A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

Chapter 88 Hershey
The next day, Li Yu came to Tongwenguan to congratulate Ding Weiliang.

Martin was not surprised at all: "You should be able to take the first place for granted."

He took out a document from the desk, "In fact, I wanted to use these topics, but if I really do this, I am afraid that only you can make it, and everyone else will get zero points."

Li Yu asked curiously, "What test paper?"

"It was a test question sent from Europe," Martin explained, "I had thought of using test questions from European or American universities, but found that I couldn't explain it clearly to them, and they didn't even think that this level of mathematics was meaningful. "

Li Yu looked at it and found that the test questions were written in English and addressed to the University of Edinburgh.

The difficulty of the questions is more in line with the difficulty that a university should have. The last big geometry question is about the same as the difficulty of about 20 math questions in the college entrance examination.

Martin Ding smiled and asked, "How about it, how many points can you score on this test paper?"

"Naturally a perfect score."

Indeed, if there is a 22nd big question, maybe Li Yu will lose a few points, but the difficulty of the test paper in front of him still can't stop him.

Martin laughed loudly: "I knew it! Don't worry, you will be more free in the university from now on. There are some courses that you don't need to take, but you still have to take the exam."

Li Yu said gratefully, "Thank you, Chief Teacher."

"Besides, there is something else I want to show you."

Ding Weiliang took out a newspaper and handed it to Li Yu.

It was still the "Times", and a reward was published in the newspaper.

Li Yu was a little stunned when he saw it, "This is?"

Ding Weiliang said: "It was written in the newspaper that the King of Sweden and Norway and the Royal Academy of Sciences offered a reward to the world for several mathematical problems."

"I know, but the first N-body problem is..."

Martin spread his hands: "I can't understand the specific questions, but the newspaper stated that answering the questions can get 2500 crowns and a medal awarded by the king himself. It looks pretty good, and I wonder if you can try it."

Of course Li Yu can understand it, but it is said that the N-body problem should have been studied ten years ago. Could it be that there is a slight confusion in time?

So Li Yu asked, "Could it be that no one has studied the three-body problem yet?"

"Three-body? The newspaper seems to be talking about all the cases of more than two, not just three-body."

Li Yu felt a little strange, and asked from another angle: "There is a mathematician in France named Poincaré. Are there any works by him in the list of books purchased by the Imperial University?"

Weiliang Ding said: "Yes, his theory is very advanced, and several books in the mathematical physics book list are his latest books."

"Great, I'm going to check it out!"

Li Yu was about to leave in a hurry, but just as he was leaving the house, he ran into a senior official wearing men's uniforms, and Li Yu quickly apologized.

Ding Weiliang didn't understand, so he said loudly, "Li Yu, what are you doing in such a hurry?"

"Li Yu?!" The official stopped him immediately upon hearing this, "Wait!"

Ding Weiliang also saw the official, and greeted him, "Master Guan Xue, why are you here?"

The official who came was none other than Zhang Baixi.

Zhang Baixi said: "Today is Prince Qing's birthday. I wanted to come to the Prime Minister's Office to congratulate him, but no one else is there. Anyway, you are close to the Wenguan, so I'll come and have a look."

Ding Weiliang immediately introduced to Li Yu: "Don't go, the Minister of Management Zhang Baixi is in front of you."

When Li Yu heard Zhang Baixi's name, he really couldn't leave.

Strictly speaking, Zhang Baixi was the third president of Peking University, and also the first president since the official enrollment in 1902.

"Hello, Principal Zhang!" Li Yu blurted out.

Zhang Baixi smiled slightly: "You are the first to call me the principal, I like this title. I never thought that No.1 in the new subject examination would be so young and spirited, it is really my luck in the university."

"Principal's absurd praise." Li Yu said.

"I've read your test papers later. It's true that you are excellent in Western studies, but why are you so far behind in classics and righteousness?"

Zhang Baixi asked Li Yu's sore point in one sentence, and Li Yu said awkwardly: "Western learning is extremely cumbersome, and naturally takes a lot of time, so the time spent on the classics is relatively less."

