Chapter 35 First Glimpse of Fine Salt

Chapter 35: First Encounter with Fine Salt

Xiao Yao?

What does he want with Chu Jiubian?

Qin Xiao turned the note over to check for more writing, then asked, "Do you need to keep this?"

"No need."

Once Chu Jiubian answered, he saw Qin Xiao crumple the note into a ball and toss it into the trash beside the desk.

The contents of the basket were always disposed of by staff, so tossing it was fine; there was no concern about anyone else seeing it.

Of course, for truly important messages, like those sent by Qin Zhaoyang, Qin Xiao would still burn them himself.

Chu Jiubian shot a glance at Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao took a sip from his teacup, then asked casually, "Are you going tomorrow?"

"......" Chu Jiubian’s gaze fell on the teacup in Qin Xiao’s hand, then lifted to meet his eyes.

Qin Xiao met his gaze, and after a moment, realized that his own cup was still on the table across the aisle—the one he was holding now was...

"Attendant," he called out, summoning someone inside. "Get a new cup for our guest."

Before long, a servant brought a new teacup and took the opportunity to refill the one beside Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao didn’t bother switching, so he had the attendant take away the first cup he had drunk from and kept the one Chu Jiubian had used.

Chu Jiubian was a bit surprised.

Men of status back then typically placed great emphasis on such etiquette. Sharing a cup with someone else was uncommon—even at banquets, meals were separate, and only family gatherings involved sharing a table.

Even at family meals, there were rules like "don’t overeat from shared plates" and "do not moisten your hands in the shared rice," all emphasizing the importance of "propriety."

He had expected Qin Xiao to be bothered drinking from a cup he had used, but there didn’t seem to be any reaction.

But then he understood.

The Qin family came from a military family, and Qin Xiao had grown up in army camps with his family. He was naturally less formal than those scholarly types.

A minor thing, not worth fussing over. Chu Jiubian responded to Qin Xiao’s earlier question: "If the head of the Xiao family has invited me, of course I’ll go."

He had met Xiao Yao once before and even spoken with him—at that auction.

His impression of the man was that he was shrewd, much like Minister Xiao himself. Both were good at acting, accustomed to presenting a warm and friendly facade.

In reality, the Xiao family members were likely each more cunning than the last.

"Did he say where you’ll meet?" Qin Xiao asked.

"Probably, he’ll send someone to pick me up after I’m off duty tomorrow. You and His Majesty don’t have to wait for me for dinner in the evening." After saying this, Chu Jiubian added casually, "Do you want to come along?"

Qin Xiao chuckled. "He only invited you. How would it look if I went?"

"Right." Chu Jiubian also thought it was a strange thing to ask as soon as he asked.

Qin Xiao lowered his gaze to the teacup in his hand, his fingertips lightly tracing the rim.

Chu Jiubian found himself zoning out at the man’s fingers, and when he came back to himself, the atmosphere in the room felt a little awkward.

"Prince Jiannan should arrive tomorrow, right?" he changed the subject.

Qin Xiao’s fingers paused slightly, and he looked up. "The day after tomorrow is the regular day off. He’s eager to take credit—he’ll surely rush back before tomorrow’s morning court."

The city gates opened just around the time of morning court.

If Baili Hai returned then, he would have to first see the Grand Empress Dowager at the palace, then wash and change clothes. Rushing to morning court after all that would be too rushed.

Better to push himself today and return before the city gates close. That way, he’d have the whole night to rest.

Moreover, in that night, the Grand Empress Dowager and the Xiao family could discuss tomorrow’s court matters with Baili Hai, ensuring he performed well in his first court session.

"Then many people will lose sleep tonight," Chu Jiubian said.

Praise for Prince Jiannan in Hexi County was endless, and many scholars had written poems and essays extolling him. The common people also talked about his goodness. These messages reached the capital daily and even spread to distant regions.

Unconsciously, Prince Jiannan Baili Hai’s reputation had expanded beyond the capital’s small area.

Under these circumstances, the Xiao family would surely use tomorrow’s court session to seek special favors and rewards for Prince Jiannan, ensuring he could participate in court and governance henceforth.

When Vice Minister of Works Xiao Wendao brought this up in court previously, few spoke up, waiting to see how Qin Xiao would respond.

At that time, it was Chu Jiubian who shut him down.

But things were different now. The reason various factions remained silent during earlier court sessions was that Prince Jiannan hadn’t returned yet—his reputation and achievements weren’t concrete enough. Even the Xiao family lacked confidence when discussing it, which was why they were left speechless by Chu Jiubian.

