Chapter 22: Spring Rain is Precious as Oil (Part 2)

  Before long, Li Zubai, a historian of the Imperial Observatory, brought his measuring instruments.

  A wooden box.

  Open the wooden box, inside there are Yang reform's "familiar" things.

  Ruler, set square, and it seems like there's also a compass. These things were all essential tools when I was taking math classes! This makes Yang think of his elementary school math teacher's wooden set square and ruler. If only he had chalk and a blackboard too, hey! Isn't this just like going back to the good old days in elementary school?

  Yang's reform is stunning. I thought to myself, has the mathematics of this Ming dynasty already reached such a high level? It's almost indistinguishable from modern tools.

  Yang's reform is already a huge wave in his heart! Isn't history class saying that the Ming Dynasty was very dark? How did these things exist hundreds of years ago, and haven't made any progress in hundreds of years?

  Originally, I just wanted to use my knowledge from the 21st century that transcends time and space to tease and play a joke on these scholars of the Ming Dynasty. Unexpectedly, the Ming Dynasty produced such an awesome figure, broadening my horizons.

  Yang couldn't help but ask: "Li Ai, what is that thing in your hand?"

  "I report to Your Majesty, I have in my hand the instruments called by these names: straight ruler, triangular ruler, compass, used for calculating the area of copper basins and the amount of water. Also needed are a balance, a peck, paper and brush, all of which I have prepared." Li Zu gave a detailed explanation to Yang's reform.

  "Ah......this......" This time Yang was stunned. After a while, he said: "Please continue, Minister Li."

  Li Zubai measured with a ruler in his hand, then took out paper and squatted on the ground to write and draw.

  Yang looked at the reform and felt that it was not convenient for him to do so. He then said to Wang Chengen beside him, "Big companion, look at him squatting there, it's not convenient, send a small stool for him to use."

  Wang Chengen personally ran down and brought a small stool for Li Zubai to facilitate his calculations. This moved Li Zubai... and also earned the envy of the other officials, who were afflicted with red eye disease. We are all standing, but you have a small stool.

  After a while, Li Zubai calculated: "Report to Your Majesty, I have calculated that this copper basin is round-mouthed, with a diameter of one foot and an area of approximately 78 square inches..."

  This made Yang Gao, who had reviewed the formula for the area of a circle in the middle of the night yesterday, unable to believe it.

  "Seventy-eight square inches? How did you calculate this? Based on what?" Yang Gaizhi asked.

  "I report to Your Majesty, I calculated it according to the formula for the area of a circle. By multiplying the circumference by the square of the radius, we can get the circular area of this copper basin."

  Yang Reform was startled, "formula"! The Ming Dynasty already had formulas, and he was planning to show off in this great Ming Dynasty, but unexpectedly. This formula is clearly the circular area calculation formula (circular area = π x radius squared) that Yang Reform reviewed on Baidu yesterday.

  Yang's reform came with interest and asked: "Li Ai, since you can calculate the area of this pot mouth, you should also be able to calculate how much water is in it."

  Yang Ge was still preparing to test Li Zubai's other skills.

  Li Zu said: "Report to the Emperor, the weight of this water can be known by weighing it."

  Is it just a matter of calling it? Yang Reform was speechless. It's that simple. I'm still preparing to calculate the volume and weight based on the density of water.

  "Alright, Li Ai Qing, you continue." Yang reform was speechless. He had been preparing to show off his skills and had even specifically looked up various formulas on Baidu and written them down silently, planning to thoroughly humiliate the scholars of the Ming dynasty. But unexpectedly, there was another expert. Now he couldn't show off anymore, feeling very depressed.

  Li Zubai took out a small scale and used a container to weigh the water.

  "I report to Your Majesty, the water in this basin weighs about eight taels and two mace." Li Zubai said. (In the Ming Dynasty, 16 taels equal one catty... half a catty is eight taels... isn't it a bit dizzy? Actually, they are the same weight.)

  "Is it? In other words, this one-foot-long round basin has held eight ounces of water from last night to now?"

  "I report to Your Majesty, yes, about half a catty more." Li Zubai said seriously.

  "Huh... eight taels... how did it become half a kilogram?" Yang Gaizhi said, his voice getting lower and lower, unable to understand what was going on. Was there something wrong with his ears? Or was this person crazy? Half a kilogram is the same as eight taels?

