Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 104: Lu Shangshu walks into a trap
Qi Jingshan clearly saw that after Zhang Shou reported the huge number, his old friend Chu Ying showed an undisguised astonishment on his face. He wanted to introduce to Chu Ying the disciple that Ge Yong was proud of, but he didn't expect that after a moment of astonishment, the old man Chu immediately stroked his beard with a smile.
"My dear, please don't speak nonsense. I will go and verify the calculation myself later!"
Zhang Shou dismounted calmly, smiled and nodded, "Old sir, just do whatever you want, it won't be wrong."
"Haha, I'll remember what you said. But, can there be so many people in the capital?"
"Let alone the capital, there may not be so many people in history. Please forgive me, old man. I just saw that Shuntianfu Street was packed with people, so I gave these two guys a question."
Seeing this clean and fresh young man talking calmly, with outstanding appearance, elegant demeanor, and especially his friendly smile, Chu Ying couldn't help but feel moved, and immediately invited him, "Young man, are you here to watch Wang Datou's public trial of the rebels in Linhai Camp? I have reserved a private seat on the third floor. If you don't mind, why don't you squeeze in with us?"
Zhang Shou saw Qi Jingshan was stunned at first, then smiled at him, and remained silent and did not introduce him. He could not help but laugh, and immediately replied straightforwardly: "It is better to obey than to be respectful. Thank you, old sir."
"It's just a small matter, not worth mentioning." The short and fat old man Chu Ying tilted his head proudly and pulled his beard.
He has a good foundation and a great image... Well, he will have to see if this young man has a master, so that old man Ge won't show off his closed disciples all day long! You have a closed disciple, can't I find one?
Although Qiao Hu and Yang Hao were in Beijing for the first time and did not have much experience, they were naturally cautious and did not dare to say a word when they saw Zhang Shou being respectful to the two old gentlemen. When they went up to the second floor and entered the elegantly decorated private room, they were even more restrained. However, when they found that they could see the Shuntian government office from the window, they became excited.
After a while, they found Zhang Shou talking with two old men, and the servants of the family over there were also peeking at the window. They tiptoed over there, and soon they all forgot themselves and leaned on the railing to watch the fun.
"From the window here, you can just see the court hearing in Shuntian government office. Of course, the sound is hard to hear clearly. Logically speaking, such an important government office should not have buildings like teahouses and taverns in front of the door that overlook the court, but..." Chu Ying deliberately stopped talking, and when he saw Zhang Shou pouring him tea with a smile, he smiled with satisfaction.
"It's just that Emperor Taizu said that in the past, some cases in the court can be heard by the public, which can be regarded as public. Moreover, if the chief official makes the judgment alone, there may be unjust, false and wrong cases, and people with insight should listen. Therefore, Emperor Taizu ordered people to build a teahouse right opposite the Shuntian government office. Didn't you notice the sign when you came in just now? This is called Zhigonglou!"
Zhang Shou, who had heard many ancestral teachings and stories of Emperor Taizu, was not surprised. He even smiled and praised Emperor Taizu for his wisdom, which really pleased the old man in front of him. However, the other party invited him but did not reveal his identity, and he did not find an opportunity to speak. Qi Jingshan, who obviously knew both sides, did not introduce him, so he simply pretended to be confused.
At this moment, a thunderous shout came from below: "Everyone be quiet, the prefect is here to serve!"
This loud shout was repeated three times in a row, and then Zhang Shou found that the originally noisy voices from upstairs to downstairs suddenly became much quieter. Although it was not completely silent, there were still whispers, but the mighty shouts in the court continued, and from his excellent view sitting by the window, he could see a large number of men in shackles being brought to the court.
As one of the heroes who captured the rebels, Zhang Shou saw the short and fat old man staring at him intently, and he couldn't help asking: "Old sir, there is something I don't understand. The rebellious officers and soldiers in Linhai Camp should not be dealt with by the Ministry of War. They should be tried by the Ministry of Justice or the Dali Temple and the Censorate. Why were they handed over to the Shuntian Prefecture?"
"Hey, you asked the right person. This matter is related to Minister Lu of the Ministry of War!" Chu Ying raised his eyebrows proudly, and then said in an extremely understated tone, "But I can't tell you!"
