Zhang stared at the thirteen master craftsmen sitting in front of him.
The faces of these great craftsmen are all covered with soot. These are the dirt they have acquired from working beside the fire or among the woodware all year round. Over time, it has settled into the skin and cannot be washed away.
What's more important is that their bodies are more or less disabled, and some even have missing facial features.
In the past, it was impossible for such a person to appear in the Xuanshi Palace, let alone be respected by the emperor.
"Since ancient times, there has never been anything about being polite and virtuous..." Zhang Ji thought in his heart.
The Han Dynasty was a dynasty that valued appearance.
Before I ascended the throne, from top to bottom, the first thing I looked at was character, the second thing was behavior, and the third thing was appearance.
If you don't look good, you won't be considered an official, let alone an official!
He can only go to the market and mix with the three religions and nine streams.
Scholar-officials with handsome appearance and elegant demeanor are the people who are respected and admired by people, and they are the pillars of the country!
but……
Since Jinshang came to the throne, this system has gradually disintegrated.
The great farmer Zhi Buduo, who had the best appearance in the world and could be called Liu Xiahui in his time, was born into a humble family and had a decent appearance.
Yuan Si, a veteran minister who was also famous for her appearance, demeanor and reputation, was even simply kicked out of Chang'an, and now she is reduced to South Vietnam to educate the barbarians.
It’s sad to think about it!
At the same time, various figures from three religions and nine schools began to fill the temples and palaces.
In fact, today's think tank, Na Lantai Shangshu, has dozens of Qiangmen who have been transferred from the local areas and are wandering around.
Who are those people?
The most noble person is the son of a deceased county captain.
As for the ones produced by the mud legs and villagers, I can’t even count them.
But, at least, these people had a fig leaf in the past. They were all scholars, and they were all selected through the examination or examination system.
However, now the emperor plans to break this stereotype.
Tear off the last fig leaf of the scholar.
This is naturally unacceptable.
Moreover, it makes people feel extremely heartbroken.
Looking at the craftsmen in front of him, Zhang Ji thought for a while, then stepped forward and walked up to a craftsman in his forties who seemed to have lost two of his fingers. He bowed his hands politely and said:
"I dare to ask Ming Gong: Today there are five households with one well. A and two cans are insufficient (Note 1), such as one can of B and three cans of B are insufficient.
If there are not enough five husks, it is like one hut of wood. If there is not enough hut of five husks, it is like one hut of armor. If each of them has less than one husking, they will all be caught. How deep is the well and how long are the husks?"
After finishing this question, Zhang Ji looked at the craftsman in front of him proudly, looking quite domineering.
If the emperor wasn't around, Zhang Ji even planned to challenge all the craftsmen in front of him.
"Humph!" Zhang Ji sneered in his heart: "This question is a difficult one that not many people in Chang'an can solve!"
This question comes from the fact that today's emperor compiled the twelve chapters of the "Sustaining Classic" presented by Zhang Cang, the Marquis of Beiping, and synthesized the arithmetic questions that have been circulated among the people, the government and the court throughout the past dynasties.
Then, they are synthesized into a book, called an arithmetic book.
There are one hundred questions in the arithmetic book.
Although this question is not the most difficult, it is at least among the top twenty.
Zhang Ji had to do arithmetic in those days, and he spent a lot of time thinking about it, and it took him a full month to figure out the answer to this question.
After solving this problem, Zhang Ji spent the remaining one month to solve all the remaining problems.
And this matter has always been his greatest pride.
In Zhang Ji's eyes, in the whole world, how many people in the world can compare with him in the profound knowledge of arithmetic?
……………………
Liu Che was sitting on the throne. He was very familiar with this topic.
This is a model question from Zhang Cang's work.
Moreover, it is a complex equation that even in later generations, the average junior high school student may not be able to solve.
As for now?
It can be said to be a top topic in cutting-edge mathematics.
There are probably less than half the people in this court who can figure him out.
As for the urgent need to find out?
Almost impossible.
but……
Liu Che knew that in front of these masters, this kind of question was as simple as elementary school students' addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
The reason is very simple. Liu Che has already cheated the craftsmen!
