Volume 2: Residence in the Capital Chapter 156: Teachers Often Take the Blame
"Well, you still remember to come here! Everyone says that I, Ge Yong, have accepted a good disciple. Old Chu Ying is about to kill me with his eyes. Even Old Qi looks at me with disgust, as if he thinks I am always hiding and waiting for a big splash! But what about me? Who knew that I was fooled by you!"
As soon as Zhang Shou entered the Ge residence, he was led into Ge Yong's study by a deaf-mute old servant. Seeing Ge Yong was so angry that he was blowing his beard and glaring, he hurried forward and skillfully patted the teacher's back and rubbed his chest to calm him down, and then spoke softly and slowly.
"Teacher, don't be angry. I know that you are a magnanimous person. I am acting in your name. Otherwise, it would be easy to deal with the students, but I can't control the school officials!"
Seeing that Ge Yong had finished his temper and was sitting there glaring at him, Zhang Shou explained the whole story of how he had asked Zhou Xun, the Imperial College's chief academic officer, for resources but failed. Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, he heard Ge Yong angrily say, "It's fine if they don't give us the stipends. The students of the Imperial College always get a gift during festivals. But now he's saying that the court doesn't give us money?"
In his rage, Grand Tutor Ge completely forgot that his collection of Ge's quotations was becoming more and more: "Thank goodness you came up with the saying that books must be borrowed to read, otherwise if the students of Jiuzhang Hall had to rely on borrowing to study, wouldn't it be a joke? Taizu was so poor in the early years, why was he still so generous to the students? How can the court be poor now? I think there are too many officials in the world, and their salaries are wasted!"
Knowing that Mr. Ge's temper must be channeled today, otherwise it would be a big mistake for the old man to be sulking at such an old age. Therefore, Zhang Shou had to tell Ge Yong, who did not attend the whole class, in detail about the various circumstances of today's class, including that the third prince and the fourth prince were driven back by him, while the intruders, including Zhu Er and other auditors, persisted to the end.
Seeing that Ge Yong looked quite satisfied, he smiled and made a wish for a hollow glutinous rice ball.
"As long as Jiuzhang Hall keeps offering classes like this, some people will definitely come to watch the excitement out of curiosity. In the long run, it may attract some students. Since the Third and Fourth Princes are curious, they will definitely buy those introductory books and study them slowly. If this trend can spread from the palace to outside the palace, these are equivalent to enlightenment books for children, and there will always be people who buy them."
"I don't expect everyone in the world to understand the complicated things in the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, but as more and more people understand the basics, there will naturally be fewer and fewer officials who can't even figure out the most basic numbers..."
The anger of Mr. Ge was gradually extinguished by Zhang Shou's gentle words. However, although he was no longer as angry as he was in the Imperial College, he still couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and asked, "Why do you always like to put things on my head? Whether it's the book you compiled or the words you said, why do you have to attribute them to me?"
At this point, Ge Yong's tone was somewhat disappointed: "I believed your lies at first. What lost classics? How could a lost classic be written in such a weird way? If others knew that those books were compiled by you, there would n't be so many rumors about you outside. Not to mention anything else, the books you said in Jiuzhang Hall today must be borrowed and read, which will also help boost your reputation!"
Zhang Shou acted calm in the face of Ge Yong's scolding: "Teacher, you are saying that because the books are getting a good response from the public, and Mr. Qi and the others agree with what I said today, you think that if you publicize that I wrote them, it will help my reputation. But if you said from the beginning that I wrote those books, do you really think there would be the current reaction?"
"No, absolutely not. People will say that you, teacher, are shamelessly attributing your own works to your students and giving your own articles to your students to promote your fame in order to promote your closed disciple."
After Zhang Shou said this calmly, he saw Ge Yong's face suddenly darken, so he smiled and said, "Teacher, this is human nature. People are more suspicious of young people and more confident of old people. Even if you are the famous Master Ge, you can't change this fixed perception. Besides, I have been famous enough these days, and I don't need this useless reputation."
At this point, he couldn't help but say in his heart that he could become famous just by his face. If this so-called talent and reputation continued to rise, it would be too much. For example, when Huang Sheng borrowed a book today, he said that such an old-fashioned argument was fine. If it were him, it would be very deadly just to comment on the emperor's book! Therefore, the tone of his next words was naturally more sincere.
"If I can use your reputation to make those books widely known, and let a few, dozens, or even hundreds of people who are willing to learn the arithmetic... then it is still worth it. So in the final analysis, it is me who borrowed the name of the Ge family, not you, teacher, who borrowed my fame to gain publicity. At your age and status, do you still need my little fame to gain publicity for you?"
