Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Crimson Powdered Confidante

  Zhang Zixing naturally wouldn't reveal his true origins, and replied: "Isn't the 'Tian Suan' written by Master Tian a masterpiece? How could someone like me, with limited talent, possibly surpass it? To be honest with you, Miss, I am a descendant of a noble family, but unfortunately, my family has fallen on hard times. Now, I'm just an ordinary commoner, struggling to make ends meet every day. Since childhood, I've been fascinated by the art of calculation, but unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to learn from a master until 'Tian Suan' was published. Only then did my mind suddenly open up and I gained insight into the true principles."

  Zhang Zixing's words not only explained his background but also subtly boasted about himself (in fact, self-praise). Qing'er laughed and said: "If the master is a mediocre talent, wouldn't I be an idiot? Master has such great talent, why not serve the imperial court and show off your lifelong learning? My father has several good friends working in the imperial court, why don't I ask my father to introduce you?"

  Serve the imperial court? Work for oneself? Forget it, being a boss is better... Zhang Zixing smiled and shook his head: "Qinger Miss's good intentions, I appreciate them. My nature is lazy and sloppy, not familiar with etiquette, nor do I have the talent to stabilize the country and bring peace to the nation. If I were to force myself into the imperial court as an official, I'm afraid there would be more trouble, it's better to just be a carefree wanderer like now."

  Qing'er saw his resolute tone and couldn't help but reveal a hint of disappointment, sighing: "Sir is indeed a man of clarity! Qing'er dares to be bold, with one more impolite request. The people you see today in the thatched cottage listening to lectures are all ordinary citizens who enjoy numerology, unfortunately without good teachers to guide them. Qing'er's abilities are shallow and lacking, yet still dares to offer his humble teachings, sir is highly talented, if able to instruct them a little, they will surely benefit for life, I hope sir won't decline."

  Zhang Zixing had expected her to make such a request and said, "Today I heard Miss lecture on learning, with eloquent words and clear logic, which made me admire her greatly. Although I have some knowledge in my heart, I don't have Miss's gift of speech, and if I were to start lecturing rashly, I'm afraid it would be a case of 'twice the work for half the results'. Why not let me pass on my insights to Miss whenever I have time, and then Miss can pass them on to the students after she has grasped them?"

  Qing Er didn't know if this was his excuse, but thinking that he could often ask for advice from this wise Mr., he didn't persuade him anymore. Zhang Zixing later discussed some teaching-related issues with her and indirectly expressed the educational theories of later generations. Qing Er was clever and knew that he was imparting his own educational methods, so she didn't have time to admire him and hurriedly memorized them carefully.

  The two of them chatted for a long time, but Zhang Zixing didn't mention anything about Qing'er returning the book as promised. It was as if they had some sort of unspoken understanding. Qing'er, who had an exceptional memory, seemed to have forgotten about it altogether.

  "Speaking of which, I'm quite familiar with the young lady. By the way, why didn't I see your sister Fang today?" Zhang Zixing asked casually.

  "That sister is the daughter of a close friend of my father's, and happened to come to Chang'an to see me that day. She left just a few days later." Qing'er's eyes flashed, and she asked in a very casual tone: "Sir seems to be quite concerned about this sister of mine?"

  "Where! That young lady is indeed remarkable in martial arts, and my family's guards are also quite strong. Normally, several sturdy men can't get close to her, but they couldn't beat her, so I have a deep impression of her."

  "My sister was quite concerned about your 'bullying the weak' image, and even said she wanted to teach you a lesson afterwards! Luckily, you were lazy and didn't come to the grass hall for those few days, otherwise...". Qing'er thought of the harsh words spoken by the green-shirted woman after returning home that time, and couldn't help but cover her face and laugh: "Qing'er believes that you won't do anything to bully the good people, and today we've received your guidance again. In the future, I'll definitely mediate and let my sister change her impression of you. I hope you'll come to the grass hall often to guide us."

  Zhang Zixing secretly wiped the sweat: This young master is too clever, seemingly having already seen through his intentions towards that beautiful girl, and even subtly proposed a "matchmaking" condition. Although his inner thoughts were exposed, fortunately he had thick skin, and with an unchanged expression said: "The last time was just a misunderstanding, actually I found her quite familiar, seeming to be the daughter of an acquaintance, unfortunately at the time there wasn't a chance to ask, Miss Qing'er may you reveal something about that miss's background?"

  "Oh? After that person?" Qing Er's eyes showed a playful color, and she intentionally asked: "So it was like that, may I ask Mr. what is the surname and name of that person?"

  Zhang Zixing had been wondering whether the woman was Deng Ciyu, so he said: "My old friend's surname is Deng, it has been many years since I last saw her, I don't know if I'm mistaken?"

  "Don't worry, sir. Next month my sister might come to Chao Ge again," Qing Er's eyes sparkled as she didn't answer directly: "At that time I'll introduce you to her, why don't you ask her yourself?"

  Zhang Zixing knew he couldn't get anything more out of this clever woman, so he laughed and stood up: "Miss is indeed a wonderful person! Being able to recognize Miss is Zhang Zixing's good fortune. As the sky has already darkened, I will take my leave first. In three days, I will come again to disturb you at the thatched cottage, and I hope Miss won't have someone chase me away then."

  "Sir is joking! With your skills, even if you refused to leave, I would be powerless against you."

  The two of them exchanged a smile, and as they parted ways, Qing Er saw the starry sky outside the house and suddenly realized that he had unknowingly chatted with Mr. Purple Star for three hours.

  "When good wine meets a bosom friend, a thousand cups are too few..." Qing'er whispered to herself Zhang Zixing's "famous words", gazing at his distant back, with a hint of color in her eyes.

  A few days later.