Zhang Baixi couldn't find anything wrong with this answer, and said: "Fortunately, there is still time to make up for it in the future, and this aspect should not be too lagging."

"Thank you, principal, for your teaching." Li Yu said.

One of Zhang Baixi's entourage walked in and said to Zhang Baixi: "My lord, I have asked, Prince Qing did not come to the Prime Minister's Office today on business. Instead, he has been preparing for his birthday at home."

"I see." Zhang Baixi sighed helplessly, this Prince Qing!How to get used to Cixi!
These royal masters have been beaten for so many years, haven't they been woken up yet?

After thinking about it, it felt right, anyway, the guns didn't fall on their heads.

Zhang Baixi greeted Ding Weiliang: "Since that's the case, why not go together to congratulate Prince Qing."

Ding Weiliang knew about these Chinese officialdom rules, and gossip everywhere in Beijing was saying that Rong Lu was in poor health, and the next chief minister of military affairs was very likely to be Yikuang.

Now there is an endless stream of people giving gifts to Yikuang. Now it may only cost a few hundred taels of silver, but in the future when he becomes the Minister of Military Aircraft, it may cost thousands of taels of silver, and he may not have the current hundreds of taels of silver to manage affairs. .

Ding Weiliang said: "In that case, I'll go get some silver dollars." Ding Weiliang still likes to use foreign silver dollars.

But Zhang Baixi said: "No need, let's go directly."

"Go directly?" Ding Weiliang was surprised, "It seems inappropriate not to send money."

Zhang Baixi smiled and said: "It's suitable, why not, the old man really doesn't want to give money!"

Martin was confused again, he really couldn't figure out how the Chinese officialdom was playing, shouldn't it be appropriate to give money?

"But……"

Zhang Baixi said: "It doesn't matter, we just don't give money, we still have to give gifts."

He took out a folding fan, opened it and wrote four words on it: "The breeze is coming", and then said: "This old man will give him this fan."

Li Yu couldn't help laughing, Principal Zhang is so funny!It's October now, and the weather is starting to turn cold, so giving Yikuang a fan now is just to calm him down.Moreover, the words "Qingfeng Xulai" compared with Zhao Yikuang's greed for money and bribery are really too stark.

Zhang Baixi also wanted to use this as a warning to Yikuang, but the effect is unknown.

Martin didn't understand what it meant, but he also thought about looking for a gift, so he picked up his German fountain pen in the office, and it was the only one, and the price was not cheap.

Zhang Baixi said to Li Yu: "Student Li Yu, are you going? I heard that Prince Qing and his son have a good relationship with you."

"Go, of course." Li Yu said.

"Then you also prepare gifts?"

Li Yu thought for a while, "I'll go empty-handed."

Zhang Baixi didn't expect Li Yu to be bolder than himself, so he repeated Ding Weiliang's words just now: "I'm afraid it's not appropriate?"

Li Yu also said: "It's suitable, why not. I can give Prince Qing ten free classes in the future, and the money in the future is also money! Not asking him to pay for the classes is equivalent to giving him money now."

Martin was immediately delighted: "Wonderful, I didn't expect you to have financial thinking."

Li Yu really needn't be afraid, this time in Europe he helped Zai Zhen gain a big face, how could Yi Qiang have the nerve to ask him for money.

The few people set off right away, took a carriage and went to Prince Qing's Mansion.

As soon as they arrived at the gate, a few people were blocked by the guard, who stretched out his hand: "Rules."

Zhang Baixi pretended to be confused: "What rules?"

The guard looked Zhang Baixi up and down, "Don't you know? You have to pay 100 taels of silver before entering the door today."

"Dare to ask, is this money considered a birthday gift?"

The doorman was a little impatient: "The meeting gift, of course, is not a birthday gift! If the birthday gift is only 100 taels, go back and forth as soon as possible!"

"So, if you want to see Prince Qing, at least you have to pay the money first." Zhang Baixi asked again.

"I said it's a rule, but you are always a Beijing official, so you don't understand the reason?"

The guard bit him to death and refused to let go.

