Wang Zhenyi

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Wang Zhenyi (王贞仪)
Alias(es)	Deqing (courtesy name); Jinling Lady Historian; Jinling Female Scholar
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Dashun Academy of Sciences, Department of Astronomy and Mathematics; formerly a writer for the Jincheng Industry Promotion Gazette
Occupation/Role	Mathematician, Academy researcher, tutor, journalist/writer
First Appearance	Chapter 6 (unnamed); Chapter 7 (named)

Background

Wang Zhenyi was raised in an official family. Her grandfather, Wang Zhe Fu—also known by the courtesy name Wang Jinyan—served as Prefect of Jiaying Prefecture and later as Academic Commissioner in Ji Province. His instruction first led her toward mathematics. After his death, she accompanied her father in escorting his coffin home; during the journey through the capital, she encountered Euler, who encouraged her to enter the Dashun Academy of Sciences. 13 93

She became Euler's last disciple and acted as his stenographer in his later years. She works in the Academy's Department of Astronomy and Mathematics, where she was assigned housing near the institution. 10 68 91

Before settling in the capital, Wang Zhenyi wrote for the Jincheng Industry Promotion Gazette. Her early public writing included an article criticizing women for appearing publicly despite her own willingness to do so. 7

Appearance

Wang Zhenyi is described as fair-faced and clean in appearance. When she tended to Chen Wu at the Shui Family Garden, she wore a gold-woven mamian skirt with a high-collared plain gown, giving her a composed and elegant bearing. 10

• Often presents herself with the refinement expected of an official household. 93
• Her dignified public image contrasts with her voracious appetite and more casual behavior around Chen Wu. 91
• In Jincheng, she was previously seen traveling in dusty clothes before changing into formal attire at the Shui Family Garden. 10

Personality

Wang Zhenyi is forthright, clever, and difficult to fool. She readily calls out Chen Wu's evasions and lies, especially when he tries to pass off his knowledge as something he read in a book. 69 Her teasing can be sharp—she initially belittles his mathematical questions as simple—but it reflects the strict teaching style she experienced under Euler herself. 69

Although confident in her talent, she is sensitive to the prejudice facing a woman conducting public scientific work. Her determination to establish her own merit, rather than be dismissed as Euler's favored student, motivates her pursuit of recognition for her three-body-problem research. 70

She is pragmatic as well as warm-hearted. She accepts Jia Yihe's interview chiefly because his donation would fund the Academy's Department of Astronomy and Mathematics, and she later permits a biography despite her reluctance when offered substantial licensing fees and royalties. 91 174

Abilities & Skills

Mathematics and Scientific Research

Wang Zhenyi is a mathematical prodigy and an Academy of Sciences researcher trained directly by Euler. 10 68

• Works in the Department of Astronomy and Mathematics. 67
• Developed research on the three-body problem after Chen Wu suggested its unsolvability; her paper later received the gold prize and brought her widespread renown. 69 90
• Requested Chen Wu's inscription for her three-body-problem paper because he helped provide its research direction. 70 91
• Collaborates with Wang Lai in using the Difference Engine to analyze and optimize martial-arts manuals. 67
• Calculated a propeller-thrust formula based on fluid mechanics and received a commendation application from Sea-Pacifying Palace. 117
• Discusses petroleum research and introduces Chen Wu to Zheng Zhaoluo, an Academy specialist in fractional distillation. 131 132

Teaching

Wang Zhenyi tutors Chen Wu in mathematics for his Wude Palace examination. 68 69

• Uses Euler's textbook and the Academy's collections of past examination papers. 68 69
• Explains Chen Wu's questions on the three-body problem and recommends sustained practice after establishing his foundation. 70
• Her instruction contributes to Chen Wu's exceptional performance in mathematics and geometry during the Wude Palace examinations. 92

Martial Arts

Wang Zhenyi practices external martial arts. 7

• Possesses enough martial training to discuss cultivation realms and explain the physical foundations of Copper Skin, Iron Tendons, and Jade Bone. 11
• Her exact cultivation realm and combat capabilities are not specified.