Now, however, he had indeed completed the dam construction, gaining both fame and the people’s support.

In this situation, if the Xiao family praised his achievements again, Qin Xiao, mindful of public opinion, couldn’t flat-out deny Prince Jiannan’s request to join the court.

Other factions naturally didn’t want to see this outcome, so they would do everything possible to prevent it.

In this showdown, all factions aside from the Xiao family would align with Qin Xiao.

Even that impartial Minister of Revenue, Su Sheng, would surely oppose the Xiao family’s rising influence.

If for no other reason, then for the sake of his daughter, Su Xier, who nearly died unjustly.

Those in the court might not have grasped it immediately, but they would eventually realize that Xiao Huaiguan had instructed Zhao Qianhe to kidnap Su Xier.

With Su Sheng’s intelligence, he must have long understood that the Xiao family was behind it all.

He and the Xiao family had nearly become mortal enemies—how could he now stand by and watch them grow more powerful?

So, for tomorrow’s court session, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian could relax a little, observing how other factions argued before lightly mediating both sides and moving on.

Prince Jiannan’s request to join the court would be rejected on grounds like "violating customs," supplemented with other rewards, so that no one could fault the Emperor or Qin Xiao.

"But the rewards can’t be too ordinary," Chu Jiubian said.

Qin Xiao glanced at him.

Chu Jiubian added meaningfully, "They must be worthy of Prince Jiannan’s achievements and status."

Ideally, they should also stir envy among others.

In the court, what could provoke envy besides power was wealth—or some unique, priceless treasure.

But the treasury is empty, and Qin Xiao doesn't seem to have anything valuable in his hands either.

This year, with so many regions affected by disasters, the court must also grant tax exemptions for disaster victims for one, two, or even three years. This will give the common people time to recover and rebuild their lives.

However, this means the court will lose nearly half of its revenue.

Chu Jiubian ran the numbers.

It's only July now, and the grain tax revenue, which should have been collected in October, will be halved. By the end of the year, some revenue can still be collected from salt and iron monopolies, state kilns, silk bureaus, and other sources—these should bring in a decent amount.

But after every layer of corruption takes its cut, by the time the funds reach the court, at least another third will have been lost.

So, civil service exams are still necessary to replace those deeply entrenched corrupt officials.

However, holding the exams requires a significant amount of money, while the court's expenditures include military readiness, officials' salaries, construction projects both inside and outside the palace, and more.

Moreover, this year marks the new emperor's ascension to the throne. According to the laws of Great Ning, regional vassal princes must come to the palace to pay homage during the New Year. Hosting these guests will require palace renovations and covering their expenses for food, clothing, and other necessities—another substantial cost.

After all this, it’s questionable if the treasury’s funds will even last until after the New Year, let alone fund the civil service exams.

So, they need to generate revenue.

And it must be made aboveboard.

The ice business won’t last long, and the profit from fire starters is negligible, hardly worth mentioning compared to the expenditures.

Chu Jiubian must come up with another way for Qin Xiao to make money.

In fact, he had long thought of a method, but he hadn’t mentioned it earlier because his alliance with Qin Xiao was not yet stable.

Now, he and Qin Xiao are in the same boat—at least until the influential families and vassal princes are purged, they won’t part ways.

So, handing over that business to Qin Xiao would be fine.

As for why he didn’t give it to Situ Zhaoling, it’s because that business can only be handled by the court. He doesn’t want to harm the Southern Frontier for his own selfish desires.

Just by looking into his eyes, Qin Xiao guessed some of his thoughts and couldn’t help but ask, “What do you plan to give Prince Jiannan as a reward?”

“What do you mean, what I’m rewarding him with?” Chu Jiubian raised an eyebrow, deliberately avoiding the question.

Qin Xiao smiled. “Please, my lord, help me once more.”

This man’s face was truly thick-skinned. As the esteemed regent, he was becoming increasingly adept at asking for favors.

Chu Jiubian had to admire his audacity.

But he didn’t want to be at a disadvantage either, so he said, “Are you planning to owe me another promise?”

“What does the young master need?” Qin Xiao asked.

Previously, the drought was a matter of utmost importance, so even though Chu Jiubian hadn’t stated his conditions, Qin Xiao had agreed.

But now, the matter of rewarding Prince Jiannan isn’t critical—unless the reward serves another purpose.