Zhang Baixi was not angry at all, pointing to Li Yu behind: "He is now the No.1 outstanding student in the Beijing Normal University Hall of High School, if he goes in, he still has to pay?"

All dynasties and dynasties have treated champions or Jinshi with great respect, and letting them come to the house can be said to be a happy opening.

"High school? Imperial University Hall? I haven't heard of it!" The guard looked at Li Yu and recognized him, "So it's Mr. Li."

But then he shook his head and said, "No, Mr. Li is no longer living in the palace. So if you don't pay the money today, you can't enter."

What an elm lump!
Zhang Baixi was disgusted in his heart, and just as he wanted to send a message to the guard, he left, when two people came behind him.

"It's easy to handle. Here are 500 taels of silver. Let the five of us go in."

Several people looked back, and it was Yuan Shikai and Yang Shiqi who came.

Yang Shiqi handed over a 500 tael bank note. When he came a few months ago, the guard didn't charge him.

Seeing the bank ticket, the doorman immediately smiled, and immediately said respectfully: "Several people, please come in."

Yuan Shikai knew Zhang Baixi's character, and he asked Yang Shiqi to pay the money on his behalf just now.

Yang Shiqi wanted to join Yikuang's family at first, but was ruthlessly rejected, but now he has become Yuan Shikai's confidant.

Yang Shiqi is very good at outfield communication, mediation in the middle, and he is smart and tactful.

Yuan Shikai said with a smile: "Master Zhang is clean and upright, so naturally these dirty things can't be seen."

Zhang Baixi's attitude towards Yuan Shikai was okay. He knew that although Yuan Shikai was also a very money-making person, at least Yuan Shikai was capable of doing things, far from a person like Yikuang who was only greedy for money but incapable of doing things.

"Thank you, Master Yuan, Beiyang has accumulated more than half of Zhili's money and food, but he is also a good soldier."

Although Zhang Baixi is upright, he is also a smart person, and he praises him inside and outside of his words, but he doesn't beat him to the limit.

Yuan Shikai said: "Everyone is working for the imperial court, Mr. Zhang is for educating the country's major plan; for me, military strategists are also the country's major plan, and we are each other. Just now I also saw that Mr. Li Yuxiao was with you. He has been kind to me in Beiyang , so a little help from me is nothing."

As soon as Li Yu heard this, he pulled himself together, and it turned out that Yuan Shikai really wanted to help at the beginning.But in fact, it was he who wanted to win Li Yu over and give him a few more favors.

Yang Shiqi looked at Li Yu: "It turns out that Your Excellency is Li Yu, I'm sorry and disrespectful."

Li Yu arched his hands: "It's not worth mentioning."

Today's Prince Qing's Mansion is really lively, Yikuang specially called the theater troupe to celebrate his birthday, and Li Yu saw Yang Xiaolou from afar.Since the last time Cixi listened to Yang Xiaolou's record, she liked him very much.

Yikuang naturally also knew about Cixi's preferences, so he immediately forgot about Yang Xiaolou's past disobedience, and solemnly invited the Tongqing troupe to come to the mansion to sing operas, and offered three times the price.

After several times of education by Tan Xinpei and Jia Honglin, Yang Xiaolou's character has become more restrained, because he is still young after all.

Many officials from the court came, only two ministers, five ministers, and half of the court officials came to celebrate the birthday.

These people are also willing to spend their money, and there are 2000 taels in the gift list.A Taoist priest in Hebei wanted to be promoted to an official, and even gave 8000 taels directly.

No wonder it is said that Yikuang is the real "Nemesis of the Qing Dynasty". At one time, some people even suspected that he had secretly informed the revolutionaries.He didn't make many mistakes in political measures, and he was almost trying to push Qing Dynasty to the edge of the cliff.

Anyway, the current Qing Dynasty is doomed anyway, and it's no different if you change someone.

But if, just if, Daqing can copy Yikuang's house, maybe he can persist for a few more years.

Because this guy is truly the No. 100 greed in the Qing Dynasty. Poor us and Mr. Zhongtang and his lord have carried the scapegoat of "No. [-] greed in the Qing Dynasty" to the TV series [-] years later.

(End of this chapter)