Today's Kyoto is quite quiet, and even the sounds of street vendors are much quieter than in the past. From time to time, I look up in the direction of the palace, thinking about a competition being held there.
The competition with the Qi people can be called a battle of honor. As a Jing people, driven by national pride and national honor, everyone is very concerned about this matter.
Some underground gambling houses even offered odds for this battle. Countless people in the bustling casinos were eagerly waiting for the news to come out from the palace.
In the Viscount's Mansion, Li Yi got up early. He had to urge the two tailors to hurry up and work. After two days of boring competition with the people of Qi, he was about to end his ban. Before entering the palace, he had to
Get these two things done first.
At this time, above the Golden Palace, on both sides of a chessboard, there were two people sitting cross-legged.
On one side was Ma Zhongcheng, and on the other side was an old man with white hair and beard, and a wrinkled face.
Today is the first battle of the literary test, which is very important. Even Emperor Jing could not sit firmly on the throne. He walked down from above, but he did not get too close and looked at it from a distance.
Apart from Emperor Jing, there were only a few people in the hall, including the two prime ministers and several old men, all of whom were famous Confucians of the day.
On the other side, behind the old man, there were several people standing, all of whom were envoys from the State of Qi. The leader was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties.
In order not to disturb the two people playing chess, most of the officials were waiting outside the palace. Countless people were walking in the square, with slightly anxious expressions on their faces.
Ma Zhongcheng is in his prime. It stands to reason that both his chess skills and physical strength are at the peak of his life. Even the chess master Bai Yu would not dare to underestimate him. Against an octogenarian, he has taken a huge advantage no matter how he looks at it.
However, not long ago, when the chess master Bai Yu played against this old man, they also thought the same.
But the result was that Bai Yu lost all three battles. Today, can Ma Zhongcheng turn the tide and win the first city for the country?
This is a concern for the officials and Emperor Jing, not a problem that the King of Jin should worry about.
"This is a pastry made by my concubine for the catering bureau. It's delicious. Do you want to try it?"
Jin King Li Han held an exquisite food box in his hand, squatting on the steps of a shady palace somewhere, and said to the little girl sitting there with a smile on his face.
"Thank you, Brother Jin Wang. Yongning is not hungry." The little girl turned her head and glanced in the direction of the palace entrance, shook her head and said.
"Then I'll put it here first and eat it when you're hungry." King Jin put the food box next to him and said carefully: "Sister Yongning, I always bullied you in the past. It was all my fault. Now I have
I know I was wrong. If anyone dares to bully you in the future, just tell me and I will help you beat him up!"
After thinking for a while, he added, "If it's the King of Shu - I can't beat him, but I will tell my husband!"
Princess Yongning seemed not to have heard his words and murmured: "When will brother come?"
King Jin scratched his head and said: "You mean sir... Mr. has been banned by the emperor for half a month. It seems that there are still a few days left. He will not come to the palace in these days."
The expression on Princess Yongning's face was a little disappointed, and she subconsciously hugged her arms tightly, then she remembered that the beautiful sheep was gone.
King Jin glanced in a certain direction, scratched his head, and said: "It seems that there is a lot of excitement in the Lizheng Palace today. Princess Shouning and the others have already passed by. Do you want to go and see it with me?"
Seeing Yongning shaking his head, King Jin stood up and said, "Then I'll leave first..."
Outside the Li Zheng Hall, officials were still pacing the square. A few small figures crowded at the door, sticking their heads out to look inside. Not long after, another curious head appeared.
In the palace, as the chess game progressed, Emperor Jing and everyone else frowned.
There was no expression on the wrinkled face of the old man from Qi State, and he was extremely calm when making chess moves. The clouds were calm and the wind was gentle. On the other hand, Ma Zhongcheng, who was on the other side, was pale, with big beads of sweat on his forehead, and the hand in his hand.
A chess piece was held up for a long time and never fell down.
A look of defeat flashed across Qin Xiang's face, this game of chess was about to be lost.
Ma Zhongcheng, who was as good as a chess master, could only hold out for an hour under the old man's hand, but in the end he was inevitably defeated.
When masters play chess, sometimes it lasts for several hours at a time, and Ma Zhongcheng loses within an hour, which shows the difference in their chess abilities.
If I lose another one tomorrow and have three battles with two ink, there will be no need to compete in this essay test.
"I lost……"
After all, the chess piece in Ma Zhongcheng's hand still failed to fall. His face was slumped, and his whole figure seemed to have aged a bit in an instant. He stood up and said in a hoarse voice.
