ebookland Chapter 463 Rubik's Cube
Chapter 463 Rubik's Cube
Chapter 463 Rubik's Cube
Hongxu's fingers gently moved the jade rings with smooth and skillful movements. After a while, the first jade ring was taken off, followed by the second, the third... A quarter of an hour later, the nine jade rings were separated and neatly placed on the tray.
"Your Majesty, I have untied it!" Hongxu raised his head with a faint smile on his face.
A glint of surprise flashed in Yongzheng's eyes, and he said loudly, "Good! You are worthy of being my son!"
Ce Ling's expression instantly turned grim. He had never imagined that a young child could actually untie the Nine-Link Jade Ring. The followers behind him also dropped their sarcastic smiles and lowered their heads in embarrassment.
An Lingrong and Shen Meizhuang exchanged a smile. She had already ordered the Imperial Household Department to make many of these ingenious toys, including the Nine-Linked Rings, the Luban Lock, and the Huarong Path. These toys were often given to Hongxu, Longyue, and Xinyue as toys. The three of them knew them so well they could solve them with their eyes closed.
Hongxu walked up to Ce Ling, and Xiao Xiazi hurriedly followed, holding the tray in front of him.
Hongxu smiled faintly, his tone respectful yet sharp. "A sage once said, 'One should not change one's principles, nor should one be blamed for one's mistakes.' This is the Qing dynasty's way of hospitality, a courtesy and respect for guests. Your Majesty has come from afar, and our Qing officials must adhere to the proper ways of hospitality. That's why I'm reluctant to untie the Nine-Linked Jade Ring. However, I'm still a child, and I haven't fully grasped the meaning of this statement. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
It was well-reasoned and neither humble nor overbearing. These words also helped the ministers and clan members to save some face.
The admiration on Yongzheng's face grew stronger.
In the third round, Hongxu won.
Upon hearing this, Tsering's expression changed slightly, a flicker of displeasure flashing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. He forced a smile, "Sixth Prince is truly exceptionally intelligent. This Khan admires you. Since you were able to untie this Nine-Linked Jade Ring, I will give it to you as a token of my appreciation."
Upon hearing this, Hongxu did not respond immediately, but turned to look at Yongzheng, asking for instructions.
Yongzheng smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Since the Khan has such good intentions, then you should accept it."
"Yes, your son thanks you, Khan." Hongxu bowed respectfully, then said calmly, "It is impolite not to reciprocate. The Khan gave me the Nine-Linked Jade Ring, and I also have a gift that I would like to give to the Khan. However, this gift needs to be opened by the Khan before it can be accepted."
After saying this, he beckoned the eunuch forward. After whispering a few words, the eunuch handed Hongxu a delicate Rubik's Cube in his hands.
Taking the Rubik's Cube, he flexibly turned it a few times with one hand, and the colors of the six sides of the Rubik's Cube changed, which was dazzling.
"Khan, please look, this Rubik's Cube has six sides with six colors. It will be considered a success if you can make the colors of each side consistent." Hongxu explained as he handed the Rubik's Cube to Ce Ling, still with a faint smile on his face.
Ce Ling took the Rubik's Cube and didn't take it seriously at first. He turned it a few times, but found that this little thing was far from as simple as he had imagined.
He frowned slightly and his hands moved faster and faster. However, no matter how he turned it, the colors of the Rubik's Cube were always messy and could not be put together in a consistent way.
A cup of tea passed, and beads of sweat gradually seeped out of Ce Ling's forehead, but the Rubik's Cube in his hand still made no progress.
He couldn't help but wonder, could this thing really be put together? Was this guy deliberately trying to trick people with something that couldn't be solved?
He raised his head and looked at Hongxu with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
Noticing his gaze, Hongxu understood and thought for a moment before calling out, "Xinyue, come here."
Xinyue was sitting obediently beside Feng Ruozhao. When she heard the call, she immediately stood up and walked to the center of the hall. She bowed respectfully to Yongzheng, then skipped to Hongxu's side and called out sweetly, "Sixth Brother."
Hongxu patted her shoulder gently and introduced her, "This is my sister, she's only six years old."
After that, he handed the Rubik's Cube to Xinyue.
Xinyue took the Rubik's Cube and began to spin it nimbly with her small fingers. Although her movements were not as skillful as Hongxu's, they were still methodical.
But in just a moment, the six sides of the Rubik's Cube were neatly pieced together, and each side showed a uniform color.
"Xinyue is awesome!" Hongxu's smile softened a lot, and he patted her head gently. "Be good, go back to Empress Jing."
"Okay!" Xinyue responded, handed the Rubik's Cube back to him, then walked briskly back to Feng Ruozhao and sat down obediently.
Hongxu turned his head and looked at Ce Ling, still with a faint smile on his face, but he didn't say anything.
However, everyone in the hall had already seen that Hongxu's move was clearly a warning to him in the gentlest way, implying that he was not even as good as a child.
Ce Ling's face instantly fell, and the smile on his face could no longer be maintained. His cheeks flushed slightly, but he was unable to vent his anger and could only suppress it.
Hongxu smiled slightly and scrambled the Rubik's Cube again: "The Khan will be staying in the capital for a few days anyway, so there is no need to rush. Just take your time to figure it out. I'm waiting for good news from the Khan."
After saying that, he bowed respectfully towards Yongzheng, then returned to Shen Meizhuang and stood there properly.
Yongzheng could no longer conceal his affection for him and beckoned him: "Come, come to me."
Upon hearing this, Hongxu walked obediently to Yongzheng and stood beside him, with a faint smile on his face and a clear and firm gaze.
Yongzheng patted his shoulder gently and praised him in a low voice: "Good boy, today you have brought honor to me and the Qing Dynasty."
"This is what a son should do!"
Yongzheng looked at his son carefully.
The Sixth Prince was already eight years old. Although he still had a touch of childishness in his features, his every move and gesture exuded a sense of composure. His eyes were clear and resolute, his words and actions were calm and composed, possessing the innocence of a child yet retaining the dignity of a prince.
His performance in the palace today not only showed that he handled the situation calmly, but also turned the tables in a clever way, thus maintaining the reputation of the Qing Dynasty while preventing the other party from finding any evidence.
Yongzheng looked at him with his eyes full of satisfaction and pride. This son was not only extremely intelligent, but more importantly, he had a calm mind. In time, he would become a great man.
Thinking of this, he looked at Shen Meizhuang again, and raised the wine glass in his hand.
Shen Meizhuang also picked up the wine glass and took a sip.
Yongzheng looked at An Lingrong again.
She was eating crabs with great interest, as if what was happening in the palace had nothing to do with her.
……