Chapter 051: Another Duel with Yang Yi (Part Two)

Chapter 51: Another Contest with Yang Yi, Seeking Sanjiang Votes

Under the gaze of the crowd, Wei Ba smiled and nodded. “Thank you for your generosity, General Yang. I’ll do my best and give it a try.”

“Very good. I like young men like you—courageous and responsible.” Yang Yi laughed as well, his laughter full of satisfaction and pride. He returned to his seat, where Yang Wei had already brought a stack of paper, ground the ink, moistened the brush, and presented it with both hands. As Yang Yi took the brush, father and son exchanged a glance, each seeing a trace of triumph in the other's eyes.

Yang Yi held the brush and wrote slowly. It wasn’t long before the first question was ready. Yang Wei immediately took it, trotted over to Wei Ba, and offered it with a sweet, flattering smile. “Master Wei, here is the first question. Please try to solve it.”

Wei Ba took the paper, glanced at it, and couldn’t help but frown. Seeing this, Yang Wei was overjoyed, his smile growing even brighter.

After a moment’s hesitation, Wei Ba rose and bowed toward Yang Yi. “General Yang, may I seek advice from someone?”

Yang Yi was taken aback but then laughed again, nodding. “Of course. You may consult anyone present, as long as they are willing.”

Hearing this, the young onlookers exchanged uneasy glances. Some wanted to help Wei Ba, but upon considering their own mathematical abilities, they feared they'd be of no use. Wei Ba looked around and saw only eyes filled with fear and embarrassment—no one dared step forward. He glanced at Fu Xing, who silently shook his head, his expression bitter as a melon, waving his hands in refusal, his shame even deeper than the others.

Wei Ba raised his brows and turned to the young woman, bowing. “Miss, may I ask for your assistance?”

The maiden blushed and stammered, “I… my mathematics…”

Wei Ba smiled. “You misunderstand, miss. I don’t want you to solve the problem with me. It’s just that General Yang’s writing is so archaic, I can’t make sense of it. Since you come from the Ma family of Fufeng, with such a scholarly background, I’m sure you can understand the meaning. I only ask you to explain the question to me.”

The maiden looked at Wei Ba in surprise. “You don’t understand the question itself?”

Wei Ba shrugged sheepishly. “I’ve already admitted I haven’t studied much—no need to point it out again, is there?”

Hearing this, Yang Yi and his son couldn’t help but laugh. If he couldn’t even understand the question, it only meant he’d never seen such problems and hadn’t read the relevant mathematical texts. With such a level, how could he possibly solve it? Yang Yi felt even more confident. Quickly, he reconsidered, crumpled the difficult question he’d been writing, tossed it aside, and wrote a simpler one instead. It wasn’t that he wanted to let Wei Ba off easily, but he didn’t want it to seem as if he were deliberately making things hard for the young man. For someone so unlearned, a difficult question would only be wasted effort.

The maiden hesitated. “Are you sure?”

Wei Ba nodded and gestured invitingly. Though she had inherited some of the Ma family’s forthrightness, rare among Central Plain women, she still felt shy under so many watching eyes, especially with so many young men present. Blushing and with her head lowered, she followed Wei Ba to the desk, sat down, picked up the question Yang Yi had set, and, after studying it, explained its meaning in a soft voice. Wei Ba listened carefully and asked about the parts he didn’t understand. The two sat side by side, poring over the paper together, occasionally glancing at one another as they talked—at first glance, they seemed almost intimate. The maiden’s cheeks were flushed, her manner shy, reminiscent of a newlywed bride reading with her husband. Yet with so many onlookers, the scene was somewhat awkward.

Wei Ba, noticing her blushing face, catching her gentle scent, and hearing her slightly trembling voice, couldn’t help but feel his mind wander. Though she avoided meeting his gaze, she could sense his eyes upon her, making her even more embarrassed. Unable to resist, she chided softly, “Are you even listening to the question?”

Startled, Wei Ba quickly smiled. “I am, please continue.”

She shot him a glare, displeased by his distraction at such a moment. Biting her lip gently, she explained the question in detail, then looked at Wei Ba with hopeful eyes. She herself was lost regarding the solution, but she hoped to glimpse some sign of hope from Wei Ba’s expression, though she knew it was a long shot.

Wei Ba pondered a moment, then nodded. “I understand now.” He picked up the brush but, instead of writing on paper, used the end of it to scribble calculations on the ground beside the mat. Sitting to his left, the maiden couldn’t see his work, but noticing him deep in calculation, she saw a glimmer of possibility and finally felt some relief.

