The daily life of a peasant girl taking the imperial examination

Chapter 302 Going Against the Grain

It's that same annoying tone and expression again.

Ji Mingyuan calmed himself down, took two steps forward, and looked at Zhuge Yunshu:

"Since Yun hasn't refused, I'll take that as a yes."

He chuckled softly before continuing:

"Junior Sister Yun Shu has a high talent for the law. So, may I ask, what crime should someone be convicted of if they steal?"

Zhuge Yunshu raised an eyebrow but did not answer the question.

Seeing this, Ji Mingyuan continued forward:

"What if it was stolen, or a mathematical solution of immeasurable value? How should this be judged?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the area around the training ground erupted in an uproar.

What did he mean by that?

"Are you stupid? You mean someone stole Zhuge Xuezi's mathematical solutions?"

"is it?"

"This person is truly shameless."

"..."

Everyone was talking about it.

Ji Mingyuan: "......"

The students of Xiaoshan County: "..."

These people, these people from Linxi County, must have something wrong with them!

What they clearly wanted to express was...

At this moment, Ji Mingyuan's expression was very unpleasant. He even began to doubt whether he had been too vague in his words.

With that in mind, he decided to be more explicit.

"What I mean is, Junior Sister Yun Shu, do you dare swear to heaven that the mathematical algorithm of setting unknowns was your creation in the entire Great Xia Kingdom?"

These words caused another uproar around the training ground.

"What does this student Ji from Xiaoshan County School mean? Is he saying that our Xiao Sanyuan stole someone else's problem-solving algorithm?"

"No doubt about it, the facts are right in front of us. The reason they asked this question is because they were waiting for this."

"How can this be?"

"With our Xiao Sanyuan's talent, do we really need to do such a thankless and arduous task?"

"Exactly, even if you were to steal, you wouldn't have anywhere to go..."

"That's hard to say. These scholars will do anything for their reputation."

"..."

Below the martial arts arena, the people are buzzing with discussion, while the students and teachers from Linxi County School participating in the competition are momentarily stunned by Ji Mingyuan's words.

Especially Instructor Song, after regaining his senses, pointed at Ji Mingyuan and asked Teacher Wang beside him:

What is this person saying?

Master Wang: "When a dog is cornered, it will jump over the wall. Of course, it's spouting nonsense."

Instructor Song: "..."

His friend has actually learned to joke around.

It's really strange.

However, seeing Master Wang's calm expression, Instructor Song couldn't help but feel relieved.

On the contrary, Wang Yi and Zhang Hao, especially Zhang Hao, were so angry that he wanted to stand up and curse Ji Mingyuan, that bastard, to the ends of the earth.

His father is such a sore loser.

They've actually learned to smear others, and with such absurd and baseless slander at that.

Seeing Zhang Hao's excited expression, Wang Yi gestured for him to calm down and observe the situation.

She believed that Junior Sister Yun Shu would definitely be able to handle such a small matter.

Zhuge Yunshu was stunned for a moment when she heard Ji Mingyuan's blunt words.

After they realized what was happening, that was it? Was this the ultimate move they had prepared?

Is it still riddled with such flaws?

Instead of answering, Zhuge Yunshu asked, "Oh? Brother Ji, does that mean the algorithm for setting unknowns came from you?"

In other words, what you're trying to say, without a doubt, is that I stole your algorithm?

"Don't talk nonsense," Ji Mingyuan said somewhat flusteredly.

"As everyone knows, my expertise lies in classical debates, while my knowledge of mathematics is only superficial. However, although I am not good at it, I often consult Dr. Qin and Junior Brother Sun about questions I don't understand. Coincidentally, Dr. Qin uses the method of setting up unknowns to help me solve my problems..."

That would have been fine, but coincidentally, my page was also in Dr. Qin's study that day, and then disappeared without a trace. Then, by sheer coincidence, I happened to be visiting the Linxi County School and ran into him again… Junior Sister Yun Shu, isn't that a coincidence?

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone around the training ground looked at Zhuge Yunshu and Dr. Qin in disbelief.

One was a young prodigy just starting out, and the other was a renowned scholar who had long been famous in mathematics.

As to who is right and who is wrong, everyone already has their own bias in their hearts.

Zhuge Yunshu looked at Dr. Qin. They were only four or five meters apart, so she could clearly see the expression on his face.

What does he mean?

The look on his face wasn't one that he had foreseen it, but rather a natural expression of surprise!

I must say, his acting skills are superb.

At this point, Zhuge Yunshu no longer wanted to engage in pretense with these people from Xiaoshan County.

Then he looked at Dr. Qin and said:

"Truth and falsehood are intertwined, and no amount of explanation will change that... I have a math problem here. Since Dr. Qin is so skilled at algorithms with unknowns, could you please tell me how to solve this problem?"

As he spoke, he picked up the brush from the desk and wrote this on the paper:

There are three piles of chess pieces. The number of pieces in the first pile is two less than twice the square of the number of pieces in the second pile. The number of pieces in the third pile is three more than half the product of the number of pieces in the first and second piles. If four pieces are taken from the first pile and put into the second pile, and then two pieces are taken from the second pile and put into the third pile, the square of the number of pieces in the first pile will then be one less than the product of the number of pieces in the second and third piles. How many pieces were originally in each pile?

This is a quadratic equation with three variables.

Didn't Dr. Qin boast that he knew about the algorithm for setting unknowns before Zhuge Yunshu, and even slander her for stealing?

However, anyone with a discerning eye would know what was going on once they heard their flimsy excuse.

However, that doesn't stop some fools from believing it!

Zhuge Yunshu did the opposite: "You said I stole your mathematical algorithms, so prove it."

Dr. Qin and Ji Mingyuan, along with other students from Xiaoshan County School, were all amazed by Zhuge Yunshu's brilliant move.

How come this is different from their prediction?

Zhuge Yunshu clearly did not answer their questions directly, nor did he rush to explain anything.

Instead, they changed the subject and let them prove themselves first.

"This problem uses the method of setting up unknowns. I believe that with Dr. Qin's achievements in mathematics, he can easily obtain the final answer."

Zhuge Yunshu smiled innocently, but his words were incredibly irritating.

"Oh, by the way, Brother Ji, didn't you say that Dr. Qin explained this algorithm to you? Why don't you explain it to everyone?"

"Junior Sister Yun Shu has quite the sharp tongue!" Ji Mingyuan's face was icy as he faced Zhuge Yun Shu's relentless questioning.

In the end, Dr. Qin and Sun Wenxiu, along with other students from the Xiaoshan County School, naturally failed to arrive at the final answer.

However, even so, Ji Mingyuan still made a nonsensical remark:

Justice resides in the hearts of the people; what does not belong to you will never be yours.

Everyone: "..."

Is this a final, desperate struggle?