The Good Grandson of the Red Chamber

Chapter 39: Post-Disaster Settlement, Imperial Edict

With the imperial guards leading the way, the carriage of Prince Zhongzheng's residence slowly drove away.

Emperor Yonglong mingled with the crowd and then left.

The audience watched a wonderful show and were both satisfied and wanting more.

They watched the hundreds of students racking their brains to solve the problems and were reluctant to leave.

They were still discussing the handsome appearance of the Third Young Master Zong, who was like a Taoist acolyte beside a deity.

The third son of the Zong family was exceptionally talented and intelligent, and he was also filial to his parents. He could even make hundreds of students in the Imperial Academy look down on him.

Oh, and he can also write poetry, and I've heard his poems are exceptionally good.

Such a person must undoubtedly be a celestial being descended to earth.

Furthermore, he possesses a magnanimous spirit!

Those students bullied him so much, yet this Third Young Master Zong kept giving them chances again and again; he was truly too kind.

……

At this moment, Dai Quan, slightly bent over, followed behind Emperor Yonglong and said with a smile:

"Your Majesty, these students are truly despicable. They dared to falsely accuse Third Master Zong out of thin air. In my humble opinion, they should be severely punished."

"Thanks to Third Master Zong's kindness, he gave them chances again and again. Third Master Zong is truly magnanimous and has the demeanor of a gentleman!"

Emperor Yonglong laughed and said, "Give them chances again and again? I think that's unlikely!"

"It seems like we're giving them a chance, but isn't it also a repeated slap in the face?"

"Tell me, what if these students can't solve any of the problems Zong-ge'er left behind within three days?"

"This, this..."

"Hahaha! My grandson is just like me!"

After returning to the palace, Emperor Yonglong summoned Xia Chengzong.

Emperor Yonglong asked, "Zong-ge'er, can those students solve the ten questions you've set?"

Xia Chengzong laughed and said, "Grandpa, I dare say that no one will be able to solve those ten questions within ten years."

The ten questions he posed were ten conjectures he had collected from various periods, ten conjectures that were relevant to this era.

Some of these conjectures have been proven in later generations, while others have not.

In this day and age, no one can solve it.

Let alone giving them ten years, even thirty or fifty years, it's unlikely anyone would be able to solve it.

Unless a super genius appears, or he provides the answer voluntarily.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yonglong couldn't help but burst into laughter.

After laughing, he asked, "If they still can't answer the question after three days, what should we do with them?"

Xia Chengzong said, "Grandfather, these people are all studious talents, with eccentric temperaments and stubborn personalities."

"They are all treasures of our Great Qian Dynasty. Therefore, I believe that only the ringleaders should be punished. The rest can be dealt with leniently."

Upon hearing these words, Emperor Yonglong revealed a satisfied smile.

He then asked, "If that's the case, why execute the ringleaders?"

Xia Chengzong said, "Grandfather, Lu Ren, the leader, was very flustered both times I solved the problem."

"His eyes darted around the crowd, as if waiting for some instructions, which shows that he was instructed to step forward."

"How can I let those who intentionally framed me get away with it so easily?"

Emperor Yonglong laughed heartily, "Excellent, excellent! Your observations are astute; you possess neither womanly sentimentality nor lack of wisdom or magnanimity. You truly are my fine grandson!"

Xia Chengzong laughed and said, "Grandson is not as good as Grandfather says. But I know that Grandfather will definitely protect me and will not let anyone bully me for nothing."

Upon hearing these words, Emperor Yonglong's heart stirred once again.

He thought the little guy wouldn't be able to guess, but the little guy guessed everything!

He probably already guessed that his several sons were behind this incident.

This little guy, at such a young age, is truly a prodigy!

Fortunately, it was his beloved grandson.

I have someone to follow up!

Those scoundrels really went too far, actually targeting his precious grandson.

This time, we must teach them a lesson so they won't dare to be so presumptuous again!

He smiled and said, "Don't worry, Grandfather will definitely give you an explanation!"

……

The grandson of the emperor seized the doctor's research results, and the students of the Imperial Academy cried in the Confucian Temple in anger. The seven-year-old grandson of the emperor suppressed hundreds of students by himself, and in the end, all the students bowed their heads.

This incident met all the criteria for becoming an internet sensation, and thus, within just one day, it became a household name throughout the entire capital city.

Xia Chengzong suddenly became a sensation in the capital. He made a fortune in silence, secretly rejoicing as he watched his popularity soar.

At this moment, the most panicked were the hundreds of students of the Imperial Academy.

The grandson of the emperor was very kind and repeatedly let them off the hook, leaving them a way out. Unfortunately, they failed to seize the opportunity the first two times.

They must seize this last escape route.

They must solve at least one of the problems left by the Third Young Master Zong within three days.

In their view, this was not a difficult task.

With so many people, they can overcome ten difficult problems. They don't even need to overcome all of them. As long as they overcome one of them, what difficulty is there?

However, as time went on, they discovered that things were not so simple.

These ten questions were progressively more difficult than the last.

They racked their brains, either completely failing to find a solution or having some clues, but unable to verify everything.

They numbered several hundred and were divided into ten groups, each responsible for a difficult problem, striving to solve it as soon as possible.

The once quiet Confucian Temple has now become a popular spot for Beijing residents to take photos.

Countless people flocked to the scene, watching with great interest as hundreds of students struggled to solve the problems.

Although they couldn't understand the questions at all, they felt extremely relieved to see so many other students also struggling with them.

Some people even copied down these questions and spread them around.

What if someone solves it?

If they could solve the problems that the students of the Imperial Academy couldn't, wouldn't they become famous overnight?

However, after reading the question, they quickly became confused.

They recognized each Chinese character individually, but when combined, they formed a mysterious, incomprehensible script.

They didn't even understand the meaning of the question, or they barely understood it but had no idea where to start.

That evening, some students left, while others simply slept on the ground outside the Confucian Temple.

The next day, several mathematics professors from the Imperial Academy also arrived and helped the students solve the problem, but they still couldn't find a solution.

On the third day, they still couldn't solve the problem.

Soon, Dai Quan arrived with an imperial edict.

This plunged all the students into deep despair.

Hundreds of students cried at the Confucian Temple, a move seen as a coup attempt, urging the emperor to punish his grandson.

However, it turned out that the grandson of the emperor was a true genius, and he did not steal Dr. Song's achievements.

They falsely accused the imperial grandson.

The emperor's majesty must not be insulted!

Now it's time for reckoning.