Chen Zilong admired Xu Guangqi the most. After he finished his questioning, he bowed and said, "Master Xu has taken charge of the country and is committed to governing. I have great respect and admiration for him. I'm visiting you today to seek your guidance on current affairs."
Xu Guangqi pondered for a moment and said, "My lifelong learning has focused on practical application. As for farming, I have paid particular attention to it. I believe it is the source of people's education and the foundation of a strong and prosperous nation."
"A gentleman's learning is about understanding the times; one should act accordingly when the times are most pressing." Chen Zilong continued, "I fully agree with what Lord Xu has said."
After a pause, he continued, "The three of us have already inquired about the new school. Apart from economics and agricultural water conservancy, we don't want to study anything else. I wonder if Master Xu will be the instructor at the new school?"
Xu Guangqi smiled and shook his head, saying, "Although I am the chief priest, I do not teach in person. However, there are ready-made teaching materials and famous teachers, which is the same as if I were teaching in person."
Chen Zilong showed a hint of disappointment and exchanged glances with Xia Yunyi and Xu Fuyuan.
Zhu Youxiao suddenly asked, "Do you think that the study of things is not a matter for the present age and cannot be used to govern the world?"
Xia Yunyi looked over and said with a smile, "That's not the case. It's just that we don't have this skill, and we don't think it's as important as farming and economics."
Zhu Youxiao smiled and nodded, saying, "The name 'Gewu' is indeed inappropriate and can easily lead to misunderstanding. If we change it to 'Lishen' and explain that it is a natural science, not a side skill, perhaps it would be better."
Xu Guangqi blinked, pondering the meaning of the word "physics," and then he said, "Physics is the principle behind everything in the universe."
"The principle is more relevant," Zhu Youxiao said. "Knowing the principle is like mastering the rules, which can achieve twice the result with half the effort. Moreover, physics is a basic subject and can promote agriculture, water conservancy, manufacturing, construction, and other areas."
Chen Zilong didn't quite understand, so he bowed and said, "Brother Shen, please explain in detail. I'm all ears."
Zhu Youxiao pondered for a moment, turned around and asked Li Chengcheng behind him to bring a teapot. He filled the cup with water and stopped only when it was about to overflow. He then asked Li Chengcheng to get a piece of thick paper.
Then, in the confused eyes of everyone, Zhu Youxiao covered the rim of the cup with thick paper, gently picked up the cup, and slowly turned it upside down.
"Oh? Huh?" Everyone exclaimed in surprise. Just a piece of paper had actually stopped the water in the cup from spilling out.
Even Xu Guangqi and Johann Adam Schall von Bell widened their eyes. They had never tried this before and didn't know why.
Zhu Youxiao chuckled, turned the cup over again, and said, "What's the principle behind this? As the saying goes, water flows to the lowest point. But the siphon can divert water across a height to irrigate the other side. How is that possible?"
"The Yellow River carries a large amount of sediment and is severely silted, often causing flooding that harms people. Usually, dredging is done to clear the silt, but if we can control the flow and increase its speed, will this flush out the sediment, reduce siltation, and benefit the people living along the river?"
"Take your hometown, Songjiang, for example. It's renowned for its textiles. If we could delve into improving textile machinery and technology, raising efficiency, one person could weave as much cloth as two, or even three, people. Wouldn't that benefit the people and, like Huang Daopo, leave a name in history?"
Facing these questions, Chen Zilong and others looked thoughtful. After a while, they bowed to Zhu Youxiao and said, "We are ignorant and would like to hear your details."
Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, "It's not that I'm hiding something, it's just that this physics is very profound and it can't be explained clearly in a short time."
"This is why I say physics is so important and a fundamental discipline. Only by understanding the principles, or laws, of how things work can we better apply them in practice and contribute to the benefit of our country and our people."
Xia Yunyi blinked and asked curiously, "Brother Shen, did you learn this physics in the new school?"
Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "I will be taught in my new course on the study of things. I only have a superficial understanding of it."
Xu Fuyuan laughed and said, "Brother Shen is too modest. Such a profound truth, oh, the principle, can be studied clearly. We are so far behind. How shameful!"
"I am ashamed of myself for being so good at poetry and prose as you all are." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile, "Every profession has its own specializations. If you don't understand something, you can learn it if you want. There really isn't any difference or distinction between superior and inferior."
Xu Guangqi nodded in agreement and said, "You are all talented people with quick minds. It is not difficult for you to learn anything you want. It all depends on your interest and perseverance."
Everyone agreed. They were all young, about seventeen or eighteen years old, and were full of curiosity and thirst for knowledge about new knowledge and new things, and they were less resistant.
Xia Yunyi asked curiously, "Brother Shen, since you're studying physics, you also have to take the imperial examination. I'm afraid you don't have enough energy and time, right?"
Taking the imperial examination? Declaring yourself the top scorer?
Zhu Youxiao found it a little funny, but he also knew that this question was very important to scholars.
Learning the arts of literature and martial arts, and serving the emperor. Just learning knowledge and skills, but not being able to become an official, is inconsistent with the education concept they have received since childhood!
"I will not take the imperial examination," Zhu Youxiao said thoughtfully. "First, I don't want to be a bookworm who only knows eight-legged essays, buried in the Four Books and Five Classics, wasting my time and wasting my life in vain. Even if I deceive a high official, it will only bring bad luck to the people and the court."
Xia Yunyi shook his head and said, "Brother Shen, your words are a bit extreme. Although the eight-legged essay is often criticized for being rigid and inflexible, if you study it diligently, you can still write good articles and even have insightful and practical ideas, such as Zhang Jiangling's "The Great Way to Make Money."
Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, "There are very few who can produce excellent eight-legged essays. In fact, the court is also well aware of the drawbacks of the eight-legged essay system. So why not change it?"
Glancing around at everyone present, Zhu Youxiao extended his finger and explained in detail, "First, the essence of the eight-legged essay selection system isn't to govern the country through it, but to set the difficulty of the exam to select talented individuals who can then be cultivated by the state."
"Secondly, the eight-legged essay has a strict format, allowing examiners to quickly and objectively evaluate the papers. This essentially eliminates the subjective nature of the Tang Dynasty's selection process based on poetry and prose, which was prone to corruption and solicitation."
"In summary, the eight-legged essay system ensures the greatest possible fairness in selecting scholars. Whether it's based on region, background, or judging criteria, it takes the majority into account. Therefore, even though we know it has drawbacks, we can't abolish it until there's a better solution."
The ability to embody the greatest fairness in the imperial examination is the biggest reason why the eight-legged essay system has continued to be used.
It is not an easy task to ensure that examiners can mark the papers objectively while taking into account candidates from different regions and cultural development areas.
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