Quatrième campus

Chapitre 9

Having his ears opened wide, Chu Xunfeng could hardly believe that a name① tucked away in the most inconspicuous corner of the advanced mathematics textbook had such a colorful life, comparable to the unparalleled Newton.

It was already dark when they returned to "Yizhuang" from Professor Cole's house. Hellman stood at the door, watching the two leave with a somber expression. His usual joy was gone. Cole glanced at his daughter, sighed, and said nothing.

Chu Xunfeng glanced back at Professor Cole's villa and saw a shadow flash past the doorway, startling him again. He focused his gaze but saw nothing; was he simply dizzy from exhaustion?

The villa was exceptionally tranquil at night, with only the occasional chirping of winter insects. What a peaceful haven! As serene as an ancient village, the moon hung high in the treetops. If Professor Nie were still reciting his lessons in his study, this would truly be a paradise.

"What a frog in a well!" Chu Xunfeng shook his head at his own shallowness. He hadn't even known that Leibniz was one of the great Western philosophers. He said to Saviel, "Professor Cole is suspicious? That old fox hasn't shown any of that at all."

Saviel was taken aback: "Suspicious? Why?"

"The old silver coin your father hung on the window frame disappeared as soon as they arrived."

“Ah…” Xavier didn’t speak for a while, “Where? What ancient silver coin?”

“It was hanging on the window frame, and I could see it clearly. They disappeared after they came in.”

“Ah…” Xavier stammered, “No, I really haven’t seen it…”

Chu Xunfeng scratched his head: "That's strange. Could it be a hallucination?" He shook his head. He had clearly seen it hanging there, and had even been examining it in his hands for a long time. Had his head been all muddled these past few days? "But..."

Saviel leaned gently on his shoulder: "Single eyelid, you must be exhausted these days?" Chu Xunfeng felt her whole body trembling. He tenderly put his arm around her shoulder and whispered: "Don't be afraid, I'm here! I've already guessed some things, tell me more about Leibniz's life! Maybe I can slowly deduce the cause and effect."

“Leibniz?” Saviel asked.

“Leibniz is related to your father’s disappearance,” Chu Xunfeng said seriously to Saviel. “There’s a very mysterious connection. Your father’s book, *The Art of Combinatorial Science*, is filled with dense annotations, indicating that this book had a profound influence on him. It was also the only book he read before his disappearance, so there might be some clues here. Moreover, Leibniz and Newton are so closely connected, and Professor Nie’s last handwriting was on Newton’s *Principia Mathematica*. All the clues we’ve come across are related to Leibniz…”

When Xavier heard this, her eyes lit up, as if she had remembered something.

“Very well,” Xavier sat up straight. “Leibniz was the opposite of Newton in terms of peasant origins. He was born in Leipzig in 1646 into a family, while Newton was born in 1643; he was two years younger than Newton. His father was a professor of philosophy at the University of Leipzig…”

"His father was also a philosophy professor in Leipzig?" Chu Xunfeng pressed, afraid of missing any details.

"Yes, his mother was also born into a family of professors. Her literary talent surpassed his father's. Leibniz received an excellent education from a young age and developed a strong interest in poetry and history. When his father died when he was six, young Leibniz, under his mother's guidance, sought answers to his questions from the family's extensive library. It is said that he could understand the Pythagorean theorem at the age of seven and decipher the code of more than 20 prime numbers at the age of eight..."

"Amazing!"

"At the age of 8, Leibniz entered school. As a child, he was dissatisfied with the superficial knowledge taught in school, such as Latin, Greek, arithmetic, and logic, and he also felt that other children were too stupid. So, at a very young age, he studied Greek and Roman culture and the works of famous scholars on his own."

"It seems he has been arrogant and self-important since childhood."

"Yes, Leibniz once said that the 'possible world' is prepared for the most outstanding people, in the tone of an absolute prodigy."

"Another 'possible world'!" Chu Xunfeng fell into deep thought. "Could such a world really exist?"

