Year 10 CE, Nandun County
Liu Xiu wandered aimlessly through the marketplace with the pocket money his elder brother had given him. He could now be considered wealthy enough to buy whatever caught his eye, but the problem was that ordinary vendors really didn’t dare accept the huge sum he carried.
Ever since Wang Mang had usurped the Han and established the Xin dynasty, he had ordered the abolition of the five-zhu coins that circulated during the Han, replacing them with three newly issued Xin dynasty currencies: da quan, qi dao, and jin cuo dao. The da quan that was minted weighed only two or three times as much as five-zhu coins but was supposed to be worth fifty five-zhu coins – no merchant was willing to accept them. Let alone the qi dao worth five hundred zhu or the jin cuo dao worth five thousand zhu – who would be blind enough to accept these new coins that clearly weren’t worth it?
But Liu Xiu’s uncle was the magistrate of Xiao County, and his salary was paid in these new coins that commoners couldn’t accept. With Liu Xiu’s father already deceased, both his elder brothers were raised by their uncle. His eldest brother Liu Yan was generous with money and though his expenses were considerable, their father’s inheritance was still quite substantial. These daily allowances from their uncle were naturally given generously to his younger brother, leaving him to worry about it himself.
Liu Xiu took out the jin cuo dao from his bosom to examine it closely, thinking that if one ignored its value, this coin was actually quite distinctive.
This jin cuo dao was composed of a copper coin and blade body, much like a combination of Warring States period knife coins and Han five-zhu coins, cast in bronze. The top and bottom of the copper coin used gold inlay craftswork, with the two characters “yi dao” (one blade) respectively embossed in gold – magnificent and beautiful. The blade bore the three characters “ping wu qian” (equalizes five thousand), so it was also called “one blade equalizes five thousand” among the people, meaning one such jin cuo dao was worth five thousand zhu copper coins.
Five thousand zhu! Liu Xiu frowned deeply. This was already equivalent to a fortune. Though the political situation was unstable and people’s hearts restless, a jin of meat cost at most twenty coins, a cloth robe four to five hundred coins – five thousand zhu could buy a modest house in their county seat!
But the problem was he couldn’t spend such an expensive jin cuo dao!
Liu Xiu held the jin cuo dao in his palm, wanting to cry but having no tears. He had already wandered this marketplace for quite a while, but no one would accept his coin. Even when he wanted to exchange it at a loss, no one paid him any attention.
This was also expected – otherwise how could his elder brother so kindly give him five thousand zhu to squander? It was clearly meant to embarrass him.
Wang Mang’s usurpation of Han to establish the Xin dynasty was illegitimate and improper. The subsequent new policy reforms were even more eye-popping, with no one following them. The newly issued coins were unused, with people still privately using five-zhu coins. This morning Liu Xiu had seen cut-wheel five-zhu, Emperor Zhao five-zhu, and others in use, though most common were the yuan shou five-zhu issued during Emperor Wu’s time. These purple coins made with purple copper were most beloved and probably worth more than regular five-zhu coins.
As Liu Xiu wandered the marketplace randomly, he couldn’t help but develop some calculations in his heart.
His origins could be traced back as the ninth-generation descendant of Han Gaozu Liu Bang. Though according to princely and marquis inheritance customs, by their generation there was no longer any imperial clan glory, with no titles to inherit. Even his uncle was merely a small county magistrate through his own abilities. Now with Wang Mang’s usurpation, they had lost even their nominal aristocratic status. But his elder brother still prided himself as Han orthodox, extremely rejecting and dissatisfied with the Xin Mang regime. Recently he had even begun scattering family wealth to befriend talented individuals with some scheme in mind, quite meaning to accomplish something.
Liu Xiu was only sixteen this year, considered an adult. He had gone to Chang’an to study in his youth and seen much of the world. Returning this time, he could see his elder brother’s intentions. He wanted to dissuade him, but his brother was ten years older – an elder brother was like a father, giving him no opening to speak.
Wandering with troubled thoughts, Liu Xiu found himself at the marketplace’s end, where several scattered stalls lay on the ground. He casually strolled over and discovered one stall actually displayed various objects – all appearing to be old antiques, quite interesting.
Liu Xiu crouched down with interest and couldn’t help reaching out to examine them. There were some pottery containers, what appeared to be Qin dynasty standard currency qin ban liang, several bronze goblets, a pair of green jade bird-shaped ornaments, some bamboo scrolls… Among the pile of antiques, Liu Xiu saw a carelessly placed abacus and suddenly remembered the messy accounts at home, thinking to buy an abacus to calculate properly.
Nothing else to say – his brother’s recent squandering had really been excessive.
Liu Xiu hefted this abacus, feeling its wood was rather unremarkable. But in the vertical arc-shaped grooves on the wooden frame, those round, lovely counting beads seemed carved from green jade. The first bead in each column was a different color from the four below – made of white jade, worth five. Liu Xiu moved a few, finding them smooth to touch and growing more fond of them.
“How much for this abacus?” Liu Xiu shook the abacus in his hand, the beads making pleasant tinkling collision sounds. Looking up at the stall owner, Liu Xiu discovered he was actually wearing black robes. In the Zhou Rites, black was the most noble and orthodox color. During the Qin period black was also revered, and the Han also emphasized black – officials’ robes were all black. Liu Xiu knew black fabric was expensive because black was a heavy color requiring over ten or even more dyeing processes. Conversely, commoners wore white because white required no bleaching or dyeing, making it cheapest.
Only then did Liu Xiu notice this black-robed man was very young with scholarly bearing and handsome features that made one feel very comfortable upon seeing him.
