My uncle is Zhu Di

Chapter 130: All Face

When the ministers heard the eunuch's words, they were all very excited. If they could stump Xu Qin, they would be able to get 20,000 taels of silver.

That was money they would need to work for more than 20 years to get. How could they not be tempted by such a generous reward? The key was that being able to stump Xu Qin now seemed like something worth bragging about. Up to now, there had been no questions that Xu Qin couldn't solve.

Zhu Gaochi laughed inwardly when he saw them so excited. He knew Xu Qin's ability. Those ministers had always told him to do this and not to do that, and they never forced him. Now he could take revenge on them, and he felt very happy.

But he couldn't show his good mood. If those ministers knew about it, it would be troublesome. So Zhu Gaochi pretended to be serious, then sighed and said to those ministers: "When you have written the questions and collected ten questions, send someone to deliver them, and bring silver at the same time. Otherwise, Xu Qin will not answer them. Of course, if you write IOUs in advance, that's fine too. As long as you can't do it, I will give those IOUs to Xu Qin.

When the time comes, you can take the money to Xu Qin to exchange for the IOU. I hope you will be more cautious and not underestimate Xu Qin, otherwise, you will be the ones who will be embarrassed! "

Huang Fu stood up and bowed to Zhu Gaochi, saying, "Your Highness, please rest assured. Previously, the Imperial College did not know what the emperor wanted those questions for, so we did not give difficult questions. Now that Xu Qin is so presumptuous, don't blame us for being rude."

When the people from the Imperial College heard this, they looked at Huang Fu very unhappily. They were not trying to fool Zhu Di. They did think these questions were very difficult.

Now, when Huang Fu said it, it seemed that the questions he mentioned were very simple. Could it be that all the arithmetic teachers in the Imperial College were idiots?

But since those ministers said so, the people in the Imperial College just looked at each other and no one said anything. Anyway, if they were going to die, they would die together. Otherwise, those ministers would really think that those arithmetic masters in their Imperial College were idiots.

"Okay, that's good. Give more questions. I'm worried that it won't be difficult for Sakyabao. So, give more just in case." Zhu Gaochi was very happy when he heard Huang Fu's words. He just wanted you to not admit defeat.

After saying these words, Zhu Gaochi left, for he was afraid that he could not suppress his joy.

Soon, Zhu Gaochi came to Xu Qin and saw that Xu Qin had already written a pile of questions.

"Now that you're back, take these questions to His Majesty so that you can get the money. We have already written more than fifty questions. Ask them to check them quickly. If there is no problem, you will get the money. You have to ask your father to get them back." Xu Qin saw Zhu Gaochi coming back, looked up and said to Zhu Gaochi with a smile.

"Don't worry, my father won't dare to owe you the money. Now the whole court knows about your bet, and those ministers don't seem to be convinced. You can explain it to them when the time comes. Although they can only offer 500 taels, it's not bad.

But I guess they don’t have money, so I asked them to write an IOU first, and then you can go and ask them for the money!" Zhu Gaochi said with a smile.

Xu Qin was delighted when he heard this. He gave Zhu Gaochi a thumbs up and said, "Brother, you are awesome. I like it. An IOU is even better. I will take the IOU to their house to collect the money. That will be a great result. I like doing things like this!"

"Hehe. Write it quickly. I'll have someone send it to my father." Zhu Gaochi said to Xu Qin with a smile, then called over a eunuch and asked him to send it to Zhu Di.

In the attic, Zhu Di also heard the reply from the eunuch who had just gone down to watch Zhu Gaochi. After listening, Zhu Di nodded. He was very satisfied that Zhu Gaochi asked the ministers to ask questions and offered 500 taels of silver for each answer.

But Zhu Di didn't know that Xu Qin and Zhu Gaochi did this on purpose, just to cheat the ministers of their money.

"Are those ministers asking questions?" Zhu Di asked while sitting there, stroking his beard.

The eunuch immediately bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, they are all trying to come up with questions. After all, the reward is so generous, it is impossible for them not to be tempted."

Zhu Di smiled after hearing this and said, "Yes, if they can't even beat a 17-year-old boy in arithmetic, it would be a huge shame."

After saying this, he laughed happily. He also hoped that Xu Qin could win. If he could win, then Xu Qin would be able to hold his head up high in front of those civil officials. When he wanted to promote Xu Qin at that time, those civil officials probably wouldn't dare to object too much.

Just because Xu Qin was an expert in arithmetic, they did not dare to suppress him too much.

Even though Xu Qin was the son of a military general, they did not dare to say that Xu Qin was unlearned and a playboy.

At this time, a eunuch came over with the question that Xu Qin had just answered. Zhu Di did not even look at it, but waved his hand and said, "Send it to the people who set the questions and let them tell you for themselves whether they have answered it or not.

