In the blink of an eye, it was ten days later.

All the students have recuperated.

Early this morning, before dawn, a long queue lined up outside the Gongyuan.

The second round of imperial examinations has also officially begun.

Compared with the first round of examinations, most of which were scored questions, the difficulty of the second round of the imperial examination has increased exponentially.

Guo Tianyi asked that in addition to the normal liberal arts questions, a large number of science questions should be added to the test paper.

This time it was the same three sets of papers.

Science questions, of course, are arithmetic questions.

When later generations mentioned the learning content of the ancients, it was the Four Books and the Five Classics, but in fact, this was a misunderstanding, and mathematics was once a compulsory subject for ancient students.

It's just that the learning and technology tree of ancient Huaxia eventually grew crooked, which led to some serious consequences.

Since the Western Zhou Dynasty, mathematics has been one of the "six arts" and is one of the compulsory subjects in major private schools.

At that time, the students in the academy were all children of government families, and the purpose of their studies was to solve practical problems, such as the measurement of land, the calculation of the volume of barns, the construction of dikes and canals, taxation, and so on.

Of course, the practical application of mathematics does not stop there.

To put it mildly, the revision of the almanac, the presumption of the time of the solar and lunar eclipses, and so on, all require you to involve mathematics.

To put it mildly, Qin Shi Huang's construction of the Great Wall, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty's opening of the canal, Wu Zetian's repair of the Tongtian Buddha, etc., all require accurate measurements by mathematicians.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, the dolls of the official family began to study from the age of six, and mathematics was a compulsory subject.

During the Sui Dynasty, the imperial court set up a school specializing in teaching mathematics, and later in the Northern Wei Dynasty, a school specializing in teaching mathematics was also established.

In the early Tang Dynasty, the imperial examination system of the Sui Dynasty was followed, and mathematics was still one of the six subjects, and special schools were also established.

The growth path of ancient Huaxia in these periods was normal.

How advanced is ancient Huaxia compared with foreign countries?

It can be said that from ancient times until the 14th century, ancient Chinese mathematics has always been at the forefront of the world.

Including the well-known Pythagorean theorem is 5 centuries ahead of foreign countries.

In ancient Chinese mathematics, there are also the world's earliest geometry, the earliest system of equations, the oldest matrix, and so on.

These are the inevitable consequences of the imperial court's support for mathematics.

But after Tang, mathematics was not so valued.

Most people study the Four Books and the Five Classics entirely.

After the Song Dynasty, he learned mathematics by self-study.

Even the method of solving equations that circulated in the Song Dynasty was lost for a long time, and after the Qing Dynasty, it was still considered to be a book from heaven...

Guo Tianyi naturally would not allow such a thing to happen.

The collision of culture and culture can produce new sparks.

Only by contending with a hundred schools of thought can we make progress.

Otherwise, a situation of complacency will be created.

In today's examination room, the students also frowned.

Of course, there are also some people who dance excitedly.

For example, the disciples of the Mo family.

Math is a compulsory subject for them.

Today's exam was too friendly for them.

Wang Yuan and the others were also puzzled after reading the exam questions, and they didn't know why His Majesty would let people come up with so many arithmetic questions?

"Can you tell me, does Your Majesty plan to strongly support mathematics in the future?"

After Wang Yuan finished reading the test papers, he looked at the deputy examiners and asked aloud.

"I don't know..."

"Your Majesty's heavenly power is unpredictable, and there may be deeper intentions."

"I think Your Majesty's intention is profound, and there are still many uses for the development of mathematics."

"Yes, surveying, weaving, exchange, paying taxes, smelting, civil engineering, interest, etc., all require a fairly good foundation in arithmetic..."

"Your Majesty Shengming!"

"I only have to admire..."

Wang Yuan smiled.

Someone said it got to the point.

Exactly what he thought.

However, Wang Yuan also saw something deeper.

That's what His Majesty supports, not just arithmetic.

Rather, it is a hundred schools of thought.

In the eyes of His Majesty, as long as it is research and learning, it is supported.

That's a good thing for young people.

It's also good for society and for the development of the country...

Inside the exam room.

Huang Weiyin had a headache.

He was extremely unproficient in mathematics.

But as the son of Tobe Shangshu, he still has a mathematical foundation.

However, there were a number of topics that he couldn't figure out.

"Ugh...."

"After today's exam, I'm hungry and can't do math."

"I'm afraid I'm barely passing this time..."

Huang Weiyin answered all the rest of the questions, only some math problems were not accurate.

And in this exam, math questions accounted for the majority.

In the Tianzi No. 5 room not far from Huang Weiyin, Gu Qian was sitting.

"Chickens and rabbits in the same cage.."

"There are 35 heads from above, 94 feet from below, and how many chickens and rabbits are there?"

"It's an easy problem to solve."

A confident glint appeared on Gu Gan's face, and then he calculated it on the straw paper provided next to him.

Soon, he wrote the answer below, 23 chickens and 12 rabbits.

"A vendor is selling chickens, and each rooster is worth 5 cents, the hen is worth 3 cents, and the 3 chicks are worth 1 cent."

"Now buy 100 chickens for 100 yuan, and ask how many roosters, hens and chicks are there among these 100 chickens?"

"There should be more than one answer..."

"Suppose the rooster is A, the hen is B, and the three chicks are C..."

"A is equal to 5, B is equal to 3..."

Gu Qian actually calculated the ancient version of the equation on the straw paper.

If Guo Tianyi saw this scene, he would be amazed.

This is all because Gu Qian has an ancient book about arithmetic in his hand.

It just lists such equation questions.

After solving the equation for a moment.

Gu Qian wrote out three standard answers.

In the following topics, Gu Qian also encountered a problem and began to ponder.

All the students are different, some are depressed, some are ecstatic, some are sad...

In the Tianzi No. 10 room not far from Gu Qian.

Sitting was Qin Yichuan, a disciple of the Hanmen from Hebei Province.

Although Qin Yichuan's mathematical skills are not as good as Gu Qian's, they are not bad.

Soon.

It's time.

Some people didn't even finish answering the papers, and they left the examination room in frustration and under the orders of the examiner.

The first thing every student does when they go home is to find books related to arithmetic and frantically supplement their knowledge of mathematics.

Three days later.

The royal list was announced.

Huang Weiyin came to the Xuanwu Gate of the Forbidden City, and saw that he had reached the barely passing line of more than 3,000 people, and exhaled lightly.

If you are eliminated.

That's a big shame.

"it!"

"He's still in the top ten?"

Huang Weiyin's eyes widened, and he saw the name of his friend Gu Qian.

This time, Gu Qian was in the top ten again.

Of course, more students are not in a good mood.

Therefore, in the second round of exams, only more than 3,000 people passed.

Those who can pass the second round of exams are very happy.

Some even wept bitterly.

Even being the head of a local yamen can greatly change the fate of many people.

It is said that there are fewer places to pass the final exam in the third round.

But as long as you pass the top three in the third round of exams, you can even go directly to the local county magistrate.

This is a huge temptation for thousands of poor students who walk on the single-plank bridge.

The gold content of the top three is too different.