that minor discussions about maths theorems.

In a rare moment, Master Dong finally came to a pause as he finished a long winded explanation. Seeing the man’s mouth finally shut for the first time, Feng Ming let out a heavy sigh.

The Prince gathered his wits and motioned to leave his perch believing now was the opportunity to finally greet the Princess.

Instead, he was shot down before even having his bottom off his seat.

The Princess pulled the scholar back into discussion, “Master Dong, the tools you’ve discussed appear naturally easy to use but being able to digest the reasoning behind them is a very complex process, on a national level it would take a lot of manpower to teach the basics.”

The old man replied, “Your Highess is correct, however, I have studied numerous math tools used for solving advance mathematics. Each has their pros and cons. Even if they are simple they might not be sufficiently precise, and some tools although accurate can be extremely complicated. This tool is now regularly used in the Li Palace, and has been proven time after time as the best candidate for solving complex problems that we have. It would take a month or two for the most talented to master the use.”

Feng Ming rolled his eyes and groaned to himself, they were starting their talk again.

Unknown to Feng Ming, once he had entered the room Ruo Yan had paid very close attention to him. The King caught Feng Ming’s soft disgruntled sound and gave the boy a fleeting glance.

Ruo Yan’s lips curled into an amused smile, with a touch of arrogance he suddenly spoke: “I’ve heard of Xi Rei’s King Rong’s capabilities in mathematics, perhaps the Crowned Prince is well learned in this area. Does the Prince have any opinions on Master Dong’s new calculating tools?”

The King of Li’s sudden bidding towards the outsider immediately brought all eyes onto the Prince.

Catching him off guard, Feng Ming quickly arranged his composure and sat with his back as straight as plank.

How the h.e.l.l was he to know anything about number theorems!?

Instead of answering the King’s request, he pushed the question aside and took advantage of this moment to grab the Princess’s attention.

Feng Ming flashed his Aunt a big warm smile, he stood up and moved towards the three and gave her the proper greetings, kneeling on one knee with his hands clasped and raised to the level of his head.

“An He is here to visit his Royal Aunt.”

The Third Princess simply replied nonchalantly, “Prince please rise, you have travelled from afar, it must have been very tough.”

Feng Ming was genuinely surprised that their meeting would be very civil, and there was no mention of the death of her husband, An Xun. A bit dazed by her reaction, Feng Ming returned to his seat his eyes focused on his Aunt.

“Royal Aunt, An He has travelled to escort you back to Xi Rei. An He will definitely treat Aunty as his own mother. Would your Highness promise to return with me?”

“An Xun travelled to Xi Rei in order to claim the throne, and my father has deployed troops from Fan Jia to Xi Rei in our country’s best interests. For the Crowned Prince to travel under a peaceful notion over a great distance, it is highly unlikely that you only want to welcome a stranger to move to Xi Rei. For all this trouble, what is the true reason for coming here?”

The Princess’s eyes turned towards the surface of the sand box, her gazed looked beyond the granules. As if deep underneath the pile of sand, she had hidden away her treasures and joys. Her red lips parted, “If all your efforts are just for the sake of obtaining power and wealth, then it is exhausted. Such earthly measures are always changing. Isn’t it better to invest your time in creating ageless and unbreakable laws and theorems for mathematics? What do you say, Crowned Prince, am I correct?”

Feng Ming was silent for a good length of time, he would have never thought the Princess would have such views on politics and that she was this fanatic and pa.s.sionate about math. The Prince didn’t know how to respond.

Ruo Yan stole the spotlight and praised the woman, “Princess certainly has a lot of experience and your innate talent is extraordinary. Ruo Yan has heard of Princess’s intelligence and wisdom for many years, today I have taken the liberty to propose to you. Naturally, you would become my Queen. Princess’s ident.i.ty is highly praised and befitting of the position, no one would dare oppose my selection. You shall not be disturbed or challenged for your interests. In fact you will be free to research and develop at your own pace. Furthermore, Master Dong will be there to aid your learning. You will be able to excel and become a Master yourself. With me by your side day and night, how can this not be paradise on earth?”

