Yu Ji stood up.
He had the highest academic standing and seniority.
Therefore, he would serve as the official in charge of the drinking game.
The drinking game was a form of entertainment for nobles.
The rules were relatively simple.
During the banquet, one person was chosen as the official, commonly known as the 'Wine Master'. The others listened to his commands, taking turns reciting poems, couplets, or playing other games. Those who violated the rules or lost were punished by drinking.
Since Gu Yuan dared to propose it, there was naturally a reason. He was not only skilled in warfare but also a famous romantic and talented young man. He could recognize a thousand characters at three years old and was well-versed in poetry and books by five. He had extremely high attainments in literary matters; even Yu Ji had praised his profound writings.
He wanted to humiliate Ning Que!
Gu Yuan's face showed a cold smile.
He had prepared thoroughly for today.
His personality was to exact revenge for the smallest grievance.
Ning Que had repeatedly dealt with his Gu Family, causing them to be stripped of their official positions and become the laughingstock of Chang'an City. He definitely had to get his revenge!
Hearing Ning Que agree, Gu Yuan almost laughed out loud. He didn't deny that Ning Que indeed had some abilities. But the drinking game tested knowledge and quick wit.
Ning Que stood up and said indifferently, "A drinking game is certainly no problem, but just drinking as punishment is a bit boring. As you all know, this King is about to re-establish the Three Guards, and the expenses will have to come from the King's Mansion. So, let's also bet some stakes. In addition to the drinking penalty, the loser will contribute a hundred taels of silver."
"This King will act as the 'question master'. If this King cannot answer, or answers incorrectly, this King will give a hundred taels of silver. If I answer correctly, then the one who issued the challenge will be penalized with wine and money. What do you all think?"
"Haha, interesting."
Emperor Feng immediately clapped his hands.
Ning Que's personality was just like that.
He was notoriously greedy for money.
Unlike corrupt officials, Ning Que's greed for money was to benefit the common people. Take the relief efforts in Jingyang, for example; Great Feng didn't spend a single penny, it all came from Ning Que's own pocket. After Jingyang suffered a locust plague, with Ning Que's assistance, their lives actually improved!
Furthermore, Ning Que also enjoyed conducting research.
He was the most popular person in the entire Ministry of Works.
The Minister of Works frequently visited the King's Mansion.
These expenses were also paid by Ning Que himself.
Fortunately, he had ways to generate wealth, barely managing to support himself.
Emperor Feng tacitly approved of this.
Most officials had two pursuits.
Either greed for money or lust for power.
For Emperor Feng, greed for money was certainly better than lust for power. Especially since Ning Que had already inherited the princely title and there was no higher rank to bestow. Ning Que's greed for money, on the contrary, was like offering a handle to be held.
Similar operations were actually carried out by Old Prince Ning. At that time, to recover the Yan Yun Sixteen Prefectures, Great Feng almost used the entire nation's resources. The previous emperor did not harbor suspicions, but what would the court officials think?
This was an unparalleled achievement!
Old Prince Ning did it very simply.
Before he even left Chang'an, he started asking for benefits.
He said that he was old and wouldn't live much longer. Now that his official rank was as high as it could be, the previous emperor could first give him some gold, jade, and jewels as rewards.
This was disgracing himself with wealth!
The previous emperor knew Old Prince Ning's intentions and granted his requests.
With unity from top to bottom, the Yan Yun Sixteen Prefectures were successfully recovered!
Now, Ning Que was doing the same!
"Good!" Gu Yuan smiled as he looked at Yu Ji and said seriously, "Then let the Grand Tutor be the official, and I will pose the first question. If the Prince answers correctly, then I will drink and pay the penalty!"
"Please."
Yu Ji sat in front, with writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone already prepared. He would record all wins and losses to prevent anyone from reneging on their debts later.
"My question is very simple."
"May I ask Prince Ning, do you know the extent of our Great Feng's territory?"
As soon as the words fell, there was an uproar. This question seemed simple but actually contained a hidden trap. If answered carelessly, it would be a great disrespect to Emperor Feng!
