The son-in-law of a prosperous family

Finally, the mythical beast pattern on the last side was perfectly presented. The entire hall instantly erupted in thunderous applause, and everyone cast admiring glances at him.

The emperor was delighted and said with a smile, "Lord Zhao, you are truly a man of extraordinary talent!"

Censor Wei gritted his teeth and forced a smile: "Lord Zhao, I really admire you."

But he felt bitter in his heart, secretly hating himself for not getting the upper hand but letting Zhao Yunchuan take the limelight.

Zhao Yunchuan knelt down to express his gratitude. He caught a glimpse of the gloomy face of Censor Wei and knew in his heart that this contest was just the beginning. In the future, there would be more attacks waiting for him in this treacherous court.

At this time, there were also some discordant whispers among the crowd.

"Humph, I think Lord Zhao just got lucky and solved it by accident. It's not a real skill at all."

"That's right. This magic square is so complicated, how could it be so easy to find a solution? Maybe it's just a coincidence."

Although the discussions were not loud, they spread throughout the hall like a gust of wind.

The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, taking in all of this.

He frowned slightly, then his eyes fell on Zhao Yunchuan and he asked, "Lord Zhao, everyone is talking about it and they are quite skeptical about your solution. I am also curious, how did you solve this magical beast?"

Zhao Yunchuan remained calm and took a step forward. He saluted the emperor first, and then said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, solving this magic formula does have a bit of luck."

He played with the Rubik's Cube in the present time.

He paused for a moment to get everyone's attention, then continued, "First, I classified the six faces of the magic square and determined the center block, edge blocks, and corner blocks. This is like building a house. You have to first understand the position and function of each brick and stone."

"Then, I used one side as the basis and restored the center block first, so that this side formed a stable framework. Just like marching to war, you need to stabilize the central camp first, so that you can dispatch forces from all sides in an orderly manner." Zhao Yunchuan explained while gently turning the magic square in his hand to demonstrate, "After the center block is fixed, the edge blocks and corner blocks are processed in turn. In this process, you need to constantly observe the position and direction of each block, and return them to their positions through a specific rotation sequence."

"In order to ensure that every step is accurate, I will predict the changes of each block after the rotation in advance to avoid confusion. Once a certain step deviates, I will adjust the strategy in time." Zhao Yunchuan explained clearly, and the questioning voices around him gradually disappeared, replaced by the thoughtful expressions of the ministers.

After hearing this, the emperor nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "Lord Zhao has clear ideas and clever methods, which shows that it is not just luck. The other ministers should take this as a lesson. When facing difficult problems, use your brains more and don't easily question others."

Those ministers who had previously questioned Zhao Yunchuan lowered their heads with looks of shame on their faces.

Censor Wei stood aside with a sullen face. Although he was filled with resentment, he had nothing to say.

This Zhao Yunchuan is indeed smart.

In fact, it's not that he is smart, but that he has played it before. In modern times, he has played with not only six-sided and eight-sided cubes, but also patterned ones. So this magic square is just a Rubik's Cube with a different pattern to him.

The emperor paused for a moment, his eyes full of admiration as he announced loudly, "My dear Lord Zhao, you have cracked the magic square, showing your extraordinary talent. I grant you a purple gold jade pendant, which is a royal item and can protect you from punishment at critical moments. I also grant you a spacious and magnificent mansion on Suzaku Street. From now on, during every festival, I will grant you special delicacies from the imperial kitchen as a token of my favor!"

Zhao Yunchuan fell to the ground and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I have been so generous to you. I cannot repay you even a fraction of what you have done!"

He was sincerely grateful. The house was indeed not big. It was spacious now, but it would be a bit cramped when the two kids grew up.

He had a big house and could build a playground for them in the yard.

At this palace banquet, Zhao Yunchuan stole the limelight.

As night fell and the cold wind rustled, the palace banquet came to an end amid laughter and joy.

Zhao Yunchuan, carrying the emperor's reward, walked out of the palace amid the envious and jealous gazes of the officials.

Outside the palace gate, a gorgeously decorated carriage had been waiting for a long time. The body of the carriage was carved with dragons and phoenixes, and red silk, a symbol of royal family, was tied on the horse's mane.

When the guards driving the car saw Zhao Yunchuan, they immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Sir Zhao, His Majesty has ordered us to escort you and the reward back to the palace."

Zhao Yunchuan boarded the carriage. The carriage was covered with a soft tiger-skin mattress and was inlaid with luminous pearls all around, illuminating the interior as bright as day.

The family's coachman had been waiting outside for a long time and could only follow behind the luxurious carriage.

The carriage slowly stopped in front of the Fang Mansion, and Zhao Yunchuan got off the carriage with the help of the guards.

The doorman saw it from a distance and ran inside to report it.

When Zhao Yunchuan stepped into the main room, a warm atmosphere accompanied by the laughter of his family members hit him in the face.

Fang Huai was the first to come forward, her eyes fixed on the reward behind her husband, a hint of surprise and joy flashed in her eyes, but she first reached out to brush off the thin snow on Zhao Yunchuan's shoulders, and said angrily: "Why are you wearing so little? Are you cold?"

Zhao Yunchuan felt warm in his heart, and he gently held Fang Huai's hand, smiling, "It's not cold. With Huai'er's care, I feel warm even in the coldest weather."

Fang Huai glared at him: "You're such a snob!"

Zhao Yunchuan smiled and said, "Brother Huai, do you have any more dumplings? I'm hungry."

Fang Huai's eyes widened in shock. His fingers subconsciously grabbed the corner of his clothes and blurted out, "Such a grand palace banquet, and you didn't eat enough?"

Zhao Yunchuan shrugged helplessly, took off his cloak, put it on a chair beside him, and sighed, "Although there were many dishes at the banquet, most of them were cold and tasted bland. I didn't eat much."

Fang Huai walked forward distressedly and gently helped him tidy up his messy hair. His tone was full of reproach: "It's a grand palace banquet, but you didn't even give us a hot meal. Forget it, I'll go to the kitchen and cook you a bowl of steaming dumplings and stir-fry two of your favorite side dishes."

As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Huai quickly walked towards the kitchen.

After a while, the sound of pots and pans colliding was heard in the kitchen.

Zhao Yunchuan followed him to the kitchen door, leaned against the door frame, and watched Fang Huai's busy figure. The dim candlelight reflected on Fang Huai's face, outlining his gentle features. Zhao Yunchuan felt warm in his heart, and felt that the smell of fireworks was more nostalgic than the delicacies from the mountains and sea at the palace banquet.

After a while, Fang Huai brought out steaming dumplings and two plates of side dishes, placed them on the table, and urged, "Eat quickly, it's still hot."

Zhao Yunchuan sat down, picked up a dumpling and put it in his mouth. The delicious soup spread in his mouth instantly. He squinted his eyes in satisfaction and said vaguely: "The dumplings made by Huai Ge'er are still delicious. This is the taste of home."