After Li Xiuyun understood the general content of the six hundred ancient books through Ye Chong's explanation, he was also greatly surprised.
These were all lost classics from the previous dynasty, which the Ye family had painstakingly gathered from the Xichuan area in recent years.
They even contained clear records of the history of tribes like the Xichuan Sword Clan and the Xichuan Buddhist Clan, as well as local gazetteers, making them extremely valuable materials!
Given the importance of the matter, Li Xiuyun immediately notified the commander of Luzhou and arranged for troops to escort the Ye family and the ancient books to the capital.
Ye Chong, leaning on his cane, came to the riverbank and gazed at the urgently mobilizing fleet in the distance, murmuring to himself.
"The name of the Marquis of Anguo, the Martial Saint of Da Zhou... what a coincidence. Is this name destined to become the nightmare of the Tianri clan?"
Thinking of the mysterious Western ethnic groups recorded in the ancient books, Ye Chong couldn't help but feel a shiver.
At the same time, deep in the Yangtze River, a fleet had already sailed north, traveling day and night.
"I regret that this life is not my own, when will I forget my worldly pursuits? The night is deep, the wind is calm, and the ripples are smooth. From this small boat, I will spend the rest of my life in the rivers and seas..."
Qin Feng sat at the bow of the boat, gazing at the moonlight. After reciting the poem, he felt a sense of melancholy. "Now, I can finally understand the sentiment within."
Led by Zhirou, Qin Feng's four wives and concubines could only sigh.
In their hearts, Qin Lang was naturally the most remarkable, but now that the aristocratic families were becoming increasingly rampant, he felt powerless.
The suppression of aristocratic families by Liang Xiao of Da Gan had already served as a warning. The aristocratic families of Da Liang were on tenterhooks, fearing that the Son of Heaven of Da Liang and Qin Feng would follow Liang Xiao's example and suppress them.
Before the two could act, various families, led by the Yan family, took the initiative to exert pressure, repeatedly forcing Mu Cheng to compromise. This move had completely angered Mu Cheng, who had been deeply harmed by the manipulation of aristocratic families.
In the Jiangnan region, numerous fleets were heading towards the capital.
Liang Xiao's convoy had already rushed to the capital.
It was August 12th. Xiao Qing received the news and, under the cover of night, brought Zhen Mi to Liang Fu to reunite with Liang Xiao's family.
Seeing the children in the cradle, Xiao Qing felt her heart melt. She cast a resentful glance at Liang Xiao.
Her menstrual cycle was normal, indicating that she still hadn't gotten pregnant...
Ding Wuyi also returned to the capital to report.
Xiao Qing had sent people to secretly investigate the easily accessible mineral veins in the northern region recorded in the mountain and terrain map.
Upon learning that the He family's historian had slandered him and past court officials, Liang Xiao was also quite indignant.
He did not care about his posthumous reputation, but that did not mean he would allow outsiders to slander him maliciously in historical records.
Gu Hai was upright and did not let personal matters interfere with his work. He could temporarily replace the historian, but he was not skilled in writing history.
Many historiographical families, led by the Ye family, had been ostracized in the past and fled to Xichuan to escape disaster. If they could be invited back, they could rectify the national history.
The night was deep.
Xiao Qing lay quietly in Liang Xiao's arms and said softly, "I don't know when the 'cement' that Xiao Gege asked the Ministry of Works to research will be successful."
"You have to trust Zhang Yang and the others. If cement can be successfully developed and produced in large quantities, it can greatly reduce construction costs," Liang Xiao said with a smile.
In the era without cement, ancient buildings were made of wood, rammed earth, and even mixed with glutinous rice.
However, glutinous rice was a very precious material, generally used as one of the raw materials for building city walls, such as the Great Wall.
In contrast, cement materials are easily obtained. As long as the production process is developed, manufacturing is not difficult. The difficulty lies in the breakthrough: whether reliable cement can be developed.
