Chapter 22

PS: Sorry, I was dealing with contract matters today, so this update is a bit late!

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Zhao Chen's mood was exceptionally good. Being able to trick someone like Sun Simiao into the Institute of Natural Philosophy was like adding another energy ring to his golden medal. Even if Li Er wanted to cause him trouble in the future, he would have to consider the old Taoist's face, wouldn't he?

With a good mood, he hummed a song while holding Liu Huer, walking towards the Institute of Natural Philosophy with a sense of satisfaction. Liu Huer, this child, had a stubborn streak in his bones. Such children just lacked a pair of wings to fly. Once they had wings, they could fly higher and farther than ordinary people. Therefore, Zhao Chen was willing to give this child a pair of wings.

However, his good mood was completely ruined when he reached the gate of the Institute of Natural Philosophy. A large crowd was gathered at the gate, and the door was tightly shut, preventing people from entering or leaving.

The culprit behind all this was a wooden board hanging on the gate, with rows of characters written in ink.

Sealed? How could this be!

Zhao Chen was so angry that his whole body trembled. He had finally tricked such a formidable figure as the old Taoist into the Institute of Natural Philosophy, and before the old Taoist even arrived, the institute was sealed. Wasn't this deliberately making things difficult for him?

He angrily shoved Liu Huer into Cheng Chumo's arms and, with a dark face, was about to remove the wooden board. It clearly wasn't done by Li Er, and as long as it wasn't Li Er, Zhao Chen felt he could ignore it and directly remove the board and chop it into firewood.

A large group of idlers who had been aimlessly loitering at the gate immediately surrounded Zhao Chen, the nominal head of the institute, and started chattering away.

They all reeked of alcohol. A bunch of rascals! While I was busy saving lives, you guys were out enjoying yourselves. None of you are easy to deal with!

This made him even more determined to trick the old Taoist into the Institute of Natural Philosophy. Only the old Taoist could震慑住这一帮无法无天的混世魔王们。

Listening to their chattering, Zhao Chen finally understood what had happened. It turned out someone had come to challenge the institute!

The wooden board didn't contain a notice to dismantle the Institute of Natural Philosophy after a few days, but rather a math problem. Zhao Chen sneered, thinking this person was quite boring.

But when he saw the math problem on the wooden board, his eyes nearly popped out. Who was this? Too extreme! It was a cubic equation!

Wang Xiaotong! The Imperial Astronomer!

"The master heard that young sir has considerable expertise in mathematics. Coincidentally, the master has a problem that he finds quite interesting, so he specially sent me to deliver it to young sir!" A Confucian scholar in his thirties stepped forward and politely said to Zhao Chen after someone had just told him the reason.

What kind of delivery is this, blocking the door and not letting people in? If you want to challenge, just say it!

Zhao Chen secretly despised this in his heart but remained polite on the surface. He then turned his gaze to the wooden board and carefully examined it. Since they had openly challenged, he had to accept it; otherwise, he would definitely be labeled as a fraud, which would be tragic!

It was a very easy problem, nothing difficult!

He withdrew his gaze and habitually reached into his pocket to find paper and a pen. The cunning guy immediately politely handed them over.

Well! Good thing I solved it, or I wouldn't even have an excuse!

He spread out the paper, picked up the brush, waited for the guy to grind the ink, dipped the brush in the ink, and wrote down the solution. The handwriting was a bit messy, as he was still learning to write with a brush.

The guy who had been grinding the ink originally had a bit of disdain for Zhao Chen, even though he had heard that Zhao Chen was quite skilled in mathematics. After all, this problem had taken their master several days to solve, and they, his disciples, could only shake their heads and sigh when they saw it.

However, as he watched Zhao Chen solve the problem on the paper, his heart was already in turmoil. The problem that their master had spent several days on was solved by this young man with just one glance!

Cheng Chumo, who was holding Liu Huer, grinned and winked at the surrounding idlers, showing off. Look, this is my brother, even my father praises him. Could he be wrong?

After solving the problem, Zhao Chen put down the brush, frowned at the solution on the paper, and kept shaking his head, sighing. The handwriting was too ugly!

"Sir, do you have more paper?" He looked up with a smile, wearing an innocent expression, and asked the Confucian scholar.

The Confucian scholar, unsure of what the young man was up to, nodded numbly and took a piece of paper from the side, handing it to Zhao Chen.

Zhao Chen took the paper, picked up the brush again, and, thinking about the language of this era, maliciously came up with a quadratic equation in two variables, which no one could solve.

"To be honest, this problem was given to me by my master in his spare time. I found it quite interesting, so I'm troubling you to pass it on to your master!"

