APSIL -Chapter 144 Don’t Blame Others for Your Own Stupidity

The examination papers that Wang Jie and Deng Xiaodai had personally delivered earlier were already reviewed by Zhang Shou. After spending some time quickly going through them, he had a general understanding of most candidates’ abilities.

As for those who had submitted identical answers and clearly copied from others, Zhang Shou did not care much.

After all, with the powerful tool of interviews—where a person’s true ability could be revealed with just a few questions—why worry about plagiarism?

Therefore, those candidates whose papers matched others were naturally placed at the very front of the interview order.

Thus, when the first candidate entered, a handsome young scholar with a proud bearing and an appearance that clearly gave him great confidence, Zhang Shou merely gave his extremely perfunctory bow a calm nod in response.

“Within ten breaths, quickly calculate the sum of all numbers from one to one hundred.”

Before the young man could raise any objections, Zhang Shou leisurely began counting.

“Ten, nine, eight…”

The handsome scholar was instantly stunned.

He was a person with an excellent memory and had practically memorized the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art backwards and forwards. But Zhang Shou had not asked him to recite a chapter or explain some classical mathematical theory.

Instead, he had immediately given him a difficult calculation problem?

It was somewhat similar to the first complicated multiplication question on the written test. Although this was addition instead of multiplication, there were far more numbers involved.

Given enough time, he could certainly calculate the sum from one to one hundred.

But ten breaths?

Seeing the countdown quickly approaching three, the scholar suddenly had an idea and shouted: “This is unfair!”

Seeing that Zhang Shou completely ignored him and continued counting, he became even more furious.

“With only ten breaths of time, how could anyone possibly calculate such a complicated problem…”

At that moment, Zhang Shou finally stopped counting.

But Lu Sanlang, who was standing beside him, sneered.

“Ten breaths? I only need less than three breaths to calculate the exact answer of adding from one to one thousand!”

“If you’re stupid yourself, don’t make excuses. Don’t waste Teacher’s precious time!”

The handsome scholar was both shocked and furious.

“How is this question not complicated? If you hadn’t already done it before, how could you possibly answer it?”

Lu Sanlang actually recognized the person in front of him.

He was Zhao Ying, the son of the Vice Minister of War—a talented and handsome young man whom his own father often used as an example to criticize him.

However, Lu Sanlang deliberately pretended not to know him.

He smiled calmly.

“Isn’t it interesting? Because you cannot do something, you assume others cannot either?”

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask me questions yourself. As long as the numbers are within four digits, whether it’s adding from one to any number, I can calculate the answer faster than you.”

Zhao Ying refused to believe him.

“Then calculate from one to two thousand!”

“2,001,000. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and add them one by one yourself.”

Lu Sanlang smiled.

“If you’re stupid yourself, don’t make excuses.”

Being called stupid twice by the fat young man whom he had previously looked down upon, Zhao Ying finally lost his temper.

“Lu Sanlang! Stop putting on this arrogant act! I don’t believe that after learning from someone for only a few days, you’ve somehow become a genius…”

At that moment, Zhang Shou calmly interrupted.

“Lu Zhu was praised by His Majesty as a genius who turned his life around. Are you saying His Majesty was wrong?”

Zhao Ying’s face instantly turned red.

Zhang Shou gave a faint smile.

“Looking at your examination paper, two of your three answers were indeed quite good. But now you cannot even solve a problem this simple. That does not match your written results.”

“Since you think this question is difficult, let me ask another one.”

“998 – 33 – 67 – 22 – 78 – 46 – 54. What is the answer?”

Lu Sanlang watched with delight as Zhao Ying’s handsome face twisted while he desperately calculated.

He felt extremely satisfied.

The person his father praised as being wonderful in every way—except that he wasn’t his own son—had finally revealed his true ability.

Aside from a decent-looking face and some pretentious poetry capable of fooling a few girls, what else did he have?

Judging from his current panic, there had clearly been something suspicious about his previous written answers.

This person’s character was obviously lacking!

After more than ten breaths passed, Zhang Shou finally tapped the armrest twice.

Calmly, he said: “You cannot even understand simple shortcut calculations. As for the previous question on the test involving multiplying fifty numbers, I will not bother asking whether you calculated it yourself one by one or had someone help you.”

“Alright. You may leave.”

Lu Sanlang saw Zhao Ying’s expression suddenly change and immediately took the opportunity to boast.

“You cannot even answer such a simple question now. You are dull and unable to adapt. What are you studying mathematics for?”

“No need to calculate anymore. The answer is 698. I’ll tell you directly.”

“If you’re stupid yourself, don’t make excuses.”

“Next person!”

The door suddenly opened.

Two black-clothed guards standing outside coughed heavily, making their meaning obvious.

Only then did Zhao Ying leave angrily.

But just as he stepped outside, Lu Sanlang’s voice came from behind.

“If he didn’t come to take the Nine Chapters Hall exam, he could have continued pretending to be a talented scholar!”

“But now that he came, I finally saw his true face!”

“I’ll definitely ask my father later—are all cats and dogs called talented scholars nowadays? Scholars in the capital have become too cheap!”

“Having a pretty face and reciting a few sentimental poems—what’s so impressive about that?”

“Is he even more handsome than Teacher? Are his poems better than those of the founding emperor?”