"He entered Leipzig University at the age of 15 to study law, and immediately began taking second-year humanities courses. He read works by Bacon, Kepler, Galileo, and others based on his own interests. When the professor taught Euclid's *Elements*, Leibniz, as if enlightened, developed a deep interest in mathematics. He later discovered that only by being familiar with mathematical theory could he better understand philosophical viewpoints, so he went to the University of Jena to study geometry." At this point, Xavier glanced at Chu Xunfeng, as if scolding him for not studying mathematics seriously and always indulging in romantic and frivolous pursuits.

“It seems Leibniz and I are somewhat similar. We both received a good education in our childhood, had a wide range of interests, were interested in philosophy, and had a talent for mathematics.” Chu Xunfeng became more and more proud as he thought about it. “It’s just that I only understood this at the age of 23, while Leibniz understood the importance of mathematics to him when he was a teenager. It seems I have to work harder. But I have to stay in beautiful Savel, so I don’t need to go to the University of Jena.”

"At the age of 17, Leibniz studied mathematics briefly at the University of Jena and obtained a master's degree in philosophy, which surprised the professors at the University of Jena. Leibniz returned to Leipzig to continue his studies, but in 1666 he left the University of Leipzig in anger."

"Why?"

"The reason is that those stupid professors refused to award him a doctorate on the grounds that he was too young."

"Every era has its stubborn old fogies who relentlessly suppress geniuses. Does Leipzig University also have such a shameful history?"

"Later, Leibniz received his doctorate in law from Altdorf in Nuremberg. His dissertation at that time was 'On the Technique of Combination,' when he was 20 years old, and his unparalleled genius had already been displayed."

Chu Xunfeng recalled the book Professor Nie had flipped through: "Leibniz is beginning to show his talent."

"No, after graduating from university, Leibniz did not dedicate himself to the study of mathematics and physics like Newton. He became a lawyer who negotiated for the interests of the nobility. Later, he devoted himself to diplomacy. He wasted his talent in pointless running around. As the 'Prince of Mathematics' Gauss said when talking about Leibniz's mathematical achievements: Leibniz wasted his great genius for mathematics on all sorts of other subjects."

"This is truly nerve-wracking." Chu Xunfeng wished he could turn Leibniz back to the right path. "And then what happened?"

Around 1672, while he was enthusiastically engaged in diplomatic affairs, he met the physicist Huygens in Paris. Huygens gave Leibniz a mathematical work on pendulums, and Leibniz was deeply attracted by the mathematical principles such as the invariant period. It was then that he earnestly requested Huygens to teach him mathematics. Under Huygens' guidance, he quickly mastered the profound mathematical theories and began his great mathematical research with great interest.

Chu Xunfeng breathed a sigh of relief; this guy was completely wasting talent. Thanks, Huygens.

"He first invented a theory centered on the characteristic triangle to solve relatively complex mathematical problems such as tangents and areas. This method already contained the basic ideas of calculus. In his subsequent in-depth research, Leibniz summarized the operational rules of differentiation and integration. He also invented the calculus and integration operators dx and ∫, which are still in use today. In calculus, he and Newton each had their own strengths, but if we only consider the symbolization of operations, Leibniz was ahead of Newton."

"You mean to say that the calculus we use now was created by Leibniz?" Chu Xunfeng asked.

"The question of who invented calculus first has been a subject of mutual suspicion and accusation between Newton and Leibniz's supporters. According to some accounts in the history of science, this matter escalated to the point that British scientists publicly accused Leibniz of plagiarism in the journal of the Royal Society of London. Newton, then president of the Royal Society, even established a committee composed of his supporters to investigate the matter, and the investigation concluded that Leibniz had plagiarized. This investigation result was actually drafted by Newton himself, and he also anonymously wrote a long article attacking Leibniz. It is rumored that the Lesser Hermit of Sion, led by Newton, also participated in the attack on Leibniz and wanted to secretly eliminate him. Today we know that although Leibniz may have been inspired by his correspondence with Newton, he independently invented calculus from a different perspective, and because Leibniz's expression of calculus was clearer and his notation system was more intuitive and reasonable, it has been widely adopted and is still used today."

