Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Underdog's Turnaround

The bustling exhibition of Mohist inventions had come to an end, and Chang’an quietly returned to its peaceful state.

Yet, within the tranquil heart of Guanzhong, subtle changes were beginning to stir. The curved shaft plow made a spectacular debut across the region, its ease and efficiency in tilling the land quickly winning over countless farmers. In an era where land was the most precious wealth, people might scrimp and save in other matters, but they were remarkably generous when it came to anything that made agricultural work easier. Three hundred coins might not be considered cheap, but with a few more acres cultivated, all the investment could be earned back within a year. Even the most miserly penny-pincher would gladly spend lavishly on farming tools.

Moreover, the Mohist village offered a seven-day return policy and a three-year warranty for their curved shaft plow, making it irresistible.

In a typical household in Guanzhong, the men would set out at dawn, driving the oxen to pull the plow across the fields, while the women lovingly tended to the newly purchased chicks at home.

The weather was still cold; usually, the chicks were kept indoors, wrapped up tightly, only allowed outside for a breath of fresh air and a bit of sunlight when the weather was clear at noon.

This year, the family had reclaimed ten acres of wasteland and raised twenty chicks. The hens would be kept for laying eggs, while the roosters would be sold in the summer for cash, allowing them to buy another batch of chicks and look forward to enjoying meat during the New Year. Life seemed to be improving for the whole family, and the women’s eyes curved into crescent moons with happiness.

During the holidays, the Imperial Academy underwent a substantial transformation. Blackboards and chalk boldly entered the halls of the highest institution in the Tang Dynasty, receiving widespread praise. Regardless of any objections the academicians might have toward Mo Dun, they were unanimous in their admiration for the blackboard and chalk.

As the guiding light of education in Chang’an, the Imperial Academy set the trend. Immediately, private schools across the city began ordering blackboards and chalk from the Mohist village, whose construction teams were almost overwhelmed by the demand.

“Zhou Gong established rites and nine numbers; the stream of nine numbers is embodied in the ‘Nine Chapters’!” The mathematics scholar Shen Hongcai picked up the chalk and wrote the contents of the Nine Chapters of Mathematical Arts on the blackboard. Mo Dun was astonished to discover that Shen Hongcai had painstakingly separated the Nine Chapters using various punctuation marks, making the meaning exceptionally clear.

After countless hours of discussion at the Imperial Academy, a new system of punctuation was established. Although it differed greatly from that of later generations, Mo Dun chose not to provoke them further, instead quietly adapting his own symbols.

Young scholars happily embraced these trendy new marks—simple, clear, and immediately understandable. However, it was much less successful among the older teaching assistants and professors. Many of the senior academicians stubbornly refused to use punctuation, persisting in their verbose, unbroken lectures, leaving students in misery.

Yet, mathematics was a precise discipline, and Shen Hongcai’s adoption of punctuation to improve clarity and avoid ambiguity was entirely reasonable.

“The Nine Chapters is the most important work in mathematics. Everyone must master it. If you fail the final exam, don’t blame me for being strict!” Shen Hongcai snorted coldly, his gaze sharp.

Since Li Shimin decreed that mathematics would be mandatory in the Imperial Academy’s entrance exams, the subject had surged in importance, becoming vital for students’ futures, and Shen Hongcai’s authority soared.

“Let’s begin the board demonstration!” Shen Hongcai swiftly wrote several problems on the blackboard, his gaze drifting to the students.

Immediately, everyone groaned in despair! Their eyes were full of resentment toward Mo Dun.

Mo Dun awkwardly rubbed his nose; this wasn’t his idea, but Shen Hongcai’s own invention.

After using the blackboard, he seemed to have instinctively mastered the most common technique used by teachers in later generations—board demonstrations.

He wrote several math problems on the blackboard; one group of students would solve them, then the next group would replace them. If time allowed, Shen Hongcai would have liked to have everyone come up and demonstrate.

If a student made a mistake, the consequences could be severe. Their name would likely appear in every board demonstration for the next week.

Of course, except for Zu Mingjun and Mo Dun. No matter how high they raised their hands, Shen Hongcai wouldn’t even glance at them. Zu Mingjun was at least useful—when the class struggled, Shen Hongcai would call him up to save the day.

As for Mo Dun’s mathematical ability, Shen Hongcai doubted his own skills could match his, so he wasn’t about to risk embarrassing himself.

“Kong Huisuo!” Shen Hongcai began calling names.

Kong Huisuo sighed in resignation. His mathematics skills were lacking, and he had already failed several times before. As expected, Shen Hongcai didn’t let him off this time, appointing him to take up the chalk and start calculating, hoping he could pass smoothly this time.

After calling two names, Shen Hongcai suddenly noticed a hand raised high.

“Qin Huaiyu!” Shen Hongcai was surprised to see Qin Huaiyu, usually a poor student, signaling his eagerness to participate.

“This guy is really asking for trouble, trying to show off now!” Many were astonished—everyone knew Qin Huaiyu’s abilities; if he could solve the problems, they’d never believe it.

“Are you sure?” Shen Hongcai’s expression darkened, suspecting Qin Huaiyu was causing mischief.

“I’m sure!” Qin Huaiyu replied arrogantly, casting a disdainful look around the class. These minor problems were nothing compared to the monstrous ones Mo Dun could create.

Mo Dun watched Qin Huaiyu’s flamboyant manner and felt a headache coming on; the fellow was showing off again.

Seeing Qin Huaiyu insist, Shen Hongcai finally allowed him to come forward.

Qin Huaiyu deliberately stood beside Kong Huisuo, who felt a surge of schadenfreude. He knew all too well that Qin Huaiyu was poor at everything, even worse at mathematics than himself. Now he had a companion in failure.

But to his astonishment, Qin Huaiyu picked up the chalk and began solving the problems rapidly. Kong Huisuo tried to peek, but Qin Huaiyu covered his work, refusing to let him see.

“Hmph, just pretending.” Kong Huisuo scoffed, not believing Qin Huaiyu could manage it.

To his surprise, within moments, Qin Huaiyu had written out the answers, tossed aside the chalk, and stepped down.

He had finished. Kong Huisuo stared blankly at the empty space beside him. Surely, he’d made a mistake! Kong Huisuo waited eagerly for Shen Hongcai to announce an error, but Shen Hongcai was even more shocked—the answers were entirely correct.

“Hmm, Qin has made great progress lately. Everyone should learn from him,” Shen Hongcai praised dryly. “Here’s another problem. Who would like to try?”

Cheng Chumo leapt up, rushed to the blackboard, and swiftly wrote out the correct answer.

“No way!” The students of the Imperial Academy cried out in disbelief—even Cheng Chumo, the burly fellow, could solve it.

Then Yuchi Baolin quickly solved a problem that had stumped Kong Huisuo, further astonishing everyone.

What was happening in this world?

They realized that the students who had always lagged behind now turned the tables!

The most pitiful was Kong Huisuo, who found that the once outstanding student now had become the weakest in mathematics.