The sky had just brightened when Li Nuo woke up exceptionally early, sitting up from his bed and stretching comfortably.
These past few days had been exceptionally fulfilling, and even his sleep was particularly deep, leaving him full of energy upon waking. The downside, however, was that his already limited lifespan had shortened by another day. After hastily finishing his breakfast, he headed straight to the Chang'an County Government with Housekeeper Wu.
Not long after, Pei Zhe, the Chang'an County Magistrate, emerged from the back office, yawning and greeted Li Nuo languidly, "Sir, you're here early..."
One was going to work, and the other was fighting for his life; naturally, their enthusiasm differed.
Li Nuo asked with a smile, "Lord Pei, did you not sleep well last night?"
Pei Zhe massaged his waist. Last night, his wife suspected he had sneaked off to the brothel again. He denied it, but she demanded proof. To clear himself of suspicion, he had to prove his innocence until the middle of the night. Although he wanted to sleep in longer, when a Government Official reported that the government office was not yet open and that Li Nuo had arrived, he had no choice but to come out to meet him.
Seeing that the Chang'an County Magistrate was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, Li Nuo waved his hand and said, "Lord Pei, go back to sleep. Don't worry about me."
Pei Zhe covered his mouth and yawned, saying, "No, no, since you are here, how could I possibly go back to sleep? There's still a lot of official business to handle at the government office."
Unspoken, besides being awakened from a pleasant dream, he had to be thankful to Li Nuo.
As the Magistrate of a county—and the County Magistrate of Jing County at that—he had too many things to manage. Although he had the support of a County Governor and a County Magistrate, in Pei Zhe's eyes, those two were incompetent men who had gained their positions through connections. Furthermore, they formed cliques that did not fear him at all as the Magistrate, offering him no help with the official duties and having not visited the government office for many days.
And compared to Li Nuo... sometimes Pei Zhe felt he was an incompetent figure who had gained his position through connections.
The ability to spot a murderer from hundreds of people at a glance always filled Pei Zhe with awe whenever he thought of it.
Li Nuo was not only good at investigating cases but also enjoyed doing so—it was as if he were born to be a Law Practitioner.
Wait, wait...
Pei Zhe seemed to realize something, becoming slightly more alert as he looked at Li Nuo and ventured to ask, "Sir, you're not planning to practice Legalism, are you?"
Li Nuo nodded and replied, "Yes, is there a problem?"
Pei Zhe froze in place.
Legalism was not something one lightly decided to practice...
Though judgment in Legalism could strengthen one's cultivation, if a judgment was wrong, one's cultivation might regress rather than progress.
But that wasn't the key point. Throughout history, the disciples of Legalism at the low realms could still be active in the court, but once they cultivated to the fourth realm, the danger increased significantly. Historically, the powerful figures of Legalism often met tragic ends, leading to the current state of near extinction of Legalism.
And besides... it was one thing for others to practice Legalism, but as the son of the Minister of Justice, why join in the fray?
Though Legalism's practice was based on the principles in one's heart, with each individual forging their own path, ultimately, it was about upholding justice, supporting the weak, and punishing the wicked.
He must know who the greatest villain in Daxia is, right?
Distortion of facts, distortion of facts indeed...
But such words were not his to speak. Faced with Li Nuo's question, Pei Zhe gave an awkward smile and said, "No, no, as long as you like it, it's good if you like it..."
Just yesterday, Li Nuo had asked Lord Pei to prepare today's cases. After the government office opened, those involved in the cases were already lined up outside the courtroom. Li Nuo did not delay; he entered the courtroom and began to hear the cases.
Meanwhile, at the Song Residence.
An elderly man with gray hair was flipping through two small booklets in his hands, nodding slightly as he said, "This time, you've all done well with your homework, especially Mumu, who even solved the problem of the pheasants and rabbits in the same cage. Did you solve this problem by yourself?"
Song Mu'er answered honestly, "I asked Brother Li Nuo, and Brother Li Nuo explained it to me."
In response, the elderly man did not say anything; in addition to setting basic homework every day, he also left a challenging problem for them to ponder and develop their mathematical skills.
No matter if she figured it out on her own or by asking others, as long as she understood it, it was fine.
The elderly man continued, "Then tell this old man, how should this problem be solved?"
This problem of chickens and rabbits in the same cage is actually the simplest "equation" problem. Disciples who studied mathematics could easily solve it, but for a six-year-old child, it was still challenging.
Without hesitation, Song Mu'er said, "Suppose we want to eat spicy rabbit legs and braised chicken legs for lunch, and we need to use up a leg from all the chickens and rabbits, then another leg..., the final answer would be eighteen chickens and nine rabbits."
The elderly man was taken aback after hearing this.
Although this solution was different from the equation-solving method commonly used in "Calculus," it seemed more ingenious, and even children could easily understand it.
However, this shortcut was only practicable for simple problems like the chicken and rabbit one.
If an additional condition or several were added, this method would not work, and it would be necessary to use the "equations" of the "Nine Numbers."
Taking advantage of this question to have her learn about the Nine Numbers in advance, he then said, "Today, this old man will teach you about 'equations.'"
Song Mu'er asked doubtfully, "Sir, what are equations?"
The elderly man explained, "Equation is a course. It's a total mix of various items, each assigned a number, expressing its essence. Command each row at a constant ratio, two items yield a double course, three items a triple course, all according to the number of the items, arranged in rows, hence called equations..."
The expressions of the two young girls gradually became perplexed.
Song Mu'er's explanation was so simple that even Song Ning'er, who had been sitting quietly by, understood it, but now they could not understand a word of what the teacher was saying.
She pouted and muttered softly, "What's this? The teacher's mathematics is not even as good as a fool's..."
Although spoken softly, the elderly man still heard her.
He had devoted his life to studying mathematics, mastered the Nine Numbers, and taught countless students, including a top scholar in mathematics. Now, to have his teachings in mathematics criticized by a child as worse than a fool's, even if it was a child's innocent comment, still made him feel insulted.
The few leading mathematicians of Daxia, who usually respected no one, were now being said to be worse off than a fool...
Shame, what a shame...
But he could not take offense with the two little girls.
With a depressed mood, after finishing the day's lessons, looking at the two identical young girls, an idea struck him. He took a flower hairpin from a wooden box on his desk, which he had bought for his granddaughter, and gave it to Song Mu'er, saying, "Mu'er, you did well in yesterday's lessons, this is your reward."
Although she had many beautiful flower hairpins, and this one wasn't as pretty as the others, Song Mu'er was still very happy.
Because Song Ning'er didn't have one.
Song Mu'er was happy, and Song Ning'er was bound to be unhappy.
Such was the unbreakable law among twin sisters.
The elderly man left them with some homework, watching the two sisters with a smile, and said, "That's it for today's lessons, next time whoever does their homework well, this old man will give them a reward..."
Watching the two sisters leave, the elderly man scoffed with disdain, "You think you're good at calculating and teaching, huh? This old man wants to see how you teach this time..."
The sisters returned to a courtyard where a maid asked, "Miss Mu'er, Miss Ning'er, what would you like for lunch? I'll ask the kitchen to prepare it."
A slightly unhappy Song Ning'er thought for a moment and said, "I want spicy rabbit legs and braised chicken legs."
The maid immediately looked at Song Mu'er and asked, "And you, Miss Mu'er, would you like the same?"
Usually, the sisters insisted on having exactly the same meal every day, without the slightest difference.
Song Mu'er shook her head and said, "I won't eat it; I ate it yesterday at brother Li Nuo's house, and chef there cooks deliciously..."