"Although geniuses always come together, the struggles between great people are sometimes not honorable."

"There's no way around it! We finally came up with a wonderful new field of knowledge, but now we have to prove that we didn't plagiarize it. The worst part is, who would believe that such a groundbreaking field of knowledge was independently created by two friends who had some interaction with each other?"

"That's true, some fights are unavoidable."

"Yes, unfortunately, this incident not only damaged the friendship between the two men, but also caused a long-term antagonism between mathematicians on the European continent and British mathematicians. The entire European continent delayed the acceptance of Newtonian mechanics. British mathematics also closed itself off for a period of time, unwilling to accept the research results of mathematicians on the European continent for a long time. Due to national prejudice, they insisted on using Newton's outdated calculus notation and outdated mathematical concepts, resolutely refusing to use the calculus and integral operation symbols established by Leibniz. They were too confined to the scope of Newton's thought and remained stagnant in the 'method of fluxions'③ until 1820 when they were willing to recognize the mathematical achievements of other countries and rejoin the international mainstream. The development of mathematics in Britain had fallen behind by a full hundred years."

"Britain has always been proud, but in the end, the British still recognized Leibniz?"

"As the trend of the times dictated, the British eventually adopted the calculus and integral operation symbols established by Leibniz. Of course, this does not mean that Leibniz's theory was necessarily superior to Newton's. The two had their strengths in calculus theory. It should be said that in terms of system and structure, Newton's was more macroscopic and far-sighted, while Leibniz's was clearer, more rigorous, and more varied."

"Could you elaborate?" Chu Xunfeng lamented that his thinking wasn't sharp enough.

"Newton approached the subject from the perspective of kinematics and deepened it, aiming, on a spiritual level, to obtain a powerful tool for human progress. Leibniz, on the other hand, started with pure geometric problems, seeking, on a spiritual level, ultimate universal significance in philosophy."

"Could it be understood that Newton focused on physics, while Leibniz still focused on mathematics?"

"That's one way to understand it."

"Have the two of them met?" Chu Xunfeng asked. "Du Fu and Li Bai, two Chinese poets, slept in the same bed."

"Some scientific history records indicate that the two not only met, but also competed openly and covertly for many years."

"Besides calculus, what else do they have to argue about? These two rivals?"

"About binary and mathematical logic?"

"About binary and mathematical logic?" Chu Xunfeng's mouth dropped open again. "Who won?"

“Newton won, but this event is not recorded in the history of science; it is the most secure event in the history of science. Even the British Library has no record of it. I seem to have only heard my father mention it, and he obtained it from some fragmentary scientific notes. Because Newton won, binary code was forgotten by mankind for 250 years.”

"I thought binary was created in the 1950s. What would have happened if Leibniz had won?"

"If Leibniz had won, the world would have veered to the other extreme, perhaps becoming a world of calculation. My father called it a 'possible world.' These are just some of my father's casual remarks."

A possible world, a possible world? Chu Xunfeng felt a jolt in his heart, as if he had realized something, like grabbing a red thread from a tangled mess.

Chu Xunfeng thought for a moment, then looked up at the window, his thoughts as aimless and disjointed as the long, dark night outside. The fleeting inspiration he'd just had vanished: "And then?"

"Later," Xavier thought for a moment, "before Leibniz could promote his theories, he suddenly became interested in making tools. He had always been enthusiastic about any subject, and he made a wooden machine model. He even demonstrated his idea of a calculator to the members of the Royal Society. However, this model could only explain the principle, but it could not work properly and was ridiculed by many scientists at the time. In order to redeem himself, he worked very hard to develop a computer."

"That's his idea of a computer. Is what he designed actually useful?"

"It may not seem very useful, but it was quite advanced at the time. I heard that it could calculate the accounts for his patron, Duke Augustus, causing many accountants at the Duke's estate to lose their jobs."

