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Unexpectedly, after Fei Qian explained what a political marriage was to Pang Tong, Pang Tong actually laughed at him...
Pang Tong insisted that the Liu-Cai marriage alliance was the correct model for scholar-gentry marriages in the Han Dynasty. If everyone acted like Sima Xiangru, who deceived people and swindled money, how could the scholar-gentry maintain their dignity?
After Pang Tong's explanation, Fei Qian suddenly remembered that Sima Xiangru was actually an ancestor of the Sima family—oh right, it was said that the small, bourgeois-style tavern Sima Xiangru opened only operated for a few days. As soon as Zhuo Wenjun's father's money arrived, it was immediately shut down, with a note saying "under renovation," and it never reopened...
After being mocked by Pang Tong, Fei Qian thought about it and realized there might be some truth to it. So, he set aside the matter of the Cai daughter. After all, it seemed that the Cai daughter had her own methods, and historically, she managed to win over Liu Biao quite effectively in the later stages...
Whatever, as long as such things didn't land on his own head, it was fine.
Back at the foot of Lushan, Pang Tong remembered that Fei Qian had promised to make him a more refined measuring instrument. He kept pestering Fei Qian, reminding him in various ways until Fei Qian, helpless, had to go to the city to find a bronze craftsman and assemble a simple balance scale for Pang Tong.
This time, Fei Qian was smarter. He had the parts made separately—the trays, the beam, the stand, and the weights—each crafted by different artisans. He then brought the parts home and assembled them himself.
The key to assembling the balance scale was finding the equilibrium point, but this wasn't difficult for Fei Qian. It just needed to be roughly precise, though it certainly wouldn't be as accurate as modern scales.
Although Fei Qian's simple balance scale only measured down to a minimum unit of 0.5 zhu, it was still a significant leap forward compared to the measuring instruments of the Han Dynasty.
Pang Tong was overjoyed with his new balance scale. He couldn't put it down and played with it for a long time before happily running off to show it to some friends, probably to show off his new treasure.
Fei Qian didn't bother to follow. After all, the Pang family was a local powerhouse in Jingxiang, and Pang Tong was Pang Degong's nephew. It was unlikely that anyone would dare to mess with him. So, Fei Qian enjoyed the peace and quiet, focusing on the mountain of homework Pang Degong had assigned...
But to his surprise, after just half a day, Pang Tong returned empty-handed, his little face scrunched up in frustration.
Fei Qian, holding a bamboo scroll, glanced at him and sensed something was wrong. He asked, "What's the matter? Where's the balance scale I just gave you? Did you lose it?"
Pang Tong just shook his head, refusing to speak at first. But after being pressed by Fei Qian, he finally covered his face and muttered, "...I got robbed..."
Oh? Now that's something new. Who would have the guts to rob Pang Tong, the nephew of Pang Degong?
Fei Qian's interest was piqued, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.
At first, Pang Tong refused to say anything, but after being pestered, he finally relented and said, "Alright, I'll tell you... but you absolutely cannot tell anyone else..."
Fei Qian naturally nodded, urging Pang Tong to spill the beans.
It turned out that after being tricked by Fei Qian with the "weight of a single drop of water" problem, Pang Tong couldn't solve it with the tools he had. So, he thought of the Huang family. Since the Pang and Huang families were quite close, he went to the Huang family to borrow a set of tools. Today, after getting the new balance scale from Fei Qian, Pang Tong, still a bit of a child at heart, couldn't wait to take it to the Huang family. He wanted to return the borrowed tools and show off his new toy. But then...
Fei Qian was listening intently when he noticed Pang Tong had stopped talking. He urged, "And then what?"
"Sigh..." Pang Tong sighed, hesitating before finally saying, "Well, it just so happened that Huang Gong wasn't home... so... the Huang family girl saw the balance scale and insisted on borrowing it... Of course, I refused, but that brat used her strength to overpower me... and just took it..."