Chu Jiubian said, “What if I told you that the reward for Prince Jiannan could rock the court and fill the treasury to bursting?”

Fill the treasury?

Prince Ning, who was almost broke again, felt like he was already in too deep to worry and decisively said, “I’ll write you another pledge.”

Chu Jiubian was amused.

It was an unrestrained, genuine, and joyful laugh.

Like the dawn breaking through the clouds, brilliant rays of light carried by a long wind, stirring the calm blue lake.

Qin Xiao gazed at him fixedly, then, at the moment when he was about to meet the young man’s mesmerizing eyes, he discreetly averted his eyes.

“No need,” Chu Jiubian said with a smile. “This time, I want you to help me find a few specialists.”

Qin Xiao: “Right now?”

He had no shortage of specialists under his command.

“The specialists I’m talking about aren’t combat experts,” Chu Jiubian explained. “I’ll write you a list tomorrow. Just help me find all the people on it.”

The talent needed for the civil service exams requires teachers. He had initially considered finding more followers to serve as teachers, but at the moment, he only had a limited number of follower quotas, and increasing them later would become increasingly difficult. Naturally, he couldn’t squander them carelessly.

So, having Qin Xiao help him find people was the simplest solution.

After all, what he needed weren’t exceptionally talented Confucian scholars. He needed professionals skilled in carpentry, agriculture, weaving, mathematics, and other specialized fields. With just a month or so of training, they could teach the newly selected scholars.

Later, these scholars could either work in construction workshops or be sent to intern in places like the Ministry of Works.

And these pre-trained instructors could become supervisors in various workshops, helping the court make money and drive construction.

As for the scholars who passed purely based on cultural knowledge, they would undergo a different kind of training—truly sent to local areas or various government bureaus to serve as officials.

These were the people Chu Jiubian intended to teach himself, so he didn’t need to trouble Qin Xiao to find teachers for them.

“Alright,” Qin Xiao agreed without hesitation.

He knew his own situation well—he didn’t have many competent administrative officials under his command. So, the “specialists” Chu Jiubian wanted him to find definitely weren’t that type.

As long as it wasn’t that type of person, he could find anyone for Chu Jiubian.

With the conditions settled, Chu Jiubian didn’t keep him in suspense. “Weren’t you asking me what I put in the stir-fry earlier?”

Qin Xiao’s gaze sharpened as he watched Chu Jiubian conjure a palm-sized porcelain jar from nowhere once again.

The jar was small, somewhat resembling the makeup cases used by women.

The plain white porcelain jar was unremarkable, giving no hint of what was inside.

Chu Jiubian placed it on the table and said, “Open it and see.”

Qin Xiao reached out and gently lifted the lid.

Inside the lid was a container of pure white, fine, needle-like... grains of sand?

But this was something used in cooking.

Chu Jiubian’s dishes didn’t have the bitter taste of coarse salt but still carried a salty flavor.

So, could this possibly be...

Qin Xiao felt his heart pounding.

If this really was that thing, the revenue it could bring to the court would be immeasurable!

Chu Jiubian was sitting right beside him, so he could clearly see Qin Xiao's reaction.

His gaze shifted from the bulging veins on the other's hand to the tense, handsome face.

This reaction was far greater than when he had seen the block of ice.

Indeed, someone like Qin Xiao could best discern what held greater value.

Chu Jiubian curled his lip and said, "Go on, taste it."

Qin Xiao's fingertips trembled slightly, but he did not move.

Chu Jiubian smiled even more deeply and reached out his hand.

Qin Xiao watched as the young man's fingers, pale as the porcelain, lightly grazed the fine granules.

Turning his fingertip over, the slightly pink pad of his finger was now coated with fine white grains.

Chu Jiubian raised his hand, slowly bringing his finger to the man's lips, and gently pressed it against them.

Warm and soft—not what he’d expect from the man.

Qin Xiao's hand, holding the porcelain lid, suddenly clenched, the veins on the back of his hand nearly straining.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he lifted his eyes to meet the young man's smiling gaze.

The porcelain lid fell onto the table with a soft, crisp clink, and Chu Jiubian's wrist was seized by the man.

The palm was burningly hot but did not hold tightly.

Chu Jiubian's fingertip twitched slightly, nearly brushing the man’s parted lips.

The heat of Qin Xiao’s breath made his fingertip tremble lightly. Chu Jiubian suddenly clenched his hand, and at that moment, Qin Xiao loosened his grip, allowing the young man to withdraw his hand.

Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes to look at his fingertip and paused.

Wait, what was he pulling back for?

That’s odd.

He turned to look at Qin Xiao and saw the other press his lips together.

Qin Xiao detected a salty taste on his tongue, and his pupils shrank.

It was salt!

It really was salt!

His heart hammered faster, heavier, each thump echoing in his chest, loud enough for all to hear.

Though it was unclear how much of this racing heart was due to the fine salt.

"How is it?" Chu Jiubian's calm voice broke the silence.

Qin Xiao turned to look at him.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, neither spoke.

But neither looked away.

After a long pause, Qin Xiao finally asked in a deep voice, "How much do you have?"

"I have the refining method," Chu Jiubian said.

Qin Xiao stood up and gave a deep, formal bow in Chu Jiubian's direction. "Qin Xiao thanks you, young master."

"I told you, as long as you treat me well, you can have anything."

After saying this, Chu Jiubian felt the phrasing struck him as awkward.

Qin Xiao straightened up, his intense gaze locked on him.

"What's wrong?" Chu Jiubian asked.

"Nothing," Qin Xiao replied with a smile, as if he had already composed himself.

He sat back down in his chair, holding the small jar of fine salt in his palm and examining it carefully.

Chu Jiubian asked curiously, "Are you hesitant to reward Baili Hai with this?"

Qin Xiao chuckled. "Not really."

The salt and iron business, though officially state-controlled, was in fact heavily profited from by the nobility.

But now, with this fine salt, the coarse salt market would decline.

The refining method for fine salt was only in the hands of Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao. They could use reasons like "the method is difficult to learn" to send their own people to take over salt production sites across the regions, purging those that had been infiltrated by various forces.

Subsequently, agencies responsible for salt transportation, sales, supervision, and more could gradually be staffed with their own people.

Though some corruption would be inevitable, and they would still have to share profits with local families and wealthy gentry, it would not be as rapacious as the greed of the noble families.

Moreover, prying the noble families' grip loose from "official salt" would already be the greatest benefit.

With these steps, fine salt would gradually replace coarse salt, and the official salt business would truly be tightly in Qin Xiao’s grasp.

The noble families had vast resources, but losing such a massive source of embezzled funds would still be a significant blow.

The vision was beautiful, but the reality was that Qin Xiao did not have that many trusted personnel available.

Qin Xiao couldn't help but frown, his entire demeanor turning razor-sharp.

Chu Jiubian felt that, at this moment, he somewhat recalled the man he’d first encountered.

But within moments, Qin Xiao smoothed his expression.

He placed the lid back on the jar and set it on the table, saying to Chu Jiubian, "You take charge of this."

"What?" Chu Jiubian stared, surprised.

Qin Xiao pushed the jar toward him and said gently, "Whether you need people or other resources, I'll provide them. Pursue whatever approach you think best."

Chu Jiubian had produced the fine salt with a plan in mind.

He and Qin Xiao did not have many reliable operatives, so from the start, he hadn't planned to immediately seize control of salt production sites.

His idea was to first purchase a batch of fine salt from the system’s marketplace and sell it at high prices to the nobility and merchants in affluent districts, using the money to train capable individuals and conduct civil service exams.

They had many ambitions, but each required expertise. Thus, the imperial examinations were the essential next move.

Once we have the right people, whether it's seizing control of salt production and distribution, gradually taking control of local governance, or even extending reach into the Six Ministries—all can be accomplished step by step.

However, Chu Jiubian had no intention of involving himself in salt sales. Anything involving "salt" was tied to the state's core interests.

He had thought it would already be a great favor if Qin Xiao allowed him to handle the imperial examinations—he never expected Qin Xiao to make such a move.

Wasn’t Qin Xiao afraid that he might control the salt trade and become the next "powerful clan"?

"This isn’t some kind of test, is it?" he asked Qin Xiao suspiciously.

Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Testing you for what?"

"To see just how ambitious I am, of course."

Qin Xiao chuckled. "Even if you were to swallow up all of Great Ning, I’d be fine with that."

Chu Jiubian: "..."

"Rest assured," Qin Xiao said seriously. "I understand the principle: If I suspect someone, I don’t employ them; if I employ someone, I don’t suspect them."

Bullshit.

The previous instances of suspicion were still fresh in his memory.

Chu Jiubian pulled out a piece of fruit candy and handed it to him. "Eat this, and I’ll..."

Before he could finish, Qin Xiao had already taken the candy and put it in his mouth. He tasted it and asked, "What’s this flavor?"