  "Bang! Bang! Bang!" The eastern corner of the Imperial City's forbidden area occasionally transmitted a crisp sound. What is called the forbidden area is that without the emperor's permission, no one can enter the secret place, not even the empress.

  In the stone room of the forbidden land, Zhang Zixing, a great merchant, lay on the ground with his clothes in disarray, completely devoid of any royal demeanor. He was panting heavily, his hair soaked with sweat. Beside him, shards of glass and twisted metal frames were scattered all over the floor.

  Zhang Zixing looked at his nearly unconscious hands, and a nameless fire ignited in his heart. He gritted his teeth and sat up, kicking the iron frame with one foot. The force of this kick was enormous, and the hard iron frame instantly deformed and flew far away, clattering to the ground. Still unsatisfied, he trampled the glass on the ground into powder, and then suddenly collapsed backwards, as if all his strength had been drained.

  "Failed again!" The anger in Zhang Zixing's eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by a dejected look. This period of continuous experimental failures had left him suffocating.

  In fact, the initial creation of glass was already quite fast, mainly thanks to Chao Xing's manufacturing plan, which was formulated based on the actual situation of the Shang Dynasty's materials and craftsmanship. It was very effective, and in just three days, they successfully "invented" glass, which made Zhang Zixing very happy. However, the main purpose of glass - the production of super Leyden jars - was fraught with difficulties. It wasn't because Zhang Zixing's design had problems, but rather due to the severe limitations of the conditions. The required materials (especially metals) were impossible to find even with the entire nation's resources, and they lacked modern testing equipment. As a result, they could only modify the design plan based on available materials, and the final product did not meet the requirements. He also considered using metal plus insulating materials to make capacitors, but the effect was even worse.

  The energy that these capacitors can store is much lower than expected, and when finally input into the body, the energy obtained by the super brain is pitifully small, and his own body can hardly withstand the repeated torture of electric shock. According to the analysis of the super brain, at this rate of energy infusion, even if it were a thunderstorm every day, with continuous input day and night, it would take hundreds of years to reach the level where it could escape. He also considered using techniques such as those used by cultivators like Wen Zhong to artificially create lightning strikes, but first, the power was far inferior to natural lightning, and secondly, it would expose the location of the super brain's greatest secret. Even if he didn't worry about these things, and could use external forces to successfully input enough lightning energy at one time, Zhang Zixing himself would still be in great danger, how could this not make him depressed?

  Failure is not the end, Zhang Zixing is not a person who gives up easily, so he did not lose his fighting spirit, but instead his desire to conquer difficulties became even stronger - He was able to stand out in the 24th century scientific community filled with geniuses, it was not luck, apart from his natural talent and wisdom, his hard work and indomitable will were also key to his success.

  Zhang Zixing finally stood up after venting the depression in his heart. With rich experience, he knew that he was not suitable to continue experimenting today and had to adjust his mood. After calm thinking and calculation, he would try again.

  He walked out of the forbidden land, bathed and changed his clothes, then left the palace again, heading in the direction of the grass hall.

  Tan Weicao Hall is open every three days, and on ordinary days, there are guards at the door who do not allow outsiders to enter. Zhang Zixing has been coming and going frequently in recent days, and he is very familiar with the guards, so no one stops him, but instead invites him into the hall with respect.

  Qing'er still wore simple clothes and a veil, giving off an air of mysterious beauty. She hadn't seen Zhang Zixing for several days, so she was overjoyed to see him arrive today. After Zhang Zixing sat down, Qing'er did as she usually did, taking out the difficulties she had been thinking about for the past few days and asking Zhang Zixing for guidance. Although Zhang Zixing's mood hadn't improved due to the failure of his experiment, he didn't show it in front of Qing'er, instead patiently helping her solve the problems.

  Suddenly, Qing'er stopped asking questions and ordered someone to bring up pastries and fruits for Zhang Zixing to taste. She didn't continue questioning him either, but instead chatted with him casually.

  Zhang Zixing felt a bit strange, Qing'er usually wouldn't accompany him in such idle chatter, and couldn't help but ask: "Miss Qing'er's question today seems to be not quite satisfied, why did you suddenly become talkative?"

  Qing'er replied in a soft voice, "I observe that Master seems to be deeply troubled, so I dare not disturb you. May I ask if Master has encountered something unpleasant? Can Qing'er help alleviate Master's worries?"

  Zhang Zixing did not expect Qing'er to be so perceptive, although he appeared normal on the outside, she had already detected his inner anxiety. In fact, since he ascended to the throne, he had been diligent in governing, promoting new ideas and achieving great things in both literature and military affairs, seemingly just like the perfect sage that the people spoke of. But in reality, he also had times of failure, times of exhaustion, and times when he was affected by negative emotions, because after all, he was a human being, an ordinary human being with seven emotions and six desires.

  In the past, when Zhang Zixing was in a bad mood, he liked to find a close friend to pour out his heart. But since he came to this world, he had countless subordinates and four wives, but not a single friend. As the emperor, he was indeed a "lonely person" in name and reality. It's no wonder that in this era, who dared to disregard the etiquette of monarch and minister and befriend the emperor? His four wives were deeply influenced by the patriarchal society and the absolute power of the monarch, and no matter how hard he tried, they could not change their psychology of reverence, including Huang Feiyan with her outgoing personality and Yu'e with her strong character.

  The young woman in front of him was elegant, gentle, and understanding, with a high IQ and exceptional talent. Although Zhang Zixing had never seen her true face before, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and friendship towards her. It's easy to find wealth, but hard to find someone who truly understands you; it's even harder to find a kindred spirit among women.

  Today, when he was in a bad mood, he didn't choose to return to the palace, but instead came here subconsciously, perhaps it was because of this red makeup expert.