Chapter 10: Not Worthy of Standing With Her
Zhang Zichong looked at Xinghui with disgust. “Unrepentant! Hopeless!”
The surrounding scholars looked at Xinghui with disdain.
A glimmer of triumph flashed in Shen Zhiyuan’s eyes.
Xinghui felt ashamed and wanted to leave, but then a clear, ethereal voice rang out, unhurried and calm. “He’s not lying, I did teach him.”
The voice was so pleasant! Everyone subconsciously turned their heads, expecting to see a beautiful woman with a stunning face. Instead, they saw a dark, thin, and ugly village girl.
What a pity for such a beautiful voice!
Master Zhang also stopped and subconsciously glanced back.
He saw his favorite student, Gu Zesen, approaching with a woman dressed in worn-out clothes, yet exuding an air of dignity.
At his age, people are judged not by their appearance, but by their demeanor.
Shen Zhiyuan’s eyes flashed with anger when he saw Xingnong.
He was still furious from being tricked by her this morning!
Xinghui’s eyes lit up. “Sister!”
Gu Zesen and Xingnong walked up to Master Zhang and bowed respectfully. Then Gu Zesen said respectfully, “Master, this is Xinghui’s older sister. I grew up with them, and they are both kind and honest. They are not the type to lie. There must be some misunderstanding.”
Master Zhang looked at Xingnong. “May I ask, did you teach Xinghui the arithmetic problems?”
He was not one to blindly believe one side of the story. He really liked Xinghui, after all, he was really motivated. He was just too fond of him, which led to his disappointment earlier.
“Yes.”
“How can you prove it?”
“Master, just give me a problem.”
To the scholars, her words sounded arrogant!
Wild and arrogant!
Some rolled their eyes, their faces full of disdain. Where did she get her confidence?
Some shook their heads. Ignorance truly is bliss!
Some sneered inwardly. What a disgrace!
None of them dared to say “Master, just give me a problem” to Master Zhang.
“Eh~” Someone recognized Xingnong as the person who had appeared at the bookstore early that morning.
Master Zhang’s eyes flickered.
Is this confidence, or is she just a naive newcomer?
Master Zhang said, “There are pheasants and rabbits in the same cage. There are thirty-six heads and ninety-eight feet. How many pheasants and rabbits are there?”
“Twenty-three pheasants and thirteen rabbits.” Instant answer.
The scholars were stunned. They were still memorizing the problem in their minds, and she had already solved it?!
Master Zhang’s eyes flickered as he looked at Shen Zhiyuan. “Is she correct?”
Shen Zhiyuan: “…”
Master Zhang understood everything. He said calmly, “Yes, she is correct.”
Shen Zhiyuan was anxious. He kicked his friend Zhang Zichong, and Zhang Zichong hurriedly said, “Brother Gu, did you teach this girl? This morning, weren’t you the only one in the entire class who could solve it?”
Gu Zesen replied, “I did not.”
Master Zhang said, “There is an unknown number of objects. When counted in groups of three, there are two left over. When counted in groups of five, there are three left over. When counted in groups of seven, there are two left over. What is the number?”
“Twenty-three.” Instant answer.
This was also from 《Sun Tzu Suanjing》.
The scholars: “…”
Is she correct? They subconsciously looked at Master Zhang. They had not even had time to understand the problem, let alone calculate it.
“How did you solve it?”
“When counted in groups of three with two left over, set it as one hundred and forty. When counted in groups of five with three left over, set it as sixty-three. When counted in groups of seven with two left over, set it as thirty. Add them together. You get two hundred and thirty-three. Subtract one hundred and five from anything above one hundred and sixty and you get the answer.”
The solution method, word for word.
The scholars: “…”
The scholars who had just started learning arithmetic said their brains couldn’t keep up!
Didn’t this girl even have to think? How did she calculate such a long solution process and give the answer at lightning speed?
Master Zhang looked at Shen Zhiyuan. “Do you understand? Repeat it.”
Shen Zhiyuan: “…”
In the distance, an old man sweeping the floor approached with a broom and gestured a nine to Master Zhang.
Master Zhang’s eyes sparkled. “There is a round pavilion with a lower circumference of three zhang, an upper circumference of two zhang, and a height of one zhang. What is the volume?”
✿✿✿
“Five hundred and twenty-seven chi, seven-ninths of a chi.”
✿✿✿
The girl, dressed in worn-out clothes, stood among the well-dressed scholars, neither humble nor arrogant, calm and composed, extraordinarily confident.