The same was true for the ghost-carved ceramic balls, movable type printing, and the improved papermaking techniques of Da Gan from the previous dynasty. Once developed, the required process was not particularly complicated.
Xiao Qing smiled charmingly, feeling extremely at ease in her heart.
With her beloved by her side, she no longer needed to be so tired and wronged.
"There is something more important than this," Liang Xiao suddenly said. "I have recently thought of a simple way of writing numbers and an algorithm. Now it can be promoted through newspapers, popularized to the public in each issue, and ideally included in arithmetic books."
Xiao Qing suddenly realized, "No wonder Xiao Gege's bookshop has never sold arithmetic books. It turns out he is improving arithmetic? But, can the new writing method and algorithm replace the old ones?"
Liang Xiao nodded, "Writing and calculation are much more convenient, but official documents, especially historical records, should still use Da Gan script."
Xiao Qing seemed to understand but not understand, her face full of anticipation.
There was no court session tomorrow, so she could learn properly.
The next day at noon, Liang Xiao picked up a charcoal pen wrapped tightly with a cloth strip and wrote with gusto under Xiao Qing's gaze.
From 0 to 9, Xiao Qing looked at these numbers, not understanding.
It wasn't until Liang Xiao explained in detail the usage and combination of these numbers that Xiao Qing's beautiful eyes lit up.
"A few simple numbers can describe any quantity?"
Xiao Qing seemed to have discovered a new world, gave him a kiss, and then pestered Liang Xiao to continue explaining the usage of these numbers.
She was already intelligent and quick-witted. Under Liang Xiao's guidance, she could easily use these number combinations to represent any quantity.
"This is so convenient, it can greatly improve the efficiency of official and civilian affairs! What should these numbers be called?" Xiao Qing's small face was flushed, her eyes shining, wishing she could promote this content nationwide immediately.
Liang Xiao considered that there was no mention of "Arabic numerals" in this world, and he was not sure if "Ancient India" existed. After a moment of thought, he said, "How about calling them 'numbers'?"
Xiao Qing happily said, "We can promote it tomorrow. Xiao Gege has done another good deed~"
Even Ning Xuejun, who had been standing silently behind Xiao Qing, was both surprised and delighted.
"Don't rush, the function of numbers is secondary," Liang Xiao said with a smile.
The master and servant looked at each other in surprise, and Xiao Qing, even more impatient, coquettishly urged Liang Xiao to continue his explanation.
Liang Xiao then wrote down the symbols for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, "%", and "fractions," and explained them in detail.
The original Arabic numerals were introduced to China as early as the 13th to 14th centuries, but because "counting rods" were easier to write, the original form of Arabic numerals failed to be popularized for a long time.
However, with the modernization of Arabic numerals and the popularization of mathematical symbols, Arabic numerals have been widely adopted worldwide.
Liang Xiao used the modern Arabic numeral forms, along with some mathematical symbols, skipping the evolution and development of Arabic numerals, making it convenient for the people of Da Gan to use.
Xiao Qing was initially confused, but under Liang Xiao's patient explanation, she was amazed!
"With such promotion, there will be no need to specifically use counting rods, abacuses, or other tools. As long as there are paper and pens, calculations can be done on the spot!"
The more Xiao Qing spoke, the happier she became, even envisioning in her mind how much the efficiency of official and civilian affairs in Da Gan would improve after the promotion of these algorithms and numbers!
Liang Xiao then brought several carved wooden plates and placed them on the table.
Xiao Qing saw various symbols and numbers carved on them, interspersed with detailed explanations teaching people arithmetic, and finally understood.
This kind of book could not be printed with movable type; it was more convenient to use carved wooden plates!
And the carved wooden plates made by Liang Xiao used jujube wood and pear wood as the main materials, improved the ink, reduced the wear and tear of the carved wooden plates, and also reduced the cost!
The more Liang Xiao explained, the happier Xiao Qing became.
"But just learning this arithmetic is not enough," Liang Xiao said, raising the charcoal pen wrapped in cloth again.