Chapter 896 - 898: Scolding Her Will Provoke Public Outrage_1
Bai Ruozhu stifled a laugh, not because she was mocking the ancients, but because the literati of Danliang Country didn’t place much emphasis on arithmetic.
"You said two brushes, one inkstone, and four reams of paper cost thirty-eight taels of silver, and then one brush, one inkstone, and two reams of paper cost eighteen taels of silver. If we double your second condition, meaning two brushes, two inkstones, and four reams of paper, that would be thirty-six taels of silver. Isn’t that more than your first condition by one inkstone, yet it still costs two taels less? How would that make sense?" Bai Ruozhu explained with a smile.
Worried that people wouldn’t understand, she wrote it out on paper, held it up for everyone to see, and those in the front row immediately understood—it was indeed inconsistent with the earlier conditions, which meant the problem was flawed.
"Then, then I spoke wrongly; one brush, one inkstone, and two reams of paper should be twenty-eight taels of silver," the man said hurriedly, his face reddening.
Bai Ruozhu smiled and said, "If you say so, that would make each inkstone worth eighteen taels, but because you haven’t provided clear enough terms for the other items, the prices of the brushes and paper could have more than one possibility." As Bai Ruozhu spoke, she took out another piece of paper and wrote down eighteen for the inkstone, then noted six taels for a brush and two taels for paper. Everyone did the calculation, and it matched what the man proposed.
Then Bai Ruozhu wrote four below the brush and three below the paper, pointing it out to everyone, "Now, calculate this, isn’t it also plausible?"
The calculation by the crowd indeed showed that it was possible.
"It could also be that the brush is five taels of silver, and the paper two and a half per ream, so the answer isn’t singular, making the question meaningless," Bai Ruozhu declared.
The man’s face turned even redder, and he stuttered, "Then, then how should one properly pose a question?"
"Quite simply, you can add another condition. Of course, if you’ve already decided how much each item costs, constructing the question wouldn’t be difficult," she responded, writing it out again before explaining, "For instance, if you’ve already determined that a brush is six taels, paper is two taels, and the inkstone is eighteen taels, then you can add another fixed condition."
"Why must the inkstone be eighteen taels? Maybe you calculated it wrong," the man persisted, not yet ready to concede.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but start laughing, and others in the know also chuckled. Before Bai Ruozhu could say anything, someone else jumped in, "It’s based on the conditions you provided. After doubling the second condition, it comes out to one more inkstone than the first; isn’t the extra silver the price of the inkstone?"
This time, the man was too embarrassed to speak. He had wanted to show off and impress everyone with his cleverness, but had instead made a fool of himself in front of the crowd.
Because of his blunder, no one else dared to present a problem carelessly. Seeing that much time had been wasted, the judges opened up, "I believe everyone is now clear on whether Bai Ruozhu truly has the skills, or if she had access to the answers in advance, right?"
Many were sincerely impressed and voiced their belief in Bai Ruozhu’s real ability. Shi Qingning, the very first person to challenge Bai Ruozhu, also spoke up, "It’s clear now, she truly has the skill!"
The judges nodded in unison before finally announcing Bai Ruozhu as the first-place winner of the Mathematical Techniques Competition, and then ranked the second to fifth places among the other contestants based on their scores.
The young man with the yellow face approached Bai Ruozhu and politely bowed, regret on his face as he said, "Miss Bai Ruozhu, I am Rao Liangcai from Chang’an Academy. I was narrow-minded earlier, and I ask you not to take it to heart. Your arithmetic skills truly impress me, and I hope to learn from you if the opportunity arises."
Seeing his sincere attitude, Bai Ruozhu also bowed with a smile, replying, "You simply voiced the doubts in your mind, without disrespecting me; why would I take offense? It’s not really a matter of teaching, but I hope we can discuss and exchange ideas sometime."
Upon hearing this, Rao Liangcai was thrilled and expressed his thanks, "I’m grateful in advance."
A chorus of cheers erupted from Beiyu Study Palace, and no one knew who started it, but someone began chanting Bai Ruozhu’s name, and soon, everyone joined in. Even her usually aloof second brother smiled and chanted along, even the dean and the teachers joined the lively crowd to cheer her on.
Bai Ruozhu felt a bit embarrassed. She bowed to the judges, referees, and other competitors before quickly returning to the Beiyu Study Palace’s team and said in a low voice, "Thank you, everyone. That will do; let’s keep a low profile."
Dang Youshen hummed sourly and said bluntly, "If you don’t want to stand out, then why show off? Hypocrite."
He had meant it as a mutter. In the past, relying on his family’s influence, he had often grumbled about others like this, and people would pretend not to hear. But today was different; everyone glared at him and began to scold him openly.
"Enough, Dang Youshen! Bai Ruozhu is earning points for the Study Palace. You’re just jealous because you can’t earn them yourself. How can a grown man be so jealous of a woman? Aren’t you ashamed?"
"Exactly, if Madam Jiang were doing this to show off, she would have done so in many other places by now. Isn’t she working so hard for the sake of the Study Palace? We came here to win glory for the Study Palace and Beiyu City, not to backstab and scheme!"
"Madam Jiang has helped us a lot along the way. Remember when you took the wrong medicine? If it hadn’t been for her treatment, who knows if you’d still be alive? This is called ingratitude!"
People took turns speaking their minds, and Bai Ruozhu felt quite pleased inside. Dang Youshen was really a "Second Goods," to openly ridicule her at such a moment—wasn’t he just asking to provoke everyone’s wrath?
However, Bai Ruozhu gave everyone a look and said in a low voice, "Let it be. Let’s hurry back so that other academies won’t overhear us and laugh at our expense."
After hearing her, everyone immediately stopped talking about Dang Youshen, but they all commented on Bai Ruozhu’s generosity and how she prioritized the collective honor.
Seeing Bai Ruozhu’s high standing in the academy, Dang Youshen’s face turned from green to red with anger, but he had to choke down his frustration.
The dean glanced at him and cheerily said to everyone, "Let’s go, we’ll have a big feast at the restaurant today. By the afternoon, we’ll be able to see the total rankings. I hope our Study Palace will achieve an even better ranking this time."
The crowd cheered in agreement, and Bai Ruozhu signaled Jiang Yichun in the VIP Seats with her eyes. Together, they left the testing ground and headed to a nearby restaurant.
Many passers-by couldn’t help but take a second look at Bai Ruozhu as if trying to see if she had grown a second head. This made Bai Ruozhu very uncomfortable, feeling like she was an animal in the zoo being gawked at by onlookers.
At that moment, Shi Qingning emerged from somewhere and said to Bai Ruozhu with a smile, "Do you know Martial Arts? I’ve heard your horseback archery isn’t too bad either. If you know Martial Arts, how about sparring with me?" She laughed sheepishly, "I can’t compete with you in anything else, so I can only challenge you in martial skills."
The corner of Bai Ruozhu’s mouth twitched. She was better with poison, but how could she justify using it on a young Miss?
Before she could say anything, Tu Ying next to her rolled up her sleeves with excitement, saying, "I know Martial Arts, and I won first place in horseback archery. How about sparring with me for a few rounds?"
Shi Qingning happily agreed, and then the two ran off without another word...