She was lively and radiant, dazzlingly bright.
The scholars unconsciously stepped back a few paces, taking her as the center.
When a person is radiant enough, it makes others feel ashamed and subconsciously step back, feeling unworthy of standing with them.
Gu Zesen looked at the dazzling girl, slightly surprised. Xingnong seemed different from before.
Perhaps because of her background, she used to be very timid, never daring to raise her head when she met him or even some scholars of no reputation. When had she become so confident and dazzling?
Master Zhang nodded in satisfaction. “You are very learned, young lady!”
Xingnong shook her head. “I just happened to have read about it.”
Neither humble nor arrogant, neither proud nor boastful. Good, good, very good! Master Zhang nodded, then looked at Xinghui and apologized with a bow. “I wrongly accused you just now. I sincerely apologize!”
Xinghui hurriedly stepped aside, not accepting his bow. “Master, you are too kind!”
Master Zhang patted Xinghui’s shoulder and then said to the scholars, “If your arithmetic skills can reach the level of Miss Shen, you will definitely have no problem with the imperial examinations.”
Everyone: “…”
Did Master even need to say that?
Master Zhang finished speaking and walked away.
As for Shen Zhiyuan, Master Zhang did not even glance at him, either forgetting about him or for other reasons.
Shen Zhiyuan: “…”
Everyone looked at Xingnong with admiration in their eyes, but they were strangers and could not approach her due to the social norms between men and women.
Unlike the other three kingdoms, Chu did not have music and rites in its imperial examinations, but it did have arithmetic. Since the founding of Chu, arithmetic had never been tested in the imperial examinations. Although it was studied, it was only at a basic level, and neither scholars nor teachers attached much importance to it.
The triennial imperial examination was only a year away, and the sudden announcement that arithmetic would be tested, and that it would cover the contents of several mathematical classics, was truly difficult. Everyone felt it was difficult.
A scholar quietly approached Xinghui, tugged at his sleeve, and discreetly slipped a silver note into his hand. He then put his arm around Xinghui’s shoulder in a friendly manner. “Brother Shen, I’m Zhou Dongming. Remember to ask your sister about the arithmetic homework in the future, and come early tomorrow to tell me the answers! I’m counting on you for my arithmetic homework! Please help me, I would be very grateful!”
Xinghui’s face flushed red. He hurriedly withdrew his hand, refusing to accept the money. “No need, no need, I’ll just ask her for you.”
Other scholars seemed to have noticed what was happening and gathered around. “Brother Hui, I’m He Zhenyu, please take care of me in the future. Arithmetic is really too difficult! I’m counting on you. Don’t worry, if Brother Shen ever needs anything, just let me know…”
“Brother Shen, I’m He Jincheng.”
Xinghui, who had always been the invisible, insignificant student at the academy, was for the first time treated with such enthusiasm by these high and mighty scholars.
He was overwhelmed and didn’t know how to respond. He only knew he absolutely could not accept their money.
Shen Zhiyuan looked at Shen Xinghui, who was surrounded by everyone, and a sinister look flashed in his eyes!
Why should that bastard Shen Xinghui, whose father didn’t even want him, be the center of attention?
He, the chosen one, should be the one everyone admires!
It was all because of that bastard Shen Xingnong!
He had seen Shen Xinghui solve the newly assigned arithmetic problems, and Master Zhang had seen it too. Seeing this, he came up with a plan to use this opportunity to gain Master Zhang’s favor, then have Master Zhang put in a good word for him with the dean, and successfully become the dean’s personal disciple.
Master Zhang’s other identity was the vice-dean of the academy, acting on behalf of the dean.
He knew that it was not Master Zhang who would be accepting disciples, but the legendary old dean.
The old dean was a member of the Kong family and had once held the position of Minister of Works. He was very passionate about arithmetic.
The Kong family… Since the founding of Chu, the position of Director of Education at the Imperial Academy had always been filled by a member of the Kong family. Their disciples were spread throughout the land, a true century-old scholarly family.
Now it was all ruined because of that bastard.
He glared fiercely at Xingnong and left in large strides.
Just you wait!
Don’t think that just because she can solve a few arithmetic problems and gain Master Zhang’s favor, she can pass the imperial examinations and rise above her station. If they offend those they shouldn’t offend, they will never have a good life!
~
Happy Lantern Festival everyone ^_^,
Note: The arithmetic problems in this chapter are selected from 《Sun Tzu Suanjing》 and 《Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art》.
