Diqin Designer

Chapter 198: The Study of Things and Mathematics Should Be Valued
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, the atmosphere of the banquet gradually heated up. The effect of the alcohol began to take effect, and some people who had been restrained began to relax, and the atmosphere in the courtyard became peaceful and festive.

But some people remained sober. A middle-aged candidate stood up from his seat and said to the First Emperor: "Tonight's banquet is a time for joy, and I should not spoil the mood of your Majesty and the others. However, if I don't say something, it will be like a fish bone stuck in my throat. This is harmful to the Qin Dynasty, so I should present it to your Majesty in time."

Fan Zeng looked at the middle-aged candidate. He had just heard of this man's name when he was paraded on horseback today. His name was "Li Shiqi".

Ying Zheng glanced at Li Shiqi and said, "Since you are a threat to the Qin Dynasty, please tell me now!"

Li Shiqi said sternly: "The harm that the people are talking about is the great examination in Xianyang this time. It emphasizes mathematics and the study of things, but neglects the examination questions. This is extremely inappropriate."

Seeing that Ying Zheng did not stop him from speaking, Li Shiqi continued, "Mathematics and the study of things are indeed useful, but they should not be taken too seriously. You must know that they are minor arts, and policy-making is the major art."

This aroused Ying Zheng's interest, and he asked, "Confucianism has the six arts of a gentleman, which was established by Confucius and must be learned by Confucian disciples. One of the arts is 'mathematics'..."

Ying Zheng hadn't finished speaking, but everyone knew what he meant. "Numerology" is one of the six arts of a gentleman, and it was established by your Confucian ancestor Confucius. You, a Confucian disciple, want to refute Confucius?
Li Shiqi replied: "Numerology is indeed one of the six arts, but Confucius made it one of the six arts so that we can know and use it to cultivate ourselves, regulate our families, and govern our country, that is, to make it useful in reality."

"Confucius meant that 'Numbers' should be learned so that one can understand the affairs of the world with them. However, it is ultimately a minor art, and should be used only for its own sake, but not excessively."

"But in this exam, Your Majesty has elevated mathematics to a position that it should not be in. If an incompetent person holds a high position, it will definitely be harmful, and the same is true for mathematics."

"Mathematics cannot be used to grow crops, nor can it be used to raise silkworms and weave clothes? If you understand it in depth, let alone how it can be used to govern the country and the people, what use is it in daily life?"

"For example, the math test question asks how the three sides of a triangle are related. If we know this relationship, will it help farmers produce an extra bushel of grain?"

"And the question about the pool. It's filling up with water, but it's also draining out at the same time. Who would normally do that?"

Draining the pond while filling it up at the same time, isn't that just a waste of time? Only a fool would do that, right?

Li Shiqi continued, "The same is true of the study of things. Although it is useful, it is only slightly useful and should not be elevated to such a high level."

"I am not saying that mathematics and the study of things cannot be learned, but I just want Your Majesty to distinguish the priorities in governing the country!"

"Governing a country should focus on implementing benevolent policies and clarifying rites and laws. If benevolent policies are implemented, the people will be willing to follow them. If everyone follows rites, the world will naturally be stable. Mathematics and the study of things can only be secondary and should not be given too much importance."

Li Shiqi's words made many candidates attending the banquet nod their heads. Yes, it is enough to learn enough. It is useless to go deeper to discover and understand.

But the Qin civil and military officials attending the banquet did not nod, but just looked at Li Nian, who was sitting at the same table with the other young masters. It was this person who asked the questions on mathematics and the study of things, and it was also this person who put mathematics, the study of things and policy questions on the same level. Let's see how this person answers.

Ying Zheng did not answer Li Shiqi's question, but looked at the other candidates and said, "If you have anything else to say, please say it!"

Another candidate stood up, holding a cup in his hand, and said frankly: "It has not been half a year since the unification of the world, and many people in the world still have no food or clothes to wear, but Your Majesty is spending this precious thing lavishly, which is both extravagant and wasteful."

"Your Majesty, you have used this to serve wine to us. We are very grateful, but we also hope that Your Majesty can see the appearance of the people of the world, and not be ignorant of the hunger and cold of the people in the deep palace!"

Ying Zheng was not angry at all, nor did he think that this man was short-sighted and did not know that this thing was not precious. Instead, he thought that this man was very honest and dared to stand up and point out the problem.

After Li Shiqi and this candidate, other candidates were also inspired and began to speak one after another, turning a banquet into a discussion meeting on governing the country and the world.

At this moment, many of them forgot their homeland and that they were in the Qin Imperial Palace and that the Qin Emperor was still here.

The opinions raised by these people are also very interesting. For example, regarding the policies towards foreign countries, some people believe that it is necessary to send troops to conquer them and make their lands the property of Qin. Others believe that it is necessary to be benevolent and implement benevolent policies towards those barbarians so that they will voluntarily return to Qin because of benevolence.