After a while, Wei Ba smiled, took off his shoe, and erased the calculations on the ground. He’d been using Arabic numerals—a novelty in this era. If anyone saw them, it would certainly be the talk of the town. Fortunately, only the final answer was required, not the process, so no one could spot any peculiarity from the paper.

Wei Ba then wrote the answer clearly on the page, set down the brush, and looked calmly at Yang Yi, awaiting the second question. Zhuge Qiao, surprised by Wei Ba’s composure, stepped forward, picked up the paper, and glanced at it. Seeing only the answer with no workings, he couldn’t judge correctness, so he handed it to Yang Yi, closely watching his expression for clues.

The maiden's heart was even more anxious than Zhuge Qiao’s. Her eyes seemed glued to the paper as it traveled from the desk to Yang Yi, unconsciously holding her breath, intent on catching any subtle change in Yang Yi’s face that might reveal whether Wei Ba’s answer was correct. The first question, like the opening engagement of two armies, carried great weight for morale, possibly determining the entire contest’s outcome.

By now, Yang Yi had already written the second question. With one hand, he passed it to Yang Wei, and with the other accepted Wei Ba’s answer from Zhuge Qiao. At a glance, his sparse brows furrowed, and a flash of regret crossed his eyes.

Zhuge Qiao could see from Yang Yi’s reaction that Wei Ba’s answer was correct, though he didn’t understand why Yang Yi looked regretful. Even if Wei Ba solved one question, it hardly meant he could outdo Yang Yi in mathematics.

Of course, Zhuge Qiao couldn’t fathom Yang Yi’s thoughts. Originally, Yang Yi believed Wei Ba couldn’t even comprehend the question, so he had switched a difficult problem for a simpler one, not expecting Wei Ba to solve it. Now that Wei Ba had done so, the likelihood of him solving the second, even easier problem was high. If Wei Ba succeeded, Yang Yi would have to recommend him to the Prime Minister—in that sense, he had already lost.

To lose at the very outset of the contest, especially after having handed his opponent the opportunity, how could Yang Yi not regret it? At that moment, he felt like slapping himself. He glared venomously at Wei Ba, convinced he’d been tricked. Wei Ba must have seen the question before, only pretending not to understand to lower his guard and lull him into carelessness.

In fact, Wei Ba was truly innocent this time. He genuinely couldn’t grasp the meaning of the archaic prose questions. Even if he could guess parts, he couldn’t be sure of full comprehension, hence his request for help. As for asking the maiden, there were, of course, motives best left unspoken.

Yang Yi’s face alternated red and white as he gripped his brush, uncertain whether to continue the contest or admit defeat once Wei Ba solved the second problem.

While Yang Yi was torn, Wei Ba had already breezed through the second question. He shook his head and muttered, “This one’s not challenging at all, not as interesting as the last.”

The maiden couldn’t help but roll her eyes—there he goes boasting again. Not difficult? Why couldn’t she see any solution? Still, having seen him answer the first question correctly, she now felt a budding confidence in Wei Ba and found herself more attentive to his little gestures.

Yang Wei grew nervous seeing Wei Ba solve the second question so quickly. He had glimpsed his father’s expression earlier and knew the first answer was correct. Now, with Wei Ba so confident, it seemed the second was solved as well. If so, Wei Ba had already won—the contest was over.

For the contest to end so swiftly and unexpectedly, and with this result, was not something Yang Wei had anticipated. He stared at the paper in his hand, unsure whether to hand it to his father or simply crumple it and swallow it. For some reason, a sense of foreboding gnawed at him, making him extremely uneasy.

Wei Ba, seeing Yang Wei hesitate, called impatiently, “Hey, what are you waiting for? Take it to General Yang for judgment, and make sure the next questions are actually challenging.”

The moment he spoke, the audience, who had been holding their breath, erupted in commotion. They had already seen that Wei Ba solved the first problem, and the second seemed not to have stumped him—the contest was his. Though most found his victory rather inexplicable, they assumed either that Yang Yi had given him easy questions or that Wei Ba had simply gotten lucky. Under these circumstances, they expected Wei Ba to quit while ahead; to continue would only provoke Yang Yi, who might then pose truly difficult problems and embarrass him. No one anticipated that Wei Ba would boast so brazenly, not only declaring the questions unchallenging but demanding harder ones.

Wasn’t this simply handing Yang Yi a weapon to make things harder for himself? Everyone who heard Wei Ba’s words couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Heaven’s misfortune may be survived, but self-inflicted disaster cannot be escaped. Wei Ba’s lucky streak ends here; from now on, he is bound for disgrace.

—Third update. Seeking Sanjiang votes, recommendations, and your collection!