Chu Jiubian also put one in his mouth and mumbled, "Grape."

"Grapes?"

"A type of fruit, currently grown in the Western Regions, I believe," Chu Jiubian said, glancing at him. "I’m quite fond of them."

Qin Xiao nodded. "Then we’ll just conquer the Western Regions so Grand Tutor can eat his fill."

Chu Jiubian scoffed lightly. "With the paltry funds in your treasury?"

Qin Xiao replied, "That’s why I’ll need you to pitch in more."

Suddenly, the voices of palace servants offering greetings could be heard outside—Baili Hong had arrived.

The study door was already open. Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao turned to see the little boy walking in looking troubled, holding a piece of paper.

Eunuch Hong followed behind him, carrying ink and brush.

Crunch. Then another crunch.

Chu Jiubian glanced at Qin Xiao and saw him quickly chewing up the candy and swallowing it.

He didn’t want the child to see.

Chu Jiubian also crunched his candy and finished it, then casually put the salt jar away to be given to Prince Jiannan at the next morning court session.

Since they were already familiar, the three of them didn’t bother with formal greetings in private.

As soon as Baili Hong entered, he hurried over on his short legs to stand between the two adults, then stood on his tiptoes to spread the paper on the tea table between Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian’s seats.

The two moved their teacups aside to make room for the child to lay out the paper.

"Uncle, I can’t figure this out," Baili Hong said, unaware that the adults had been eating candy behind his back. He rested his small hands on the edge of the table, looking up pitifully at Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao leaned over to look and saw it was an arithmetic problem—one that many students struggled with, called "Monks in an Old Temple Sharing Buns."

He glanced at Hong Fu, who smiled and placed the ink and brush on the table.

Seeing Qin Xiao look at him, Hong Fu’s smile remained unchanged.

Clearly, he was the one who had given Baili Hong the problem.

Chu Jiubian also leaned over to read the problem.

It was a simple question: There are 100 monks in a temple, some elder and some younger, and 100 steamed buns. If each elder monk gets three steamed buns and every three younger monks share one steamed bun, how many elder and younger monks are there?

Wasn’t this just a variation of the "chickens and rabbits in a coop" problem? And it seemed even simpler.

However, mathematics in this era was still rudimentary, with only basic multiplication tables developed. More complex variations had yet to emerge.

Even many adults would need to solve this with pen and paper, let alone a young child like Baili Hong.

Chu Jiubian couldn’t help but glance over at Eunuch Hong.

Although Chu Jiubian was the Grand Tutor, it was Qin Xiao and Hong Fu who usually taught the young emperor.

Chu Jiubian had witnessed Hong Fu’s talent before, and when the system had drawn his card, it described him as skilled in both literary and martial arts—certainly more accomplished in literature than Chu Jiubian.

Now it seemed Hong Fu was also quite skilled at pushing the child’s studies.

For a child as young as Baili Hong, being able to write characters legibly was already impressive. But thanks to his photographic memory, he had already memorized the *Analects*, and Hong Fu had recently started teaching him their meaning.

Such progress seemed ridiculous to Chu Jiubian.

In his understanding, a three-year-old child wouldn’t even be in preschool yet—reciting a few ancient poems would already make them a bright child.

Now, it seemed Hong Fu intended to teach math on top of that.

Qin Xiao read the problem and asked Baili Hong, "How did you try to solve it just now?"

As he spoke, a sweet smell came from his mouth.

The child sniffed. "What’s that smell?"

Qin Xiao lightly covered his mouth with his hand. "How did you try to solve it?"

The child, distracted, replied obediently, "I first assumed there were ten elder monks and ten younger monks, but that didn’t work. Then I assumed there were twenty of each, but that still didn’t work."

So he was just guessing.

Chu Jiubian sipped his tea quietly, trying to get rid of the sweet taste in his mouth.

"You used the assumption method—that’s good," Qin Xiao encouraged him appropriately. Seeing the child’s eyes light up, he continued, "But your assumption was off. You could start by assuming there are 100 elder monks..."

He picked up the brush and wrote out the solution step by step as he explained.

The child listened intently and grasped it quickly.

By the end, he calculated the answer himself: "So there are 25 elder monks and 75 younger monks!"

"That's right."

Baili Hong understood but still frowned, saying, "But it's so much trouble, Uncle. Instead of calculating the numbers, why not just call all the monks out and count them directly?"

The three adults in the room were amused.