Ge Yong couldn't help but stare at Zhang Shou's eyes. Seeing that there was only a smile in those clear eyes without any reluctance, he could only snort in dismay: "You are such a troublesome kid... I have so many disciples, but you are the most troublesome!"
"Okay, I am indeed not a good person and I am sorry to disappoint you, teacher."
"Bullshit! You are the most troublesome, but you are the one who least disappoints me! Besides, I always have the best vision when it comes to recruiting disciples!"
Ge Yong patted the armrest lightly, raised his eyebrows, and looked around. Zhang Shou, who was standing by, could clearly see that the old man was in a very good mood, which was completely different from the uncontrollable anger he had when he first met him tonight. After coaxing the old man a few more words, he was about to use the excuse that it was late and ask Ge Yong to go to bed early, but he suddenly asked another question.
"By the way, didn't your class at Jiuzhang Hall end a long time ago? Why did you come here so late? The Imperial College is in the north city, right next to the Shuntian government office. It is designed to allow students to study with peace of mind and less distraction. As a doctor of the Imperial College, you should set an example! Tell me, where have you been?"
Zhang Shou felt as if he had skipped evening self-study and returned home late at night, only to be questioned by the dormitory supervisor about where he had been. The place he went to was indeed a bit problematic. So, he could only explain in a low voice: "It was Tingyu Cottage, where I went with Yingying, her second brother, and Lu Sanlang. It was an invitation from Weinan Earl Zhang Kang..."
"What! You actually went to that kind of hellish place!" Before Zhang Shou could finish his words, Ge Yong suddenly jumped up and yelled, "Wine is a poison that penetrates the intestines, and sex is a steel knife that scrapes the bones. You understand so many great principles, but you don't understand this one? You want me to tell you what you are good at... Wait, you went there with Yingying and his second brother? And Lu Sanlang?"
Ge Yong's furious aura suddenly disappeared, replaced by doubt. Lu Sanlang was also a dandy, not to mention Zhu Er, but Zhu Ying... Haha, this young lady has visited brothels, but who would think that she doesn't love a gentleman but a beautiful woman? Especially when she is with Zhang Shou...
He frowned and immediately asked unhappily, "What did that barbarian Zhang Kang ask you to do?"
Zhang Shou handed over the note in his sleeve without saying anything. As a result, Ge Yong only glanced at it and roughly stuffed it back, cursing: "This damn barbarian, he still hasn't given up after so many years! He also said that if it doesn't work, he can try it one by one. After so many years, has he figured it out?"
"Yes, I told him too. If you try them one by one, the fourteen-ring key represents four to the fourteenth power, which means there are 268435456 combinations in total." Zhang Shou saw Ge Yong's look as if he had actually figured it out, so he smiled and said, "I just refused. But he kindly agreed. I'll just try it for two or three days and tell him he can't figure it out. That's it."
"That's right." Ge Yong nodded with satisfaction. "Mathematics is not omnipotent. You have already gained enough fame by deciphering those secret letters. You don't need to rack your brains to help that barbarian open that damn box."
At this point, the old man himself had to admit that Zhang Shou was indeed a standout. If those books and those words during the day were attributed to such a young man, some people might really have bad intentions. A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. He was the top seven in the imperial examination, which seemed unprecedented, but wasn't it the result of the Ge family's loyal ministers from generation to generation, plus the deliberate efforts of Emperor Yingzong at that time?
If he hadn't been born into the Ge family, he would have been eaten to pieces by those old foxes at that time!
"Well, you've been in class for so long during the day, and you had to deal with that fox-like old savage at night. I think you must have been exhausted. I won't keep you here. The guest room has been prepared for you. Go to bed early and stop worrying."
Seeing Ge Yong urging him to go back to his room to rest without saying anything, Zhang Shou naturally would not refuse. He smiled and said good night before leaving the study. After waving his hand to refuse the mute servant's guidance and returning to the guest room reserved for him in Ge's mansion to wash and soak his feet, when he went to bed, he could not help but think of the fifty-six words.
He believed that if the 14-character key was a simple poem, he would not be needed. Without any clues or references, and only the Thousand Character Classic as a clue, even with computer assistance, this one-time key was basically impossible for even a god to calculate.
Tomorrow, I can go and look at the world map of this year. It is really a special experience. I wonder if other corners of the world will also change when the butterfly's wings have changed many things!
Moreover, the level of the map can fully reflect the current true level of mathematics and geography.
