I don't know if it's because these officials in the imperial court have read too many books and become foolish, or if they are simply experts at sabotaging others.

  If everyone ignores the broken thing that Jingxun brought out, he can only awkwardly take it back.

  Result...

  Alas, Zhao Xi almost cursed his mother. Others had just set up, and their side was already filled with exclamations of surprise.

  Isn't it Arabic numerals? ……No. How can there be Arabic numerals here?

  Zhao Xi also had a few math classes at Zishantang, but they were all using counting rods. Zhao Xi really didn't know when Arabic numerals were introduced, but now they suddenly appeared with Arabic numerals, which surprised him too.

  If there hadn't been chaos in the previous dynasty's later period and if the current dynasty had strong military power, it should have been introduced to the current dynasty long ago.

  One Tubo and one Daxia, plus the Huihe going west, cut off the entire passage to the Western Regions.

  That Jingxun, took nine wooden blocks with Arabic numerals written on them and casually threw them onto the desk...

  Just leave it like this... what does that mean? You just throw it out there without saying what you want or the rules, and let people guess?

  It's just the simplest tic-tac-toe, what a show-off!

  The officials in the hall were surprisingly silent, and instead dodged eye contact.

  Isn't it said that the Nine Palaces Grid is an evolution of the Hetu Luoshu? Why didn't any of these court officials, who claim to be the elite of the era, speak up?

  Arabic numerals...... Zhao Xi suddenly realized.

  "This symbol represents numbers one through nine. This is a... how to arrange the nine digits so that, whether horizontally, vertically or diagonally, three digits add up to fifteen."

  That scene is over, it seems like they've sold enough, now they're explaining Arabic numerals.

  Zhao Xi thought, now someone should come out. But again, surprisingly, still no one made a sound.

  "King of Wu, I've heard that you're exceptionally intelligent. Such trivial skills, would you please instruct me a bit?"

  Dad just left it for you guys to play with, why are you still so into it?

  He looked complacent and triumphant, with a hint of mockery.

  It's probably because of Zhao Xie's severity that he was originally going to tease the entire Song Dynasty, but he kept targeting Zhao Xie.

  "Is it difficult? It's just Hetu Luoshu. Wear nine and step one, left three right seven, two four for shoulders, six eight for feet, five in the middle."

  Zhao Xi suddenly remembered the shooting of Jin Daxia at that time, and the daughter of the strange spirit's island owner solved the nine palace grid, which was already in the past.

  Don't you know the Nine Palaces Grid at this time?

  Indeed! The diagrams of the Hetu and Luoshu are now only circulated within Taoist sects, used for blessings and Feng Shui secrets.

  Zhao Xi finished speaking, Jing was stunned, the officials in the grand hall were dazed, even the envoy sent by the Crown Prince of Dashan was stunned...

  "Zhong Zheng, go help Jing arrange that thing properly. According to the mnemonic I just told you. Can you remember?"

  "The little one has written it down and can recognize those ghostly symbols. The nine heads, the one foot, the left three right seven, the two four as shoulders, the six eight as feet, the five in between. Is this what the king is like?"

  "Go!"

  Also have to let one's own underlings cooperate in slapping oneself in the face...

  Wang Zhongzheng walked upright and with his head held high in the imperial city for the first time, although he didn't have the air of ignoring his relatives, he was quite spirited. With his nose pointing towards the sky, he faced Jingxuan and quickly arranged the nine wooden blocks.

  Originally wanted to see others' envious eyes, but everyone was staring at a piece of wood...

  "Zhōng zhèng, qù, bǎ nà xiē shù zì gǎi le, zài nòng luàn."

  Translation: "Correct it, go, change those numbers and mess them up again."

  One to nine, tripled, just enough to use up those wooden blocks, only need to make some changes.

  Zhao Xi had someone bring paper and pen... The Arabic numerals he wrote were much more beautiful than those on Jing Xun's wooden blocks.

  Wang Zhongzheng held it for half a day... finally matched the ghostly symbols on the wooden block, and actually learned to draw these ghostly symbols.

