Transmigrated as the Emperor, but Slacking Off - Chapter 15

Inside the water pavilion of Yongshou Palace.

Jin Ziyu sat rather bashfully behind a low table, upon which sat a small box. “The question is inside. Your Majesty has the duration of one incense stick to solve it.”

“If the solution is successful, I…” He pulled a circular jade pendant from his robe and pushed it toward Wen Xing. “My token shall belong to Your Majesty.”

Wen Xing was surprised. A jade pendant as a token? Isn’t that a bit strange? But he had no interest in the Empress Dowager’s rewards, and thus even less interest in the tokens. He didn’t dwell on it.

Seeing the Emperor not even spare a glance at the jade, Jin Ziyu couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment. But it mattered not; he had heard His Majesty favored intelligent men. Once the Emperor failed to solve the puzzle, he would offer some hints that would surely leave a lasting impression. After all, he had found this puzzle in an ancient text from the Imperial Observatory; His Majesty certainly had never seen it.

The Emperor extended a clean, slender index finger and casually flicked the box open, revealing a scroll of paper. Xing He, standing by his side, leaned in excitedly. “What is it? Master, let me see!”

Wen Xing scanned the paper, his eyebrows arching. Drawn upon it was a 3×3 grid or rather, a nested grid where each square of a large 3×3 contained its own smaller 3×3.

Confused, Xing He took the paper and held it before his eyes, looking left and right, close and far. “What on earth is this for?”

At that moment, a black figure landed soundlessly upon the roof of the pavilion, stealthily lifting a roof tile. The figure’s gaze pierced through the gap, taking in everything inside the room.

Jin Ziyu explained: “Your Majesty must fill the squares with numbers such that the sum of every row, column, and diagonal within each small 3×3 grid is fifteen, while the sum of every row, column, and diagonal of the large 3×3 grid is forty-five.”

Xing He scratched the back of his head as if listening to a foreign tongue. “What does that mean?”

Wen Xing realized immediately it was a Sudoku variation. Simple. He hadn’t played Sudoku in a long time; he’d treat this as a warm-up.

Noticing Xing He’s look of total confusion, Jin Ziyu felt at ease. See, even the Emperor’s personal guard hasn’t seen it. This question will surely stump His Majesty. He began to fantasize about the Emperor’s predicament as he struggled to solve it; when he finally stepped in to help, he would surely capture the Emperor’s…

“Done.”

Jin Ziyu: ?

The moment he looked up, the question paper was tossed directly onto his face. He quickly pulled the paper away and checked the numbers filled in. Rows, columns… fifteen… forty-five…

Jin Ziyu’s face fell. Every single one was correct! What just happened? He felt as if he had only blinked. This amount of time wasn’t even enough to write the characters, let alone think. Does His Majesty not need to think at all?!

Before he could react, Wen Xing had already risen to leave.

On the roof, Ning Wujie clad in the black gear of a shadow guard raised an eyebrow in surprise as he saw the completed grid. Perhaps this faint-hearted ruler isn’t entirely devoted to mindless pleasure.

Xing He skipped along behind Wen Xing, jubilant. “Master is so amazing! I didn’t even understand the question! Master, tell me quickly, what did it mean? I want to learn!”

“Your Majesty!” Jin Ziyu stood up abruptly.

Wen Xing paused and turned back with an inquiring gaze. Jin Ziyu picked up the jade pendant and offered it with trepidation. “Your… your token.” It didn’t matter if he hadn’t left an impression, as long as the Emperor accepted the jade…

“No need. I have no use for it.”

With that, the young Emperor vanished beyond the door, leaving Jin Ziyu blinking in a daze. A breath later, his face crumpled as if he were attending a funeral.

Hearing this, Ning Wujie who was lying on the roof with his sword in his arms curled one side of his lips and let out an extremely faint chuckle.

As Wen Xing pushed the door open, a crowd flocked toward him. “Your Majesty, my son is in Room 3 with…” “Your Majesty, my son is gifted in music, pray have a look!”

Seeing the swarm, Wen Xing took a step back, frowning. Are all these people here for me? Thinking back to the other nobles not participating and that jade token from earlier, it finally dawned on him. This wasn’t a game; they were trying to thrust people onto him. Jealous of Ning Wujie? The Empress Dowager certainly went to a lot of trouble with such a complex design.

Wen Xing found the thought somewhat amusing.

Just then, he heard a young man’s voice from behind him: “This subject has several riddles that no one has yet been able to solve. I wonder if Your Majesty would be willing to enlighten the gathered kin?”

Wen Xing turned to see the crowd parting to reveal a young figure standing at a doorway in the corridor. The man bowed with dignified poise. “This subject is Wang Jiang, heir to the Earl of Danyang, currently serving as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.”

Wen Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had thought these imperial relatives were all a bunch of good-for-nothings; he hadn’t expected one to actually make it into the Hanlin Academy. One could only say that even among bad bamboo shoots, a good one or two could occasionally be pulled.