Even though he won the chess game, the old man opposite him stood up and stood silently opposite the young man without saying a word.
Hundreds of officials filed in outside the palace, and just by looking at Ma Zhongcheng's expression, they came to a conclusion in their hearts.
Lost, indeed lost, after only an hour, the old man turned out to be so powerful!
The officials were heavy-minded and stood around without saying a word.
"I was lucky enough to win the first game, so I admit it." The young man smiled and bowed his hands to everyone.
Disappointed, Emperor Jing waved his hand and said, "Let's leave the court today. We'll be here tomorrow to continue the second literary competition."
"Your Majesty, please wait." At this time, the young man suddenly spoke.
"What else do you want?" Emperor Jing looked back at the young man and said with a frown.
The young man smiled and said: "This time I propose to compete with your country, it is just for exchanges and discussions, and has no other intentions. I really don't want to cause trouble to your country..."
Baiguan frowned when he heard this, not wanting to cause trouble to our country. Didn't the third prince mean that if the competition continues, Jingguo will continue to lose and be embarrassed? After hearing his words, Baiguan
The official felt even more ashamed and angry than if he had lost the test.
"Does the third prince think that you are really sure to win?" Before Emperor Jing could speak, Qin Xiang snorted coldly and said.
The young man smiled and said: "Winning or losing is actually not important. This competition was originally for exchange and learning. If we have to distinguish ourselves, we have lost the original intention. Presumably everyone present will also
You don’t want to have to decide the winner or loser, do you?”
The young man was speechless. If they won the first game, how could they let the prince of Qi talk so much here? The problem is that they have already lost one game. If they lose the next game,
It was not just their face that was lost, but the face of the entire Jingguo. What would the people think and what would other countries think then? Qi State swept across Jingguo with only a few people. Could it be that everyone in the Jingguo court was
Are they a bunch of losers?
"What do you want?" Emperor Jing was not in a position to speak at this time. Qin Xiang pondered for a moment, looked at the young man and asked.
The young man looked at Emperor Jing and said: "As long as your country agrees to a small condition for us, the subsequent competition will not need to be carried out. After the handover of the city, our envoy will leave Jingguo immediately. What do you think of His Majesty the Emperor?"
Although he was unwilling to admit it, if the comparison continued, Jing Guo might be embarrassed even more. Emperor Jing looked at him and asked, "What are the conditions you mentioned?"
"It's very simple. It's just a small request." The young man smiled and said: "There are a large number of people in the envoy. They have stayed in Kyoto for a long time and their money has been exhausted. I only ask that His Majesty the Emperor can give some food to the envoy.
Just return home."
"Just food?" After the young man finished speaking, not only the expression on Emperor Jing's face was startled, but all the officials also showed expressions of disbelief.
Regarding the face of the country, they thought that the third prince of Qi would make some unreasonable demands. As long as they were slightly excessive, even if His Majesty agreed, they would strongly oppose it.
But who would have thought that after spending so much effort, they just wanted to order some food...
For a moment, the expressions of the officials looking at the third prince of the Qi Kingdom changed slightly. They all said that the third prince of the Qi Kingdom was the most capable of all the princes of the Qi Kingdom. He was extremely talented and beautiful. Could it be that the rumors were false?
The third prince is actually the same as the King of Shu, whose talents are all based on blowing up?
Seemingly not noticing the strange look in the officials' eyes, the young man pointed to the chessboard aside and said: "The mission does not need much food. As long as His Majesty the Emperor sends someone to put a grain in the first grid of the chessboard.
rice, put two grains in the second grid, four grains in the third grid, and so on, just fill up the sixty-four grids on the chessboard."
After the young man finished speaking, he looked at Emperor Jing with a smile, waiting for his answer.
Emperor Jing did not reply immediately. He looked at the chessboard on one side and then at the young man. Judging from the performance of the third prince of Qi, he was definitely not an ordinary person. This competition had been planned for an unknown amount of time, so what?
Will it end so hastily?
Returning to Qi State with food that fills the sixty-four-square chessboard, they might have starved to death before arriving in Qi State, right?
"What do you think?" Emperor Jing looked at the officials around him and asked.
Many officials were secretly happy at this moment. They never expected that the third prince of Qi State was actually a fool. This was great news for them. Although some people suspected that there was fraud, the other party just wanted some.
It's just food, just give it to him. With a few bags of food, what kind of conspiracy can he pull off?
"Your Majesty, since the envoy from Qi State is so short of food, we naturally cannot refuse. We cannot let envoys from other countries starve. This is inconsistent with etiquette." Chen Bo, the Minister of Rites, stood up and said with a smile.