Zhang Shou, who was waiting for someone to answer his questions, suddenly laughed. Why don't you just omit the first half of your sentence? First, you should ask the right person, and then you can't tell me. That's not how you keep people in suspense! However, just as he was complaining, the old man opposite him smiled and said, "Of course I can't tell outsiders, but it's okay for my own people."
Zhang Shou suddenly thought of the slogan "I won't tell ordinary people" and was speechless for a while. He glanced at Qi Jingshan and saw that he was still looking at the trial scene in the hall of Shuntian Prefecture outside the window, turning a deaf ear to the confrontation between him and the short and fat old man. He thought about it and decided to just follow the prepared plot.
"May I ask, old sir, what does it mean to be considered one of our own?"
"Hehe." Seeing the fish taking the bait, Chu Ying finally became proud. He stared at Zhang Shou with sharp eyes and said seriously, "As long as you can answer a few of my questions, I will tell you."
What's this tune?
Zhang Shou was stunned. Then he realized that he was being tested. He was so amused that he couldn't help crying. Qi Jingshan was still pretending to be deaf and dumb. He could only say helplessly: "Please ask the old man to give me some questions?"
Thinking about the questions that the young man in front of him had just asked the two young followers, it was quite interesting. Chu Ying coughed lightly and was about to take out two questions from his collection to challenge the other party. However, a voice came from outside: "Mr. Chu, Mr. Qi, I have an extremely difficult question and would like to ask you in person. May I see you?"
Hearing this, Zhang Shou immediately showed an extremely strange expression. Listening to the voice, it seems, probably, possibly... Oh, no need to use those uncertain words, after all, he just dealt with him last night, it must be the Minister of War Lu Wan !
Chu Ying didn't expect that the result of talking about someone behind his back would be that the person would show up outside the door. He wanted to refuse, but the person said that he had an extremely difficult question to ask for help. If he refused, he might be accused of being afraid of difficulties. What's more, if he refused, the person might run to Ge Yong!
Therefore, he could only snort in dismay: "How dare you ask for advice, Minister Lu? Xiaokang, go and bring the question in!"
This is actually planning to not see Lu Wan, just look at the questions...
Zhang Shou smiled when he realized this. When the little servant beside Chu Ying walked to the door and raised the door curtain, he saw Lu Wan standing there in casual clothes.
When the other person's eyes accidentally met his, he clearly saw that the Minister of War's face changed several times, and the thin piece of paper in his hand seemed to become as heavy as a thousand pounds, causing the hand to tremble slightly.
Seeing Zhang Shou looking at him with a half-smile, Lu Wan wanted to turn around and leave, but he was still standing there like a root. He called a clerk who was proficient in mathematics last night, and he did find out the so-called binary numbers. But after converting them to the decimal system used in daily life, he was dumbfounded when he looked at the numbers.
What was the use of this series of numbers? But Zhang Shou didn't even tell him what to do next!
In a fit of anger, he didn't even question his youngest son. After the morning court session, he heard that Qi Jingshan had made an appointment with Chu Ying to go out, so he rushed over specially - apart from the teacher and student Ge Yong, Chu Ying and Qi Jingshan were the two most proficient in mathematics in the capital!
After hesitating for a long time, he finally handed the paper to the young servant. Seeing that the young servant nodded slightly and left him to go in, he didn't care about anything else. He caught the door curtain that was about to fall and stood at the door. But the next moment, Chu Ying didn't even look at the question he had come to ask for help, and directly pointed at Zhang Shou opposite him.
"Xiaokang, show this young man how to solve it. Young man, as long as you can solve it, I can explain the joint to you in detail later!"
At that moment, Zhang Shou felt that Lu Wan's gaze was real. He felt that the Minister of War even wanted to rush in and snatch the small piece of paper, and then walk away in a rage. Feeling that he was innocent, he could only shrug and smile at him, and then unfold the paper calmly. There was no doubt that the first four numbers were exactly what he had reported to Zhu Ying.
353, 150, 305, 558...
He only glanced at the answers at the back, and said to Chu Ying with a smile: "Old sir, Minister Lu came here with sincerity, so why not invite him in to sit down? As for the numbers on the paper, I didn't explain them clearly to him last night. It's all my fault."