“No wonder so many people dislike him.” Chu Xunfeng smiled.

Leibniz lived in France for a period of time and had a close relationship with a missionary named Joachim Bouvet who was in China at the time. Bouvet had taught mathematics to the Kangxi Emperor and was very interested in the Chinese I Ching. In the early 16th century, he sent Leibniz I Ching diagrams, one of which was the famous "Fuxi Sixty-Four Hexagrams Circular Diagram"⑤.

“Leibniz must have been extremely surprised. He found the basis for his theory in the classics of the East,” Chu Xunfeng said. “It was the book that the missionary gave him.”

"Yes, Leibniz was astonished to discover that the sixty-four hexagrams corresponded exactly to 64 binary numbers. This was a revelation for him; in that instant, Leibniz felt a sense of clarity, and all his doubts vanished. That divine light came from the East! He found a kindred spirit in the Chinese Bagua (Eight Trigrams). His astonishment and excitement at that time are unimaginable. Therefore, among European scientists at that time, Leibniz greatly admired and revered ancient Chinese civilization. He even presented a replica of his multiplication machine to the Chinese Emperor Kangxi to express his respect for China."

Was Emperor Kangxi interested in that thing?

"I don't know, you'd have to ask you, the Chinese person."

"I think they probably wouldn't be interested, otherwise the Qing Dynasty wouldn't have been partitioned by the Eight-Nation Alliance, including you Germans. Besides, our historians are only interested in power struggles, the ups and downs of officialdom, governing the country, and both literary and military talents. They would definitely dismiss computers as foreign technology and look down on them."

"Perhaps it was due to the *I Ching*, but Leibniz was always eager to learn about Eastern culture and attached great importance to Chinese science, culture, and philosophy. He even spent time editing and publishing a book called *New Things in China*. In the preface, he spoke in the tone of a diplomat, saying that China and Europe, located at the eastern and western ends of the world continent, were the center of humanity's great education and brilliant civilization. He advocated that the East and West should learn from each other and exchange ideas on an equal footing in culture and science. He wrote a letter of 40,000 words specifically discussing Chinese philosophy, including the *I Ching*. At the end of the letter, he talked about the symbols of Fuxi, the 64 symbols in the *I Ching* and his binary system, saying that many great Chinese philosophers had searched for philosophical secrets in these 64 symbols..."

"In that case, I actually prefer Leibniz." At this moment, Chu Xunfeng wished Leibniz was even greater than Newton.

Leibniz's admiration for Eastern culture was heartfelt. Before his death in 1716, he published an article entitled "On the Philosophy of China," which specifically discussed the Eight Trigrams and the binary system, pointing out that the binary system and the Eight Trigrams had something in common.

"He died in 1716? Were his theories accepted before his death?"

"No, and his later years were very miserable. In his later years, Leibniz wanted to become a court historian, which means that he never lost his love for the humanities, but this simple wish was not fulfilled. When he passed away, no priest was present, and only a servant was by his side."

Chu Xunfeng sighed deeply, “Newton died with great fanfare! Two dukes, three earls, and the Lord Chancellor carried his coffin. Voltaire even described it as ‘he was buried like a king beloved by his subjects.’”

"Yes, Newton is buried in Westminster Abbey and will be revered for all time, while Leibniz remains unknown to the public to this day."

While history will ultimately judge a person's achievements, the long river of history can be incredibly cruel. Those who receive titles may be bestowed with even greater honors generation after generation, while the same great philosopher may remain silent for millennia. Confucius was bestowed with titles such as "Supreme Sage and Teacher," "King Wencheng," and even "Sage of Literature and Father of the Netherworld" by successive emperors, to the point that the plaques in the Confucius Temple in Qufu were overflowing, while many of his contemporary philosophers could only be occasionally mentioned in ancient texts.

"However, Leibniz had someone like Professor Nie to admire and respect him. In Chinese terms, he could rest in peace even in the afterlife."

Note:

① The Newton-Leibniz formula in advanced mathematics textbooks reveals the connection between definite integrals and the antiderivative or indefinite integral of the integrand.