Qin Xiao explained, "Right now, the problem you're solving only has a hundred monks, so counting them seems easy. But what if there were a thousand, ten thousand, or even millions of people? How would you count them then?"

The child blinked, thoughtful.

"Your Majesty, as the emperor, you must keep the millions of people of the entire Da Ning Dynasty in mind." Qin Xiao looked at the child's young face, his voice gentle. "From now on, the math in Your Majesty's mind will concern millions of people—whether they can eat buns, how many they can eat—all of this must be clear to you."

"So what Your Majesty must learn is not just this problem, but the method to solve it."

Chu Jiubian felt a stir in his heart and couldn't help but glance at Qin Xiao.

Baili Hong said, puzzled, "But I have you, Uncle, my teacher, Eunuch Hong, and so many people. Everyone will help me with the calculations."

Qin Xiao didn’t want to make the lesson too utilitarian, so he avoided saying something like "anyone could deceive you." Instead, he said, "No matter who does the calculations, mistakes can happen. Even a small error could cost many lives. So Your Majesty must also learn to calculate, to be the people's final reliance."

"But Uncle, I’ve never met those people. Why should I be their reliance?" Baili Hong said in a downcast voice. "And right now, I’m so small. I still rely on you, Uncle, and so many others..."

He felt helpless.

Everyone said the emperor was mighty, but at this moment, he couldn’t do anything himself and needed help with everything.

Qin Xiao said, "Right now, you have so many people around you helping and protecting you, but there will come a day when even we might not be able to. When that time comes, it will be Your Majesty’s turn to protect us."

Baili Hong’s eyes widened in surprise and delight. "I can protect you too?"

"Of course."

"Then I must become really strong!" The child clenched his small fist. "I will protect you, Uncle."

Then he turned to Chu Jiubian. "And I’ll protect my teacher too."

He turned to Hong Fu. "And Eunuch Hong as well."

"And the nursemaids too..." As he spoke, he started to walk away, as if he wanted to say this to everyone he cared about.

Chu Jiubian was charmed.

Qin Xiao took the child’s arm and pulled him back. "No need to say it to everyone individually. Just keep it in your heart."

Baili Hong nodded.

"Did you understand the problem just now?" Qin Xiao asked.

The child nodded vigorously. "Yes, I did."

"Then I’ll give you another one." Qin Xiao picked up his brush, flipped the paper over, and wrote a new problem on the back.

This one was slightly more complicated than the last—a genuine "chickens and rabbits in the same cage" problem.

Chickens and rabbits in the same cage: 35 heads, 94 feet. How many chickens and how many rabbits?

The child frowned and tried calculating using the assumption method Qin Xiao had taught him. After struggling for a while, he grew more and more confused. His confident expression visibly fell.

"Uncle, I can’t do it," he said, his large eyes filling with tears.

Qin Xiao grabbed his sleeve and roughly wiped the child’s tears.

Chu Jiubian cringed at the sight and quickly stopped him. Instead, he gently wiped the child’s face with his own handkerchief and said, "I have another way to solve this problem, Your Majesty. Would you like to learn it?"

"Yes," the child nodded, his eyes red.

Since they were surrounded by familiar faces, Chu Jiubian simply lifted the child and sat him on his lap.

Eunuch Hong was taken aback but, seeing that Qin Xiao showed no reaction, relaxed and listened to Chu Jiubian’s method.

The immortal's method—how would it differ from that of ordinary people?

"Let’s assume there are X rabbits. Then the number of chickens would be 35 minus X..."

He directly taught a system of equations. For someone who had never encountered such formulas, it was a little complicated, but once understood, it proved much easier than other assumption methods.

As Qin Xiao and Hong Fu listened to his explanation, they were amazed.

Qin Xiao applied this method to the earlier monk problem and found that it indeed provided a quick solution.

Baili Hong had struggled because once he made his first guess, he kept getting lost in calculating differences. But the method Chu Jiubian taught was universally applicable—no need to worry about what to subtract or not subtract.

"Teacher, I think I understand!" the child exclaimed happily, hugging Chu Jiubian’s arm.

Qin Xiao said, "Then I’ll give you another problem."

"Okay!"

While the palace was immersed in a math lesson, a group of soldiers suddenly rushed through the city gates.

Wearing armor and carrying swords at their waists, they ran all the way to the bustling Divine Martial Avenue, and loudly warned the citizens and street vendors on both sides: "Prince Jiannan is entering the city! All bystanders, clear the way!"