So, the original intention was to point out the problems to the Emperor Qin, but gradually the topic went off track, and the candidates started arguing because of their different opinions.

For example, Zhuang Huang, the top scorer in the comprehensive list, started arguing with others. Zhuang Huang thought that Li Shiqi was wrong and that mathematics was useful in the study of things, which would surely benefit the world in the future. Chu Moju stood on his side and put forward some evidence that the study of things was useful in daily life.

But there were not many candidates on their side, and more people supported Li Shiqi's words. The origins of many people were also exposed in the debate. For example, Zhuang Huang was an alchemist, but he was just an alchemist who practiced the doctrines of Confucianism, Taoism, and Mohism, while Han Zheng practiced both Confucianism and Legalism.

Fusu glanced at Li Nian who was sitting next to him with a strange look on his face. A lot of things in the Xianyang examination came from his future brother-in-law, and the mathematics and the study of things that this group of candidates were discussing were related to them. But this man just sat there eating as if nothing had happened without even raising his eyelids.

It seems that looking at it one more time or listening to it one more time will make it eat less.

If there were no other people around, Fusu would really like to ask his future brother-in-law: Food is so important, why don’t you say something?
After a long while, Ying Zheng asked, "Li Nian, what do you think?"

As soon as the Emperor Qin opened his mouth, everyone stopped arguing and looked at the young man they had seen in the daytime, who stood up from the seat where the princes of the Great Qin were sitting.

The identity of this person could not be determined during the day, but the Emperor Qin had already confirmed it for them. This young man was Li Nian, the target of many people's trip to Xianyang.

Li Nian said: "From some aspects, what you said makes sense. Are the mathematics and the study of things you discussed worthy of attention? I think they should be taken seriously, and must be taken seriously!"

If you don't learn math, physics and chemistry well, you will either play in the mud with the whole world, or be beaten up by other countries that have developed math, physics and chemistry.

Li Nian didn't want to choose either of these two options. What he wanted was for Daqin to develop mathematics, physics and chemistry well and beat up other countries.

Li Nian picked up the cup in front of him and said, "The reason why you think that mathematics and the study of things are not worth paying attention to is simply because you think they are not used in daily life."

"Just because ordinary people don't use it doesn't mean the country doesn't need it. And just because ordinary people don't use deeper math and science doesn't mean they don't need the things created by that knowledge."

Do ordinary people use advanced mathematics and materials science in their daily lives?
It is indeed not necessary. You don't need advanced mathematics to buy vegetables, and you don't need to analyze what material fish are made of when you buy them. However, the mobile phones and computers that people use in their daily lives are all created with this knowledge.

"For example, this cup in my hand, someone just used it to advise Your Majesty, saying that Your Majesty is using it lavishly and extravagantly."

"It is true that I advise you not to be extravagant, but this advice is based on the premise that this thing is very precious."

"However, this item is not that precious. If you learn mathematics and the study of things well, it won't be that difficult to make this item."

"But in the process of making this thing, you need to know the properties of the raw materials, the amount of each raw material to be added, the time, the temperature... all of these require mathematics and the study of things!"

"Some people may say that this cup is fine if it is not used normally, and it is not enough to prove that mathematics and the study of things are worthy of attention. Then what about paper?"

"You all participated in the Xianyang exam. How did you feel?"

Those candidates who had just supported Li Shiqi were speechless.

Because of the convenience of paper, they have experienced it firsthand and realized that it will be of great use to the world.

Li Nian continued, "I heard that in ancient times, people did not know how to smelt metal, and often made various tools out of stone. They did not know how to wear clothes, and covered their bodies with leaves. They also did not know how to make fire, and ate raw meat and drank blood."

"But today, our Great Qin's armor and weapons are made of copper and iron, our Great Qin's clothes are made of silk and linen, and we even know how to make fire..."

"All of the above are the progress of studying things. Only when we know that copper and iron can be refined can we know that they can be made into weapons and armor. Only when we know that silk and linen can be made into clothes can we raise silkworms and weave cloth."

Some people wanted to refute that this was because the study of things was important, but mathematics was not reflected in it. However, they remembered that when making the cup, mathematics was needed to calculate the amount of raw materials and control the temperature, so they did not say anything.

"The study of things will continue to progress and develop many things that will surprise us. Mathematics will also play an important role in it. It's not that you think it's unimportant just because it seems useless in daily life!"

The good thing about the Qin Dynasty was that many interest groups had not yet formed, Confucianism was not the only dominant school, there were no aristocratic families, no gentry, the division between civil officials and military generals was not so obvious, and although the nobles of the six kingdoms were still there, they were now a group of dead bones in a tomb.

Therefore, it was easier to do certain things than in later dynasties!
(End of this chapter)