Chapter 0083: The God of Arithmetic Xie Chengze, Skillfully Arranging the Chessboard of Human Lives

“Didn’t you know about the first snow and moon dew in the capital last night?” Xie Chengze said in surprise. “According to my knowledge, such unusual phenomena are likely to bring about a major snow disaster, aren’t they?”

Guo Tianheng nodded, then shook his head. “I observed the sky last night but didn’t see any snowfall in the capital!”

Xie Chengze: …

Oh, it seems it was only local snowfall.

No matter, not a big problem!

Xie Chengze patiently added, “I did see snowfall from the Moonview Tower last night. If you don’t believe me, you can send someone to investigate around the Moonview Tower.”

Seeing that Xie Chengze didn’t seem to be lying, Guo Tianheng pondered for a moment before his tone turned grave and his face showed worry. “If this is true, then the northern regions might face a major disaster this winter…”

Xie Chengze nodded eagerly like a chick pecking at rice. “Yes, yes.”

Seeing Xie Chengze’s enthusiastic agreement, Guo Tianheng finally came to his senses and looked at him suspiciously. “But how does the Second Prince know that the first snow and moon dew are actually ominous signs? Could it be…”

Could it be that after the Second Prince left back then, he had been secretly studying astronomy?

That shouldn’t be right. All texts related to astronomy are kept in the Directorate of Celestial Observation. Without anyone teaching him, how could the Second Prince have such knowledge?

“During my journey south to Yi Province, I made a friend who is quite knowledgeable about astronomy and geography. He told me about this,” Xie Chengze casually brought up Zhang Yuheng. “He might come to work at the Directorate of Celestial Observation during next year’s Spring Examination.”

“So that’s how it is…” Guo Tianheng’s eyes lit up. “The Directorate of Celestial Observation is severely understaffed. If there truly is such talent, we must recruit him!”

“Alright then.” Having achieved his initial goal, Xie Chengze didn’t mention the matter further. Instead, he pointed at the books behind Guo Tianheng and said, “Let me help you solve this problem.”

“Your Highness is also proficient in arithmetic?” Guo Tianheng asked in surprise.

“Just average, third best in Jian’an,” Xie Chengze said modestly as he picked up the brush nearby and drew two auxiliary lines on the geometry problem – one solid and one dashed. “These are auxiliary lines that can help simplify the difficulty of geometry problems. See, the visible ones are solid lines, while the invisible ones are dashed lines.”

Then he wrote down the specific calculation steps on the scratch paper beside them.

Guo Tianheng watched from the side, his eyes growing wider the more he looked. “It can be done like this? It can actually be done like this! With just two simple auxiliary lines, irregular shapes can be transformed into regular ones, complex figures can be simplified into basic shapes! Marvelous! Truly marvelous!”

With this method, many difficult problems could be easily solved!

“Your Highness is truly the God of Arithmetic!” Guo Tianheng couldn’t help but exclaim, then added with hidden expectation, “I wonder if Your Highness knows other problem-solving methods?”

“That…” Xie Chengze’s tone shifted. “Naturally depends on whether you’re willing to help me with a small favor.”

A small favor?

Guo Tianheng looked at Xie Chengze’s smiling, squinting face, then at the arithmetic problem. Finally unable to resist the temptation of progress, he gritted his teeth and said, “As long as it doesn’t involve court disputes, I would naturally be willing to help.”

“Absolutely no involvement!” Delighted, Xie Chengze immediately leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words.

Hearing this, Guo Tianheng looked at Xie Chengze in surprise. “That’s all?”

“That’s all,” Xie Chengze said with a smile.

“Good!” Guo Tianheng nodded. “This matter is simple. When the time is ripe, I will definitely lend the Second Prince a hand.”

…

After leaving the Directorate of Celestial Observation, Xie Chengze went straight to the Imperial Study.

Guo Tianheng was an unexpected white chess piece he had picked up in this game involving human lives, meaning he could move one step ahead of the black chess player. Although it was somewhat cheating, the rules of this game didn’t seem to explicitly forbid it.

It was still early, and Emperor Jian hadn’t yet returned from court. Xie Chengze dozed off in the carriage. Having stayed up all night, and now with an extra advantage in hand, his mind relaxed, and he drifted into a light slumber.

When Emperor Jian returned to the Imperial Study after court, he saw the familiar slender figure curled up like a kitten, sleeping in the carriage. The carriage drivers nearby were about to bow to the emperor, but Emperor Jian raised his hand slightly, signaling them to remain silent. He then leaned down beside the carriage.

