Chapter 39: The Twelve Beauties of Jinling

The twelve female bodyguards acted as if they had stumbled upon a treasure, responding one after another with enthusiasm.

"Picking up leaves! That’s easy enough!"
"I’ve got mine! I was the first!"
"The leaf I found is huge! Tell me your plan first!"

There was a lively scramble as they pushed and shoved, vying for attention. It wasn't until Consort Yun and Zhuque spoke up in unison that the commotion settled.

"Enough! One at a time!"

To everyone's surprise, the two of them had also each picked up a leaf and placed them before Chai Xiao. They were, after all, quite curious to see what brilliant money-making scheme he could conjure up.

Unfazed, Chai Xiao gestured that the crowding was useless. He selected five large leaves, placing them in the front and setting the smaller ones aside. He then sat on a stone stool and pointed to the first leaf.

"The first method to make money: paid admission."

"North of the two large gazebos at the East Drum Tower, at a distance of three arrow-shots, we shall construct a stage for the martial arts matchmaking competition!"

"The audience area behind it will be divided into three sections."

"The area closest to the stage—a square space of one arrow-shot—will be cordoned off with heavy fabric and furnished with long tables and benches. We shall call these VIP seats!"

"The starting price for entry here is quite high: one hundred wen per person. And that one hundred wen only secures a seat in the last row, the fifth row. For the preceding four rows, the price increases by one hundred wen for each row. That is, two hundred wen for the fourth, three hundred for the third, four hundred for the second, and five hundred for the first—half a tael of silver per person."

"Assuming eighty people can fit in each row, calculate how much silver we can earn."

One of the bodyguards immediately rattled off the figure.

"Eighty people per row, from one hundred to five hundred wen—using the distributive property of multiplication, we can earn one hundred and twenty taels of silver!"

Not bad at all! She was familiar with the distributive property of multiplication, and using reverse calculation, no less. While this would be considered basic arithmetic in a modern primary school, in an ancient era that prioritized literature over mathematics, it was truly impressive. It seemed that, much like Zhang Bao, he had found another talent with the potential to be an "actuary."

Chai Xiao was taken aback. He recognized this bodyguard as one of the women who had contributed twenty taels earlier, and he couldn't help but admire her. He wanted to praise her on the spot, but considering there were more calculations to come, he decided to continue and further test her abilities.

"The second area, from the sixth to the fifteenth row, will have no price differentiation between rows, but there is still an entry fee: fifty wen per person!"

"Still assuming eighty people per row, tell me how much that earns."

The women were silent, but the "actuary" thought for a moment and provided the answer.

"Ten rows in total, eighty people per row, at fifty wen each—that earns forty taels of silver."

Chai Xiao gave her an appreciative look and continued.

"The third area, further back, will only cost ten wen to enter. There are also ten rows here, but because the space is larger, we can fit one hundred people per row. Calculate the total for this section."

The "actuary" was back at it immediately.

"Ten rows, one hundred people per row, at ten wen each—that earns ten taels of silver. Adding the three areas together: one hundred and twenty, plus forty, plus ten—a total of one hundred and seventy taels of silver."

Chai Xiao was very satisfied and asked her directly.

"To calculate so quickly and understand the distributive property—what is your name?"

The bodyguard bowed and replied, "Replying to Your Highness, my name is Jian Yu. My family used to run a small workshop, and my parents had me learn arithmetic from a young age, so I know a little."

Zhuque chimed in to explain, "These twelve bodyguards who came out of the Imperial Palace with me all have names starting with the character for 'sword'. Wind, Rain, Thunder, Lightning; Frost, Snow, Clearing, Sleet; Cloud, Mist, Neon, Rainbow. She is the second, so she is called Jian Yu."

Chai Xiao nodded. "Excellent! When Zhang Bao returns, go to him and collect five taels of silver; tell him I ordered it. Aside from your duties as a bodyguard, you are to continue studying actuarial science. You will have greater responsibilities in the future, and your monthly salary will be increased accordingly!"

