Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 557: The Hungry Prodigal Son
"Dr. Zhang, please judge for me. How can someone like Ah Liu come home and just arrest me and run away without thinking..."
Mr. Song didn't notice that he had described Zhang Garden as his home. He almost cried and complained. He was frightened when he saw Ah Liu trick Fang Qing and frightened him until his face turned blue. But when it was his turn to be caught by Ah Liu and fly over the eaves and walls, he swore in his heart that he would never envy any knights again in his life.
Those omnipotent knights in the legends are all fake. No one has ever said that flying over eaves and walking on walls is so scary!
"Just because that consumptive fellow posted a notice, saying he wanted to recruit a cook, and a famous one at that, and refused to accept anyone else, Ah Liu came back and dragged me over to trick people into opening the door... Poor me, I became a prop to trick people into opening the door! With Ah Liu's ability, not to mention that the wall of the yard was not very high, he could easily jump over it even if the wall was high. Why did he drag me with him!"
The next moment, Zhang Shou heard Ah Liu's faint voice: "Because the young master said he was invited to come."
Mr. Song was speechless. Seeing Ah Liu holding the skinny and weak man with a reed stick, he could only explain to Zhang Shou, who looked puzzled, "The innkeeper said that after Yang rented the small courtyard, he never left the house and seldom ate three meals a day. He was afraid that he would starve to death, but he still gave him a large sum of money for board and lodging, but he complained that their cook's food was not tasty."
"So, after getting people's consent, he posted a notice, saying that he was looking for a famous chef with a generous reward. Ah Liu didn't knock on the boy's door, but the shopkeeper reminded him and came back to take me over. It's really unbelievable that I have already made it to the finals of the Imperial Chef Selection Competition, but he actually tricked me into doing such a thing!"
"So what if he's an imperial chef? He's probably just a name for nothing!" Young Master Yang Qi, who was as sharp as a reed stick, suddenly said something. For a moment, Zhang Shou was still considering whether to call a doctor to treat this person who might die at any time. Now he was stunned. This guy still had the strength to speak?
He was about to speak when he saw Mr. Song angrily arguing with others: "How dare you brag? You were so weak that you couldn't even stand up before, and I had to rush to the kitchen to make you some sugar water to drink? I have seen people commit suicide and jump into the river in my life, but I have never seen anyone who forgot to eat and sleep and almost starved himself to death!"
Hearing the words "starved to death", Zhang Shou's mouth twitched. When Hong first mentioned that she had saved a student from Yuzhang Academy who had ground lenses to make telescopes, and then got reported and imprisoned for being excited and talkative after stargazing, Zhang Shou thought he was a poor nerd. Later, when he heard that his family was well-off, he realized that if you want to have hobbies these days, you really need money.
But a wealthy young man ran away from home and came to the capital. He had the money to rent an inn, but he still worked so hard that he almost starved to death... He was truly the only one I've ever seen!
Mr. Song, who passed the imperial examination but liked to make sweet soup, Mr. Fang Qing, who couldn't control his mouth and was always "honest" and got into trouble, and now there was Lu Chaibang who was almost starving to death... Why did he always meet such weirdos !
When Zhang Shou was in a state of confusion, someone upstairs heard the noise and came down. The first one was Zhu Ying, and the one following Zhu Ying was undoubtedly the reserved Princess Yongping, or the prudent Hong, but the third prince!
The Third Prince was not like the Fourth Prince who had accompanied the Emperor to visit the workshop at Zhang Garden and watched the selection of imperial chefs at Xinglong Tea House. Therefore, he was somewhat unfamiliar with Mr. Song. He had only just heard some words from the upper floor when he was distracted, and he roughly guessed the other party's identity. However, compared to Mr. Song, he was really frightened by the skinny Yang Zhan, the Seventh Master of Yang.
"Teacher, this is..."
After all, he was physically weak and had been driven by a carriage at high speed. Yang Zhan had just argued with Mr. Song for a few words, and he was a little exhausted. If it weren't for Ah Liu's strong support, he would have even collapsed to the ground! However, his spirit was very strong, or rather, the person in front of him gave him enough energy.
