Volume 3: Dragon and Snake Movement Chapter 427: Radical
Zhang Shou took Ge Yong, Qi Jingshan and Chu Ying to the outer city guild hall area and ate at Suzhou, Yangzhou and Shandong guild halls. Then he found a remote teahouse, paid for the place and invited the three elders to take a rest. Ah Liu politely but firmly asked the old shopkeeper to rest by himself, and he would just serve tea and water.
At this time, Zhang Shou just told him about the audit of the inner treasury that the emperor had entrusted to him. Ge Yong had known about this for a long time, but Qi Jingshan and Chu Ying were a little surprised. But then they thought that even though these people under Zhang Shou came from different backgrounds, they had been tempered in Jiuzhang Hall until now, and they were indeed worthy of the emperor's trust. However, what Zhang Shou said next made them all stunned.
"The Four Pillars Settlement Method has been used since the Tang and Song Dynasties. Although it has been continuously improved, many people have found loopholes to exploit because of the long time. Just like the problems and deficits of the Guanglu Temple have been there for many years, but it has never been easy to change. Maybe it is because of the complicated relationship, but isn't it because there are too many places to tamper with when keeping accounts?"
"Teacher has already written a set of mathematics textbooks that progress from the basics to the advanced. Now why don't you join hands with Mr. Qi and Mr. Chu to reform the accounting methods for the owners, government offices, and even the imperial court who are suffering from accounting problems?"
Seeing Qi Jingshan and Chu Ying looking at each other and both of them pondering, Ge Yong finally couldn't help but scold: "If you have an idea, just say it. I am used to taking the blame for you, and you want to drag two more people to take the blame. Isn't this too cruel? Even if there are no three of us, can't you handle this kind of trivial matter by yourself?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he found Chu Ying staring at him with a subtle expression. He immediately said angrily: "Don't look at me. I have been tricked by this kid many times. I am not afraid to tell you that the Ge's Mathematics New Edition was all written by this kid!"
Although Qi Jingshan and Chu Ying had felt that Ge Yong's mathematical attainments were indeed better than theirs when they were pondering the progressive mathematical system in "New Edition of Ge's Mathematics" that year, it was abnormal for the stubborn old man to suddenly accept the set of numerical symbols imported from overseas and even organize and refine them into a more complete system.
After all, it is more difficult for older people to accept new things. Even if they can change their old perceptions, it is even more difficult to integrate new things and turn them into their own set of things.
Now, Ge Yong actually took the initiative to reveal the truth. Chu Ying couldn't help but slapped the table heavily, and then glared at Zhang Shou: "Well, it turns out that you are the one who used your teacher's name to cheat!"
Zhang Shou knew that the truth would be revealed sooner or later, so he was not in a hurry and said sincerely, "Mr. Chu is wrong. This is not a scam. With the power and virtue of my teacher, the master of mathematics, I can spread the mathematical knowledge I want to spread more widely. At best, I can only say that I am borrowing great power to benefit others."
"It's the same now . If I do it alone, others will only ridicule me behind my back and say that I'm just a kid who got the emperor's attention by chance. The so-called Longmen account may be used temporarily in the Guanglu Temple, but more people will be wary and even reject me. But with the participation of the three of you, it's different."
At this point, he coughed and said, "The previous new compilation of mathematics used a lot of principles of Western mathematics, and then combined them with some chapters of the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art. In fact, it was more of a reorganization, not a new creation."
"But this time, Longmen Accounting is a new creation, but it also borrows some foreign accounting knowledge, and I only have an idea."
As Zhang Shou spoke, he poured tea directly on the table and began to write and draw with the tea, explaining to the three elders the principle of the four-item split account of "receipt", "payment", "deposit" and "due", then the receipt and payment table and the due deposit table, and finally the closing of the dragon gate. However, as he had never done accounting before, he could only throw up his hands when it came to the details.
At this time, he could only look at the three elders in front of him with sincere eyes, with an expression that said, "This is all I can think of, and it's up to you guys from now on."
Ge Yong had long been familiar with the character of Zhang Shou, his last disciple, but Qi Jingshan was seeing him for the first time. Chu Ying was still busy thinking about the four items of account division that Zhang Shou had just made - someone who had worked as an official in the Ministry of Revenue was better at checking accounts than the other two.
As for studying theoretical mathematics but despising practical mathematics... In this day and age, pure mathematicians do not exist, because they cannot survive and will starve to death! Mathematicians have always been court officials, writers, teachers, and even... poets and entertainers. It is common for one person to be multi-talented in this day and age.
