Zhu Yijun and Zhu Zaiyu entered the alley to talk, and they became very interested. They asked the eunuch to take out some papers, rulers, and some charcoal pens, and said to Zhu Zaiyu: "Your Majesty, please take a look, this is what I am thinking about." mathematical problems.”
Zhu Zaiyu heard that the emperor always talked about "mathematics" instead of "arithmetic". He changed his mind and had a rough idea of how the emperor viewed this science. He didn't know what Zhu Yijun's accomplishments were in this area, so he calmed down to see what the emperor was thinking about.
Zhu Yijun took a ruler and drew a coordinate system on the paper that would be drawn by later junior high school students. He also wrote an equation "A = B 2" and easily drew a standard parabola.
Putting down his pen, Zhu Yijun smiled and said to Zhu Zaiyu: "Your Majesty, please take a look. I see craftsmen and laboratories researching problems. Graphics are graphics, arithmetic is arithmetic, but there is no technique to connect the two - this is what I got by chance. Can the method named 'coordinate system' still be used?"
Zhu Zaiyu took the paper and read it, then opened his mouth wide and couldn't close it, with a look of shock on his face. The formulas written by the emperor were nothing special. There were linear equations in "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic". Mathematicians in the Song and Yuan Dynasties had already advanced Chinese classical mathematics to more than four elements.
This rectangular coordinate system is nothing special. Just use a ruler and draw it easily.
However, this simple rectangular coordinate system is the first time that humans have unified "number" and "shape", marking that mathematics has truly become a modern science from today on. Before that, it was divided into two subjects, called algebra and geometry.
In Chinese history, due to its huge population and the need to manage a large empire, the development of algebra was not far behind the world at this time. But in terms of geometry, it has always been in a backward position because it did not receive the introduction of Egyptian geometry like ancient Greece. Until Western learning spread eastward, the Chinese could not draw a regular pentagon.
However, with the great development of water conservancy in the empire and the large-scale production and construction of major imperial factories at this time, the application of geometry also expanded. On average, Zhu Yijun needs to spare at least a quarter of an hour every day to solve various problems summarized by craftsmen and laboratories, and he also brings several disciples.
Although these disciples could often get close to Zhu Yijun, he did not have time to teach him step by step. He could only drop a few words and leave the rest to them to study on their own.
To be honest, mathematics is a subject that extremely requires genius, and several of Zhu Yijun's so-called "disciples" in the laboratory cannot even absorb the knowledge he teaches.
Finally, Zhu Zaiyu, the top smart man of the contemporary era, appeared. When an indigenous genius and a time traveler met, the chemical reaction was earth-shattering, as shown by Zhu Zaiyu, who was kneeling on the ground and prostrated.
Later, Zhu Yijun used charcoal pen on white paper to demonstrate to Zhu Zaiyu the use of negative numbers to draw graphs and solve equations; he also proposed related concepts such as sequence, prime numbers, sets, complex numbers, functions, probability, irrational numbers, operations research, etc. It was all junior and high school knowledge - an hour later, he stopped talking when he saw that Zhu Zaiyu's eyes were spinning in an irregular spiral shape.
Zhu Zaiyu was forty years old at this time. In his early years, he studied astronomy and arithmetic from his maternal uncle He Tang. Later, when he was the prince, he visited famous masters and teachers and thought that he was a scholar of arithmetic and a scholar of heaven and man.
However, after listening to Zhu Yijun's lecture for a long time today, Zhu Zaiyu's mouth was so flat that he always wanted to cry. He kept shouting in his heart: I have lived half my life in vain. Compared with the emperor, my maternal uncle can't even compare with the hair on his legs.
Zhu Yijun was shocked when he saw that his face was ashen, as if the pillar that he was most proud of and that allowed him to stand out in the world had been cut down. He couldn't help but comfort him:
"Your Majesty, there is no need to belittle yourself. What I am talking about today is all based on random speculation. You also know that I don't have much time to study."
After saying this, Zhu Zaiyu seemed to have been drained of energy and could not sit still on the pier. Seeing this, Zhu Yijun quickly said: "I just listened to the arithmetic taught by the prince, and I don't understand it at all. In the future, you and I will How close you are, let's study together. I think you still need to continue studying this knowledge, so I will be playing the drums next to you."
After Zhu Zaiyu heard this, his eyes froze. Then he moved his lips, but stopped talking, his face full of confusion. Zhu Yijun saw this and asked, "Does the Crown Prince have anything to say?"
Zhu Zaiyu finally couldn't hold back his tears and cried: "What the emperor just said just now is that it is not about skills but about Tao! I am so happy to see that I am hunting, and I want to follow the emperor to study and become his lackey, but the ancestral system hinders me - —”
According to the Ming Dynasty, the minimum status for a clan was to be a lieutenant or above, and leaving the fiefdom to enter the capital was considered against the rules. Zhu Zaiyu thought that he would have to leave the capital after the emperor's wedding, and how could he study with the emperor, so he was filled with sadness.