"The Huang family girl? You mean Huang Yueying?" Fei Qian could only think of one famous Huang family girl in Jingxiang—Huang Yueying.
"Exactly!" Pang Tong said, still fuming. "A gentleman uses words, not force! How could she just use her strength to rob me..."
Fei Qian couldn't help but burst out laughing, nearly doubling over. "Ahahaha... You got robbed... by a girl... Ahahaha... She's not a gentleman; she's a girl, so of course she can use force... I can't... let me laugh a bit more..."
Pang Tong's already dark face turned even darker. He stomped his feet, pointed at Fei Qian, and said, "You... you..." Finally, he turned on his heel, stormed back to his room, and slammed the door shut, leaving Fei Qian leaning against the wall, laughing uncontrollably.
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Meanwhile, in the secluded courtyard of the Huang family, the girl who had robbed Pang Tong—Huang Yueying—was examining her spoils.
Huang Yueying had already disassembled Fei Qian's balance scale into its individual components. She held each piece, studying it carefully while muttering to herself and jotting down notes on a piece of paper.
The Huang family was skilled in crafting instruments, and Huang Chengyan was a master of mechanics. As his daughter, Huang Yueying had grown up surrounded by such things and had developed a keen interest in them. So, when Pang Tong showed up with the balance scale, she immediately set her sights on it.
Balance scales had existed since the Spring and Autumn period, but they were crude and simple—just a wooden stick with a hole in the middle and hooks on both ends for weighing.
The balance scale Fei Qian had made, while still simple, was based on modern designs and concepts. For Huang Yueying, who loved crafting, this was incredibly fascinating—a completely new way of thinking, a new method of measurement...
So, at first, Huang Yueying politely asked Pang Tong to lend it to her for study. But when Pang Tong put on airs and refused, Huang Yueying, in a fit of anger, decided to just take it by force. After all, the Huang and Pang families were so close that minor scuffles between the younger generation were no big deal.
As for whether Pang Tong's little heart was hurt by the robbery, Huang Yueying didn't care. Right now, she just wanted to thoroughly study this intriguing balance scale...
Outside, a hearty laugh echoed as Huang Chengyan, the head of the Huang family, returned. He had clearly heard about his daughter's robbery of Pang Tong and walked in, chuckling. "What kind of marvelous object could possibly make my precious daughter resort to robbery?"
Huang Yueying snorted, quickly reassembled the balance scale, and placed it in front of her father. "See for yourself if it was worth it!"
"Oh!" Huang Chengyan's eyes lit up as he circled the scale twice, muttering, "Interesting, very interesting..."
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A/N: Balance scales and steelyards are two different measuring tools—one uses equal arms and multiple weights, while the other uses unequal arms and a single counterweight. Each has its pros and cons, representing two entirely different ways of thinking... The author begs for recommendation votes and bookmarks... Some readers have mentioned the issue of women's names in ancient times. Let me clarify: before the Northern and Southern Dynasties, women were relatively respected. The disdain for women began in the Song Dynasty. This can be seen in the names of women recorded in history. During the Han Dynasty, many women's names were recorded—24 from the Western Han alone, including Lü Zhi. Some women not only had given names but also courtesy names. Lü Zhi had a courtesy name, as did Zhang Yan. Cao Pi's second empress, Guo, had the courtesy name "Nüwang" (Queen), which is quite domineering, right?
In the Western and Eastern Jin Dynasties, despite their short reigns, 24 women's names were recorded. During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, even more were recorded. But by the Tang Dynasty, only five women's names appear in historical records... In the 167 years of the Northern Song, none were recorded... In the 149 years of the Southern Song, only two women's names appear—Li Fengniang and Xie Daoqing... In the 200+ years of the Ming Dynasty, only three women's names were recorded—Ma Xiuying, Hu Shanxiang, and Guo Ai... So, the practice of hiding women's names only became common during periods when Confucian rituals were heavily emphasized. Before the Tang Dynasty, women enjoyed relatively more freedom... Note: this is based on official historical records.
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