Master Dong quickly affirmed his King’s claims, “That is correct, this old man would be able to teach you whilst you are in the Country of Li. If this was to happen, it would be a joy to all.”

These remarks were obviously attempts to impress the Princess and win her heart. The Princess turned her eyes to briefly study the King’s face before returning her attention back onto the sand.

Feng Ming’s alarms were blowing off, ever since he set out for Fan Jia Official Xia had given him plenty of leads and taught him how to deal with certain situations if they were to arise. However, the matter of Ruo Yan proposing marriage to the Third Princess so quickly and without shame came as a big surprise. Feng Ming didn’t have any backup plan up his sleeve to counter this situation.

It was easy right? He had one objective, and that was to ensure the proposal does not succeed.

It was evident that the Princess’s heart was wavering and she was contemplating the idea. Thus in a rush to put a halt in Ruo Yan’s plan, Feng Ming interjected with a sounding shout.

“No way, that’s impossible!” Letting out his roar, all eyes diverted their attention onto him again.

As soon as he opened his mouth, Ruo Yan’s deep gaze fixated on him. This time there was a strange flash in the man’s eyes, they were pinning him down like a vicious tiger waiting to shred its prey to bits.

Feng Ming was breaking out in a cold sweat.

No wonder everyone warned him to watch out for Ruo Yan, the fear he struck in people with just his powerful gaze alone was enough to live up to his reputation.

The King’s sharp eyes switched and the tense moment slipped away as his face softened and broke into a smile before gently asking.

“Prince An He, are you implying that the Third Princess is forbidden to marry me?”

Feng Ming’s back was literally drenched with sweat by now. He gritted his teeth and stood his ground by replying, “That’s not what I meant, considering Aunty is obsessed with math, she should be returning with An He to Xi Rei. Xi Rei is well known for excelling in academics, including math. Thus it is more suitable for Her Highness to study in Xi Rei.”

Desperate times called for desperate measures, Feng Ming had no idea whether Xi Rei was known for arithmetic. He was pulling the claim completely out of thin air…G.o.d help him.

Master Dong immediately laughed out loud and sneered before turning a blind eye on the boy’s mistake.

The Third Princess looked at Feng Ming with scorn, mathematics was her life’s pa.s.sion and people making false claims wouldn’t pa.s.s lightly under her judgment.  Her expression darkened, “Prince An He, you should pick your words carefully, everyone knows, that the country with the t.i.tle of most advance knowledge in this area of study belongs to the Country of Li. Naturally, Master Dong is the highest ranked scholar in this field. For the sake of coaxing me to follow you home to Xi Rei, why would you give me such false words?”

Feng Ming’s face turned beet red.

The King’s piercing eyes enjoyed every bit of humiliation the Prince was feeling. The boy’s pretty face blus.h.i.+ng caught the tiger’s attention; the King felt something in his heart for a very short moment before coughing.

His eyes remained on the boy, “Since the Crown Prince is so proud of Xi Rei’s advancements, perhaps Prince An He would like to demonstrate math tools currently used in Xi Rei?”

The King’s didn’t offer him a friendly invitation, it was a trap purposely and thoughtfully organised to ridicule him. If Feng Ming was to discuss theories with Master Dong upfront, it would result in nothing but a mess.

Feng Ming stared at the carpet in front of him, he was anxious to find a way out of this trap. Walking over hot bricks he forced himself to think hard and fast of any modern knowledge that could rescue him from this potential disaster. Tools weren’t a big problem, but the only issue was he was only familiar with using a computer or a calculator…where was he going to find one in this archaic world?

With a stroke of luck, Feng Ming had given Fen Yan a good impression; the maid servant threw him a life line. Leaving her post she kneeled beside her master and whispered softly into her ear, “Your Highness, Master Dong is here. It is natural that Prince An He would feel intimidated by his presence. Perhaps a private audience with you tomorrow he would be more comfortable in sharing his knowledge with your Highness?”

The Princess glanced over to her nephew, indeed the poor boy was sweating in discomfort, feeling that he had learned his lesson she was about to nod and pardon him. Only to be interrupted by Feng Ming’s loud shriek.

