It was within everyone's expectations that the Imperial Astronomer would stand up to refute the Crown Prince.
Stargazing, divination, and calendar calculation had always been the duty of the Imperial Astronomer. The Crown Prince's words just now were reasonable and his demonstration was vivid. Even those who did not understand astrology would be convinced. However, this was tantamount to smashing the reputation of the Imperial Astronomer. In other words, it was destroying the faith of those who had devoted their lives to it.
However, no one expected that after the Imperial Astronomer stood up, the Crown Prince did not refute him. The change was so fast that it was even a little … confusing.
Moreover, although the Imperial Astronomer was old, he was not muddle-headed. The difference between the two pieces of silver was so obvious. Surely he could not be mistaken?
When it came to the issue of faith, the Imperial Astronomer could still be neither servile nor overbearing in front of the Crown Prince. He looked at the Crown Prince's hands and said, "Although the 'Imperial Annals' did not say it, the Crown Prince should not think that this old man is muddle-headed. If Your Highness let go at the same time, the heavier silver will naturally fall first."
Dong.
Li Xuan let go of his hands. The two pieces of silver fell to the ground and also hit the old Imperial Astronomer's heart.
"This …"
The surrounding officials were also in an uproar.
This did not make sense. Could there be a trap?
The Imperial Astronomer did not believe it. He picked up the two pieces of silver, weighed them, and tried them with his own hands. He then took out two pieces of different sizes and tried them again. He murmured, "How could this be, how could this be …"
Not far away, Prince Ning smiled and said a few words in Emperor Jing's ear. Emperor Jing was slightly surprised, but a smile also appeared on his face. "This child …"
Zeng Zuimo pulled on Li Yi's sleeve and asked curiously, "Why?"
Li Yi turned his head and glanced at her. He said, "I can't explain it in a short time. When we go home tonight, I will explain it to you slowly."
"Ahem!" Not far behind the two, the capital governor, Lord Zeng, coughed heavily.
An official next to him asked doubtfully, "Lord Zeng, are you not feeling well?"
Ceng Shichun waved his hand. "I caught a cold yesterday. It's fine, it's fine …"
On the other hand, the Imperial Astronomer stood rooted to the spot in a daze, forgetting even to pick up the silver taels that had fallen to the ground.
When he heard the discussions around him, he finally came back to his senses. Suppressing the shock and confusion in his heart, he immediately said, "These two matters cannot be lumped together. This old man was talking about the solar eclipse and the lunar eclipse. What you just said is simply a bunch of nonsense, a bunch of nonsense …"
Li Xuan cupped his hands politely and said, "Since the Imperial Astronomer thinks what I just said is nonsense, why don't you point out where I'm wrong? I, Li Xuan, am all ears."
The officials nodded in agreement at the Crown Prince's attitude. This was the bearing and demeanor that a member of the royal family should have. Even when he was being criticized, he was still able to maintain such a state of mind. It was truly rare. If even the esteemed Crown Prince was like this, then the Imperial Astronomer's attitude immediately put him at a disadvantage.
"You, you're wrong …"
The Imperial Astronomer opened his mouth, but only managed to utter these few words.
He only knew that the Crown Prince was definitely wrong, and definitely would be wrong, but he simply could not point out where exactly he was wrong.
What the Crown Prince had said just now was so reasonable, and that demonstration was so vivid and clear. How could the Imperial Astronomer find any mistakes?
After opening his mouth a few times, he waved his hand and said loudly, "A bunch of nonsense, simply a bunch of nonsense …"
Li Xuan continued to ask politely, "Since it's nonsense, may I trouble the Imperial Astronomer to tell me where the nonsense is?"
"You … In short … a bunch of nonsense!"
"My Lord, you're being a little unreasonable …"
Li Xuan was not the only one who thought that the Imperial Astronomer was being unreasonable. Most of the people present felt the same way.
Even if the Crown Prince was wrong, as long as the Imperial Astronomer gave a basis, everyone would be able to come to a conclusion. However, it was obvious that the Crown Prince had always been reasonable and polite. The Imperial Astronomer only understood the words' a load of nonsense '. It was obvious that the Imperial Astronomer was being a little unreasonable …
The smile on Li Xuan's face had already disappeared. He looked at the old man and said coldly, "I'm trying to reason with you. If you continue to be unreasonable, the Academy of Sciences and the Crown Prince's residence will not be so easily bullied."