Hearing the man boast that his riddles were “unsolvable” piqued Wen Xing’s interest. Casting aside the true purpose of this “blind date” banquet, his voice carried over the crowd: “Speak.”

The Earl of Danyang’s eyes lit up. He was about to follow the Marquis of Zhongsu’s example and launch into a grand oration to embellish his son’s resume, but Wang Jiang caught his eye and gave a slight shake of his head. The Earl caught the signal and thought to himself: Close call! The Emperor’s attitude clearly showed a distaste for self-boasting. He had nearly stepped into the trap his son was indeed clever! With such wit, my son will surely catch the Emperor’s eye!

Wang Jiang spoke: “I have a riddle: From afar I see a majestic tower seven stories high, red lanterns doubling as they descend. Totaling three hundred and eighty-one lanterns, tell me, how many sit at the tower’s peak?”

The nobles looked at one another, their faces blank. What kind of thing is this? Xing He listened with great interest, then let out a confused “Ah.” This game was no fun at all he couldn’t understand a word!

Jin Ziyu, who had been in the room, squeezed into the crowd. Upon hearing the riddle, he began calculating in his head. Hmm, this requires working backward. Assume the seventh story has ‘x’ parts… then the sixth is ‘2x’…

While he was still pondering, he heard Wen Xing say: “Three. Next.”

Jin Ziyu’s expression froze. What?!

Wang Jiang was caught off guard by the correct answer. His face stiffened. So fast! To catch the Emperor’s attention, he had led with something he considered difficult even the old scholars in the Hanlin Academy would have to calculate for a while. He hadn’t expected the Emperor to answer almost without thinking! He composed himself, thinking it mattered not; he had more.

He spoke with a solemn face: “A scholar goes to buy wine. Each time he meets a shop, the wine in his jug doubles. Each time he sees a flower, he drinks one dou. After visiting three shops and seeing three flowers, the jug is empty. Tell me: how much wine was in the jug initially?” (Note 2)

Jin Ziyu was a bit dazed but still tried to reason it out. Let initial wine be ‘y’. Meeting a shop makes it ‘2y’, then a flower makes it ‘2y-1’… no, that’s not right… Xing He was completely lost. “Ah? Ah? I don’t understand!”

Wen Xing answered almost instantly: “Seven-eighths of a dou.” (Translator’s Note: The user’s provided text says “Two dou,” but the traditional version of this riddle results in $7/8$ or similar fractions. Based on the “Note 2” provided in the prompt, the answer is $7/8$.)

Jin Ziyu… Jin Ziyu was numb. Forget it, I give up. His Majesty truly was no ordinary man; he was not someone commoners like them could compete with.

The scene became lively. “His Majesty is indeed incomparably brilliant!” “His Majesty’s wit is unrivaled, we are far behind!” The flattery came in waves, praises echoing endlessly.

Wang Jiang’s expression darkened. What should I do? His Majesty doesn’t even have to think about such difficult questions. He was losing confidence, but seeing Wen Xing’s slightly bored expression, he suppressed his nerves and took a breath. He finally brought out his trump card:

“A mute carries a bag to the market. Deer is valued at three times the price of pork. Eight catties of pork and four of deer leave eighty wen remaining in the bag. But four catties of pork and eight of deer result in a debt of thirty-two wen. Tell me, what are the prices of pork and deer?”

Xing He: …It’s a divine tongue! He understood every word, but put together, they made no sense! He slumped back against the “beauty-rest” railing of the corridor, exhausted. “Master, Xing He wants to go home.” He felt so stupid that he didn’t deserve to be around someone like his Master. He was afraid his stupidity was contagious.

Jin Ziyu had already given up listening. Don’t listen, don’t listen!

Seeing the Emperor pause as if in thought this time, Wang Jiang secretly sighed in relief. Finally, I’ve stumped His Majesty. I must seize this chance…

Then he heard Wen Xing say flatly: “Pork is fourteen wen, deer is forty-two.”

On the roof, Ning Wujie’s pupils shrank. So fast? This faint-hearted ruler… with such mental capacity, why couldn’t he apply it to state affairs? If he gave even half the mind he used for games to the court, he wouldn’t need Ning Wujie at all.

Wang Jiang was stunned. Mental math? Without even a scratchpad? Is this reasonable?! In all his life, he had never seen anyone solve such a problem without pen and paper, relying entirely on mental calculation! He stood frozen on the spot, and before he could react, he heard Wen Xing ask: “Is there more?”

Wang Jiang shook his head slowly. “No… no more.”

Wen Xing let out a disappointed “Oh.” He thought it had finally escalated to the difficulty of simultaneous equations; he had just warmed up, only for it to end. He truly didn’t understand why these people used mathematics to attract him. Normally, shouldn’t it be composing poetry? If it were that, he would have been the one stumped.

In this dynasty, mathematics was not mainstream. The path for scholars and officials was dominated by policy essays, and to make a name for oneself, one relied on poetry and prose. Why did they think I liked hearing math problems? After several turns of thought, Wen Xing finally realized a slight clue.