Zhao Ying, the handsome son of the Vice Minister of War, almost stumbled when he heard this.

Inside, he cursed the elders in his family who had desperately urged him to take this exam.

If they had not wanted to curry favor with the emperor, why would he have come here and suffered such humiliation?

One person after another entered.

The second, third, and fourth candidates whose papers matched others all walked in arrogantly.

Yet under Zhang Shou’s continuous questioning of simple mathematical problems, they all failed miserably.

When leaving, each of them acted as if they had suffered unfair treatment.

Only after Lu Sanlang mocked them mercilessly did they finally leave in embarrassment.

After interviewing these three people in succession, Zhang Shou turned his head toward Deng Xiaodai, who was quietly recording everything in the hall.

“Xiaodai, take your notes and have the guards send them outside.”

“If those three people have not left yet, tell them this.”

“If they refuse to accept the result, their test papers and interview records can be posted publicly at the Shuntian Prefecture office or the entrance of the Imperial Academy.”

“Also, tell Lord Wang in the second hall.”

When Wang Jie saw the guards bring back the ink-stained papers and heard Zhang Shou’s message, he glanced coldly at the remaining candidates waiting nervously.

“If anyone feels they were treated unfairly during the interview, they may say so directly.”

“But if they cannot argue face-to-face and instead spread complaints behind people’s backs…”

“Then don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Outside the Shuntian Prefecture office, the three failed candidates indeed had not left.

They were still furious.

However, when the guards came out and relayed Zhang Shou and Wang Jie’s words, even Zhao Ying—who had been preparing to curse loudly—fell silent after seeing the recorded answers.

Being called a fool by Lu Sanlang was humiliating.

But if the matter became known throughout the capital, and he was called a fool by the emperor and countless officials…

That would be an even greater disaster.

Therefore, even though he was nearly exploding with anger, he could only swallow his frustration.

When the fourth candidate entered, Zhang Shou looked at the name on the paper and sighed inwardly.

Four identical papers.

Naturally, it meant three people had copied from one person.

The first three had already proven themselves to be terrible at mathematics.

The remaining person was undoubtedly the one who had truly solved the questions.

And this person was someone Zhang Shou recognized.

When Zhang Shou first came to the capital with Zhu Ying, he had seen this man outside Ge Yong’s residence.

He had even given him a book.

This was also the first person who had cried and admitted that he had been instructed by others to cause trouble at Ge Yong’s gate.

Because of his confession, the remaining troublemakers had been forced to retreat.

According to Chu Kuan, this man had worked as an accountant for many merchants but had repeatedly been dismissed.

Now he survived by writing letters for others.

Unlike the last time Zhang Shou saw him, when his clothes were still decent, Yan Fang was now dressed in washed-out coarse clothing.

Even his cloth shoes had patches.

Yet he still looked clean and orderly.

After respectfully bowing, he stood silently.

Zhang Shou observed him for a moment before asking directly: “Did you show this examination paper to anyone before submitting it to Shuntian Prefecture?”

Yan Fang’s face immediately turned pale.

After a long silence, he lowered his head painfully.

“After finishing the paper, I originally intended to submit it immediately.”

“But my neighbor happened to visit. I went out with him to handle some matters.”

“When I returned, the paper was gone.”

“I had no choice but to rewrite it.”

“If someone really stole my paper and copied it, causing me to lose my chance…”

“I can only accept that.”

Zhang Shou stared at him for a long time.

Then he turned to Lu Sanlang.

“Lu Zhu, you will be the future head of the Nine Chapters Hall.”

“You decide.”

Lu Sanlang had not expected Zhang Shou to ask his opinion.

After being stunned for a moment, he immediately straightened his chest proudly.

“I’ll ask you one question.”

“From one to one thousand, what is the answer?”

Yan Fang had not expected such a sudden question.

After thinking briefly, he answered honestly: “500,500.”

Having interviewed three idiots in a row, Lu Sanlang was delighted to finally meet someone capable.

He immediately asked another question.

“A five-story tower has ninety-three lamps.”

“Starting from the top, each lower floor has twice as many lamps as the floor above.”

“How many lamps are on each floor?”

“Three on the top floor, then six, twelve, twenty-four, and forty-eight.”

The almost instant answer made Lu Sanlang’s satisfaction turn into surprise.

He then began asking the difficult problems Zhang Shou had once used to test him:

Pursuit problems.

Water tank problems.

Various advanced calculations.

The questions gradually became harder.

Finally, Yan Fang was unable to answer.

Only then did Lu Sanlang stop, looking extremely pleased.

“Teacher, whether this person stole someone else’s paper, I cannot determine yet.”

“But his mathematical ability is indeed very good.”

“For now, accept him into the Nine Chapters Hall.”

“If we discover problems with his character or behavior in the future, we can remove him then.”

Yan Fang had been nearly sweating from Lu Sanlang’s endless questions.

He was now extremely wary of this fat young noble.

It was the first time he had ever met someone who could ask more than a dozen strange mathematical questions in succession.

Many of them were not even from the classical mathematics texts.

Hearing Lu Sanlang’s judgment, Zhang Shou smiled.

“Since you, the future head of the hall, have confidence in managing people, then accept him.”

“Whether he truly has talent but lacks virtue… we will find out in the future.”