Chapter 314: Self-Justification

Chapter 314 Proving Herself

On the viewing platform, Ji Qingqing stood up in disbelief.

She screamed, "Impossible! You must have made a mistake somewhere. How could she get such a high score?"

Her doubt was not without reason.

In previous editions of the Canglang Poetry Talk, the number of people who got full marks was very small, no more than five.

And those candidates—weren't they all top students from academies or the Imperial College?

Basically, if someone mentioned a name, everyone in the capital would have heard of it.

Secondly, the reason Ji Qingqing didn't believe it was:

Luo Jingshen had clearly promised her earlier that when he saw the answer sheet, he would give Ji Yuntang a low score.

Even if the other judges gave her high scores, if he alone gave a low score, it would bring down Ji Yuntang's overall average.

There's no way she could have gotten a perfect score.

She couldn't figure out where things had gone wrong.

Xie Liuzheng shot a sideways glance at Ji Qingqing and said sarcastically,

"Second Miss Ji, since you're not capable of getting full marks yourself, you doubt others who do. It seems you're really trash from the gutter, talking so lowly."

Ji Qingqing, her face full of anger, said through gritted teeth, "Heir Xie, Headmaster Cheng said we are allowed to question the candidates' scores."

"My sister got a perfect score. As her younger sister, I am naturally happy for her. But I'm sure you understand what a perfect score in arithmetic means."

"I believe everyone here is as curious as I am about my sister's score. Solving the same problems, why did no one else get a full score, but she did?"

Mei Zhuyu chuckled lightly and glanced at Cheng Rushan.

"Headmaster Cheng, since someone has doubts about Ji Yuntang's score, why don't we invite Ji Yuntang to explain her problem-solving approach for this question?"

Cheng Rushan knew immediately that Mei Zhuyu also wanted to know. He nodded and said, "Let's do as Director Mei suggests."

Like Ji Qingqing, he was also burning with curiosity.

However, as a teacher, he had long mastered the ability to control his emotions and would not easily show his inner curiosity.

Ji Yuntang listened to the conversation, smiled slightly, and stood up.

She said slowly and deliberately, "Actually, solving this problem is very simple. You just need to know the multiplication table."

"What is the multiplication table?" asked Mei Zhuyu curiously.

"Simply put, the multiplication table is a new method for verifying calculations in multiplication, division, and square roots. It is much faster than counting rods, mental abacus, and even the abacus."

After speaking, Ji Yuntang asked for some rice paper and wrote down a nine-by-nine multiplication table.

"Just now, I used the multiplication table method to calculate how many fen the length of nine hundred li of Qinchuan amounted to."

"Multiply nine hundred by three hundred and fifty, then by five hundred, then divide the result by the five fen per roll of the chestnut, and finally arrive at 31.5 million rolls."

As she spoke, Ji Yuntang used a brush to write out the columnar calculation and each step of the solution.

After reading it, Mei Zhuyu felt as if a lightbulb had gone off.

He praised loudly, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

"I wonder, did Miss Ji invent this multiplication table?"

Ji Yuntang shook her head and said truthfully, "No, I saw it in a book. I found it very practical and memorized it, but I can't find that book anymore."

Mei Zhuyu was somewhat disappointed. He was about to ask Ji Yuntang which book she saw it in and who wrote it, when he heard her say the book was no longer available.

Ji Yuntang smiled slightly and said, "No matter who the original creator of the multiplication table was, his original intention was to enable countless students to use multiplication more flexibly to solve arithmetic problems."

"If Headmaster Cheng and Director Mei don't mind, you can copy this multiplication table and teach more students to use it."

Mei Zhuyu's eyes lit up, and then he asked in surprise,

"Miss Ji, are you really willing to share the multiplication table?"

Ji Yuntang smiled and said, "I am happy to. Knowledge knows no borders or gender. Since I came to participate in this competition, I am willing to use the knowledge I have to help more people."

"I can't guarantee anything else, but if everyone here learns this multiplication table, then in the future, whether doing problems, counting, or settling accounts, you can accurately calculate the answer in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

Mei Zhuyu said with a smile and great relief, "Truly, the new generation surpasses the old. Miss Ji's breadth of mind really impresses me."

There are no books about the nine-nine multiplication table available on the market.

Ji Yuntang could have taken the credit herself, telling them she invented the multiplication table, and then sold it for a lot of money.

But she didn't do that. Instead, she willingly shared this multiplication table for all students everywhere to use.

Ji Yuntang is merely a woman, yet how many men can match her generosity?

Luo Junhe's thin lips curled slightly. The gloom in his heart had vanished, and his charming eyes unconsciously held a hint of a smile.

"My A Tang is truly amazing. She even made Director Mei and Headmaster Cheng see her in a new light. What a remarkable princess I have married!"

Chen Hu immediately said obsequiously, "The princess and the prince are family. If the princess is formidable, it means the prince is formidable. The princess is the prince's equal, which means the princess is more of a man than the prince."

Luo Junhe: '...'

He shot Chen Hu a chilly look, and Chen Hu immediately covered his mouth with his hand and went to stand in the corner, drawing circles on the floor.

He slapped his own mouth again.

He had promised himself not to talk, but why couldn't he control himself?

Luo Junhe ignored him and turned back to look at Ji Yuntang, his expression gentle.

Today's Ji Yuntang was within his expectations, yet also exceeded them.

On the competition stage, she was as dazzling as a star in the night sky, making it impossible to tear his eyes away.

Xie Liuzheng raised an eyebrow and said loudly to Ji Qingqing, "Second Miss Ji, my sister got full marks in arithmetic. Do you have any other objections?"

"If you have any, speak now, so that after it's over, you won't go around spreading rumors that she cheated and ruin her reputation."

Ji Qingqing: '...'

She wished she could tear apart Xie Liuzheng's foul mouth. He really touched a sore point.

Headmaster Cheng and Director Mei have already said that, so how could she dare to have any objections?

Ji Qingqing took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "I am just a common girl, so I have no objections."

After the arithmetic competition ended, there was a one-hour intermission before the second round, the woodworking competition, began.

The proctor came forward and read out the competition rules.

"The woodworking competition has no set topic; contestants can freely use their imagination to draw woodworking designs on paper."

"Designs should focus on the four aspects of 'clothing, food, housing, and transportation,' with the principle of 'being convenient and beneficial for the people, and bringing them prosperity.'"

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