The sun and moon were high in the sky, and the stars were moving. The jinx was high up in the sky, and it did not bring any disaster to the Tang dynasty, nor did it affect the daily lives of the people.
After the people were curious for a while, they rarely looked at the jinx in the sky anymore. In fact, even if the jinx disappeared in the future, not many people would care. This was the boring and ordinary life of the ordinary people. The so-called astronomical calculations, profound philosophies, and the Way of Immortals were what the Hundred Schools of Thought needed to worry about.
The Perpetual Calendar!
This was the latest task that the Hundred Schools of Thought needed to complete. After the imperial court decided to reform the calendar, the Taoist School was the first to act. They took the most credit and the most practical lunar calendar, while the School of Mo was assigned to reform the calendar.
The lunar calendar was also known as the lunar calendar. It needed to be recalculated, and it was a huge project. For this, the Taoist School of Thought sent hundreds of Taoists who were proficient in astronomy and calendar, occupying more than half of the rooms in the Bureau of Imperial History.
On the other hand, only two people came from the School of Mo. They were Meton and his disciple.
"Master, won't this affect the prestige of the School of Mo? Do you want me to go to the Village of Mo to call for more people? Not to mention a hundred, I can even call for a thousand people." Wu Meiniang acted like a big sister and looked at the Taoist School of Thought with hostility.
Meton's mouth twitched. The School of Mo was mostly technical talents. It was useless to change the calendar like this even if all of them were here. He immediately glared at Wu Meiniang and said, "Don't be rude. The School of Mo's task is very simple. You and I are enough."
"Really?" Wu Meiniang did not believe it. It was revising the astronomical calendar. How could it be so simple?
However, it turned out that Wu Meiniang worried too much. She found that the solar calendar was too simple to change. It was so simple that it was unbelievable.
"There are three hundred and sixty-five days in a year, which is divided into twelve months. But what about the extra five days? Why don't we also implement a leap month? "Wu Meiniang frowned and said.
"Of course not! The reason why the School of Mo created the Solar Calendar was to create a calendar that would not change for the next ten thousand years. Only one day would pass every four years. This difference was almost negligible. If they used leap months, the difference would be too great. If the solar calendar is to be implemented, it must have a unique advantage over the lunar calendar. Every month, there are thirty-one days, and these five days must be allocated. "
"One, three, five, seven, nine, or two, four, six, eight! And which day is the final leap in four years added to? "Wu Meiniang asked like a crossbow.
Meton thought for a moment and said, "January, 357, 709 will be the thirty-one days of the big moon, and the rest will be the thirty-one days of the flat moon. As for the day of the leap year, it can be chosen in October. Deduct a day from October, make it twenty-nine days, and allocate it to November. In this way, January, 357, 709 will be the big moon, and October will have twenty-nine days. In the leap year, it will have thirty days, and the rest of the months will have thirty days."
Wu Meiniang asked in surprise, "Then why do you have to dig out a day in October?"
There were seven other flat months, but Meton had to dig out a day in October, which made Wu Meiniang very puzzled.
"That's because the Tang dynasty has always practiced beheading after autumn. Every year, October is the time for beheading after autumn. This month is inauspicious, so it's better to end it early," Meton explained.
"I see." Wu Meiniang suddenly understood. In this way, the big moon, the small moon, and the leap year were perfectly solved. The basic rules of the solar calendar had been set.
Soon, Wu Meiniang wrote down the calendar of twelve months in a year.
"It's over? Mei Niang found out that the School of Taoism's monthly calendar is very dense. The heavenly stems and earthly branches keep track of the year, the twenty-four solar terms guide the farming season, and so on. In comparison, aren't we simple? " Wu Meiniang refused to admit defeat. Although the School of Mo and the School of Taoism had a cooperative relationship, Wu Meiniang didn't want the School of Mo to lose.
Meton thought for a while and added, "In the Tang dynasty, there are ten days and one rest day. Divide the thirty days into three lines and fix the time of the ten days."
Wu Meiniang's eyes lit up. With a few swipes, she created a new calendar. Then, she went to the Bureau of History to take a look.
"Master, it's not good. The School of Taoism actually added divination to the lunar calendar to guide the wedding dress and marriage," Wu Meiniang quickly came back and said.
Meton waved his hand helplessly and said, "We'll add it too. Add the sunrise time and sunset time every day."
The biggest advantage of the solar calendar was that it didn't change for ten thousand years. Not only did the four seasons not change, even the sunrise and sunset time every day didn't change. In this way, it could better guide the daily life of the people.
