Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 657 Ranking Killer
When he was in the Imperial College, Zhang Shou certainly wouldn't talk about these things. But now he was in the Outer City Public School. He even gathered people to the Zhang Garden Stargazing Tower to do an iron block falling experiment. He didn't have much scruples about talking about gravity. Moreover, he taught this class to two grades of Jiuzhang Hall together, but he didn't use the already written draft of Physics Volumes 1 and 2.
He would not write so brazenly about the knowledge of gravity, which could easily set off some philosophers .
Although it was explained in the most superficial way and by asking why, for most of the students, what Zhang Shou just said was still an unprecedented shock. Even though Zhang Shou did not completely deny that the sky is round and the earth is square, but assumed that the earth is round and then asked questions, they still felt confused.
Even Ji Jiu, who always considered himself to be very utilitarian and active, almost had his heart stop beating.
Zhang Shou glanced at the students in the classroom and saw that Qi Liang, who had been bombarded with all kinds of questions from him since childhood, also had a confused expression on his face. He suddenly missed Lu Sanlang who was not there because of his wedding leave.
If the little fat guy were here, he might be a calming stream in the muddy waves of confusion. Although he looks fat and wretched, the little fat guy has a strong heart and can probably accept any theory that does not affect his life. Of course, if this theory can make money for the little fat guy, even if the little fat guy says that the water of the Yellow River is flowing up, people will nod their heads unswervingly!
At this time, the class was over. Zhang Shou was about to announce the end of the get out of class, but he found several figures outside. Lu Wan and Liu Zhiyuan were fine, but in addition to Mr. Song who came to announce the test questions in the morning, the King of Jiangdu was also there! Seeing those pale faces, he realized that the superficial knowledge of gravity that he had just instilled in the students was probably heard by them, and he couldn't help but smile.
In the Middle Ages and even during the Renaissance, certain viewpoints would be labeled as heresy. However, in today's Ming Dynasty, the development of navigation has not brought about a scientific revolution. Zhang Shou certainly knew how unorthodox what he had just said was.
But even so, he still calmly announced the end of the get out of class, then walked up to them calmly and greeted them nonchalantly, "Your Majesty, are you here to supervise the exam in person?"
"Yes, there was no trouble at Banshan Hall, but I was sweating profusely while listening to your lecture just now!" King Jiangdu wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead and shook his head, saying, "I really admire my brother. It is probably because of an emperor as independent as him that he dares to employ a rebellious hero like you, Master Zhang."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for not telling the truth. I was just spreading rumors to confuse the public." Zhang Shou laughed and saw that Lu Wan was sighing. Although Liu Zhiyuan frowned, he did not show obvious anger. Mr. Song had a confused and stupid look on his face. He thought that the academic environment here was indeed much better than that of the Imperial College, so he calmly recited a poem.
"In the beginning of ancient times, who taught it? How can we study it when there is no shape of heaven and earth? Who can understand it in the darkness? How can we know it when there is only an image? What can we do when there is light and darkness..."
He casually recited Qu Yuan's famous "Heavenly Questions", and stopped after reading about a dozen questions. Then he smiled and said: "Qu Yuan's "Heavenly Questions" is full of thoughts, but it was not until a thousand years later that Liu Zihou's "Heavenly Dui" was written. Most people think that "Heavenly Dui" is just a direct expression of the author's thoughts by using the yin and yang of heaven and earth, and has no practical meaning, so they discard it like a worn-out shoe."
"It's no wonder. Although there are many good points in Liu Zihou's "Heavenly Dui", most of the answers have no solid basis. Since he can't use facts to prove that he is right, it is natural that it is not widely circulated."
"Just like what I did when I solved the mystery of Taizu's plaque, some things cannot be said, because words are not enough. But if you use experiments to prove right or wrong, then others will have nothing to say. Of course, there are also accidents. For example, during the imperial lecture, wasn't my experiment in Wenhua Hall also said to be a sorcery?"
"What you hear may not be true, what you see may be true. What you see with your own eyes is more reasonable than what you hear from others. Some people say that truth cannot be discerned, but I think that practice is the only criterion for testing truth!"
Zhang Shou's convincing words made the King of Jiangdu feel dizzy. He rubbed his temple and said, "Okay, okay, yes, yes, Master Zhang, you are right! But I am not your student. Please be merciful and let me go. Don't tell me these hard-to-understand things."
