Wait another five years.
Emperor Huizong of Song will issue a decree to rena the posthouse to "Xianlie Temple" to commorate the achievents of his ancestors.
However, at this mont, the old man is not an official, nor is he preparing to do business in the marketplace.
To him, the three words Chenqiao Posthouse represent another ssage:
At this mont, he is less than a hundred li from Bianjing...
Then he thought of sothing, took out a package he carried,
and retrieved a letter from it.
In the past days, the old man was leisurely at ho.
Sotis playing with Yi'Er, or engaging in so mathematics, fulfilling and leisurely.
If nothing unexpected happened.
He would have lived happily like this for a few more years, eventually dying of illness in peace.
However, just over a week ago, he suddenly received an urgent letter from Bianjing.
Judging from the ti the letter was sent.
The whole letter took only three days from dispatch to delivery.
Moreover.
The sender of the letter was extraordinary:
This person was the forr Pri Minister, the renowned Counselor to the Crown Prince, Duke Zhao Su Song, Su Zirong!
About forty years ago, the old man t this peer who was three years younger than him.
Back then, they even participated in the imperial examinations together, watching a performance by a spicy soup stall on the day the results were announced.
Unexpectedly.
Of the four people at one stall, two eventually rose to high positions, one beca a literary master of the era.
Only he was unsuccessful in the exam, eventually securing a modest position as a Ninth-Grade Left Palace Attendant through connections.
Later, he authored "Emperor Huang's Nine Chapters on Mathematical Art" and gained slight fa in the mathematics world.
Unexpectedly, Su Song still rembered him, sent a congratulatory letter, and offered a gift, one piece of old ginseng even saved the old man's father's life.
After that.
The old man went to Dai Prefecture as an Eighth Grade minor official and corresponded with Su Song yearly.
Occasionally, when he returned to Bianjing, the other party didn't mind his status and often took him out to brothels... restaurants to dine and drink.
Therefore, over the years, Su Song and the old man maintained a good relationship.
When Su Song encountered complex math problems, he would often write to the old man for advice.
But what truly caught the old man's attention, prompting him to set off imdiately that very day.
Were a few sentences in the letter.
[An old friend has recently acquired a young companion, nad Wang Lin, with extraordinary knowledge, I have selected so of his words for Mr. Tongyu's careful contemplation]:
"....Yin transforms while Yang remains unchanged, observe quadrants through Tianyuan and Diyuan."
"....Square of the head, square of the tail, twice the product of the head and tail is in the center."
"....This person doubted the foundation of extraction thods, stating to list the numbers from which roots are extracted, calculate the corner once, add under to the front position, stop at the first position, then ascend and increase at the corner like before, reducing one place each to solve."
Then the old man moved his gaze downward and focused on the last section of the letter:
"Shao Guang Zhang says, there is now an accumulation of 1,860,867 feet, question: what is its cubic value?"
"Wang Lin says, first place the real part quotient in the first position to get the number one hundred, then multiply the top thod by the lower square to place in the corner one hundred, multiply the corner to form fifteen thousand, divide the real, finish."
"Again multiply the top thod by the lower part entering corner two hundred, multiply the corner to form thirty thousand. Again multiply the lower part entering the corner three hundred."
"Its square one, corner two, lower third retreated ten."
"Again at the next of the first position quotient number, multiply the top thod by the lower part to enter the corner three hundred twenty."
"Multiply the corner to form thirty-six thousand four hundred, divide the real, finish leaving one hundred thirty-two thousand eight hundred sixty-seven."
"Again, multiply the next twenty by the lower thod to enter the corner three hundred forty, multiply the corner to form forty-three thousand two hundred feet.
"Again, multiply the lower thod to enter the corner three hundred sixty."
This is a problem involving the "Nine Chapters on the Art of Mathematics" of extracting the cube root of 1860867.
However, just as the old man was engrossed in reading that day, he was shocked to discover.....
There was no more text?
It was gone!
The last sentence from "Wang Lin" was:
"To know what happens next, please proceed to the Su Mansion in Bianjing, and I, the humble one, will certainly sweep the couch in welco."
So.....
The old man imdiately grabbed the package, called the old servant, and brought out the family carriage.
Followed the network... cough, the official road, to personally urge the continuation.
"For every ti there's an abrupt ending, soday there'll be a knife in hand to slay the world's cliffhanger authors!"
......
Note:
Requesting so monthly passes, writing through the night!!!!
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