The old man shuddered when he looked at him, but he suddenly laughed maniacally and said, "I remember now. You just said that the lunar eclipse was the shadow cast by the earth on the moon. In that case, the shadow of the earth on the moon should be extremely square, so why is it curved?!"
The moment these words were spoken, the entire place fell silent once again.
Many people thought about it and nodded slightly. The Imperial Astronomer's words made a lot of sense. If the Crown Prince could not explain, then his previous judgment was very questionable.
A thoughtful expression appeared on Li Xuan's face. He nodded and said, "What you said makes sense …"
A smile appeared on the Imperial Astronomer's face. "So you admit that you're talking nonsense!"
Li Xuan thought for a moment, then said, "It's all thanks to the Imperial Astronomer's reminder. Since the sun is round, the moon is round, and even Mars is round, and all the stars we see with this object are round, why can't our earth be round in the same starry sky?"
He suddenly clapped his hands and said in sudden realization, "That's right, no wonder the shadow of the earth on the moon is curved. No wonder we can only see far by climbing high. No wonder the horizon is also curved when standing by the sea. No wonder we always see the mast before the hull of the ship when sailing from the sea … perhaps the earth beneath our feet is also a big ball?"
The Imperial Astronomer stood where he was, the Crown Prince's words echoing in his mind. Then, there was a buzz.
"Hehe, a bunch of nonsense, a bunch of nonsense …"
"Misleading people with lies, this is misleading people with lies!"
"Fiend Star, so you're the Fiend Star, Fiend Star …"
…
Li Xuan looked at the crazed Imperial Astronomer and waved his hand. "Take this lord away to rest …"
No one cared about the mad Imperial Astronomer anymore. Their minds were filled with the words that the crown prince had just said.
The Imperial Astronomer's words not only enlightened the Crown Prince, but also made them think deeply.
During an eclipse, the earth's shadow; the sails of ships sailing from the sea; if the earth was flat, why would one need to climb high to look far away; the sun, the moon, Mars …
Why had they never thought about these things? The Crown Prince, the Crown Prince was really quick-witted …
Among the crowd, Cui Qingze's expression could no longer be described as gloomy.
Meanwhile, Li Xuan clapped his hands and continued his explanation.
"Now that we're done with the solar and lunar eclipses, let's talk about Mars guarding the heart … Just now, everyone saw that there's nothing around Mars. There's not much difference between using Mars to look at Xin Su and using our eyes to look at Xin Su. This is because Xin Su is too far away from us. It's like two objects that are separated from each other. When we look at it from afar, we'll think that they're very close to each other …"
"Xin Su is so far away from us that what we see is five hundred …"
"Cough!"
Li Xuan turned around and looked at Li Yi with disappointment. Then, he turned back and said, "In short, Mars and Xin Su will never meet each other. Therefore, the saying that Mars guards the heart while the jinx rushes to Xin Su is nonsense. Anyone who uses this to slander the royal family has ulterior motives …"
He sighed and said, "Compared to the vast starry sky, we're so tiny. Who knows that when we look up at the starry sky, what we see is just the passing of the starry sky …"
"Cough! Cough! "
Li Yi covered his mouth and coughed twice. Beside him, the Luo Shui Goddess asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you not feeling well? Should we go back earlier?"
The proud Lolita also looked nervous. "Ah, Sir isn't feeling well. I'll ask my father to summon the imperial physician …"
Li Yi grabbed her hand tightly and didn't let her run away. He shook his head and said, "I'm fine. It's just that my throat was a little itchy. I'm fine now …"
A hint of pain appeared on the proud Lolita's face. She looked up at Li Yi pitifully and whispered, "Sir, you're hurting me …"
"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry …"
Li Yi hurriedly let go of her hand. On the other side, Li Xuan had already finished his scientific activity. He pointed to the telescope at the side and said with a smile, "Today's stargazing will end here. If anyone still wants to see the full picture of Mars, please go ahead …"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd surged towards a certain direction.
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