The young man was sleeping soundly, his breathing steady, with a thin blanket barely covering him. He was like a pampered house cat, yet he insisted on sleeping here like a stray.

In truth, Emperor Jian could see it clearly: ever since Xie Chengze announced his intention to retire from court that day, he had been trying hard to prove that he had no interest in the throne.

To avoid suspicion, he would rather endure the cold and sleep in the carriage outside than enter the Imperial Study to warm himself…

How could Emperor Jian not feel heartache?

Even though Xie Chengze wasn’t his biological son, he regarded him as his own, simply because he was Ning’er’s son—the person Hua Ning loved most and the last living trace of her in this world.

All he wished for was his long life.

With these thoughts, Emperor Jian gently raised his hand and affectionately… flicked Xie Chengze’s forehead.

Xie Chengze jolted awake, meeting Emperor Jian’s amused and mischievous gaze. Rubbing his stinging forehead, Xie Chengze thought:

This damn emperor! Bullying him again!

Reluctantly, he called out, “Father,” then wrapped himself in the small blanket and hopped down from the carriage, yawning. “Let’s go inside to talk.”

Emperor Jian nodded cheerfully. “Alright, whatever you say, Ze’er.”

Once inside the Imperial Study, Xie Chengze eagerly pulled out a stack of papers from behind his back and slapped them onto the dragon desk.

Emperor Jian’s cheerfulness vanished. “Why did you keep them in your backside?!”

“Father!” Xie Chengze shot him a light glare, his tone displeased. “Don’t slander me! I clearly took them from behind my waist!”

Emperor Jian: Nonsense!

I’m not blind! You definitely pulled them out from your backside!

With a slightly disgusted expression, Emperor Jian used a paperweight to smooth out the crumpled papers that had been sat on. After studying them for a while, he still couldn’t make sense of the scribbles. “What is this?”

Xie Chengze plopped down on a cushion beside the desk, watching as Eunuch Zhao poured him a cup of warm tea. Casually, he replied, “A Northeastern heated kang.”

A Northeastern heated kang?

What was that?

“It’s a bed, but unlike wooden frame beds, a heated kang is built with bricks and stones. It heats the bed surface by burning firewood, making it perfect for keeping warm in winter.”

Xie Chengze pointed to a few circles on the drawing and explained, “Look, you can burn firewood here for cooking, and the hot smoke will travel through these channels in the kang to heat the surface. As more smoke flows in, it eventually exits through the chimney. If the kang is made large and wide, even a big family can lie on it comfortably during winter.”

Emperor Jian’s eyes instantly lit up. “Is this method truly feasible?”

“Let’s give it a try.” Xie Chengze shrugged. “The Ministry of Works officials have been idle all day anyway. It’s time they experience the crisis of ‘the waves behind drive on those ahead, until the newcomers wash the old-timers ashore to die’.”

The emperor was greatly amused by this analogy. “Ze’er, how does that little head of yours work? You always come up with such ingenious ideas.”

From gunpowder explosions to the Heavenly Residence Project, and now this Northeast heated kang.

“Probably because I’ve been too lonely in the past, so I could only occupy myself with these little inventions.” Xie Chengze sighed faintly, showing signs of speaking recklessly again: “Father, your son is lonely! Your son also suffers from inner restlessness. About that minister’s son I mentioned last time…”

Ahem! Ahem! Ahem! Emperor Jian immediately coughed heavily, lowering his head to examine the blueprint in an attempt to change the subject. “Let your father study this Northeast heated kang more carefully. As for you…”

Afraid that Xie Chengze might leave and there’d be no one to explain the kang, the emperor glanced around the desk and suddenly had an inspiration. “Why don’t you handle these memorials for your father first!”

Xie Chengze: ???

I break my back for you, and you want me dead???

Seeing Xie Chengze’s clear reluctance, Emperor Jian couldn’t help saying, “Reviewing memorials forms the foundation of imperial governance. Since you’re already half a year behind the Crown Prince in this, why do you still resist and show unwillingness?”

The implied meaning was obvious: With your talents, don’t you aspire to be emperor?

Xie Chengze immediately scrunched up his face. “Father, why don’t you just tell me the truth!”

Emperor Jian’s eyes gleamed. “Oh? What truth?”

Covering his heart, Xie Chengze said with both disgust and anguish, “Have you taken a fancy to some maiden who wants to become the world’s greatest beauty? So you devised this vicious scheme – making me review memorials until I go bald and become too ugly to be seen – just so you can give that ‘world’s greatest beauty’ title to that maiden?”

Emperor Jian: …

What nonsense are you spouting now?!