Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 114 Breaking the situation!

"you!"

Xu Xuemo trembled slightly; the words "not very good at math" truly struck a chord with him.

His expression was unpredictable; he could still somewhat accept the criticism he had received from the Wanli Emperor.

After all, he was the emperor.

But why does Shen Shixing have the right to humiliate me like this? When I first entered the court, Shen Shixing was still nowhere to be found!
Shen Shixing was able to enter the cabinet and become a Grand Secretary because of his relationship with Zhang Juzheng. If it were based on seniority, how could he have gotten the position?

In the eyes of the court officials, Shen Shixing had always been a hypocrite, a coward!
This made Xu Xuemo even angrier; his beard trembled as he spoke angrily.

"Shen Rumo! I am a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of the 29th year of the Jiajing reign. How dare you humiliate me like this?"

The Ming Dynasty in history was not, as many later stereotypes suggest, an era that relied on the eight-legged essay to stifle the thoughts of scholars.

On the contrary, the Ming Dynasty was an era that attached great importance to "culture and education," and its prefectural schools, state schools, and county schools were among the most comprehensive in the history of feudal dynasties.

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict in the eighth year of Hongwu, ordering the establishment of community schools throughout the country, stipulating that one community school should be set up for every fifty households to provide education for children from the common people.

It can be said that this system, in a sense, promoted the literacy rate in the Ming Dynasty, and indirectly contributed to the development of vernacular novels and even intellectual trends in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, people in the Ming Dynasty highly valued knowledge, even in subjects like arithmetic.

Even within the Imperial Academy, there were specialized courses on mathematics, using textbooks such as "Complete Collection of Nine Chapters on Mathematical Methods" and the original "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art," compiled by Wu Jing in the first year of the Jingtai reign.

Shen Shixing pointed at Xu Xuemo and scolded him for not understanding mathematics, which was tantamount to mocking a carpenter for not knowing how to use a chisel. How could this not make him angry?
"it is good!"

Emperor Wanli stood on the imperial platform. He was a man who disliked standing, but at this moment he was reluctant to sit down. He stared at the scene of the two people clashing, almost cheering out loud, looking like he was enjoying the show.

Shen Shixing, however, was not intimidated at all. He frowned deeply, raised his chin, and looked at her sideways as he spoke.

“I am a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of the 41st year of the Jiajing reign, and the top scholar personally selected by Emperor Jiajing. How can you say that I do not understand mathematics?”

"you"

Xu Xuemo was furious, but the problem was he really couldn't refute it, because the other person truly was the top scholar! What's the use of passing the imperial examination? Does his status as the top scholar have more authority?

But then Shen Shixing said leisurely, "Minister Xu probably doesn't study the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art very often and has forgotten all of its contents. In that case, I, the top scholar appointed by the emperor, will give Minister Xu a proper lesson."

"Why would I need your instruction? Shen Rumo, don't push your luck!" Xu Xuemo was so angry that he almost struck a blow.

"continue!"

The Wanli Emperor sat down, his calves shaking almost imperceptibly, while his chubby hands nearly clapped.

He began to understand why his grandfather, the Jiajing Emperor, liked to hide in the back and listen to the ministers arguing.

That's really interesting!

Especially Shen Shixing, who usually keeps a low profile, but he is a top scholar, and when he really wants to refute someone, he is extremely sharp.

Shen Shixing, holding a wooden cane, spoke earnestly, looking every bit like an old gentleman.

"The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art states, 'Now there is a wall five feet thick, and two mice burrow through it. The larger mouse burrows one foot a day, and the smaller mouse burrows one foot a day as well. The larger mouse doubles its daily burrow, while the smaller mouse halves its daily burrow.' Doesn't Minister Xu understand this principle?" "What mice and mice? Shen Rumo, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Xu Xuemo was furious, and immediately regretted his words.

It wasn't that he didn't know the contents of "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art," but the "chart" method was too novel, and Shen Shixing's challenge was also unexpected, leaving him somewhat at a loss, to the point that his words were filled with emotion.

At this moment, someone in the court finally understood Shen Shixing's meaning. Zeng Shengwu, the Minister of Works, said with shining eyes.

“Shen Gong is a man of great talent! As can be seen from this method in the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, at the beginning, both the small and large mice make progress of one foot a day, with similar progress. However, as time goes by, the strength of the small mouse increases every day, and the progress doubles!”
Gentlemen, please look at this.

Following Shen Shixing's example, Zeng Shengwu also came to the scroll. He was afraid of getting the scroll dirty, so he carefully walked along the edge and pointed to the contents of the scroll.

"This is the turning point that Grand Secretary Shen just pointed out. The mortality rate of patients in the capital gradually decreased in early April, as clearly shown in the chart."

Following Shen Shixing's habit, Zeng Shengwu also used the word "率".

"This is the chart that Minister Xu said shows the number of patients in the capital is constantly rising, and it is indeed rising as Minister Xu said. So where is the problem?"

"This is the principle behind rats and rats. No matter how powerful the methods of plague prevention and control are, they cannot stop the spread of the plague in an instant. The key point is that the effect takes time! Just like those rats, it will definitely take time to gradually increase, and naturally it will double in progress!"

Zeng Shengwu pointed out the key point.

"This can be seen from the mortality rate chart and the cure rate chart!"

"The chart of the number of patients is not very clear. Let's use the analogy of the mouse in the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art. The mouse grows one foot a day, and its size halves every day. Isn't that exactly like the increase in the number of people? And can you see that the zigzag growth is gradually slowing down? Isn't the change in the number obvious?"

Before the assembled officials could react, Zeng Shengwu bowed and kowtowed to the Wanli Emperor on the throne, speaking with great emotion.

"Your Majesty! We were foolish before! We did not know the great good intentions of the Grand Secretary, and even thought that the prevention and control of the plague was a ridiculous act."

Seeing this today, I suddenly realized how wrong I had been!

As he spoke, Zeng Shengwu suddenly burst into tears, whether from relief for his own future or for the innocent civilians he had saved, it was unclear.

He kowtowed repeatedly, making several loud "thump thump thump" sounds, seemingly oblivious to the pain, and said with tears streaming down his face.

"Your Majesty! The methods for dealing with the plague must not be abandoned! This 'Benevolent People's Medical Hall' should also be commended! And this 'Chart' method is also a wonderful tool that benefits the country and the people!"

"It was precisely because of the implementation of the 'Renmin Medical Hall' and the 'Plague Prevention and Control Plan' that the increase in the number of people infected with the plague in the capital gradually slowed down."

Without this unforeseen event, given this continued upward trend and the death toll, it wouldn't be alarmist to say that tens of thousands more people would die in the capital!

Zeng Shengwu paid no attention to Zhang Siwei, Xu Xuemo and others standing to the side with uncertain expressions, as if he wanted to vent all the frustration in his heart.

"Your Majesty! If you wish to abolish this plague law, you must first dismiss me, the Minister of Works!"

　Note 1: The "Excess and Deficiency" chapter of the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art states, "Now there is a wall five feet thick, and two mice go through it. The larger mouse makes one foot per day, and the smaller mouse also makes one foot per day. The larger mouse doubles its daily height, and the smaller mouse halves its daily height."

　　There will be another chapter at 8 o'clock.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)