Some say that a woman's intuition is the most terrifying thing because it is exceptionally sharp and often accurate when making judgments. If that's the case, then a young girl's intuition is even more frightening.
Therefore, Cai Yan immediately sensed the solemnity and goodwill conveyed by Fei Qian's bow to her, unlike others who, despite performing the gesture correctly, carried an air of casual indifference in their hearts.
Moreover, Cai Yan was quite pleased with the title "senior sister." She had always been called "junior sister" before, but now she finally got to be the "senior sister" for once. She quickly took two steps forward, handed the sheepskin scrolls she was holding to Cai Yong, and returned the gesture to Fei Qian.
Since Fei Qian was now a registered disciple, he was no longer a stranger, and Cai Yan naturally didn't need to avoid him.
"Ahem..." Cai Yong looked at the two sheepskin scrolls in his hand. "What are these?"
"Ah," Cai Yan realized and, since the person in question was present, quickly explained to Cai Yong, "These are scrolls I found in the library. Look, this one records things from Shendu (ancient India), and this one is from Da Qin (ancient Rome). Both have some characters that resemble... um... the characters used by Fei, Fei junior brother..."
Originally, Fei Qian wasn't qualified to call Cai Yan "senior sister" since he was only a registered disciple. But before Cai Yong could react, his daughter seemed to have already responded with her words and actions. Cai Yong had no choice but to pretend he didn't hear it and let it go.
"Indeed!" Cai Yong examined the scrolls carefully, comparing them side by side. There were indeed some similarities. He then called Fei Qian over to take a look.
Fei Qian finally felt a weight lift off his chest and stepped forward to take the sheepskin scrolls.
The scrolls were ancient, and despite efforts to preserve them, they still had some wrinkles, dark stains, and even parts that had been eaten by insects or damaged by mold, making them slightly tattered.
The pigment used on the scrolls had endured the passage of time and was still legible. Fei Qian didn't understand what was written, but some of the characters did bear a resemblance to modern letters.
From what Cai Yan had said earlier, one scroll was from Shendu, and the other was from Da Qin. Fei Qian wasn't entirely sure if Shendu referred to ancient India, but he knew a little about Da Qin—it was a general term used in ancient times for regions west of the Hexi Corridor. It seemed that during the Han Dynasty, this area wasn't very clearly defined...
In that case, there was no problem.
Fei Qian held up the scrolls and returned them, saying, "When I was young, I was quite mischievous and often found counting too cumbersome. I once saw people from Da Qin using a simpler method for counting in the market. Later, I came across this bamboo slip and started using it to replace traditional characters to save on ink and paper... after all, brocade paper was too expensive..."
Cai Yong stroked his beard and nodded, "I see that this method is indeed simpler, but if it's recorded on bamboo slips, it would be quite inconvenient. It would be better to use it on paper." Cai Yong wasn't wrong—Arabic numerals were more convenient when paper was widely used. Carving those twisted letters on bamboo slips would be much harder than carving the straight and square Chinese characters.
However, Cai Yong also felt that there was no need to discourage the young man's innovative spirit, so he said kindly, "Ziyuan, this innovation of yours could be quite useful for arithmetic. Come, what do these characters mean?"
Fei Qian then explained to Cai Yong and Cai Yan the shapes and meanings of the Arabic numerals from 0 to 9. He also made up a story, saying that x, y, and z represented the earthly elements in arithmetic, corresponding to the earthly branches like zi, chou, yin, and so on. Surprisingly, the shape of "X" and "zi" were somewhat similar, and Cai Yong and Cai Yan accepted the explanation without much doubt.
By the time Fei Qian finished explaining, it was almost time for dinner. Fei Qian quickly bid farewell to Cai Yong.
Cai Yong didn't insist on Fei Qian staying for dinner. On one hand, Cai Yong, like a child with a new toy, was still experimenting with using numbers and letters to solve arithmetic problems. On the other hand, Fei Qian had only just met him a few times, and forcing him to stay for dinner would have been awkward for both parties. So, Cai Yong had a servant escort Fei Qian home.
After Fei Qian had left for a while, Cai Yong suddenly realized something and put down his brush, saying, "Ah, isn't this Ziyuan's bamboo slip fragment? Why didn't we let him take it back..."
"Father, you didn't say anything, so who would dare to move it?" Cai Yan saw the steward signaling that the meal was ready, so she walked over and tugged at Cai Yong's sleeve, pulling him along as she said, "We can have him take it back next time. Father, let's eat!"
"Don't pull, don't pull! Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming!" Cai Yong reluctantly put down his brush and went to eat with Cai Yan. As they walked, Cai Yong suddenly remembered something and said to Cai Yan, "Earlier, before Ziyuan arrived, Mengde (Cao Cao) came by and brought a set of ancient texts. If you're interested, you can take a look after dinner."
"Senior Brother Mengde came today?" Cai Yan was surprised. Ever since Cai Yong decided to marry her off to Wei Zhongdao, Cao Cao had rarely visited the Cai residence.
Cai Yong suddenly asked on a whim, "Yan'er, what do you think of Mengde?"
Cai Yan rolled her eyes at Cai Yong. With her intelligence, how could she not know what her father was implying? She said, "Father, do you dislike me so much that you want to get rid of me as soon as possible? Senior Brother Mengde is already married. Are you suggesting I become his concubine?"
Cai Yong exclaimed, "Ah, I was just speaking casually. I didn't mean anything by it."—That's right, I forgot that Mengde is already married. Ah, I must be getting old...
Cai Yong looked at his gentle and lovely daughter by his side, his heart filled with tenderness. As he grew older day by day, things like official positions and wealth no longer mattered much. The most important thing now was to find a good home for his daughter.
But—
It wasn't easy to choose. Among the noble families, only a few were on par with ours. Some were already married, and those who weren't—Cai Yong glanced at Cai Yan, feeling a pang of heartache—weren't suitable anymore...
If we lower our standards, it would be a bit of a disappointment—last time, with the Wei family, I misjudged. This time, I must carefully consider and not let Yan'er suffer again...
As they ate, Cai Yong suddenly exclaimed and patted his head.
Cai Yan quickly asked what was wrong, but Cai Yong just smiled and said he had forgotten something, but it didn't matter anymore. Although Cai Yan was puzzled, she didn't press further when Cai Yong didn't elaborate.
The sun gradually set, and although only father and daughter were dining in the Cai residence, the atmosphere was filled with warmth and affection. In contrast, the banquet in the imperial garden of the Han Dynasty—Wenming Garden—was lavish, with an array of delicacies, but the attendees seemed distracted, exchanging glances, creating an eerie atmosphere.
After days of quiet maneuvering, Dong Zhuo had finally made a grand gesture by inviting the Three Excellencies, the Nine Ministers, and other important officials of the court to a banquet.
Although these high-ranking officials were seated calmly, each had their own thoughts. Some were anxious, while others wore expressions of anger. Their attitudes varied, but one thing was certain: tonight's banquet would be a stage for Dong Zhuo to declare his stance, determining the future course of action. In comparison, what was being served was of little importance.
The seat at the head table remained empty. The banquet had already started for a while, but the host, Dong Zhuo, had yet to arrive.