"Excuse me, is it really Doctor Zhang from the Imperial College?" He tried his best to keep his voice from trembling. After hearing Zhang Shou's concise answer of "it's me", he let out a long sigh and said, "I went to Zhang Garden to ask for a meeting with you before, but you were not at home. I also tried to block the entrance of the Imperial College, but I encountered various unexpected events every time!"
Zhang Shou was speechless. He was known to be very popular, and some people came to his house to ask for a visit, but some of them were looking for recommendations, some were looking for trouble and hoping to show off their talents, or some were just looking to show off their reputation of having met someone, so not long ago he simply left three questions to the concierge, and after the answers were answered, they could leave their business cards, and he even promised to pay a return visit.
But until now, there has not been a single talented mathematical scholar... As for why other people who are likely to be well-read and talented are excluded, the reason is very simple. He is a person who is already famous in the court for his mathematical talent. His personality has already been determined. He is not the same as those serious literati and scholars. Why should he make friends with them?
He doesn't ask to become prime minister in the future!
As for the various misfortunes that happened to those who blocked the door of the Imperial College to see him… that’s something you have to ask Ah Liu. This kid doesn’t hesitate to use the greatest malice to speculate about those who want to see him. Because most of the people who want to see him really don’t have much good intentions…
Yang Zhan had no idea what Zhang Shou was thinking, and he continued, "I arrived in the capital a little late, so I didn't make it in time for the Jiuzhang Hall exam! I also want to further study mathematics, because although I have managed to grind out a few pairs of lenses, I can't say I have any experience. I have two pairs of lenses for stargazing, but the one I'm wearing is the only successful one!"
"I have failed hundreds and thousands of times. After hearing about your story, I finally figured it out. This cannot be done by experience, but by calculation!"
Zhang Shou was no longer happy about the fact that someone wanted to take the entrance exam for Jiuzhang Hall, because he paid attention to a few other words.
Failed hundreds or thousands of times? There is no glass to ruin these days. What you ruin are all natural crystals, right? How much does it cost!
Zhang Shou thought so in his heart, but he still had to explain the identity of the visitor to the Third Prince: "This is the Yang Qi that Madam Hong just mentioned. He must have devoted himself to his studies and forgotten to eat and sleep, so he ended up like this."
Yang Zhan seemed not to notice the Third Prince beside Zhang Shou—not to mention that he didn't know him. He ignored Zhang Shou's explanation and took another step forward eagerly: "Dr. Zhang just mentioned Madam Hong, so he must have seen her, right? She is my guide and my savior."
"If it weren't for her, my elders and brothers who hated me for ruining the mine would have probably left me to die in prison! She was the one who introduced me to Dr. Zhang, wasn't she? I knew she was a rare and extraordinary woman in the world. Only she knew who in the world could understand me!"
"A small lens can actually start a fire. If two lenses are stacked at a certain distance and then wrapped with iron or copper sheets, you can see things far away. And if the right lens is worn in front of the eyes, it can help people with poor eyesight to see things. I just want to find out the reason. The manuscripts that Madam Hong gave me were not very detailed..."
After saying so much in one breath, Yang Zhan was so excited that he completely forgot about his body. Finally, he lost his breath, his eyes went dark, and he fell directly on Ah Liu.
But before the frightened Third Prince could shout for help, Ah Liu simply pinched the man's nose with his hand. The next moment, Yang Zhan, who had just gone limp, opened his eyes blankly again.
But after the initial confusion, he immediately woke up, not paying any attention to the stinging sensation under his nose, and even seemed to be unaware that he had just fainted. He shouted with some enthusiasm: "In the manuscript fragments I got from Madam Hong, the author claimed with regret that his mathematical foundation was not good enough, otherwise many difficult problems could be easily solved!"
"That's why I want to learn mathematics well. As long as I learn it, I will be able to grind a lens that can see the moon clearly. Then I will be able to see Chang'e and the Jade Rabbit in the Moon Palace clearly!"