②This is just one version of events in the history of science, and it has not been widely accepted by the scientific community.

③ The creation of calculus is Newton's most outstanding mathematical achievement. To solve problems of motion, Newton created a mathematical theory directly related to physical concepts, which he called "fluxionism".

④ When Du Fu was thirty-three years old, he met Li Bai in Luoyang and traveled extensively in the Liang and Song regions as a chivalrous figure. Li Bai was already a renowned poet at the time, and his unique style and outstanding talent deeply attracted Du Fu.

⑤ Whether Leibniz was influenced by the Book of Changes to create the binary system has always been a historical mystery. There are many theories, but the generally accepted one is that Leibniz saw the Innate Diagram when he created the binary system.

Maniacal Laughter (Part 1)

The two chatted until midnight. Chu Xunfeng was amazed by Leibniz's scientific achievements one moment and sighed at his life the next.

“I understand!” Saviel trembled nervously. “Silver coins…” She suddenly realized she had let something slip.

"What..." Chu Xunfeng was still immersed in his admiration and sighs for Leibniz.

“Single eyelids…” Saviel’s long eyelashes fluttered, and her blue-black pupils seemed to glisten with tears. She thought for a long time, then looked up at Chu Xunfeng, as if she wanted to say something but dared not. Finally, she softly said, “Xunfeng, if you find out that I have done something bad to deceive you, will you stay with me forever?”

Chu Xunfeng kissed Xavier's delicate face and said with boundless affection, "Even if you were to commit murder, arson, or rob a bank, I would do it too. I know you're worried about buying a house for us."

Saviel's lips twitched slightly, revealing her dimples; she wanted to laugh, but didn't.

She reached out and gently stroked Chu Xunfeng's shoulder, accidentally touching the shoulder that had been hit. Chu Xunfeng cried out in pain.

"Ah! Is it badly injured? Let me see." Saviel forcibly pried open his tightly clenched hand, pulled up his clothes and saw a large bruise. "Oh God!" She pressed it gently with trembling hands. "Luckily it's just my shoulder. What would I have done if it were somewhere else..." Tears welled up in Saviel's eyes like pearls from a broken string.

As she applied medicine to his wound, she asked, "Silly boy, you could have dodged it."

"I've practiced qigong for so many years, if I dodge it, I'll disgrace Chinese martial arts!" Chu Xunfeng gritted his teeth, his face pale. The intense pain made him sweat profusely, and he couldn't even force a smile. He gripped Saviel's pink down jacket tightly, making Saviel's neck ache.

"Does it hurt a lot? Does it feel better if you hold me?" Xavier pressed her body against me.

Chu Xunfeng felt a natural fragrance waft towards him, and an infinite warmth enveloped his soul, making him feel dizzy. His face suddenly turned crimson; this usually self-proclaimed romantic campus poet was now shy.

"It'll be done soon," Xavier said, gently rubbing the wound with drops of medicine from her fingertips. She was like the most tender and virtuous wife, her eyes filled with boundless love.

After applying the medicine, Chu Xunfeng pretended to be nonchalant and put on his clothes: "It's nothing, just a minor injury."

“But this isn’t just a flesh wound. If it had hit my head, I would have been dead, Xunfeng,” Saviel suddenly hugged Chu Xunfeng tightly, her cheeks burning hot, her hair like a forest on fire. “I love you, I really love you,” she gasped, her body trembling, as if she were about to faint. “I have a premonition that I’ll never see you again after tonight,” Saviel murmured, tears welling in her eyes.

Chu Xunfeng was stunned by Saviel's passionate and fervent actions. The gentle and reserved woman suddenly seemed like a lover facing a life-or-death separation. He held Saviel tightly in his arms, saying, "Eastern love is about lifelong commitment. The love of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, who transformed into butterflies and danced side by side, has been passed down through the ages. It is steadfast, pure, full of longing, and beautiful. This is the kind of love I want to obtain. We will be together for all eternity."