"What Mr. Chen said is true. If I refuse, it will make me look stingy."
"The Third Prince has come a long way, so why not meet his request?"
…
…
Things took a turn for the worse, and the courtiers all smiled and said that they could use some food to get rid of the difficult Qi people. This deal was a good deal no matter how you calculate it.
At that time, it can be said to the outside world that the people of Qi were afraid, so they begged for some food and returned to Qi. Your Majesty was kind and gave them more. This not only saved face, but also made the people of Qi laugh. Why not
for?
"Where is the Doctor of Imperial Accountancy?" Emperor Jing pondered for a moment and suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Zheng Jijiu immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, except for Dr. Han, all the arithmetic doctors have gone to Zifu in Li County to ask for advice on arithmetic and are not in the court."
The reason why Dr. Han came here today is simply to ask for a serious imperial edict from His Majesty, otherwise he would not even be able to get through the door of the Li family. Zheng Jijiu waved to the back, and immediately there was a hit
The young man walked over quickly.
Emperor Jing felt a little regretful. If he had known about this, he should have called Li Yi today. He had never let him down. With him here, why should he worry about these things?
"Do you know how much food they need?" Emperor Jing looked at Dr. Han and asked.
Dr. Han pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, it's only sixty-four squares, not a lot."
Dr. Han looked at the chessboard. As a doctor of mathematics, he naturally thought more than other officials. Regarding the multiplier growth, sixty-four squares are actually a lot, but the size of a grain of rice is so large that one stone of rice is too many to count.
, even if it is not enough to put in the sixty-four grids, ten stones will still not be enough, and a hundred stones will not be enough?
Jingguo is not short of that hundred and ten stones. With this little thing, he can send envoys from Qi State, which is a very good deal.
It was rare for the courtiers to hold the same opinion on this matter. Emperor Jing suppressed the slightest concern in his heart and said, "In that case, then..."
The third prince of Qi still maintained a faint smile on his face.
The expressions on Baiguan's face were also relatively satisfied.
Everyone is happy and everyone is well.
"Wait a moment……"
The harmonious atmosphere was suddenly broken by a voice. After everyone was stunned for a moment, they turned their heads and looked in the direction from which the voice came.
Jin Wang Li Han stood at the entrance of the palace. Seeing so many people in the palace looking at him, he couldn't help but feel a little scared, but he still mustered up the courage to interrupt Emperor Jing's words and said: "Father, we cannot agree to them!"
In front of the envoys and civil and military officials of the State of Qi, Emperor Jing was interrupted by King Jin, but he was not angry at all. Instead, he showed a thoughtful expression on his face.
The third prince of Qi's expression changed slightly, and he looked at the little fat man standing at the door of the palace, with a trace of surprise in his eyes.
"His Royal Highness King Jin, this is the court, no nonsense is allowed!"
The officials quickly reacted, and regardless of their status, they all spoke out to stop it. This was a huge advantage. Prince Jin must not mess up the situation. They may not meet such a stupid prince next time.
Already.
Most of the officials were trying to stop King Jin, but a few of them changed their expressions at the same time.
Qin Huan, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Yan Bing, the Minister of the Ministry of War, Jijiu from the Imperial College, and Doctor of Arithmetic, no one knows better than them how many incredible things are contained in this chubby head.
"Han'er, come here and talk." Emperor Jing said with a smile on his face and waved to King Jin.
Seeing that his father was not angry, King Jin was relieved. He walked over slowly, pointed at the young man, and said to Emperor Jing: "Father, please don't be deceived by them. The gentleman said, fill the sixty-four grids."
All the countries in the world combined don’t have enough grain for the chessboard. If we build a large warehouse to store this grain, the warehouse would be three feet long, two feet wide, and as high as the sun..."
The expression on the face of the third prince of Qi remained unchanged, but deep down he sighed, and for the first time he looked seriously at the fat man in front of him.
"Yes, there are so many..." the Imperial Academy said in a trembling voice while offering wine.
Dr. Han, who just spoke, turned pale, and his eyes felt a little dark. If it was just Prince Jin, he still had a glimmer of hope in his heart, but the problem is, what he just said was "Mr.
"ah……
Who is Prince Jin's husband if not the unpredictable Mr. Li?
How could someone like the King of Jin, who could teach a naughty boy like him, who swept away all the arithmetic students of the Imperial Academy and put several arithmetic doctors to shame, say such nonsense without any basis?