Jian Yu had been feeling regretful for having bet twenty taels earlier when the master had allowed others to bet as little as ten. She had thought that if she had known, she would have bet less. She never expected that because of her skill in math, she would immediately recoup five taels, with the possibility of earning five more every month. It was like a pie falling from the sky! She hurried to accept, fearing someone else might snatch it up.

"Many thanks for your grace, Your Highness! Jian Yu will not let you down!"

Chai Xiao waved his hand at the rest of the women.

"You can all learn arithmetic just like Jian Yu. Martial arts is your primary duty—it is how you earn your living. Being a good bodyguard keeps your rice bowl full. Literacy is your second duty; you cannot just be soldiers, you must learn to be commanders. To issue orders and master military texts, you must be literate. Arithmetic is your third duty. It allows you to calculate casualties, determine if provisions are sufficient, and figure out if you are making a profit or a loss."

"Yes!" the twelve bodyguards replied, each looking eager to prove herself.

In truth, Chai Xiao had intentionally rewarded Jian Yu in front of everyone and delivered this speech to the group. These twelve women, including Jian Yu, were as close as sisters, but they were also in direct competition. Perhaps Jian Yu’s martial arts were not the most outstanding, but her background in a family workshop gave her the unique potential for "actuarial" work. Giving her an extra five taels a month was a small investment, but the "peer-pressure" effect it would create was immense.

In modern management, this is known as the "Catfish Effect."

Norwegians love to eat sardines, especially live ones. In the market, live sardines fetch a much higher price than dead ones, so fishermen try everything to get the fish back to the port alive. Despite their efforts, the sardines, which love to crowd together, often suffocated and died during the journey. Only one fisherman always managed to bring most of his sardines back alive. It turned out that by chance, he had dropped a catfish—a predator of sardines—into his tank.

Once the catfish entered the tank, it swam around restlessly. The sardines, terrified of the catfish, darted left and right, swimming vigorously. This movement solved the oxygen deprivation problem, and the sardines arrived back at the port lively and energetic. The number of sardines actually eaten by the catfish was negligible.

This method was gradually popularized and widely used in management theory. Generally, such "catfish-type talents" are brought in from the outside. By using their superior ability, innovative thinking, and competitive spirit, they break the stale atmosphere of a team and stimulate enthusiasm and creativity.

Chai Xiao chose to use "Jian Yu" rather than finding an outsider as the "catfish" for two reasons. First, he had just transmigrated and had no outsiders to turn to. His "recruitment" plan had only just managed to bring in the Junior Tutor, Zhang Bao, Yao Jin, and Zhuque. Second, promoting Jian Yu internally used her "actuarial" potential, which served as an "external force."

As a result, the other eleven bodyguards, wanting to adapt to the new competitive landscape—and the five-tael monthly bonus—would inevitably study hard every day. Before long, they would all become martial artists skilled in arithmetic and accountants capable of both offense and defense. When the time came to appoint them as managers of various shops to generate wealth, it would be no mere fantasy. They might even be sent out individually to act as "catfish" for other teams, turning one "Jian Yu" into twelve, and one team into twelve teams.

Thinking of this, Chai Xiao asked Zhuque, "Do these twelve bodyguards have a group name?"

A girl group? What on earth was that? Zhuque was startled, but then assumed he meant a collective name for the twelve of them.

"Your Highness, we previously chose the name 'Twelve Sword Heroines'! They felt it wasn't very elegant and lacked a sense of intensity, so they changed it to 'Twelve Sword Hairpins'!"

Chai Xiao tilted his head. *Sword Hairpins?* It sounded like "cheap trash" in his mind. Not good. In the "Dream of the Red Chamber," didn't the Fairy of Disenchantment list the "Twelve Beauties of Jinling"—Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, and the others? Each one more beautiful than the last.

"Twelve Beauties" sounded much better than "Twelve Sword Hairpins."

Chai Xiao tapped the stone table lightly. "How about we call you the 'Twelve Beauties' instead?"