My elder sister is so noble, this time it's my turn to strike back

"That's right!" Chu Shaochen confirmed.

"However, if this prince can answer the question, I will be exempted from the formalities of becoming your disciple. How do you think that is?"

In order to win back a game, Chu Shaochen spent a lot of money.

This condition is undoubtedly very tempting.

First of all, if Chu Shaochen answered, at most he would lose an opportunity to humiliate him.

But if he failed to answer, not only would the initiative in trade between the two countries be in Daxia's hands, which could then take advantage of the opportunity to demand a high price from the King of Chu, but they could also hold Chu Shaochen as their trump card and force the King of Chu to submit at any time.

"Prince, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

As soon as Chu Shaochen finished speaking, Ban Ge reacted and jumped out to stop him.

"The king holds you in such high regard that there's no way he'd allow you to stay in Daxia. Listen to this old minister's advice. Why not just call it quits? At most, you can compensate him with some gold and silver and let this matter go."

However, Chu Shaochen also has his own pride.

The saying "It is better to die standing than to live on your knees" is exactly this truth.

He has lost several games in a row today and has lost all face. If he gives up even the last chance, he will really have to live under the shadow of Xiao Yuzhi forever in the future.

"This prince has made up his mind. Prime Minister, there is no need to persuade me. If I don't succeed in this situation, I will die!"

Seeing that Chu Shaochen seemed to be ready to fight to the death, even though Ban Ge wanted to stop him, he was powerless.

Although the prince is young, once he makes a decision, ten oxen cannot pull him back.

Next, Xiao Yuzhi took the initiative to agree to Chu Shaochen's proposal. Before asking the question, he confirmed with Chu Shaochen again:

"Prince Chu, I must remind you that if you cannot answer this question, not only will you become my disciple, but you will also remain a hostage in Great Xia until the conditions offered by the Emperor of Chu satisfy the civil and military officials of Great Xia. Have you considered this clearly?"

"Cut the nonsense and let's get started!"

Chu Shaochen raised his head, looking unwilling to admit defeat.

He just didn't believe that there was a problem in the world more difficult than monks distributing porridge.

However, he did not notice that the moment he agreed, a glimmer of success flashed in Xiao Yuzhi's eyes.

Since he dared to stand up and confront the Crown Prince of Chu in public, he must have made full preparations in advance.

With Aunt Qiu Ning's help, there were several problems that no one had been able to solve for thousands of years, including but not limited to mathematics, poetry, etc.

Xiao Yuzhi himself knew that once this incident became public knowledge today, the reputation of the Sixth Prince of Da Xia would spread throughout the seven countries at a terrifying speed, far surpassing that of Chu Shaochen.

As the saying goes, a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. He is also ready to face all kinds of difficulties and challenges at any time.

"Alright! Prince Chu is truly courageous. Then listen carefully. This prince's question is:

Now there are twenty trees, and I want to plant them all in the ground. I want to plant four trees in each row. How many rows can I plant at most?

This question sounds like a very simple permutation and combination problem, which is about the level of a second-grade elementary school student in modern terms.

But is it really that simple?

"There are 20 trees, 4 in each row. How many different kinds of Dharma are there..."

The officials present were all pondering this sentence. Even Emperor Shengjing couldn't help but feel surprised.

Seeing Xiao Yuzhi so confident, is there something fishy hidden in this question?

Planting 20 trees in an area, with 4 trees in each row, seems to be an ordinary math problem at first glance, and its difficulty is not even as high as the problem of keeping chickens and rabbits in the same cage.

But is this really the case?

After hearing this question, Wan Zilang, who was standing by, couldn't help but start calculating.

"If there are 20 trees and 4 trees are planted in each row, then can't we plant them in 5 rows, in a rectangular array like this?" After saying that, he gestured in the air with a fan.

"This young master already knew such a simple question when he was just three years old." Wan Zilang answered confidently.

But as soon as Wan Zilang finished speaking, Chu Shaochen's face suddenly changed. He took two steps back as if he had suffered a huge blow, and looked at Xiao Yuzhi with a look as if he had seen a ghost.

"No! No!"

“Definitely more than 5 lines!”

"Graphics, space, and order of arrangement, etc., this is impossible! This is impossible!"

Chu Shaochen fell to the ground with a plop, his eyes filled with fear and confusion.

The difficulty of this question was far beyond his imagination. It could even be said that it did not belong to this era. How could Xiao Yuzhi know this?

Everyone was puzzled when they saw that Chu Shaochen looked like he had lost his soul.

"More than that! Definitely more than 5 lines!"

At this moment, Zhou Wu suddenly spoke excitedly. His voice was so loud that it instantly attracted everyone's attention.

"Sir Zhou, since it's not 5 lines, how many lines should it be?" someone asked.

"This……"

"I don't know either! But the only thing I can be sure of is that this number is definitely more than just five."

"Imagine, what if these 20 trees were not on the same plane? To meet the requirement of four trees per row, we need to consider not only the placement but also the relative relationships between rows and columns, as well as symmetry and other factors."

"I claim to be the foremost mathematician in Daxia, but the complexity of this problem is such that I am not even qualified to tackle it."

Zhou Wu shook his head and sighed in frustration.

boom!

As Zhou Wu finished speaking, everyone present was enlightened. The fog in front of them was peeled away layer by layer, and everything became clear.

This is like the arrangement of stars in the sky. As the number of rows increases, the constraints will become more and more stringent and precise.

This is definitely not something that can be calculated on a flat piece of paper.

The sheer number of calculations required is far beyond human imagination.

Sure enough, after realizing this, everyone's expressions changed. Even Emperor Shengjing frowned and looked ready for battle.

Zhou Wu was a famous scholar of mathematics, and he claimed that he was not qualified to contact him, so there was no need to mention other people.

"Master Zhou, is this question really that difficult?"

Zhou Wu shook his head and sighed, "It's more than just difficult. It's simply not something that can be solved by one person alone."

hiss!

Everyone gasped and turned to look at Chu Shaochen.

Since King Wu of Zhou said so, can he solve the problem of the Crown Prince of Chu?

Ban Ge and others also looked at their prince with concern.

Chu Shaochen fell to the ground, his entire body as if drained of his soul. After a while, he trembled his lips and said tentatively:

"Eight lines!"

"Is it right?"

As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on Xiao Yuzhi with a hint of caution.

Xiao Yuzhi shook his head and said, "Prince Chu, this is a math problem. There is only one correct answer. Are you sure?"

Seeing this, Chu Shaochen lowered his eyelids and thought for a while, and finally stretched out his fingers to make a "ten".

"That's ten lines! Is that right?"