After coming up with the problem, he carefully blew dry the ink, respectfully picked it up, and handed it to the Confucian scholar, speaking politely.

The Confucian scholar looked at the problem Zhao Chen had created, and his facial muscles twitched violently. He sadly realized he couldn't understand it at all.

In front of so many people, he didn't have the nerve to ask, hoping his master could understand it!

He looked at Zhao Chen with a complex expression and left the gate of the Institute of Natural Philosophy with a wounded heart.

Watching the Confucian scholar leave, Zhao Chen's face suddenly showed a fox-like smile of a successful plot. A quadratic equation in two variables! When you rack your brains and still can't solve it, I bet you'll come to work at the Institute of Natural Philosophy obediently!

Why would such a formidable person stay in a place like the Imperial Astronomical Bureau?

Just as he was smiling, he turned around and saw the group of idlers behind him, and his face immediately turned dark.

You are all people of the Institute of Natural Philosophy. Being blocked by a simple problem at the gate, unable to enter or leave, isn't that embarrassing? If I were you, I would hide my head in my pants and never show my face again!

The idlers all opened their mouths wide. This is ridiculous! That was a problem given by the Imperial Astronomer! Could it be solved easily?

However, no one stood up to argue. Zhao Chen was right; so many people were blocked by a problem at the gate, unable to enter or leave. Why? Just because it was given by the Imperial Astronomer?

The gate of the Institute of Natural Philosophy, which had been closed for half a day, finally opened. Qin Haidao, with an excited look, ran out of the yard, fists clenched, and came to Zhao Chen, looking like he wanted to say something but didn't know what.

Children are easily influenced by external things. Just now, Qin Haidao had been peeking through the door, watching what was happening outside.

He watched Zhao Chen solve the problem given by the Imperial Astronomer in just a few moves, and the previously arrogant Confucian scholar had to leave in disappointment. Qin Haidao was so excited that he couldn't describe it in words.

"Haidao, look, Xiao Chen has brought you a playmate!" Zhao Chen patted Qin Haidao's head and then took Liu Huer from Cheng Chumo's arms, introducing him to Qin Haidao.

Qin Haidao's curious gaze struggled to move from Liu Huer's empty trouser leg, and he looked up at Zhao Chen with a puzzled expression.

This child had been raised by Lady Qin to be a noble, and the distinction between high and low had long been ingrained in him. For Zhao Chen to ask him to play with the son of a commoner, he was very confused.

Liu Huer was a sensitive child. Seeing Qin Haidao's hesitation, he immediately lowered his head in disappointment, his eyes turning red, but he stubbornly didn't shed a tear.

Zhao Chen sighed inwardly. This couldn't be blamed on Qin Haidao; it was the fault of the era. How could a child be blamed?

However, Zhao Chen hoped to change a child's mindset at this moment. If it didn't work, he would never try again. So he thought for a moment and said:

"Haidao, from now on, Huer will eat and live with you!"

He clearly saw Qin Haidao's body tremble slightly, and he lowered his head, his eyes turning red, and he sniffled.

Zhao Chen waited quietly. A child needs time to adjust!

"Will we sleep on the same bed?" After a long time, Qin Haidao finally looked up, his eyes red, and asked worriedly.

"No!" Zhao Chen felt relieved and smiled, patting Qin Haidao's head. "In a few days, when the new buildings of the Institute of Natural Philosophy are completed, you and Huer will live in the same room, and each of you will have your own bed. Huer has some physical difficulties, so you will need to take care of him. Can you do that?"

"...Yes!" Qin Haidao's eyes filled with tears, but he nodded firmly.

"I... I don't need anyone to take care of me!" Liu Huer, after struggling for a long time, finally bit his lip and said in a red face.

"I promised, so I must do it!" Qin Haidao said stubbornly.

"I said I don't need it!" Liu Huer said stubbornly.

"The teacher said, a gentleman must keep his word and not easily break it!" Qin Haidao said stubbornly.

"I said I don't need it!" Liu Huer said stubbornly.

...

Hu Lu returned, covered in dust and fatigue, almost collapsing as he entered the gate of the Institute of Natural Philosophy.

This guy couldn't bear the guilt. He had originally taken hundreds of strings of coins and left Chang'an, planning to escape to Yangzhou. But when he reached Xinfeng, he burst into tears and returned with the money.

He thought he had already been reported and was ready to beg Zhao Chen for mercy, but when he returned to the Institute of Natural Philosophy, he found that no one cared about him.

In the end, when Zhao Chen gave him two more glass horses, Hu Lu cried his heart out!

Since he had returned, he might as well stay!

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