Equipment and Research

• Difference Engine — Wang Zhenyi shows Chen Wu the Academy's calculating machine, capable of calculating seventh-degree polynomials with numbers up to thirty-one digits. 67
• Euler's paperweight — A paperweight inherited from Euler, kept in her study. 69
• Three-body-problem paper — Her prize-winning research work, submitted anonymously to a competition. 70 90
• Propeller-thrust formula — A fluid-mechanics calculation she completes following Chen Wu's work in Songjiang. 117 119

Relationships

• Chen Wu — Initially meets him as a suspicious stranger in Jincheng, then rescues and shelters him after the attempt on Qiao Weisheng. She later becomes his mathematics tutor, academic collaborator, confidante, and romantic partner. 7 10 68 70 193
• Euler — Her late teacher and mentor; Wang Zhenyi was his last disciple and served as his stenographer in his final years. 10 91
• Shui Ziyi — Her senior brother under Euler. Their shared academic lineage allows her to stay at the Shui Family Garden and provide Chen Wu refuge there. 10
• Wang Lai — Fellow Department of Astronomy and Mathematics researcher; Wang Zhenyi collaborates with him on Difference Engine calculations and treats him with unusual warmth. 67
• Osi Han — Euler's son and Wang Zhenyi's senior brother. She regularly mocks his mathematical ability while maintaining a familiar academic relationship with him. 66
• Jia Yihe — Journalist who secures an exclusive interview by offering research funding to her department; he later publishes sensationalized accounts of her life and relationship with Chen Wu. 91 100 174
• Wang Zhe Fu / Wang Jinyan — Her grandfather, a former prefect whose teaching first inspired her study of mathematics. 13 93

Story Role

Jincheng Prefecture

Wang Zhenyi first encounters Chen Wu near the Yellow River and later speaks with him at a noodle stall, where she reveals both her external martial-arts practice and her work for the Jincheng Industry Promotion Gazette. She jokingly predicts that she will collect his corpse after his eventual execution. 6 7

After Chen Wu is injured by the Yin-Yang Chaos Finger during his attempt on Qiao Weisheng, she rescues him and conceals him in the Shui Family Garden. She brings him food and news of his wanted poster, explains how arrest warrants function in practice, and ultimately sees him off when he leaves Jincheng. 10 13 32

Academy of Sciences and Wude Palace

Chen Wu reunites with Wang Zhenyi at the Dashun Academy of Sciences, where she proudly introduces him to the Difference Engine. 66 67 When he seeks admission to Wude Palace, she becomes his mathematics teacher and guides his preparation through textbooks and past papers. 68 70

Her own research becomes nationally prominent after her three-body-problem paper wins a gold prize. Jia Yihe's subsequent interview identifies Chen Wu as the source of the work's direction and inscription despite his wish to remain anonymous. 90 91 100

Later Developments

Wang Zhenyi continues to assist Chen Wu's scientific and investigative interests, including petroleum research and the Harmony Spring Troupe case. 131 132 She is perceptive enough to infer that his Tianjin trip involved the Yongjiu School and supports him despite knowing his activities are dangerous. 148

Her relationship with Chen Wu becomes increasingly open. After discovering that he is Lu Xun and learning of Wang Cong'er's interest in him, she playfully presses him about his connection to Wang Cong'er before demanding a kiss as “compensation.” 193

Trivia

• Wang Zhenyi's courtesy name, Deqing, is used frequently by Chen Wu and her Academy colleagues. 66
• She became known as the Jinling Lady Historian after her scientific achievements received public attention. 91
• Despite her polished public demeanor, she insists that when she pays for a meal, she intends to eat her money's worth. 91
• She wrote Chen Wu a New Year couplet whose horizontal inscription reads “Out with the old, in with the new.” 119