If you have any objections to the answer, you can bring him to the East Palace and confront Shakya Bao face to face.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The eunuch holding the answer to the problem immediately bowed and retreated. Zhu Di looked at Xu Qin solving the problem in the distance with interest, thinking about something in his mind.

In less than an hour, Xu Qin finished answering the 100 questions. He stood up, stretched his back, and said to Zhu Gaochi, who was drinking tea next to him, "Are there no more questions? Is this the end? Those ministers don't dare to ask questions?"

"Yes, why hasn't he come yet? I'll send someone to ask." Zhu Gaochi also thought of this, and then called the eunuch of the East Palace and asked him to go to the Qianqing Palace to ask.

"Also, when will your father give you the money? I have answered all your questions, and I haven't seen a penny. But we agreed at the beginning that he would give you the money after I answered your questions." Xu Qin sat down next to Zhu Gaochi, and Zhu Gaochi handed Xu Qin a cup of tea.

"Don't worry. My father may default on paying other money, but he won't dare to default on paying this money. He will definitely deliver it to you before you leave the Eastern Palace." Zhu Gaochi said to Xu Qin with a smile.

Zhu Gaochi knew very well what kind of person his father was, and Zhu Di would definitely not default on paying this money.

"That's good. I was worried that your father wouldn't be willing to let you go!" Xu Qin said with a smile.

"Don't worry. However, Sakya Bao, you are so good at arithmetic? Why haven't I heard you tell me before?" Zhu Gaochi sat down and asked Xu Qin.

Xu Qin smiled and said, "I know how to do it, so why would I keep complaining? I'm not sick. Besides, how can I complain about such a simple math problem?"

"Simple?" Zhu Gaochi looked at Xu Qin helplessly. Although he really wanted to make money from those ministers, he was still speechless when Xu Qin said it was simple.

"Of course it's easy. Didn't you see that I basically didn't use my brain? I just picked up the pen and started writing. These are all child's play questions. Okay, tell them to send the questions over quickly. It's almost time for lunch. It's not easy to earn this little money." Xu Qin leaned back and said with a smile.

Zhu Gaochi was even more speechless after hearing this. He earned 500,000 taels in just one morning, and he said that it was not easy to earn this little money.

"Don't worry, you won't starve. And I think those ministers won't give in so easily." Zhu Gaochi said to Xu Qin with a smile.

On Zhu Di's side, after seeing that Xu Qin had answered all the questions, he also came down from the attic, left the East Palace through the back door, and arrived at the Qianqing Palace.

When he arrived at the Qianqing Palace, he saw the eunuchs from the East Palace collecting questions and IOUs. These IOUs had to be given to Zhu Gaochi first. Only if Xu Qin answered them correctly would Zhu Gaochi give those IOUs to Xu Qin.

Those ministers trusted Zhu Gaochi, but they did not expect that Zhu Gaochi actually wanted to make money from them.

"Gather them all, send them to the Eastern Palace and let Xu Qin solve them. Also, what's wrong with your Imperial College? You can't even give a difficult question? And you let me lose 500,000 taels in vain?" Zhu Di came in from the gate and cursed loudly at the arithmetic teachers in the Imperial College.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" When the ministers saw Zhu Di coming, they all bowed.

The math teachers in the Imperial College were also speechless. One of the elders stood up and bowed to Zhu Di and said, "Your Majesty, we are not being perfunctory. We really cannot answer these questions, but we did not expect Xu Qin to be able to answer them all. Please order Xu Qin to come to our Imperial College to teach."

Another middle-aged man from the Imperial College also stood up and bowed to Zhu Di and said, "Your Majesty, we hope Xu Qin can come to the Imperial College to teach."

Huang Fu was upset when he heard this, and said to the teachers at the Imperial College: "When Xu Qin was studying at the Imperial College, he always slept. Now you want him to teach at the Imperial College?"

"That's right! Just because you can't do it doesn't mean we can't do it!" Song Li said angrily. Now it's not about whether Xu Qin should go to the Imperial College to teach, but they must beat Xu Qin, otherwise, they won't be able to raise their heads in front of Xu Qin.

Zhu Di waved his hand and said, "Whether to teach or not, we will talk about it later. What you need to consider now is, if this matter is known to outsiders, how will the people laugh at you when you are such a minister whose arithmetic is not even as good as Xu Qin?

Xu Qin was well-known in Yingtian Prefecture. They all said that Xu Qin was unlearned, dissolute, and arrogant. While studying at the Imperial College, he used dozens of book boxes, but never opened them. He was either fighting or sleeping.

Tell me, what will the people think of you when they find out that Sakyabao has defeated you? Are all the officials of our Ming Dynasty idiots? You can't even defeat a dandy boy? Especially the officials of the Imperial College, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works. You were originally proficient in arithmetic, but now what? You were defeated by Sakyabao!

You have no shame, but I still want it!"

(End of this chapter)