No, according to the development law of telescope power, even if you study till death, you probably won’t be able to see the craters on the moon clearly…
Zhang Shou secretly complained in his heart. Seeing that the man was about to continue talking, he was afraid that he would die again, so he coughed heavily to stop him and said, "Master Yang Qi, I understand what you want to say. Since you are weak, take a breath and rest first, don't rush to talk. I'm not saying anything bad about you, but people are made of iron and steel. How can you not cherish your body like this?"
Knowing that this young person who thought he was very opinionated would not listen to reason, he simply changed his advice to praise.
"Since you have such great ambitions and such outstanding talents, have you ever thought that your life is no longer your own, but belongs to the whole world? If you make the slightest mistake, who will be able to continue your research? Do you know that if you make the slightest mistake, your discovery, your invention, will be forgotten by no one?"
The Yang family was a big family in Nanchang Prefecture, Jiangxi Province. Yang Zhan, the so-called youngest son of the family, was a cousin, not a real brother . When his father died, he left a few loyal stewards to him, and entrusted the most valuable crystal mine to him in front of Hong Shan, the head of Yuzhang Academy, so no one else in the family could get involved.
After all, everyone knows that Chang Hong hates evil and is very brave, and he is very honest and trustworthy to everyone!
However, even though he was a student of Principal Hong, because he was restless and always loved to study strange things, Principal Hong, the nominal teacher, hated his habits and punished him with a ruler countless times.
Although Hong showed great praise for him, gave him Taizu's manuscripts, and even begged the people in charge of Yuzhang Academy to get him out when he was imprisoned, he never said such words!
At that moment, Yang Zhan felt that he was a thousand-mile horse that was treated as a slow horse pulling a cart by short-sighted people, and now he finally met the destined Bole who could recognize his outstanding talent at first sight!
He stared at Zhang Shou with tears of gratitude and uttered a few words with difficulty: "Dr. Zhang, I will follow you!"
This kid is really too naive, isn't he? His words are so ambiguous!
Once the king's aura was revealed, the younger brother bowed down immediately. Zhang Shou himself had experienced this. Back then, he had used Zhu Ying to intimidate the group of noble children, but if it hadn't been for the late-night attack in Cuiyun, he probably wouldn't have had any prestige in front of those people. As for truly subduing Zhang Chen, the biggest troublemaker, that was a later thing.
Moreover, the children of the nobility are all very subtle in their speech. How could they be as reckless as Yang Zhan?
Just when he was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, Yang Zhan rolled his eyes again and fainted. Seeing that Ah Liu was going to pinch his Ren Zhong again, he immediately shouted, "Ah Liu, stop torturing him! Just find a place for him to lie down, give him some sugar water, and then find a doctor..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly realized what Song Juren and Yang Zhan had just said when they were arguing, and immediately asked Song Juren: "How did you know to feed him sugar water before?"
"The madman said so." This time, it was Ah Liu who answered on behalf of Mr. Song. He looked at Zhang Shou calmly and said seriously, "People who are weak due to hunger can drink some sugar water. He said this was passed down by Emperor Taizu."
It seems that Emperor Taizu was also a hungry guy who would suffer from hypoglycemia when he was hungry!
Zhang Shou complained in his heart. Seeing that the Third Prince was already confused by this weird Young Master Yang Qi, he simply re-explained what Yang Zhan had just said in a confusing manner. As for the possibility of infighting within the Yang family, he only mentioned it briefly, but emphasized the huge expenses that might be incurred by Yang Zhan's experiment.
So, the third prince, who had suffered from the cold words of the eldest prince and the second prince for many years, originally had some sympathy for Yang Zhan, but when he heard that it might cost countless crystals, he immediately became speechless.
After a long while, he hesitantly said, "This is indeed a bit of a waste... But, in this case, why do you still praise him for his talent, teacher?" And he made it sound as if this Mr. Yang Qi was really that important?
Although the third prince did not ask the second half of the sentence, how could Zhang Shou not understand? He laughed and was about to explain to the third prince, when there was another commotion from below. This time, he was puzzled after experiencing this scene twice today. It was obviously the third prince and Princess Yongping who were testing Hong, so why did so many tricks come out... No, was it a demon who was making trouble?