The Prince leap into the air, bolting towards the trio and was barely able to contain himself, shouting: “I’ve got it! I’ve got it!”

The unwarranted outburst stunned everyone.

Feng Ming ignored everyone’s reaction and instead danced excitedly in front of his Aunt.

“The best tool for the trade, I’ve got it!” A big smile eased across his face before he furthered, “To be able to use it, I need to first ask Your Highness for a few important things.”

“Oh?” The Princess was taken aback, “What do you need?”

“I’ll need about fifty perforated pearls, ten gold thin wires and two strips of wood.”

“Don’t you need a wooden block?” She asked.

“I don’t need one.”

During this era, the majority of tools used for complex mat were designed based on algorithms engraved into a wooden surface. Everyone in the room was surprised that Feng Ming would not be requiring any carving tools or a wooden base. The Princess was genuinely curious to what Feng Ming was going to do with pearls, wire and flimsy bits of wood.

Regardless, she had her servants fetch the materials. Once gathered and pa.s.sed to the Prince. He quickly threaded the pearls into strings with the gold wire and tied the ends to the strips of wood. Laying his work gently on the ground he finally declared happily, “This is it! The tool that has last throughout the ages! Even when the westerners were shown this, they were amazed by this invention.”

With quick thinking, Feng Ming managed to improvise a very simple abacus.

The Third Princess was at the edge of her seat, her eyes locking down on the strange contraption.

“How does this thing work?”

Even the King was intrigued; the older man peered curiously to the same spot before glancing up at the Prince. His eyes lingered on the boy’s smiling red lips.

Ruo Yan coldly snickered, “Such a pitiful looking tool, it’s quite laughable.”

Despite the King’s attempt to downplay this unseen invention, Master Dong studied the contraption before concluding, turning his focus on the Prince. “This device may seem simple. But how it can be used baffles me. Please, Prince An He enlighten us and explain the theory behind the usage.” The scholar’s tone was very different from the rough reception Feng Ming had first received.

Feng Ming tried to hide his victorious grin. Who would have thought, a tool that has existed in China for over a thousand years and still used in the modern world would completely stump a genius.

He cleared his throat, and looked at the Third Princess, offering her a smile to melt her heart, “If Her Highness would state a problem?”

“What do you mean?”

“Such as addition or subtraction, for instance one hundred and eighty eight plus three hundred and ninety seven equals?” Feng Ming explained triumphantly.

Soon he found the atmosphere changed. The Third Princess gave him a strange look, “Such a simple calculation, why would you even use a tool?”

“What?” Feng Ming replied.

Had he made the mistake to a.s.sume that the people of this world was very backwards in terms of arithmetic knowledge?  Perhaps they have already established a tool that was on par with the capabilities of an abacus? He was sinking deeper into his own trap, what other tool was there apart from an abacus?

Sweat was breaking out again.

The tension between the study group dropped, the Princess was unimpressed, and Ruo Yan sneered as the Prince was making a spectacular mess of himself. Only Master Dong appeared to be interested in what Feng Ming had to say.

This was looking bad.

Feng Ming had boasted so loud and proud about his invention, to retreat at this moment would only mean shame.

Feng Ming wiped his forehead with his sleeve; he gritted his teeth before pulling out his last cards.

“Well then, if I could request the Third Princess for a subject for me to solve? The abacus looks dainty but there’s no problem on heaven and earth that this won’t be able to find and answer to.”

He thought to himself:

If she gives me one that’s completely out of my range, I’ll claim that only King Rong would be able to solve it with an abacus, thus I’ll try and convince her Xi Rei is the best place for her.

The Princess obliged, given how confident the Prince made himself out to be. Although a still skeptical, she nodded and said. “Alright I have a good question for you.”

Suddenly, the crowd's attention focused on her lips, Feng Ming was especially nervous his eyes didn’t even blink in antic.i.p.ation.

Whilst the Prince had his attention on his Aunt, he was oblivious to the pair of intense sharp eyes that targeted him.

“The problem is…”