Ah Liu didn't listen to the conversation between Zhang Shou and Ge Yong at all - because he had long discovered that he was completely incompatible with numbers and the like. If he could recite dozens of poems under Zhang Shou's pressure, then he would be satisfied if he could figure out addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in mathematics.
Therefore, he just poured tea for the four people from time to time, and went to the tea stove at the back to boil water from time to time. While doing these boring things, he did not forget to think about the new martial arts that Hua Qi came to teach him at night, and at the same time, he was thinking about how to train those people in the family more strictly to make them more combat-ready.
Seeing that Ge Yong and the others had drunk too much water and had even gone to the toilet twice, he didn't know how long it had passed before he finally heard a loud shout: "Okay, even if others don't agree to this matter, I, Chu Ying, will be the first to agree. Hey, if the three elders bring Yi Xin, I'm not afraid of taking advantage of you! If there is any problem with the Guanglu Temple, Zhang Shou, just come to me!"
"Also, I will recommend a few people to take the exam for your Jiuzhangtang this year!"
When Chu Ying said this, Ge Yong immediately shouted angrily: "Old man Chu, don't be complacent just because you have been in charge of the Ministry of Revenue for two years. It is not your turn to take the lead in this matter. Old Qi, don't hesitate. After this change, the account book will be clearer, which is a good thing, not a bad thing. Since this kid wants to squeeze the three of us old people to take the lead, we will take the blame for him!"
Qi Jingshan couldn't help but smile bitterly. He certainly knew that this was a good thing, not a bad thing. If it was implemented, at least the Ministry of Revenue, Guanglu Temple, the Internal Treasury, the Ministry of War, the Military Equipment Bureau and other places that most frequently dealt with money accounts would definitely implement it as quickly as possible under the emperor's strong power. However, those guys who made a living by playing tricks in the accounts would definitely hate it.
He doesn't care, but Zhang Shou...is this kid really not afraid of getting into too much trouble?
Seeing the way Qi Jingshan was looking at him, Zhang Shou simply laughed and said, "Mr. Qi, if I had too many lice, I wouldn't be afraid of itching. If I wanted to avoid trouble, I wouldn't have caused so much trouble. After the Longmen Account textbook is compiled, I would also like to trouble you to help compile a book called "Auditing Essentials."
At this point, he said nonchalantly: "To be honest, in my opinion, if the title of a student is not important to many people, I think Jiuzhangtang can be separated from the Imperial College and registered under the name of a public school. Because in the short term, it is the Imperial College that made Jiuzhangtang possible, so that people can take the exam when Jiuzhangtang reopens, but in the long run..."
“Isn’t it because of the reopening of Jiuzhang Hall that people have taken a new look at the Imperial College, which was once regarded as useless? Even if the emperor ordered the rectification of the academic atmosphere and allocated huge funds to repair the buildings and reward good students, as long as the outstanding students from the first of the six halls, the Ruxing Hall, still have to cross the single-plank bridge like other scholars, instead of directly becoming officials, the Imperial College will still be useless!”
"But the Jiuzhang Hall is different. Those who can pass the exam to the Jiuzhang Hall and are willing to take the exam are either those who do not care much about the so-called fame and background, or have no future at all. Therefore, most people can't pass the exam to become a juren or jinshi, and don't expect to be able to command the attention of the eight seats and become a famous figure like a minister or even a cabinet minister."
"Some of these people are seeking a way out of their life of ruin, and some just want to have the opportunity to learn the knowledge they love. How are they different from those poor children who are willing to spend their rare time playing and resting in public schools, learning to read and write, and thus changing the fate of their families? They are all people who had no hope of making progress in the past because of opportunities."
"Moreover, compared to the difficulty of teaching various subjects in the Imperial College, don't you think that it is much easier to teach various subjects in Daming Public School, Teacher and Mr. Qi and Mr. Chu?"
At this moment, the three elders were all speechless.
Ge Yong had always attached great importance to mathematics. He was upright and incorruptible during the prime twenty years of his life. But when he grew older and became the emperor's teacher, he gradually tried to stay away from politics and put more of his attention on learning.
However, he was saddened that outstanding talents did not get opportunities, so some were employed by merchants to observe the sky and guide ships at sea, some were too busy to study to be officials, and some were too obsessed with learning to live in poverty. Therefore, in his opinion, it would be best for people who studied mathematics and other miscellaneous subjects to be supported by the court, so that they would not be involved in politics and could concentrate on their studies.