Arabic numerals, alphabetical equations.
Liu Che taught everything he could remember.
And the craftsmen are no more pretentious or arrogant than the scholar-bureaucrats.
I don’t know what to say. These simple numbers and letters are an insult to our predecessors and sages. Let’s use the old method of juxtaposition to solve the problem!
so……
Liu Che closed his eyes and couldn't bear to watch the next scene.
But Zhang Ji was still complacent.
Although this question is not considered a cutting-edge topic in current Han Dynasty mathematics research, it is still a cutting-edge subject.
Non-literary officials, nobles, and nobles do not have the qualifications, ability, and knowledge reserves to solve this problem.
Apart from that, I don’t know the equation (Note 2) and I don’t know how to solve it.
Even a genius needs at least a year to reach the threshold!
Zhang Ji couldn't believe it. How could these vulgar craftsmen solve such a difficult problem?
As for why we use public questions to test candidates?
This is actually due to Zhang Ji's careful thoughts.
Using a public question to repel the craftsmen can not only show his broadmindedness and tolerance to the world: Look! I gave them a chance, but these craftsmen are so vulgar that they cannot be refined!
Moreover, by the way, I can also show my kindness to the Emperor, Your Majesty. I have already given you face, but the craftsman is vulgar, and I can’t do anything about it...
More importantly, Zhang Ji is confident that he will win without a doubt!
In his thinking and logic, such a question is probably like a heavenly book to the craftsmen!
Stop talking about the answer!
I’m afraid it’s very difficult to figure out the meaning of the question!
After all, there are specialties in the arts.
This is like a mechanical metallurgical expert in later generations. If he picks up a random topic, it is enough to scare laymen away and bow to him.
It's like a music professor who randomly plays a piece of music in front of the piano stand, but ordinary people can't even understand it.
This is the crushing of knowledge and the victory of professionalism.
Therefore, Zhang Ji was also leisurely and elegant, pretending to be generous, and said: "If Ming Gong doesn't understand, I can say it again!"
In his heart, he felt that even if he said it ten thousand times, the person opposite would not be able to answer it.
But……
The next second, Zhang Ji heard a rich voice with a Shu County accent saying: "Your Excellency, there is no need to say any more, I already know the answer..."
The craftsman in front of Zhang Ji stood up and bowed: "The answer is: the depth of the well is seven feet, two feet and one inch. The length of the armor is two feet, six feet and five inches. The length of the second layer is one foot, nine feet and one inch. The length of the third layer is one inch.
The length of Ding Fu is one foot, two feet and nine inches. The length of Wu Fu is seven feet and six inches..."
Zhang Ji was dumbfounded and couldn't even believe it.
Because the answer is absolutely correct! Not bad at all!
How can this be?
Zhang Ji couldn't believe his ears!
Just now, he still stubbornly believed in his heart that the craftsmen were vulgar and illiterate, but now, the facts slapped him hard, almost knocking him to the ground, his nose was bruised and his face was swollen, and he couldn't help himself from the embarrassment!
Zhang Ji took a deep breath, barely maintained his scholar-official aristocratic demeanor, bowed his head and said, "May I ask where the equation is?"
He knew he had one last chance.
That's the equation.
In the era of mathematical governance initiated by Marquis Wen of Peiping, many quadratic equations of one variable, even positive and negative equations, and multivariate polynomial equations were solved using a unique Chinese equation.
This provides a convenient, fast and understandable way to solve problems and problems that people could not solve in the past.
But the problem is that even today, there are very few people who can master these equations.
Except for the princes, ministers and scholar-bureaucrats, these equations rarely leaked out.
Even today, countless related books are printed,
However, there are very few people who can afford these books, and even fewer people who have the leisure time and elegance to study these high-end mathematics.
And if the craftsman cannot answer the equation, there is no way to prove that he really answered the question.
It can be denied that he was memorizing by rote and that he was a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse.
But, at the next moment, the craftsman smiled slightly and said: "Equation? If you want it, I will give it to you!"
In an instant, the entire Xuanshi Hall was extremely silent.
All the ministers looked at the craftsman like a monster. (To be continued.)