After hearing this, Zhu Yijun smiled and said: "Your Majesty, you don't have to worry about this. I was thinking about-"
Before he finished speaking, Zhu Zaiyu, who was already excited and incoherent, interrupted: "I can give up my status as a clan member and refuse to accept the title of king. Please forgive me and keep me by your side!" After saying that, he knelt down with a plop, and then Kowtow.
The emperor had not finished speaking, and it would be a crime of disrespect for his ministers to interrupt him. Wei Chao, who was standing by, moved his lips slightly, wanting to scold him. Zhu Yijun glanced at him, and Wei Chao quickly lowered his head and stood in silence without saying a word.
Zhu Yijun smiled and said: "I already know the prince's desire to learn. The clan problem has become a chronic problem in the Ming Dynasty, and I am also determined to do some reforms. I just happened to talk to the prince about this matter." Turning to the Wei Dynasty, he said: "You go to Wenyuan Pavilion to call. Mr. Zhang, come here."
Zhu Zaiyu calmed down after hearing this. His father and son had discussed the clan issues faced by the Ming Dynasty at home countless times. Seeing that the emperor was paying attention to this issue, Zhu Zaiyu put down all the formulas and theorems in his head and recited:
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty. My family is in Henan, and no country has more vassal vassals than Henan. There are already seven vassal kings from Zhou, Tang, Zhao, Zheng, etc. at this time. King Zhou's family, I heard that the court gave The annual salary is 190,000 dan; for the minister's family, the imperial court gives him an annual salary of 24,500 dan. It can be said that the imperial court is not unkind to the clan members."
"However, those above the royal family, county king, and above can receive the full annual salary, and those who occupy the land can use it for extravagant expenses. But below the general, the arrears are paid year by year, and the poor clan cannot survive on its own. From the Jiajing year onwards, those below the general, lieutenant, are allowed to eat in the morning There are those who only have one piece of bread and cannot feed themselves; there are also those who have no room or house to shelter; there are those who die without a coffin to bury them; there are also those who are forty years old and cannot get married; there are even those who cannot marry a woman throughout their lives."
After hearing this, Zhu Yijun had a miserable look on his face and said, "I already know this. I once read the memorial sent by General Fengguo to Emperor Shizong, saying, 'I am bound to the city, my movements are prohibited, and I have no property to do anything. There was no one to rely on, and they were without food and clothing for several days. The old and young were crying, and there were all kinds of hardships... Some were exposed for ten years without being able to be buried, some were begging in the market, some were working as servants, some were living in other places, and some were starving to death. ——'I feel sympathy when I see it."
Zhu Zaiyu also had a look of sadness on his face after hearing this, and replied: "It is indeed true what the emperor said. What I saw in Henan is worse than that. They are all descendants of Taizu Miao, and they can't have enough food and clothing today. It's pitiful." ! It is said that poverty breeds evil. In recent years, many generals and lieutenants of auxiliary countries have robbed people on the road and even beat and killed civilians. They have insulted the officials and left the country in ruins."
After saying this, Zhu Zaiyu gave another example: "Before I came to the capital, I heard from people in the government that the lieutenant of Zhenguo in the Royal Palace of Luzhou repeatedly robbed the road, and was arrested and questioned by the officials. The clan government sentenced several people to hanging at one time. It is worthy of the verdict. How can you tolerate crime?" After saying this, Zhu Zaiyu cited several examples of clan crimes that occurred in recent years, expressing the miserable state of his life.
Zhu Yijun listened patiently and asked seriously: "From your perspective, how can this family's chronic disease be solved?"
Zhu Zaiyu listened to the question and replied: "I and my father were at home, and they lamented about the cumbersome affairs of the clan day and night, and discussed them many times. Based on the insights of my father and me, the court should take a multi-pronged approach, and let one go." It is forbidden for the clan to engage in agriculture, business, industry, and military affairs, so that they no longer have to rely on the imperial court for food and clothing; the second is to open up the ban on the clan to serve as officials, and those with literary talents can be promoted to serve as officials, but they are not allowed to hold positions in the capital or hold military power; the third is Reopen the ancestral school and give the clan a way to study and advance."
After hearing this, Zhu Yijun was noncommittal and asked: "These are all set up by the poor clan, but does the prince know how much annual salary the clans in the world ate last year?" Zhu Zaiyu shook his head to express his ignorance.
Zhu Yijun said: "In the fourth year of Wanli, the clan's annual income was 5.5 million dan, accounting for one-third of the world's grain tax! If things go on like this, all the annual income of the imperial court will be used to support the clan, and it will no longer be able to support it!"
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