  Wang Chengen, who was standing on one side, heard the emperor's muttering to himself and didn't understand the problem with eight taels and half a catty either. He was also somewhat surprised and hastily reminded him in a low voice: "Your Majesty, this one catty weighs sixteen taels!"

  "Cut... scold... one jin sixteen liang??" Yang reform was depressed, how come the Ming dynasty's unit of measurement is different from his own. He thought others said "half a jin eight liang", meaning roughly the same weight, but he originally thought that "half a jin eight liang" meant almost the same weight, not even one jin, rounded up or down, all counted as one jin.

  "This, Li Ai Qing, you calculate again, how much rain should have fallen in this square zhang?"

  "Report to Your Majesty, one square foot can hold half a catty of water, and one square zhang can hold fifty catties of water." Li Zubai quickly reported the answer.

  "Hmm, so that's it! How many square meters is that? How many kilograms of water can be obtained?"

  "I report to Your Majesty, this one li is 150 zhang long, so a square li can hold approximately 11 million jin of water." Li Zubai took a bit longer to calculate this time. By the time he finished calculating, Li Zubai's forehead was already covered in sweat. This kind of "super large scale" calculation had already exceeded Li Zubai's ability, the numbers written on the paper were already several lines long, and several sheets of draft paper had been used up.

  "Well, what about this hundred miles around? I see these dark clouds rolling in, it's not just a hundred miles. You'd better consider it as a hundred miles for now."

  The ministers below were frightened, a hundred miles around? This hundred miles around has 11 million catties of water, and a hundred miles around... It's really an astronomical figure.

  The ministers below were stunned, how could there be so much water on our heads? Unbelievable! Why didn't it crush people when it fell down?

  Is there really so much?

  Fake?

  Really?

  Perplexed! Baffled! Incomprehensible! Depressed!

  Each of the ministers felt that their brains were not enough to use, what is this 1.1 billion catty of water? How many pieces of paper would be needed to write down this number?

  Li Zubai involuntarily trembled. This super calculation had exhausted his brain power. The Emperor asked him to calculate the rainfall in a hundred-mile radius, and he estimated that he would need a very large piece of paper to complete the calculation, just to write down the data.

  "I report to Your Majesty... I, I need a larger sheet of paper for calculations." Li Zubai wiped the sweat from his forehead and decided to calculate. This kind of technical person, when faced with challenges in their own familiar field, becomes more courageous. Is a persistent person.

  "Okay."

  After a long time, Li Zubai finally took out an answer with a trembling hand, but he didn't dare to read it. He held it above his head and said in a shaking voice: "I report to Your Majesty, this...this is really...is...I...I, your subject, I don't dare to read it."

  The high-ranking officials in the grand hall were all shocked and had already eaten a whole basket, now they are shocked again, what else is there that they dare not mention? They are all very curious.

  "Da Ban, go help Li Ai Qing read it."

  "Yes, Your Majesty." Wang Chengen replied and then went to help Li Zubai recite the answers.

  ……

  Wang Chengen held the paper in his hand, furrowed his brow, and was puzzled for a long time before reading aloud: "One hundred twelve billion five hundred million..."

  Rumbling! The grand hall was like a giant thunderbolt. The ministers were shocked by this "heavenly" number!

  ……

  The whole room fell silent, with no one speaking, as everyone was digesting and coming to terms with what had happened today.

  How can there be so much water in the sky? We throw bricks from the city wall and they can kill people, that's called defending the city and killing enemies. But if there are hundreds of millions of kilograms of water up there, falling down, what is it called? Why didn't we get smashed to death? Strange! Is this fake?

  Many officials are in a state of confusion!

  Yang suddenly said: "So much water is in the sky? Why can't I get to heaven? Thinking that I am a noble emperor, I also think that one day, I can go up and take a look!"

  Hmph!

  In the grand hall, many ministers felt an urge to vent their pent-up passion and fury. To mitigate the impact of this sentence on them.

  Good grief! What a naive topic this is.

  Be serious! Must be serious! No laughing allowed!

  Stifling, unbearable, shocking. Today, once again, a big shock. Some officials seem to have been struck by lightning, their bodies charred on the outside and tender on the inside. Words cannot be spoken, voices cannot be heard.