Seeing Zhang Shou stop talking with a half-smile, he heaved a sigh of relief and told all the promises he made to people in Banshan Hall and all the words he said to the school officials in the Imperial College. Seeing that Zhang Shou had no surprise when he heard that he had to correct so many people's papers, he coughed dryly and said, "I think after this time, there should be fewer people who hope for a lucky break..."
"No, even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sets strict questions, it is still an opportunity for those who are close to the water to get the moon first. There will be more and more people who will continue to try." Zhang Shou did not think that the ridicule and sarcasm of the King of Jiangdu before would make the people of the Imperial College retreat. After all, after so many negative news, the East Palace attendant who could only be taken by the students was a life-saving straw.
"I don't mind. Mathematical questions are no different from other questions. Wrong is wrong and right is right. It's faster for students to do the initial screening. But other lecturers have to mark thousands of papers every month. Even if the students provide their own answer sheets, it's still a heavy burden for them."
King Jiangdu just said this casually just now, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt that what Zhang Shou said made sense. Since it is a shortcut to Zhongnan, everyone would try it out of hope!
But he felt disgusted by the attitude of some academic officials in the Imperial College who judged others by their own standards, especially when they actually thought that he would recommend his future son-in-law, Mr. Song, to enter the Eastern Palace. He was furious at the thought of it.
So, he frowned, and a plan came to his mind. He immediately smiled and said, "In this case, how about treating the monthly examinations for selecting the attendants of the Eastern Palace as the monthly examinations of the six halls of the Imperial Academy?"
"No, the six examinations in the Imperial College only test classics and history, nothing else. If we change it hastily, it will cause disgust and protests from some of the elders in the court." Zhang Shou shook his head, then smiled and said, "It would be more feasible to post the results of the monthly examinations for selecting attendants after the exam. Don't just post the rankings of those who were admitted, post the rankings of those who were not admitted as well."
"Including the scores of each of the three questions, they will all be posted together. This way, it will be clear at a glance. As for the test papers, they will be archived for future reference. If anyone is dissatisfied, they can just post them for everyone to review together, so that some people won't be dissatisfied."
There is the Xingbang for the imperial examination and the Guibang for the provincial examination. However, the names posted are either those who have passed or those who have won the imperial examination. Of course, the names and rankings of those who have failed will not be announced. However, at this moment, Zhang Shou used a killer move to rank all the candidates, and King Jiangdu was stunned.
Then, with his scalp tingling, he asked questions like a machine gun: "Ranking? How to rank thousands of students? How much more workload will this increase, how many people will be mobilized! The emperor will not agree to mobilize so many people just to select a few attendants to the Eastern Palace!"
"What if there is no need to mobilize a large army?"
Zhang Shou smiled more and more nonchalantly, as if he hadn't noticed that in Jiuzhang Hall, where the get out of class had just ended, the students who had been attending classes together today had already tiptoed out and were vaguely standing in a circle around him, just watching the fun.
"I know that in the past, when grading provincial or imperial examinations, there were corresponding grades, but what if we don't use grades but numbers instead?"
"Each question is worth 100 points. Mathematics is the easiest, and 50 points are awarded for the correct solution. Another 50 points are awarded for the correct answer. If you have no solution but only the answer, then to reward you for reading the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, you can get 30 points for the whole question. As for the policy question, and the questions on contemporary literature and the Four Books, the examiners will give you a maximum of 100 points and a minimum of zero points based on your performance."
"In the final summary, add up the scores of the three questions and then rank them in order. For those with the same score, they will be ranked in a tie."
"If Your Majesty feels that this method is cumbersome and requires too much manpower, then I have many students in Jiuzhang Hall who are good at math and can take on this important task." At this point, Zhang Shou glanced at the students with a smile and asked with interest, "What do you think? If you find it tiring, then forget it."
As soon as this was said, Ji Jiu agreed without hesitation: "Such a good training opportunity, students agree!"
This is pure nonsense. This is completely mechanical and repetitive labor, what kind of exercise is this?
However, Ji Jiu's approval instantly awakened the others. When they thought about the fact that those weird students in the past would now be ranked under them, perhaps some of the arrogant and outstanding students in the Ruxing Hall of the Imperial College would be exposed and fail. For a moment, the voices of patting their chests to express that they were not afraid of hardship and fatigue came one after another, and they were vying with each other.
