Chapter 14 Weight

Officials do not work every day, and they have at least a few days off every month. They don’t have to pay or work. Today is such a day.

Recently, the relationship between Xue Chongxun and Zhang Shuo has entered the honeymoon period. The two have had a hot fight and have made an appointment to play in the city together on the day of rest.

Xue Chongxun took a car to Danfeng Street to meet Zhang Shuo. He saw Zhang Shuo rolling over and getting off the horse. He wore a black hat and a cloth dress, dressed like a civilian.

The black hat was not the patent of officials in the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin once said that since ancient times, the emperor has worn the black hat, and all officials, scholars and common people have been given the same.

In contrast, Xue Chongxun's Taoist robe looks more neat and neat.

The two of them clasped their fists to each other across the wide long street, and then walked together and started to laugh.

Then they discussed where to go for a trip, and Zhang joked: Some Western Region women have arrived in Hu Ji’s restaurant. Maybe there are some new ways to see them, but we must meet acquaintances once we go, and it’s a bit boring to have time to socialize.

Xue Chongxun was not very interested in the play of the fireworks land, but was just a show. When he heard Zhang say this, he immediately agreed: The weather is sunny today, so it is better to walk around. When you encounter interesting places, you can drink tea and listen to the songs quietly.

Zhang joked: It's good that this is true.

His face is very long, and he is more stern when he smiles. However, he doesn't often laugh on weekdays. After all, there are many things he has asked about as the prime minister, and he can't show it on his face.

So Xue Chongxun abandoned his car and rode a horse, and walked side by side with Zhang Shuo and chatted while walking.

Jixiang led the horse over, Xue Chongxun took the horse reins and gave in to Zhang Shuoqian, and the two of them got on the horse one after another and walked slowly along the street.

The guards and entourages were not far or near, and everyone was not wearing public uniforms, so they were relatively low-key, after all, they were going out for fun.

Chang'an has a population of millions, and there are very few people who can see princes drinking prime ministers in the market. No one knows them when walking on the road without wearing public uniforms.

After a while, the group walked to a canal transport wharf. The large section of the Caohe River in Chang'an City was dug with a population, and there were also wharfs along the river in the city. This was the time to be busy.

Xue Chongxun seemed to be very interested in life in the market, so he slowed down when he walked here and watched with great interest. Zhang said that he had to accompany him to walk slowly.

At this moment, a grain ship was leaning on the shore, and several officials were placing rice with a group of hard labor. Xue Chongxun casually said to Zhang: Aren’t the grains contained in sacks? Just count the bags, isn’t it enough. Does each bag have different weights?

Zhang said: The warehouse clerk in charge of receiving the warehouse is afraid that it will be deducted occasionally, so he has to take responsibility, so he has to weigh bags to make peace.

Xue Chongxun nodded, turned around and looked at the grain ship, observed the shape of the bottom of the ship, and immediately smiled and said: Let's go and help them.

Everyone was shocked after hearing this. Two people with great power in the court ran to care about such trivial matters?

But today is a day of rest. Zhang said that he was interested in trivial matters of life and was not convenient to ruin his interest, so he joked: "She Lang is going to help them call rice, this kind of thing is too boring..."

It's just two incense sticks.Xue Chongxun said.

Zhang Shuo shook his head and didn't believe it: How did Xue Lang weigh the weight of the ship's food within two incense sticks?Could it be that you know the immortal method?After saying that, the followers around him also let out a kind laugh.

You will know then.Xue Chongxun observed the shape of the ships again without caring about it and said confidently.

After a while, Jixiang was sent to find the small official at the dock. The guy pointed at Xue Chongxun behind without hesitation and said: My husband said that your method is too stupid. You can weigh the weight in two incense sticks. Do you want to say bags of money that you took off your pants and fart?

The young official immediately looked angry, especially the last sentence that said in front of everyone that he took off his pants and farted was too ugly, and he couldn't hold it on his face.

Just as the attack was about to occur, the little official saw Xue Chongxun and Zhang Shuo in the direction pointed by Jixiang, and his face quickly became subtle.

He did not know the senior officials in the court, but he knew that he had some identity when he hit other people's pomp (at this time, productivity was low and labor was expensive. Except for the aristocratic families, few people could raise slaves and not work.)

I saw that many of the followers on the left and right behind Xue Chongxun and others were strong men. Can't their master have some identity?

The little official let out a breath, but the people around him started to make a fuss. It was just that the work was too boring and he wanted to see something strange.

The dock official did not show anger either. The little official said: Since that's the case, why not try it in front of everyone, how to weigh the weight of these foods in two incense sticks?

A beautiful and hippie smiled like a thin monkey: What you want is what you say, wait.

When Xue Chongxun and others arrived at the boat, the hard workers surrounded him and watched the fun. The officials shouted: Go to work!

A brave man started to cheer: People say that two sticks of incense can complete our whole day's work, why are we busy with work?

