Chapter 22: Suppression by a Single Question

The moment Yuan Cong appeared, the students immediately began to voice their grievances, and even the Professor of Mathematics looked on with a face full of fury.

"If you feel ashamed and angry, it is because your skills are lacking and your learning is insufficient. Focusing on self-cultivation and refining your studies is your primary duty."

Yuan Cong’s rebuke struck home, piercing through the crowd like a needle. Though the students were resentful at being reprimanded by the Libationer, they could only cast hateful glares at Li Zaigen before bowing their heads in submission.

Li Zaigen finally regained his composure and offered an awkward bow. But Yuan Cong would not let him off so easily. He said coldly, "Mathematics is profound and vast. You have merely glimpsed a single grain of sand on the shore, yet you are arrogant enough to stir up trouble. Someone, give him thirty lashes to serve as a warning to all."

Upon hearing this, the other students felt a sudden sense of satisfaction. Thirty lashes were enough to mangle a man’s backside, leaving him unable to walk for days or weeks. *That’s for your loose tongue; enjoy the thrashing.*

"Please, Master Libationer, have mercy! I am a foreign student; I would not be so arrogant by nature. It is all something I learned from the people of Great Qian. You shouldn't be punishing me!" Li Zaigen cried out in defiance.

"Nonsense! You are ignorant and arrogant, yet you dare to slander others? Since when has Great Qian ever produced such shameless people? I believe the punishment is not severe enough," Yuan Cong retorted, his anger flaring. He despised students who shirked responsibility and made excuses.

"Master Libationer, I learned this from Gu Dao! He is far more arrogant than I am," Li Zaigen shouted.

The entire classroom fell silent. It was true—the things Gu Dao had done were indeed outrageous. For a moment, they found themselves unable to refute him.

Li Xianyun’s eyes turned icy, and she ground her teeth, thinking to herself that their disgrace had even spread abroad. Jinse was so angry her face flushed red; she longed to run over and kick Li Zaigen to death.

However, the other students quickly recovered.

"Bullshit! Gu Dao may be arrogant, but he has the talent to back it up. He can drink three hundred cups in one sitting, and his poems have astounded the world. Even Prince Chu praised him as the one who 'penned the masterpiece of Chujiang Tower' with a single stroke."

"You, on the other hand, are nothing but a fraud who dares to slander others. Master, expel him!" a student roared.

A cold smirk played on Li Xianyun’s lips. *Soon. Your true face will be revealed soon enough. These people praise you today, but tomorrow, they will trample you into the dust.*

"You mimic him and still say you don't deserve a beating?" Yuan Cong said coldly. "Add twenty more lashes."

"Ah? Why add more?" Li Zaigen asked in alarm.

"You don't learn the good, only the bad. Don't you deserve a beating?" Yuan Cong raged, thinking to himself, *You dare drag my grand-disciple into this? If I don't beat you, who should I beat?*

Several men immediately grabbed Li Zaigen to carry out the punishment.

"Wait!" a voice rang out.

A young man walked through the door. His attire was much like Li Zaigen’s, and his broad, pancake-like face was almost identical, though he was a few years younger.

"Brother, save me!" Li Zaigen lunged toward him, as if he had found a savior.

"I, Li Shenggen of the Gija Kingdom, greet the Libationer and the Princess," Li Shenggen said, brimming with arrogance toward Yuan Cong. However, his eyes turned greedy when he saw Li Xianyun.

Li Xianyun frowned and returned the greeting, then refused to look at him again.

Li Shenggen spoke smugly, "Master Libationer, your previous statement was incorrect."

At these words, the crowd erupted in anger. How dare he question the Libationer?

"What was incorrect?" Yuan Cong asked coldly.

"Gu Dao’s poem was indeed stunning, but there are rumors that it was plagiarized. Therefore, it is hard to say whether he truly possesses talent."

As he spoke, Yuan Cong clenched his fists. The other students exchanged uneasy glances; they, too, had heard these rumors. They had not expected that people in the Gija Kingdom already knew. If Gu Dao were truly a plagiarist, it would be a disgrace that reached beyond their borders.