Faced with such a scene, King Jiangdu was stunned at first in disbelief - in these days he had only seen people procrastinating and evading tasks when the time came, but he had never seen anyone taking on responsibilities eagerly and fearing to fall behind - but he was not a fool, and he figured it out in a short while.
Although they felt that Zhang Shou had ill intentions, and the Jiuzhangtang students were also gloating over the joke, they did not want to have such a big exam with thousands of people every month in the future. After the rankings were posted, those who claimed to be excellent but not comprehensive would probably give up after two attempts. And those who were just running at the bottom would probably have self-awareness.
He nodded happily and said, "Master Zhang, this is a good idea. I will report it to the emperor when I get back."
“However, it is not easy to rank these thousands of people. It will probably take a lot of paper to write the list, and it may even be posted all over the Imperial College. Even if you students are willing to work hard, the expenses will still be…” Although he is wealthy, King Jiangdu still spoke like a stingy old shopkeeper.
Faced with his behavior, Zhang Shou was no longer as straightforward as he had just agreed. He sighed with regret and did not continue the conversation. Lu Wan and Liu Zhiyuan, who had watched the excitement from the side, were both angry and amused. Lu Wan immediately said, "It's just a little paper for posting notices. I happen to have a paper mill at home, so I'll take on this job!"
I've been waiting for you to say this, Mr. Lu!
King Jiangdu immediately nodded with joy and said, "That's great! I'll report this to the emperor when I get back!"
Zhang Shou also smiled and said, "With Lu Jijiu as a solid supporter, I and the students of Jiuzhang Hall can rest assured."
Seeing Lu Wan was stunned after hearing what the two said, Liu Zhiyuan couldn't help but sneered and said, "You have been tricked by the two of them. One of them doesn't want to pay, and the other only wants to contribute. Without you, a rich man, agreeing to pay, thousands of people will be ranked and then announced. How can such a big thing be accomplished?"
Ji Jiu almost wanted to ask for a part of the expenses, but now he couldn't help but feel lucky for his cleverness. Otherwise, he would have lost all his savings and ruined his teacher's plan. So, he was the one who reacted the fastest and took the lead in thanking Lu Wan. For a moment, others followed suit and showered Lu Wan with thanks without asking for money.
Since he was already the big boss who paid the money, Lu Wan didn't bother to care about the fact that he was being schemed against by Zhang Shou and King Jiangdu. He just made another request, to pick out the students of Banshan Hall and rank them separately. He knew very well that even if the so-called excellent students of the Imperial College were just so-so, they were not comparable to those half-baked students in Banshan Hall.
Zhang Shou readily agreed to this. When the King of Jiangdu left Song Juren to supervise the examination and hurried back to the palace to report the matter to the emperor, he watched him leave hurriedly with a group of entourage and guards, and couldn't help but smile.
The ranking of students on the list was something that teachers enjoyed doing before computers or even calculators were used in later generations. At the most exaggerated time, he had experienced the nightmare of adding up the three main subjects of Chinese, mathematics and English, plus the four secondary subjects of geography, history, biology and politics to calculate the total score. Any slight mistake in any subject would cause his class to drop dozens of places in the ranking of the twelve classes in the whole grade...
Now there are only three questions, with a total score of 300. Even if there are more people, he still has 40 or 50 helpers! Add up the total score, and then count them separately by total score and then rank them. Even without a calculator, is this difficult?
At most, there would be dozens or even hundreds of people tied for the same place! Fortunately, he changed the 10-point system to the 100-point system before he spoke! If it was 10 points, there might be a spectacular phenomenon of thousands of people tied for the same place!
When he turned around and faced a group of inexplicably excited students, Zhang Shou said to them with a smile: "This time the grading and ranking is a preview for you. I will give you another lesson later. It's a very simple "Introduction to Statistics."
Seeing the cheerful expressions of a large group of students freeze in an instant, Lu Wan, who had been a little sullen just now, suddenly laughed. Liu Zhiyuan couldn't help but pull his beard and counted the Jiuzhangtang courses he had inquired about in his mind.
In addition to the mathematics course, there is now a physics course, and if we add a preliminary statistics course, that makes three courses. It is said that Zhang Shou is also planning to hire teachers to teach history and composition, and he claims that he will add more courses at any time... If this continues, in three to five years, when these students graduate, they will be ahead of the students of the Imperial Academy who only study classics and history, not only in mathematics!