"Master, the School of Taoism uses Chinese characters for the lunar calendar!"
"We use numbers! It's more obvious at a glance. "
…
With Wu Meiniang running around, the School of Mohism and the School of Taoism were secretly competing with each other. Unknowingly, the School of Mohism and the School of Taoism had both completed the revision of the solar and lunar calendars.
"Mo Jiu!"
"Li Taishi!"
In the Bureau of History, Meton and Li Chunfeng looked at each other. Both of them had a strong intention to test each other. This time, the School of Mohism and the School of Taoism were both using the solar and lunar calendars. This wasn't just a comparison of the solar and lunar calendars, it was also a competition between the School of Mohism and the School of Taoism.
The School of Taoism had been passed down for thousands of years and had a strong foundation. The School of Mohism's revival was unstoppable. The School of Taoism pursued the path of immortality and the path of the supernatural. On the other hand, the School of Mohism pursued rationality and exposed feudal superstitions. The two schools had been in conflict since ancient times. Today, the School of Mohism and the School of Taoism were more of a collaboration.
When the solar and lunar calendars were displayed in front of everyone, it instantly attracted everyone's attention.
"Big Moon and Small Moon, October Leap Year, Ten Holidays, and Numerals." Li Chunfeng looked at the School of Mohism's solar calendar and couldn't help but be surprised.
He originally thought that the School of Mohism's solar calendar was extremely simple and didn't take it seriously at all. However, he didn't expect Mo Jiazi to add so much practical knowledge to the monotonous solar calendar. Although it wasn't as rich as the lunar calendar, it was still very impressive.
"These are just small tricks. The most important thing about a calendar is its accuracy. The most important benchmark to test the accuracy of a calendar is the Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice. Li Chunfeng looked at the calendar and couldn't help but narrow his eyes. He realized that the School of Mohism's solar calendar was exactly the same as the School of Taoism's lunar calendar. Moreover, not only was this year's calendar accurate, even the leap year within the four years was exactly the same.
On the other hand, the solar calendar was a cycle of four years. If there was no difference within the four years, it meant that the solar calendar was accurate and could be used for ten thousand years.
"The Zodiac, the twenty-four solar terms! … The School of Taoism really lives up to its name. It has unique achievements in astronomy and calendars. "Li Chunfeng just put down the solar calendar in his hand and heard Merton's praises.
Li Chunfeng couldn't help but feel proud. This time, he had discarded all the flaws of the previous calendar and brought forth new ideas. He wanted to make it perfect.
"Merton's solar calendar is extremely accurate. I'm also amazed." Li Chunfeng nodded slightly. Although the School of Mohism's solar calendar was simple, it wasn't simple. Accuracy was the biggest advantage of the solar calendar.
"I don't deserve it. If it wasn't for Master Li's magnanimity, the School of Mohism's solar calendar would be a laughing stock." Meton shook his head.
Wu Meiniang lowered her head in embarrassment. The School of Mohism and the School of Taoism were secretly competing with each other when it came to revising the calendar. However, she had repeatedly appeared in the School of Taoism's territory to observe the progress of the School of Taoism.
"Merton, you're too kind. The twenty-four solar terms and the Zodiac are not secrets. Instead, the appearance of the School of Mohism's calendar has opened my eyes. Since the School of Mohism and the School of Taoism's calendar have been completed, why don't we report it to the imperial court?" Li Chunfeng said nonchalantly.
"Report it to the imperial court?" Meton raised an eyebrow. "Of course. However, I've never heard of the imperial court implementing two calendars. No matter which one Your Majesty chooses, it will damage the relationship between the School of Taoism and the School of Mohism."
Li Chunfeng frowned slightly. "Then, Merton's plan is …?"
"The Yin-Yang Calendar." Meton enunciated each word clearly.
"The Yin-Yang Calendar!"
The School of Taoism and the School of Mohism exclaimed in unison.
Meton nodded. "That's right. There's a sun and a moon in the sky, and each has its own cycle. The Tang dynasty naturally needs both a solar calendar and a lunar calendar. It would be inconvenient to lose either one as it would go against the purpose of the calendar."
Li Chunfeng fell silent. The purpose of the calendar was to make life easier for the people, and he had to admit that the Sun Calendar of the School of Mohism was indeed unique. However, he was unwilling to let the School of Taoism give up the credit for creating the calendar.
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