"My brother may not know mathematics, but he received this problem from me. We brothers act as one, so he can be considered talented," Li Shenggen continued, twisting his logic. "And my brother, with his own strength, stood against the entire class and even the Professor of Mathematics. Even if it was a draw, it is an honor."

Though they knew he was being sophistical, they could not find the words to refute him. They could not very well be as shameless as him. But Li Shenggen grew more triumphant, continuing, "Master Libationer, my brother fought the whole class and the professor to a draw. Surely a little arrogance is excusable?"

Yuan Cong was the Libationer; he could not lower himself to squabble with the boy, or it would be giving him too much face. The others felt insecure and unable to retort, so they quietly cast their eyes toward Jinse. As the victor, she had the right to speak.

Jinse stepped forward, sneering with disdain. "Utterly wrong. In the study of mathematics, it is common for one person to pose a problem and many to solve it. How does that translate into one person fighting an entire class? It is nothing but twisted, fallacious logic."

"By your reasoning, if I were to pose a problem that no one in the entire Gija Kingdom could solve, would that mean I, as a single person, have defeated your entire insignificant little country?"

When Jinse said this, everyone cheered and applauded.

Li Shenggen sneered. "Impossible. The art of mathematics originated in my Gija Kingdom. How could there be a problem posed by a Great Qian person that my Gija Kingdom could not solve?"

"Never mind the strength of the whole nation; even I, Li Shenggen, someone who is considered mediocre in mathematics in Gija, dare to say that I am invincible here at the Imperial Academy."

"The mathematics problems of Great Qian are truly child's play."

Li Shenggen finished, looking smug and frequently casting flirtatious glances at Li Xianyun, as if his display of arrogance could win the Princess over. Li Xianyun felt like vomiting.

Li Shenggen’s blatant contempt ignited the pride of all the students; some were even preparing to challenge him to a duel.

"Li Shenggen, arrogant words come with a price," Jinse rebuked, then added, "I once thought of a small problem for fun while idle. I will tell it to you. If you cannot solve such a trivial game, you shall slap yourself thirty times and keep that foul mouth of yours shut forever."

Jinse was naturally gentle, but today, she had truly lost her temper.

"Fine. If you lose, you shall kneel and kowtow thirty times, and admit that mathematics originated from my Gija Kingdom," Li Shenggen said viciously.

Li Xianyun was stunned. If Jinse lost, she would have to kneel before a person like this, which would be a blow to the dignity of the nation.

"You cannot be so reckless," Li Xianyun interjected. "This is merely a scholarly discussion; there is no need for such hostility. Let us leave it at that."

To everyone's surprise, Li Shenggen laughed triumphantly upon hearing this. He turned his excited gaze toward Li Xianyun, convinced of their incompetence, and blustered, "If the Princess wishes to let the matter rest, that is fine. Tomorrow, I will host a banquet at Chujiang Tower. I invite the Princess to attend, and we two can discuss poetry to our hearts' content."

"However, even if the Princess accompanies me, she must acknowledge that mathematics originated in my Gija Kingdom. That is an undeniable fact."

He finished with a self-satisfied air, as if he believed Li Xianyun would fall in love with him at first sight and agree to a date immediately. Li Xianyun desperately wanted to smash his ugly face in. She turned to her younger sister, Jinse, and said coldly, "Pose the problem to him."

Li Shenggen was rebuffed, but he sneered and said, "Hmph, if the Princess misses out on a talent like me, she may not have the chance again."

Jinse dared not delay; she feared her eldest sister’s temper would lead to murder. She quickly said, "Listen well: There are objects whose number is unknown. When counted by threes, two remain; when counted by fives, three remain; when counted by sevens, two remain. What is the minimum number of objects?"

"Your brother gave me an afternoon," Jinse said. "We of Great Qian are generous; we will give you two days."

"No need. It is but a matter of a snap of the fingers," Li Shenggen said arrogantly.

