The Great Wei Music Bureau

Chapter 173 The Six Arts of a Gentleman (Part 6)

Last time we talked about the calligraphy competition, Li Yi began to think about arithmetic, so let’s get straight to the point and see how Li Yi competes with Zu Hao in arithmetic.

Zhang Deyuan went to the stage to instruct Zu Hao, then took him to the stage and announced the start of the Nine Numbers Contest, with the Northern Wei delegation asking the first questions. Li Yi came to the stage and saluted Zu Hao, saying, "I heard that you are now working in the Imperial Observatory. I guess astronomy and calendar are your strong points, right?"

Zu Hao responded, "That's right. My Zu family has been studying astronomy and calendar for generations. What's going on? Is Li Yuefu trying to test me with astronomy and calendar?"

Li Yi smiled and said, "Yes, I would like to ask you to calculate the time of the next solar and lunar eclipses."

Zu Hao smiled slightly, and casually released his talent to condense the energy into a small celestial body. This is an instrument commonly used by officials of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. It is a device that uses the earth as the center to observe the changes of the sun, moon and stars. It not only marks the yellow and white paths, but also the Zhoutian constellations. Zu Hao stood in front of this one-meter-high celestial body and began to calculate. This was just a daily job for him.

But Zhang Deyuan had specifically told him before that he must be careful and not make any more mistakes, so Zu Hao wanted to calculate the date more accurately. This calculation process was very troublesome and tedious, and it was not just about calculating the intersection of the ecliptic and the white path. The audience in the audience certainly didn't want to watch the boring calculation, but after an incense stick of time had passed, Zu Hao still hadn't finished the calculation.

Li Yi smiled and walked to the celestial globe. He stretched out his hand and crushed Zu Hao's celestial globe. The celestial globe turned back into talent and sank into Zu Hao's body. Zu Hao glared at Li Yi and asked, "What are you doing? Are you deliberately interfering with my calculations?"

Li Yi waved his hand and said with a smile: "Brother Zu, you have misunderstood me. I am not trying to stop you from calculating. But if you calculate like this, even if you get the result right, it will not be accurate."

Zu Hao said unhappily: "Then tell me how to calculate it accurately!"

Li Yi smiled and said, "Brother, what this celestial instrument can show you is only a small part of the universe, and the vast universe is full of unknowns. What I know is only a tiny part of it." As he spoke, Li Yi released his talent, and used the method of condensing qi into objects to transform the talent into a model of the solar system.

Li Yi explained while controlling the model to demonstrate the movement of celestial bodies, just like watching a space science film for everyone. He said: "First of all, the place we are is called the Earth. It is not the sun that revolves around the Earth, but our Earth revolves around the Sun, and our Earth also rotates on itself; the moon also revolves around our Earth while rotating on itself. But this orbit is not circular, but elliptical..."

Li Yi used models to explain to everyone the sunrise and sunset, the waxing and waning of the moon, the changes of the four seasons, solar eclipses, lunar eclipses and other natural phenomena. To everyone, this was not a science and education film, but a science fiction film! This was something that subverted their cognition and was something they could not understand.

Li Yi's lecture lasted for two quarters of an hour. After explaining that the sun was just an extremely tiny star in the Milky Way, he controlled his talent to depict the changing scenery. The solar system became smaller and smaller, and then turned into the Milky Way. The Milky Way became smaller and smaller, and turned into a nebula map, and finally turned into a dark universe.

Zu Hao looked at Li Yi with an incredible look. Li Yi bowed and said, "Brother Zu's grandfather was truly a god. He was able to calculate pi to seven decimal places, which is between 3 and 3. This is already a very high achievement. If we can calculate pi to the full value, perhaps we can learn more about the universe."

Zu Hao asked, "What decimal point are you talking about?"

In his book "Zhuishu", Zu Chongzhi recorded that the diameter of a circle is 100 million feet, and the circumference is 3 feet, 1 foot, 4 inches, 1 minute, 5 centimeters, 9 millimeters, 2 seconds, 6 seconds. At that time, few people understood what Zu Chongzhi calculated pi for, let alone the meaning of pi, so Zu Chongzhi's academic work was not fully passed down.

Li Yi briefly explained to Zu Hao the meaning of the decimal point, and then said, "I am not talented. I only know that the calculation method of pi is the circle-slicing method. I think I calculated up to 3. I can't remember the rest, but I believe that with your talent, you may be able to calculate more digits."

