Chapter 1009: The Rituals of the Two Masters
Master Ma and Master Yu discussed mathematics with Sun Shan, leaving a bunch of questions for Sun Shan to answer, and they didn't care at all about the fact that Sun Shan would become the magistrate of Yuanlu after passing the imperial examination.
He didn't stop asking questions until the sun went down and only the afterglow remained in the sky, and he was so thirsty from talking that he finally stopped.
Master Ma came back to his senses and asked with concern, "Ashan, are you going to Chenzhou to be the magistrate? When will you go?"
Master Yu also asked: "I have never been out of Chenzhou Prefecture, so I don't know what the situation is there."
The two teachers finally said, "When the academy is closed, we will go to Chenzhou Prefecture to find you."
As for what he wanted to see Sun Shan about, the meaning was self-evident.
The two masters entered Yuelu Academy because of their obsession with mathematics, and tried to find like-minded mathematics enthusiasts to study mathematics together.
As a result, most of the students at Yuelu Academy were aiming for the imperial examinations, and mathematics was just a niche subject among niche subjects, so most students were not interested in it.
They had finally waited for Sun Shan, a man of potential, but in the end he chose to take the imperial examination, which disappointed them greatly.
What disappointed them even more was that Sun Shan was good at mathematics, better than them, but he did not study mathematics like them, thus wasting his talent.
After so many years, the two masters often felt sorry for Sun Shan, for themselves, and even more for mathematics.
Today, the two were studying mathematics when they saw Sun Shan's servant coming to them. They learned that Sun Shan was about to become a county magistrate in Chenzhou Prefecture, and they were both happy and sad.
I was happy that I could see Sun Shan again, and that I could meet him whenever I wanted in the future.
Sadly, Sun Shan was appointed to a local post, which was tens of thousands of miles away from the central government. Not to mention that he was in the emperor's favor, he didn't even know if he would be able to return to the capital in the future.
If mathematics is to develop, it must be promoted, and the promotion must be done by the central government.
They originally hoped that Sun Shan could stay in the capital, and if he was lucky, he would get close to a big shot and have the opportunity to promote mathematics.
Now this road is blocked. Sun Shan is just a county magistrate of a small place. He holds a low position and has little power. He cannot be relied upon at all.
The two teachers also knew Sun Shan's results in the imperial examination, and knew that Sun Shan had no way of "getting to the bottom of the dragon's lair", so they could not help but mourn for mathematics.
Sun Shan was so thirsty from speaking that he didn't even have a cup of tea to drink. At this moment, he really regretted coming to see the two masters.
He said expressionlessly: "Master Ma, Master Yu, I will leave Changsha for Chenzhou in two days. Let's meet again to discuss academic matters when we have time.
The adult world is like this, you have to speak nicely.
When Master Ma and Master Yu heard that Sun Shan was leaving Changsha so soon, they felt as disappointed as they had enjoyed discussing the issue today.
However, considering that Sun Shan had to take up his new post, it was understandable that he left in a hurry.
Ma Fuzi said, "Ashan, I didn't expect you to leave so early. It's inevitable for you to leave because of your important position."
After a pause, he continued, "When we have time, we will go find you. We can leave, but you can't."
Master Yu also said: "Ashan, I am very happy to discuss issues with you today and solve many doubts. I will come to you with more questions in the future, and we will study together happily, hahahaha."
Master Ma and Master Yu chatted with Sun Shan Shandong about this and that, and talked a lot about what happened after Sun Shan left Yuelu Academy.
In fact, nothing much happened. Master Ma and Master Yu were still teaching at Yuelu Academy. They were either at get off work or off work, living a peaceful and calm life.
Sun Shan also briefly recounted his experience of going to Beijing to take the imperial examination, of course he only talked about the good things and certainly did not mention the bad things.
Sun Shan also stayed at Master Ma's house and had a sumptuous dinner.
Sun Shan particularly liked the dish fried with bacon and bamboo shoots, which was extremely delicious.
Finally, Master Ma and Master Yu presented Sun Shan with a gift.
Master Ma smiled and said, "Ashan, I am just a teacher. I don't know anything about officialdom, and I have nothing to teach you. Not only can I not teach you, but I also ask you to answer my questions. You are a man of great ability. I believe you can be a good official. I wish you a bright future and a prosperous journey."
Master Yu said in a carefree manner: "Ashan, I believe you will return to the capital one day. When you do, you must remember our mathematics. I also wish you success in your career and a bright future. I wish you smooth sailing and a successful career."
Sun Shan accepted the gift, bowed and said, "Master, thank you."
After leaving the Ma family, Sun Shan glanced at the small box and smiled with satisfaction.
Not bad, not bad. Although Mr. Ma and Mr. Yu are nerds and obsessed with mathematics, they still understand the ways of the world.
For Cheng Yi's sake, Sun Shan forgave Master Ma and Master Yu for pestering him and not giving him water.
When they returned to the post station, Master Zhang and Sun Dingnan had already gone home, and the fifteen guards were also sitting in the yard of the post station, idly watching the moon.
Butler Wang hurried over and said, "Master, here are two posts."
Sun Shan opened the letters and found one was from the Chen family, inviting him to dinner the next night, and the other was from Zhou Yigao, asking when Sun Shan was free and inviting him out for tea.
Sun Shan quickly replied and asked Gui Ge'er to deliver it early the next morning.
Master Zhang and Sun Dingnan also came to report.
Master Zhang smiled and said, "Master went to the brokerage today to ask around and compare prices. We found one with a good price and sold the goods to it."
Sun Shan said that as long as he could double his profit, he would sell it, and of course it would be better to make more.
Master Zhang thought that he couldn't stay in Changsha for a long time, so when he saw that the price offered by a dental office was higher than he had expected, he agreed to sell the goods.
As to whether to question Sun Shan or not, Master Zhang and Sun Dingnan had an argument.
Master Zhang thought that Sun Shan should let them do the job. As long as they abided by the law, did not damage Sun Shan's reputation, and could meet Sun Shan's requirements, there was no need to wait any longer, so as to avoid delaying and causing accidents.
It was Sun Dingnan’s first time to do business with full authority. He was nervous and did not dare to do it boldly. He hoped to get Sun Shan’s instructions before selling the goods.
The two had different opinions, and finally Master Zhang made the final decision to sell the goods and promised to be responsible if anything went wrong.
Since Master Zhang was so brave, it was difficult for Sun Dingnan to stop him, so all the goods from Guangnan were sold out in one afternoon.
After selling the goods, the two went back to the post station to wait for Sun Shan to return.
Sun Shan looked at Master Zhang and Sun Dingnan in surprise. He didn't expect that the goods could be sold out in one day. This speed was too fast.
Sun Shan asked quickly, "Master, please tell me the details of the situation."
The lawyer described the transaction process in this way and that, and concluded: "This batch of goods is selling well. I think it is entirely because there are few Cantonese goods in Changsha, and everyone needs them. It's just the beginning of spring, and the goods may be scarce."
Sun Shan agreed with this reason. There were indeed not many merchants traveling along the way, and many of them might not have even finished their Chinese New Year celebrations.
What's more, the weather is still cold and the roads are not easy to travel on, so business activities have not yet become busy.
Look, Sun Shan’s batch of goods may be the first batch, so he seized the opportunity and it is easy to sell.
Master Zhang explained: "Master, you were not at the post station this afternoon, and I thought the price offered by the ivory dealer was not bad, so I sold it privately."
Although Master Zhang believed that Sun Shan would not blame him, he was still uncertain until the matter was settled.
So the tone of his speech became cautious.