In the midst of the noise, Xue Chongxun was about to have a suit for the accountant, with chopping board, paper, pen and ink.The person next to him smiled when he saw this: This man used the horoscope of the boat to calculate the weight...

Xue Chongxun was not angry either and smiled and said: That's right, take the official ship's horoscope.

After joking, he was about to come up with the size of the official ship, which was fooled. He asked someone to measure the captain and verify it. Then he sent someone to move the irrelevant items on the grain ship to measure the draft depth when it was full.

Just as it happened that an empty ship had been unloaded on the shore, the structure was almost the same as the old and the old.

Xue Chongxun had already made it clear in advance, and then asked someone to measure the draft of the empty ship.

After all the required data were recorded on paper, Xue Chongxun looked up and said: You can calculate the approximate weight of your ship's food in just one stick of incense. There may be some errors, because the two ships cannot be completely equal in weight.If you can move the food on the boat down and then test the draft, it will be more accurate...but this is a bit time-consuming.

The little official said: If you can calculate a rough idea, let’s just say you are a god!

Xue Chongxun then stopped talking, picked up the pen and started to calculate quickly.

A very simple question is that the cross-section of this kind of official ship is similar to a trapezoid. If you draw the figure, calculate the volume of the water. Then multiply the volume by the density of the water and the weight will be formed. Then calculate the weight of the empty ship in turn, and the weight of the food will be reduced.

Finally, it is converted into Tangjin (one jin was about 1 jin in ancient times).

Not long after, Xue Chongxun reported the weight of the official grain, and the officials on the dock were stunned.

What is the difference between the number you hold?Xue Chongxun asked.

It's amazing... You didn't find out beforehand, did you?

Xue Chongxun glanced at Zhang and said: He knew.

Zhang Shuo clasped his fists and said with a smile: I admire you. It is an interesting thing to talk to my colleagues in the court when I can be worth it.

Xue Chongxun dipped his pen and dipped it ink, wrote a few sentences on the principle of buoyancy on the paper, and handed it to Zhang: Take it to the ministers of the Ministry of Works, it may be of some use to save money on the canal transportation.

When the dock officials heard their conversation, they immediately realized that these two people must be officials of the court. They were extremely respectful for a moment, and their eyes showed a look of awe. It was not only a relationship of power.

And those coolies were just watching the excitement and just taking it as a strange thing.

Xue Chongxun and Zhang Shuo left the dock after having fun. Zhang Shuo asked curiously: How did Xue Lang estimate it?

Xue Chongxun naturally smiled but refused to answer, because he couldn't explain it clearly for a while, even if Zhang said that he was knowledgeable, he was still unclear.

If we slowly explain to these talented and learned gentry in the future, we should still be able to accept it.

In fact, scholars are very pragmatic, and they are really pedantic. After all, they are the few...

For example, they are very good at using the ideas of ancient sages to rule the people. Some things they themselves do not believe in can make the common people believe in as gods.

Zhang said that he was unwilling to say more, so he couldn't ask the whole thing. Soon the two of them changed the topic and talked about other things. Zhang said that at this time, they mostly regarded today's small things as anecdotes, and naturally they didn't need much evidence to talk about them before going to court.

As he walked, Xue Chongxun suddenly remembered that Meng Xiaoyu had come. Perhaps because Zhang Shuo proposed to drink and listen to music, he thought of the singing girl unknowingly.

He remembered that he hadn't seen this singing girl for a long time. If he hadn't thought of it by chance, he would have forgotten it like this...

This woman can always make Xue Chongxun feel the beautiful side of the world, like a chicken soup for the soul.

However, as he got older, he became more mature and balanced in his work and rarely did the bad things that were too dark before, so Meng Xiaoyu's role in his heart gradually faded.

Thinking of this, he felt a little sad.

If Mr. Zhang wants to listen to the song, how about I recommend a place?Xue Chongxun still had a smile on his face and said to Zhang Shuo.

Zhang Shuo naturally agreed: What do Xue Lang thinks is the best?

Xue Chongxun said: I live there is a brothel called "Shuiyunjian" in Anyifang. There is a singing girl singing music in it. Let's go and listen to it?

When Zhang Shuo heard it was a Jiaofang song, a hint of clue appeared on his face inadvertently. People who often go to and from the Daming Palace have long been tired of those things. In fact, although there are free official kilns, the ministers are not interested in official prostitutes and like to find some fresh fun when they have time.

However, he went out to play with Xue Chongxun and didn't have much fun, and his more thoughts were based on strengthening the relationship between the two.

Therefore, the flash of Zhang Shuo's face was fleeting, and he looked happy: The place where Xue Lang suggested must be extraordinary, and it is rare to be leisurely. What is the experience?

Xue Chongxun kicked off the horse and smiled and said, "Let's go, I may not have been there for a long time."