  He messed around again, took a look at Jingxuan who was already stunned, and hummed in his nose... then obediently stood not far behind Zhaoxi again.

  Arabic numerals are a novelty, even in the Great Xia Dynasty. Don't look at Jing Xun showing off with his nine-grid array, and this time he's using this to make things difficult for the Great Song Dynasty court. As for Arabic numerals, he also only learned a bit because of their novelty, after all, in the Great Xia Dynasty, they were just brought over by foreigners. At that time, the Great Xia Dynasty was establishing its own cultural system and was very resistant to foreign cultures.

  So when Zhao Xi doubled the Nine Palaces Grid, he was also stunned and had no idea how to arrange it...

  For a moment, the entire hall could hear everyone's heavy breathing, so quiet that it was terrifying.

  People's expressions were astonished, surprised and even shocked, all switching between Zhao Xi and the Nine Palace Grid wooden blocks, but no one looked at Jing Xun, not even the envoy of Dashu.

  Originally, this visit was not supposed to involve such a lucky person, but recently he got acquainted with several numerologists from the Uighur tribe and somehow learned about Chen's River Chart and Luo Book Diagram from some Taoist priest, and after showing off his skills to Your Majesty a few times, he brought him along.

  The intention was to make the Song Dynasty lose face, but unexpectedly, a little girl slapped back.

  Who will still bother with him?

  At this time, Zhao Zhen was the most comfortable. This wasn't playing tricks with the officials in the imperial court, nor was it accompanying some Tong Ying to take the top prize. This was a major event of paying respects to the emperor in a country that defied authority. It was his own son single-handedly taking on a group...

  Zhao Xi made his first appearance for national affairs today, but Empress Cao was still worried.

  Zhao Xi's performance at the ceremony will represent her and also be a test of her ability to raise the imperial son.

  Since Zhao Xi and Jing Xun started, Empress Cao had been sending people to pass on messages. When the Nine Palace Grid was easily solved by Zhao Xi and the numbers were changed and thrown away, Empress Cao felt at ease. This time, Xi'er showed her face again...

  "A dispute of tongues, a child's play, a clever trick, what does it matter who wins or loses?"

  "Huh? This prince can actually talk, and in pretty standard Tokyo dialect too."

  "Our great Xia established a country, relying on war horses and curved knives, our people are brave. Ordinary clothes are just ordinary clothes, everyone is proud of this small skill!"

  What's the meaning of "Bu Yi"? Zhao Xi didn't understand, but saw that the officials in the imperial court were all indignant.

  "The king, I've heard that people from that side call our dynasty 'the commoner's clothes'."

  Oh, so it's discriminatory language. However, Zhao Xi didn't think this was discrimination, but rather admiration and adoration.

  If everyone wore leaves and animal skins, they would all be alive again...

  But what others said seems to make some sense. The scholars of our dynasty indeed have a tendency to indulge in some overly elegant, excessively refined and polite games...

  Shouldn't someone take over by now?

  As a result, Zhao Xi looked around in a circle, but still no one picked up the conversation!

  A group of useless people who only know how to fight among themselves!

  It's actually Zhao Xi misunderstanding. Anyway, no matter how to look at Daxia, in fact, this is indeed the royal family, that is, the crown prince, their etiquette education makes them unable to confront the crown prince in such a situation.

  "May I ask your highness, what is it that brings you joy?"

  "I can draw a bow of three stone weight, shoot through a poplar leaf at a hundred paces, and ride a warhorse for a thousand miles without getting tired. What about you?"

  Zhao Xi looked at the crown prince's physique... and then thought about himself, although he should be around 1.23 meters tall, but if he really fought with others in terms of physical strength... it was simply seeking abuse.

  "May I ask your age, Your Highness?"

  No choice, Zhao Xi didn't want to dig a pit either, but if he didn't dig one, he would be the one getting pitted.

  It's more comfortable to bury others than to dig a pit for oneself.