Zu Hao exhaled a breath and sighed, "Oh! Grandfather, I didn't expect that after so many years, someone finally understands your teachings!" Zu Hao bowed deeply to Li Yi, then turned around and was about to leave.

Zhang Deyuan quickly stepped forward to stop him and asked, "Where are you going, Master Zu? He just asked a question. Even if you can't answer it, you can still ask him another question. As long as he can't answer it, this round will be a draw!"

Zu Hao waved his hands and said, "Minister Zhang, you are joking. How can I test Li Yuefu? We are obviously not in the same realm. I am far inferior to him! It will be even more embarrassing if I continue to test him! I have to go back to the Imperial Observatory to continue my studies so that I can ask Li Yuefu for advice one day." After that, he pulled away Zhang Deyuan's arm that was blocking him and walked off the stage.

At this moment, everyone in the Northern Wei delegation cheered, as if they had already won. Li Yi also let out a long breath, thinking: Well, this time the face of the Great Wei and my own face have been saved. Even if I lose the next two games, it will be a draw, at least I won't be embarrassed.

At this time, Tuoba Li and Lu Yu showed all kinds of provocative expressions to Zhang Deyuan, and they almost went on stage to sneer at him! Zhang Deyuan was really angry. He glared at Tuoba Li and Lu Yu and said, "It's not over yet! You are too happy too early! You haven't won yet!"

Tuoba Li smiled and said, "There are only two remaining skills: archery and charioteering. I grew up on horseback! Archery is a skill passed down from my ancestors. How could I be afraid of you? Let's go! Let's go to the training ground. I want to let you know what a sharpshooter is!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Deyuan smiled and said, "Okay, then please move to the training ground together and let's compete in the last two items!"

Lu Yu smiled and said, "Okay, okay, let's go, let's go! Let's see how the prince shows off his skills!"

In this way, everyone moved to the training ground and prepared for the archery competition. Zhang Deyuan's smirk just now made Li Yi feel something unusual, and he thought: Zhang Deyuan can still smile? What's going on? Is he sure to win the last two games? Hiss, strange. Although Li Yi was confused, he couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he thought.

At this time, Zhang Deyuan invited both players to enter the arena and announced the start of the competition. Tuoba Li stood up and walked to the center of the arena. When he was almost in front of the bow stand, Zhang Deyuan suddenly reached out to stop Tuoba Li and asked, "Prince Ping'an, what are you doing here?"

Tuoba Li said unhappily: "Nonsense, of course I want to compete with you in archery! Otherwise, why would I come here!"

Zhang Deyuan smiled and said, "Please wait a moment, Your Majesty. May I ask if you are a Confucianist or a Taoist?"

Tuoba Li asked in confusion: "How can I be a Confucianist? I practice martial arts!"

Hearing this, Li Yi finally figured out what Zhang Deyuan was thinking, and immediately cursed: "This Zhang Deyuan is so shameless!"

Lu Yu asked in confusion: "What's wrong? What's going on with Li Yuefu? Why is Zhang Deyuan trying to stop the prince?"

Zhang Deyuan looked at Li Yi with a smug smile and said, "Li Yuefu, we are competing in the six arts of a gentleman, so naturally it should be people of Confucianism and Taoism who are competing. I'm afraid it's not appropriate for you to let King Ping An take the stage, right?"

Tuoba Li said angrily: "What does Minister Zhang mean by this? Why is it inappropriate for me to come up? The people you Nanliang sent are also martial artists!"

Zhang Deyuan shook his head and said with a smile: "Your Highness, please calm down. Our two generals are both Confucianists and martial artists. They practice both Confucianism and martial arts. May I ask your Highness..."

Li Yi stamped his feet and said, "Alas, I am still one step short. Minister Lu, do you know the two arts of archery and flying?"

Lu Yu waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Li Yuefu, you are joking. I have never touched a bow and horse! I rarely even ride in a carriage. I always ride in a sedan chair!"

Li Yi said awkwardly: "Although I can drive, I have never practiced the art of driving, and I have hardly touched a bow and arrow. What should I do?"