Could it be these fools thought I handed the accounts of the Six Ministries and Nine Treasuries to Ning Wujie because I admired the kid’s math skills? So… ridiculous! Yet strangely logical. He couldn’t entirely blame them; who would have thought the Sovereign of a nation enjoyed studying such “minor crafts”?

Feeling helpless, he beckoned to Xing He. “Let’s go.” Now that he knew the Empress Dowager’s intentions, he wanted to leave. Xing He bounced up finally, they could go! He was bored to death!

Watching all this from afar, the Empress Dowager furrowed her brows. “Useless things!” Knowing the Emperor had high standards, she had intentionally chosen the best. While they couldn’t match that Ning fellow in appearance, they certainly couldn’t fall behind in wit. How could not even one or two keep His Majesty’s interest? Useless!

Lying on the roof of the pavilion, Ning Wujie rested an arm behind his head, staring at the autumn sky. Deep in his pool-like eyes, a trace of an unnoticeable smile was hidden.

The nobles had fallen silent. What to do? Even this didn’t work. Do we still have a chance?

While everyone was racking their brains to find a way to keep the Emperor, a door in the corridor ahead was suddenly pushed open with a “bang.” Wen Xing stopped as someone emerging from the room blocked his path.

“Your Majesty!” The newcomer was in military uniform, holding a long sword. Upon seeing the Emperor, he knelt heavily in a martial salute. “This subject is Min Song, a commandant of the Xuanji Camp. I pay my respects to Your Majesty!”

Looking at the six-foot-tall (approximately 185cm), powerful warrior before him, Wen Xing’s temple twitched. He instinctively took a half-step back, wary. “What are you doing?”

The man’s voice was as loud as a bronze bell: “I am different from them. I do not wish to trouble Your Majesty with riddles. I merely have the forty-eight forms of the ‘Flying Swan Treading Snow’ sword style that I wish to dedicate to Your Majesty.”

For such a hulking physique, the name of the sword style is strangely poetic. Before Wen Xing could react, the warrior began to dance with his sword on his own. Wen Xing rubbed his twitching temple. What do these fools want?! They think I like military men? Then can’t you choose someone based on Ning Wujie’s mold?!

Both were warriors, yet Ning Wujie stood with a refined, ethereal air every movement like a crane dancing among pines. This man… Wen Xing turned and walked away.

“Your Majesty!” The warrior saw him leaving and moved to give chase.

Without looking back, Wen Xing waved his hand woodenly. “Xing He, stop him.”

Xing He lunged forward excitedly. “Ooh, a fight!” With those words, a palm strike flew out. The two figures instantly began to brawl in the corridor. The warrior kept shouting: “Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting me an opponent! A solo sword dance is indeed not as good as a real fight! Your Majesty is wise! Hey, Your Majesty, don’t leave!”

Wen Xing only wanted to plug his ears, his steps as fast as the wind. Thus, under the watchful eyes of the crowd and amidst various calls attempting to win him back, Wen Xing quickly turned and headed toward the other end of the water pavilion, issuing an order: “No one is allowed to follow!”

The nobles stopped in their tracks, looking at one another helplessly. It seems they all failed. His Majesty truly has high standards.

On the roof, Ning Wujie flipped upright. His toes tapped the tiles soundlessly as he followed with light steps.

Wen Xing traversed several corridors. Though he didn’t know where the path led, based on the terrain he had scanned earlier, the corridors formed a semi-enclosure around the lake; the other end should lead to the opposite shore. Having just distanced himself from the crowd, his surroundings suddenly became quiet. The shadows of bamboo by the corridor swayed gently, making a faint rustling sound.

Wen Xing walked to a carved door. Outside the window, the lake water shimmered, projecting the shadows of swaying bamboo onto the window paper. Suddenly, he heard a clear, magnetic voice from within:

“Pray stay your steps, Your Majesty.”

Wen Xing frowned. He wanted to leave, but felt the voice was very familiar. It sounded much like that “cold, god-like” voice he often heard. Indeed, Ning Wujie’s voice was like that deep as a cold spring, with a magnetism that could pierce the eardrums and strike directly at one’s reason.

He thought to himself: These fools finally got an imitation right.

He stopped. “Who are you? Why do you not show your face?” Afraid you aren’t as handsome as Ning Wujie, so you only dare to speak?

The person behind the window didn’t answer but asked instead: “This subject has a chess game that cannot be completed alone. I wonder if I might be honored enough to play a game with Your Majesty?”

Wen Xing: “I don’t know how to play chess.”

The person let out a soft chuckle and said unhurriedly: “This is a style of play I created myself. The rules are extremely simple not as tedious or profound as Go, yet very interesting. Is Your Majesty willing to grace me with a try?”

Wen Xing hesitated. Whether it was due to the “buff” provided by that voice, he suddenly felt that seeing a new game might not be so bad. Especially after being disgusted by that warrior earlier, he desperately needed to “wash his eyes.”

He said flatly, “Open the door.”

The carved door creaked open, and Wen Xing stepped inside. At that moment, a dark shadow landed quietly outside the window. Ning Wujie turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the door that had closed once more, and his brow slowly tightened.