He grabbed a piece of paper from the desk and began to calculate. He soon realized that the numbers were somewhat tangled, but he didn't pay it much mind, continuing to bow his head and calculate.

The other students and the Professor of Mathematics also began to calculate. Some of the smarter ones even began attempting to use systems of linear equations. A room full of students racked their brains over a few numbers.

"Jinse, are you certain? If you lose, turn around and walk away; do not fulfill the promise," Li Xianyun whispered, pulling Jinse aside.

Jinse remembered how elegantly Gu Dao had solved the difficult problem in an instant, and she couldn't help but point at Li Shenggen with absolute confidence. "Don't worry, sister. No one can solve this problem. Certainly not him."

By now, Li Shenggen was starting to unravel. He finally realized something was wrong and began to write frantically.

"I think your fingers are about to snap," a student nearby mocked him.

Li Shenggen seemed not to hear, fully focused on his deduction, exhausting every method he knew. But the more he calculated, the more chaotic it became. His head spun. It was as if he had entered a numerical labyrinth; there seemed to be paths, but he was actually just going in circles, unable to find his way out.

"This is impossible! It's just a few numbers, a tiny math problem! I am a genius of the Gija Kingdom!" Li Shenggen roared, as if to find confidence in his own voice.

When Gu Dao had come up with this problem, he knew no one could solve it—at least, not at the Imperial Academy. If someone could solve it, they would be a top-tier mathematician of this era. For students of his own time, there were many ways to solve this. But through Jinse’s level, he understood that people of this era lacked systematic mathematical training; finding the algorithm was too difficult. It was not a matter of calculation, but of logical thinking.

Do not underestimate nine years of compulsory education; many seemingly useless things were actually training logical thinking. In this world where classics and history were king, there was simply no mathematical training. This problem had stumped Li Shenggen, and it had stumped everyone else as well.

Long after school was dismissed at the Imperial Academy and everyone else had left, Li Shenggen remained hunched over the desk, calculating like a madman. He was covered in ink, surrounded by piles of paper, looking completely deranged.

"Jinse, you are a great mathematical talent! I never noticed before," Li Xianyun praised her sister. Watching Li Shenggen’s pained expression, she found it incredibly satisfying.

Jinse dared not say that Gu Dao had told her; her sister would surely kill her. She could only offer a humble, awkward laugh.

Though Yuan Cong said nothing, he felt refreshed. He left two people to watch Li Shenggen and took Jinse home. On the way, he looked at Jinse with doting eyes, thinking to himself that she was truly worthy of being his granddaughter.

Li Xianyun went off on her own to the Third Prince's residence.

As soon as Yuan Cong entered the house, he shouted, "Gu Xiuzhi, have the cooking utensils arrived yet? I am in a good mood today; I want to eat chicken!"

His concubine, Xiangyun, came out to greet him with a smile and said softly, "My lord, please stop shouting. People will laugh at you if they hear you, saying you are still a glutton at your age."

"At my age, what is there to care about? Gu Xiuzhi, where did he run off to instead of cooking properly?" Yuan Cong shouted.

Xiangyun had no choice but to say quickly, "He is cooking, he is already cooking. Xiuzhi even added ginseng, pseudoginseng, angelica, and astragalus to it, saying it is to nourish your body."

After Yuan Cong changed his clothes, dinner was ready. In addition to the steam-pot chicken, Gu Dao had made roast chicken, pan-fried tofu, and stewed lamb bones with pickled vegetables.

After the family finished dinner, sweating from the warmth, Yuan Cong gave his highest praise.

In his room, Gu Dao wrote down the recipes of the day, intending to have them sent to Master Jingjie another day. Since this hermit was genuinely good to him, he would naturally return the favor.

Just as he finished writing, Jinse knocked and entered. She had intended to ask him about a math problem, but seeing that Gu Dao had finished his calligraphy, her eyes brightened, and she said softly, "Brother Xiuzhi, what masterpiece have you written? May I take a look?"