Lu Yu asked the other Confucianists and Taoists in the delegation if they knew the art of archery and horse riding, but the answers were all negative. Tuoba Li was still arguing with Zhang Deyuan in the field, and Lu Yu said helplessly: "Li Yuefu, you are the only one left among us, how about we make two more trips? Anyway, even if we lose these two games, it will be a draw, and our Great Wei will save its reputation."

Li Yi sighed and said, "Okay, this is the only way."

Because Li Yi had promised Zhang Deyuan that he would not give up, he had no choice but to go on stage. Zhang Deyuan looked at Li Yi with an unhappy face and said sarcastically: "Hey, Li Yuefu is really a versatile person. I didn't expect you to be proficient in all the six arts of a gentleman! It is a great fortune for Wei to have a talent like you, Li Yuefu!"

Li Yi sneered and bowed, "Minister Zhang is so calculating. I have never touched a bow since I was a child, but now you want to compete with me in archery. You really want to embarrass me."

Zhang Deyuan laughed and said, "What are you talking about, Li Yuefu? I think Li Yuefu practices both Confucianism and Buddhism. Doesn't he have the Buddhist Vajra Divine Art? That shouldn't be much different from being a warrior. Isn't it just drawing a bow and shooting arrows? Come on, Li Yuefu, please choose a bow."

The one who was going to compete with Li Yi in archery was Chen Xin, who was equivalent to Dugu Long of the Southern Liang Dynasty, and the most capable fighter of the younger generation. The most capable general in the Southern Dynasty was Wei Hu, who had fought against thousands of enemies several times and was known for his bravery. He could take the heads of enemy generals in the chaos of the army as easily as taking something out of a bag.

Although Chen Xin couldn't beat Wei Hu, he was also at the peak of the fourth rank, and he practiced both Confucianism and martial arts. His strength should not be underestimated. Chen Xin saluted Li Yi and said, "Li Lefu, I'm Chen Xin. I wonder how heavy the bow is that Li Lefu wants to use?"

Li Yi asked in confusion: "How heavy is the bow? I'll use whichever one I can pull."

Zhang Deyuan said proudly: "General Chen, Li Yuefu has never touched a bow, and certainly has never competed with others in archery. You should help Li Yuefu more and help him choose this bow."

Chen Xin frowned and said, "Didn't Li Yuefu practice both Confucianism and Buddhism? Didn't he defeat Zhai Baishan, the invincible warrior on the grassland? How come he has never even touched a bow?"

Li Yi said awkwardly: "I am a gentleman and don't often fight with others. It's normal that I have never touched a bow."

Chen Xin reached out and took a hard bow from the bow rack and said, "In that case, Li Yuefu might as well try this one first. This is a 100-jin bow."

Li Yi took the hard bow and stretched out his hand to pull it, but he couldn't pull it at all. Zhang Deyuan laughed at the side. Chen Xin saw that Li Yi couldn't pull it and said in embarrassment: "Li Lefu, the first event we are going to compete is called white arrows. In addition to hitting the target, the arrow must pass through the center of the target. It's a test of strength. This 100-jin bow is the minimum. If it is lighter, it may not be able to penetrate the target."

Seeing Zhang Deyuan's smug face, Li Yi was furious. He put the hard bow back on the bow rack and pointed at the bow on top and asked, "How heavy is this bow?"

Chen Xin smiled and said, "That's a 300-jin bow."

Li Yi reached out and took the bow, and pulled the bowstring towards Zhang Deyuan. With his whole body turning purple-gold, and with the help of the Vajra Divine Art, Li Yi pulled the bowstring to its full extent. But when he heard the sound of the wood breaking and the string collapsing, Li Yi directly broke the strong bow.

This scared Zhang Deyuan. Li Yi chuckled and said, "This bow is too light. It's not easy to use. General Chen, how much weight is the bow you use?"

Chen Xin handed his bow to Li Yi and said with a smile: "My Qianling bow weighs 800 kilograms. Is this Li Yuefu's Vajra Divine Art? Why is it different from other monks'?"

Li Yi took the bow, pulled the bowstring and replied: "After all, Li is the first person to practice both Confucianism and Buddhism, so naturally there is something to it."

Chen Xin nodded and said, "If there is a chance, I would like to spar with Li Lefu. I heard that Li Lefu has fought with Dugu Long before."

Li Yi smiled and said, "Okay, if you let me win this game, I will spar with you."

Zhang Deyuan said unhappily: "Li Yuefu, this is against the way of a gentleman!"