Ning Que smiled slightly and said, "My Great Feng currently governs thirty-six prefectures. Its territory extends east to Goguryeo, west to Linyao Qiangzhong, south to the Southern Yue Kingdom, and north to the river as a barrier and from Yinshan to Liaodong."
"Your Majesty has the ambition of a great roc, vowing to sweep across the six directions and create an unprecedented unified dynasty that will last for thousands of autumns and countless generations. Therefore, this King believes that all that the sun and moon shine upon is the territory of my Great Feng!"
"Hahaha, well said!"
Emperor Feng laughed heartily, clapping and cheering.
These words truly spoke to his heart!
Sima Changqing was also very perceptive.
He quickly stood up.
"All that the sun and moon shine upon is the territory of Great Feng!"
"..."
All the ministers bowed deeply.
Gu Yuan, on the other hand, was completely stunned.
He was utterly like a clown.
He had originally wanted to trick Ning Que, preferably to sow discord between him and Emperor Feng. But he never expected Ning Que to answer so flawlessly, and even turn it around to make Emperor Feng happy and praise him.
"What do you think of this answer, General Gu?"
"Excellent."
Yu Ji picked up his brush to write.
At the same time, he announced loudly,
"The question master wins!"
"The questioner is penalized with wine and a contribution!"
Gu Yuan gritted his teeth, picked up the wine goblet, and drank it in one gulp.
Samuer listened thoughtfully.
She glanced at the high and mighty Emperor Feng.
This was Emperor Feng...
All that the sun and moon shine upon is the territory of Great Feng!
It seemed that they would eventually have another war.
The so-called peace treaty was just a piece of waste paper.
"I'll also add a stake."
Jiang Quan stood up and raised his hand, saying, "This is a math problem. There are beasts with six heads and four feet; and birds with four heads and two feet. There are a total of seventy-six heads and forty-six feet. Question: How many birds and how many beasts are there?"
Ning Que couldn't help but smile.
This question was actually a variation of the 'chicken and rabbit in a cage' problem.
It could be solved by setting up a system of two linear equations.
But for the Feng people, it was quite complicated.
After the question was posed, everyone began to calculate silently.
Before Gu Yuan could figure out the answer, Ning Que smiled and gave the answer, "There are eight beasts and seven birds."
"He figured it out already?"
"He must be guessing, right?"
"Lord Jiang, is the answer correct?"
"It's correct."
Jiang Quan smiled and nodded.
And Yu Ji once again picked up his brush and announced,
"The question master wins!"
"The questioner is penalized with wine and a contribution!"
Others might not know, but Yu Ji was perfectly clear. Ning Que was a true all-rounder, dabbling in scholarship, agriculture, engineering, and commerce. He could govern the four directions with his pen and bring peace to the world on horseback.
Especially in mathematics, no one in the entire Six Arts could surpass him. Even Fu Chunfeng from the Imperial Academy often came to consult Ning Que. For this kind of math problem, Ning Que only needed to calculate mentally.
Gu Yuan's face was ashen.
Was this arranged?
He hadn't even figured it out, and the answer was already given?!
He had originally intended to make things difficult for Ning Que.
He didn't expect to give Ning Que an opportunity to show off instead.
The other ministers also stood up one by one.
However, Ning Que could answer all of them with ease.
Gu Yuan held the wine goblet, his knuckles cracking.
He had already put laxatives in it.
He was just waiting for an opportunity to give it to Ning Que.
He never expected...
Ning Que could answer everything correctly!
He couldn't even give him the wine!
Finally, Gu Mingzhi stood up.
Young people were just young people.
Gu Yuan was still too naive!
He couldn't even handle such a small matter.
He picked up the wine goblet and looked at Ning Que, saying, "Prince Ning's abilities, we have truly witnessed them, they are indeed impressive."
"What, Minister Gu, do you also want to pose a question?"
"This old man wants to try something different."
Gu Mingzhi's face showed a cold smile.
If they didn't humiliate Ning Que today, his Gu Family would have lived in vain!