Probably fallen on hard times, having to sell family belongings… Liu Xiu felt some sympathy and was even more inclined to buy something to help. But thinking of his sole jin cuo dao, he got a terrible headache and could only speak first: “I only have this one jin cuo dao – can it be used?” As he spoke, Liu Xiu took out the jin cuo dao.
The young stall owner’s gaze flashed over the jin cuo dao, then he smiled slightly: “This abacus has flaws – forget it.”
Liu Xiu raised an eyebrow, examining the abacus in his hands thoroughly but finding no flaws. Assuming the other wouldn’t accept the jin cuo dao, he put down the coin and said: “No need for change.” Then taking the abacus, he gracefully departed. He calculated clearly – though this abacus looked good, it was worth at most a hundred coins. Though this jin cuo dao was hard to spend, it was definitely worth more than a hundred coins.
Feeling he’d done a good deed, Liu Xiu felt refreshed and somewhat understood why his elder brother usually liked being generous – this feeling was indeed quite good.
Behind him, the stall owner looked speechlessly at the jin cuo dao thrown on his stall, sighing after a long while: “So be it…”
When Liu Xiu returned to Chunling carrying an abacus, he naturally received various mockery from his family.
Not because Liu Xiu had exchanged a jin cuo dao for an unremarkable abacus, but because this abacus was completely broken!
Liu Xiu moved the bead in the middle column of the wooden grooves that wouldn’t budge at all, feeling somewhat embarrassed and angry. Everyone knew abacus beads needed to move, but one was completely immovable – wasn’t this abacus worthless?
Liu Xiu couldn’t be angry at the stall owner since he had clearly said the abacus had flaws, but Liu Xiu himself hadn’t listened and thrown down money before leaving. Liu Xiu felt his second brother’s worried gaze, probably fearing he too would become a spendthrift like their elder brother.
Feeling guilty under the scrutiny, Liu Xiu lowered his head and slipped back to his room with the abacus. He wanted to pry out that stuck bead and grind it down with a whetstone – then it should work. That bead was lustrous white, fine and flawless, lustrous as congealed fat. Perhaps it was psychological, but Liu Xiu felt this bead was much prettier than the others.
Well, maybe because it was larger?
Liu Xiu tried everything but couldn’t pry out that bead without destroying the wooden groove. Working up a sweat, Liu Xiu couldn’t understand how this abacus was made – how could such a large bead fit into the groove? It made no sense. After much effort, he could only make that bead rotate in place.
Should he really dismantle this abacus?
Just as Liu Xiu had this thought, he suddenly heard a pleasant female voice in the room saying lazily: “I advise you to abandon that idea.”
Liu Xiu started in alarm, quickly turning to look and discovering a beautiful woman in white robes half-reclining on his bed. She had a flower-like face as exquisite as a delicate ink painting, long black hair unbound and casually falling down, her whole being emanating lazy contentment.
After staring for a while, Liu Xiu remembered such behavior was too presumptuous toward a lady and quickly stood up asking in confusion: “You… who are you?”
“I am the bead in your hand.” The white-robed beauty raised her sleeve to cover her lips while yawning, her almond eyes slightly narrowed as she gazed at the abacus still in Liu Xiu’s hands, curling her thin lips mockingly: “Ignorant child, snatching me away with just one jin cuo dao – you really got a bargain!”
Liu Xiu was dumbfounded. This white-robed beauty was actually the abacus bead in his hands? Though Liu Xiu had heard many mountain and wilderness legends since childhood, so while surprised, he wasn’t afraid. Instead, he explained with interest: “Jin cuo dao are very valuable, and this abacus doesn’t work at all! All things considered, I’m the one at a loss.” Discovering she spoke without classical particles, Liu Xiu followed her tone.
The white-robed beauty’s willow eyebrows shot up upon hearing this, snorting coldly: “Ignorant child! This is an abacus made by Fan Shaobo, and my true form is the settling pearl. Jin cuo dao… hmph!” The white-robed beauty’s almond eyes narrowed as she smiled calculatingly: “That jin cuo dao will probably stop being issued within two years. Well, perhaps after a thousand years it will become a priceless collectible. Wang Mang’s coin design is actually not bad, but now it’s far from matching the settling pearl’s value.”
Fan Shaobo? Liu Xiu was startled. Though he hadn’t studied much, he still knew Fan Li’s courtesy name was Shaobo. That was a legendary figure from the Spring and Autumn period who had assisted King Goujian of Yue in defeating Wu and achieving hegemony, then departed gracefully. Legend said he later called himself Tao Zhu Gong, becoming fabulously wealthy through commerce three times and scattering his wealth three times – the patriarch of all merchants. If this abacus was Fan Li’s, that made sense.
Calculating that Fan Shaobo had died over five hundred years ago, for a spiritual object to cultivate intelligence and form showed its precious degree. Liu Xiu smiled bitterly and respectfully placed the abacus back on the table. Recalling the young stall owner’s expression, he now knew he had misunderstood. He wanted to say he’d return her, but looking at the white-robed beauty, Liu Xiu suddenly felt reluctant. He pressed his lips together and said righteously: “But this abacus has already been bought by me. Merchant principles value honesty most – surely you don’t want to renege?”
The white-robed beauty resumed her half-asleep appearance, curling her lips: “Fine, sleeping anywhere is the same for me. If you hadn’t tried to destroy my bed, I wouldn’t have bothered appearing before you!” With that, her form dissolved into blue smoke drifting toward the desk abacus. The settling pearl’s surface flashed with light before finally calming.
Liu Xiu stared at the desk abacus for a long time, ultimately not daring to say anything more. What had just happened seemed more like his hallucination – even if he wanted to tell others, probably no one would believe him. Liu Xiu could only carefully clean the abacus and place it in a corner of his desk within easy reach.