But when he expressed such a feeling, Chu Ying angrily said that a full man does not know the hunger of a hungry man. He still remembers the words that the old man said to him angrily.
"Why do you think you can study these things peacefully in your old age? It's because your last name is Ge! Besides, if you hadn't been known as an upright official in the first half of your life, would you have been able to become the emperor's teacher? If you hadn't been the emperor's teacher, would you have been able to guide the emperor to pay attention to mathematics? If the emperor didn't have some talent in mathematics and paid attention to mathematics, would he have used your last disciple Zhang Shou so much?"
"A full man does not know the hunger of a hungry man, and a man who stands and talks does not feel any pain in his waist!"
Ge Yong still remembered that he had brought up the old example of Shen Kuo and Shen Mengxi, who were both extremely gifted and talented in mathematics and various subjects, but because of ambition and jealousy, they started political disputes and made mistakes in military affairs, and were therefore nailed to the pillar of shame. However, Chu Ying refuted him: "At least Shen Mengxi retired to Mengxi in his later years and published a lot of books!"
"He may be a despicable person, but if he was a country bumpkin who hadn't fought hard to make a name for himself in the government, how could Dream Pool Essays be so famous? Even if the scholars and officials who came after him cursed him, his books would still be read by people."
But at that time, Chu Ying had not finished speaking yet, and brought up the famous Yuan Dynasty historian Guo Shoujing as an example.
"From calendar to water conservancy to mathematics, Guo Taishi was proficient in everything and was the best in everything. Some people say that he has never participated in political struggles in his life, but he has achieved countless achievements and published many books. But in his later years, he is still in charge of the Taishi Academy and refused to retire. But what is the reality? If there is chaos in the court, when the early years of our dynasty came, can we still find any of his students or descendants? There will always be someone who will interfere in the world's affairs!"
Just because of that quarrel, in the past ten years, although Ge Yong and Chu Ying would quarrel whenever they met, their friendship actually grew deeper. While complementing each other's shortcomings, they both felt that people who studied various subjects such as mathematics could not just focus on reading the books of sages, and should not retreat where they should show their talents.
Ge Yong has been working tirelessly to reopen the Jiuzhang Hall in the Imperial Academy to train successors, and finally found an opportunity after accepting Zhang Shou as his last disciple last year. However, now that Zhang Shou has stated that he would rather start a new business, he naturally realizes that Zhang Shou is different.
This guy may not be ambitious enough, but he is just as eager to do things! He opened his mouth to curse, but facing Zhang Shou, who had no intention of joking at all, he swallowed the words that were on his lips and replaced them with a deep sigh.
The Imperial College has been conservative for a long time. Instead of tearing it apart and making a big fuss, it is better to start from scratch... But compared with reopening Jiuzhang Hall or building a new Daming Public School, this is actually a completely different matter!
Chu Ying smiled and said, "Zhang Shou, old man Ge praises you all the time. I used to think he was exaggerating, but now I have to say that you are really brave! Just for this reason, if you need me to say something to Jiuzhangtang, just tell me anytime. But if you really want to set up your own camp, you better act quickly. I am almost half buried in the ground. I hope to see this scene before I die!"
Qi Jingshan was happy and worried at the same time. Seeing Ge Yong's headache, he said in a deep voice, "In my opinion, it would be more appropriate to wait until the Guanglu Temple case has a result before taking it step by step. Before that, let's compile the book and see if it is convenient for Guanglu Temple to use the new accounting method. You know, haste makes waste."
Zhang Shou was pleasantly surprised to find that even though his unorthodox last proposal was ignored by Qi Jingshan, Chu Ying was obviously very interested in it. Even though Ge Yong was still glaring at him angrily, Zhang Shou was still overjoyed. He quickly expressed his sincere acceptance of the elder's opinion with a smile on his face, but at this moment, Ge Yong suddenly put down the teacup in his hand heavily.
"Okay, stop flattering us. We agreed to do what you asked us to do. Isn't it to promote the Longmen accounting method and publicize its advantages? It's the same as you promoted the code book and encoding method in the army before. But we can't be too hasty about this matter. The three of us old men have been shopping with you for an entire afternoon and have been sitting here for so long. You have to give people a reasonable reason."
At this point, Ge Yong paused, then said with a smile: "After all, the three of us had three meals in one go today, and the taste is quite unique. Everyone can pick two families that you like and write a vote. Then we can ask Shuntian Prefecture and Silijian to check the background of the person!"
The old man blinked his eyes mischievously as he spoke: "At most, others will think we are foodies like you!"
