Under the Microscope Episode 1 Recap
> Under the Microscope Recap
Shuai Jiamo was in a vast field, using a field division technique to divide land. When villagers saw his measurements, which they perceived as crooked, Shuai Jiamo tried to explain the intricate methods for categorizing plots into Guitian, Xietian, Jitian, and Hutian, detailing their specific calculation formulas. The villagers, however, found his explanations useless. One villager produced a title deed clearly stating 4 mu, while Shuai Jiamo’s measurements showed only 3 mu and 6 fen, a discrepancy of 4 fen.
This caused an uproar, with villagers accusing each other of manipulation. Shuai Jiamo insisted, "Arithmetic is truthful by nature, my calculations aren't wrong, and I cannot lie," but after re-verifying his calculations and finding no error, the villagers refused to believe him, leading to a physical altercation among them. Perplexed, Shuai Jiamo walked away, still holding the title deed.
Later, on a busy street in Renhua County, Shuai Jiamo was absorbed in his drawings until a large, ornate float caught his attention. His friend, Feng Baoyu, pulled him aside, suggesting they seek fortune instead of joining a prayer procession. Shuai Jiamo was still troubled by the morning's land dispute, feeling that everyone thought his calculations were incorrect despite his repeated checks. Feng Baoyu dismissed the villagers as "scoundrels," arguing that conflicts ultimately boiled down to "brute force."
Shuai Jiamo mused that even brute force could be measured using "techniques of calculating area, circumference, and height" to determine volume. Feng Baoyu then proposed they go to a newly opened gambling house in Renhua, hoping to take advantage of the fact that the Lanxi owners didn't know Shuai Jiamo's exceptional mathematical skills. As Feng Baoyu played, Shuai Jiamo, discreetly positioned, used his skills to assist him.
Inside the gambling house, Lu Feilong, a loanshark, pressured an old man to either repay his debt or sell his daughter, Chen Xiaozhi, to him, cynically suggesting it would be a story of "filial piety." Their conversation was interrupted by loud cheers. Lu Feilong learned that Feng Baoyu, a wealthy "playboy" from "Feng's Ham Shop," and Shuai Jiamo, an "arithmetic nut" with a "genius in arithmetic" who "wins every bet," were causing a stir.
Intrigued, Lu Feilong challenged Shuai Jiamo to a game. As they played, Shuai Jiamo, intently observing, eventually revealed a "Supreme lord" card. However, a second "Supreme lord" card was then shown, prompting Lu Feilong to accuse them of cheating, declaring his intolerance for such deceit.
He ordered his men to seize Feng Baoyu and Shuai Jiamo, demanding Shuai Jiamo settle the gambling house's accounts by nightfall and Feng Baoyu pay 200 taels of silver to avoid having his hands chopped off. Meanwhile, Feng Biyu, Feng Baoyu's sister and owner of "Feng's Ham Shop," rushed to the gambling house after hearing about her brother's predicament.
She arrived with a ham, intending to redeem Feng Baoyu, but found Shuai Jiamo still oblivious to the commotion, diligently calculating in the accounts room. Feng Baoyu explained they had won a significant amount, but Lu Feilong accused them of cheating. Feng Biyu offered her "Feng's Ham" as a "welcome gift" to Lu Feilong, but he insisted on the 200 taels.
When she attempted to leave with her brother and the still calculating Shuai Jiamo, a fight broke out between her and Lu Feilong's men, during which Feng Baoyu fell into the river. It was only after completing his calculations that Shuai Jiamo finally became aware of the chaos around him. Elsewhere, Magistrate Fang, the county magistrate of Renhua, was informed that Prefect Huang would arrive in Renhua the next day.
Recognizing it was the "day for receiving plaints," he instructed his subordinates to collect all case files, aiming to clear pending cases before the Prefect's arrival to avoid scrutiny. During the court session, Magistrate Fang heard a series of cases, all involving Lu Feilong. Cheng Renqing, a skilled lawyer known as "the Honorable and Just Iron-mouth Cheng," represented Lu Feilong. In the first case, a debt and battery charge against Chen Dashan, Cheng Renqing eloquently argued against Chen Dashan.
Shuai Jiamo, present at the trial, attempted to correct Cheng Renqing's calculation of Chen Dashan's debt, stating that 10 taels with "9 out and 13 in" over two cycles should total 16 taels and 9 mace. Cheng Renqing, however, clarified that "9 out" meant Chen Dashan only received 9 taels, making that the effective principal, leading to his calculated amount of 18 taels, 7 mace, and 2 fen.
Cheng Renqing then accused Shuai Jiamo of having a personal vendetta against Lu Feilong, prompting Magistrate Fang to silence Shuai Jiamo. Cheng Renqing proceeded to question Chen Dashan's integrity, highlighting his dilemma between selling land or his daughter to repay debt, despite the "Great Ming Code" prohibiting human trafficking. Overwhelmed, Chen Dashan agreed to mortgage his "ancestral 5 mu of paddy fields" to Lu Feilong. Next, the gambling dispute was heard.
Shuai Jiamo explained his card-counting technique for Paigow, asserting the mathematical truthfulness of his method. Cheng Renqing countered that if the court ruled in favor of Shuai Jiamo and Feng Baoyu, it would encourage widespread gambling among students in Renhua and Jin'an, leading to moral decline and negatively impacting local official evaluations. He also revealed Lu Feilong's offer to "donate 100 taels of silver to the county charity hall" as community outreach.
Influenced by these arguments, Magistrate Fang ruled that Feng Baoyu and Shuai Jiamo's winnings were obtained through "cheating and unlawful means" and would not be paid. However, due to Shuai Jiamo's accounting service for the gambling house, his actions and their alleged "cheating" were considered "made even," and Lu Feilong would not pursue charges.
Finally, addressing the damages from the fight, Feng Biyu intervened, stating that while the fight originated from Lu Feilong's detention of her brother, she would "pay everyone double for all your losses," which was met with approval from the villagers. With all cases resolved, Magistrate Fang adjourned the court. Cheng Renqing, after receiving his fee from Lu Feilong, noted that the justice he provided was proportional to the money he received.
Back in his room, Shuai Jiamo continued his calculations, murmuring, "Arithmetic is honest by nature. Isn't it very clear what is right and what is wrong?" Feng Baoyu spoke of his desire to earn money to alleviate the burden on his sister, Feng Biyu, who solely managed "Feng's Ham Shop" since their father had remarried and opened a branch in Yangzhou.
Shuai Jiamo, however, remained fixated on the discrepancy between land deeds and actual acreage, realizing it wasn't a calculation error but an inherent inconsistency. He suggested visiting the Archives, where all land records, including "fish-scale map registers" and official "red contracts," were stored. Feng Baoyu agreed to take him to the Archives if Shuai Jiamo would accompany him to the provincial capital for a lucrative venture.
Inside the Archives, Shuai Jiamo, immersed in his work, discovered an old, beautifully illustrated book titled "Laying Out the Scenes at Brothels." He was momentarily transported, recalling a similar book from his childhood and a memory of his father. As he continued to calculate, a fire erupted at his home. Despite shouts of "Fire!"
and urgent pleas from neighbors, Shuai Jiamo remained completely absorbed in his work, seemingly unaware that his house was burning down, prompting onlookers to call him a "dummy." Neighbors frantically wondered if his parents were still inside.
