My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Princess Wencheng's eyes would steal glances at Songtsen Gampo from time to time.

Empress Zhangsun saw this and thought the two of them were quite a good match.

Empress Zhangsun looked at Songtsen Gampo and asked, "I heard you wish to propose marriage to a princess of the Tang Dynasty, is that true?"

Songtsen Gampo nodded: "Yes."

"So, what do you think of Princess Wencheng?" Empress Zhangsun asked directly, without beating around the bush.

"Your Majesty, I am very satisfied with Princess Wencheng," Songtsen Gampo said, his gaze fixed on Princess Wencheng.

Princess Wencheng lowered her head, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Empress Zhangsun smiled and said, "To become a prince consort of our Great Tang Dynasty, one must pass an examination. Only those who pass the examination have a chance."

When Songtsen Gampo heard this, he thought to himself, "I never thought that the Tang Dynasty had such rules. I have to take an exam to marry a princess. No one told me this beforehand."

He was also quite nervous, but outwardly he tried to remain calm and asked, "How will the exam be conducted?"

Are you familiar with the culture of the Central Plains?

"Xiao Wang really enjoys reading 'Qunshu Zhiyao' (Essentials of the Study of Various Books), as well as some poems and songs."

When Li Shimin heard Songtsen Gampo say that he liked reading "Essentials of Governance from Various Books", he felt even more favorably toward him.

Because Li Shimin also particularly enjoyed reading that book.

Empress Zhangsun cleared her throat: "Today is a rare opportunity. I will not only test Songtsen Gampo, but also you princes, princesses and consorts, including Fang Yi'ai and Zhangsun Chong."

First, the written exam; then the military exam.

Now, I'll give you a question. Listen carefully.

Fang Yi'ai thought it didn't matter whether he did well or poorly on the exam. Anyway, he was already married to Princess Gaoyang. It would be best if he did well, but if he didn't, so be it.

Changsun Chong, however, was not so sure; his heart began to pound.

He glanced at Li Lizhi, thinking that if this was the case, things might still be a bit uncertain between him and Li Lizhi.

What if I fail the exam?

He couldn't help but feel nervous.

Songtsen Gampo said, "Please, Queen, give me a question."

Empress Zhangsun laughed and said, "There was a man who bought 100 chickens with 100 coins. The price of a rooster was 5 coins, a hen was 3 coins, and a chick was 1 coin for every three chicks. How many roosters, hens, and chicks did he buy?"

I'll give you a moment to think."

Upon hearing this, everyone thought the topic was quite interesting.

"So, roosters are more expensive!" Fang Yi'ai said.

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

Fang Yi'ai started counting on his fingers and toes, calculating.

However, even using both his hands and feet, he couldn't gather the correct number; it was either too much or too little.

Changsun Chong borrowed a large handful of chopsticks from a eunuch, placed them on the table, and began to arrange them.

The civil and military officials were also whispering among themselves, all feeling that this question was quite difficult and not easy to solve.

Li Chengan looked at Songtsen Gampo, whose eyes were slightly closed as he was intently calculating the problem.

Li Chenggan understood that his mother was intentionally testing Songtsen Gampo's intelligence.

These kinds of questions are the best test of a person's intelligence.

Fang Yi'ai and Changsun Chong were so busy that they kept shaking their heads and sighing.

Empress Zhangsun looked at Fang Yi'ai: "The time is up, have you calculated it yet?"

Fang Yi'ai blushed: "Replying to Your Majesty, not yet. I've calculated it, it's either one coin too much or one coin too little, anyway, I can't gather just the right amount."

All the civil and military officials laughed upon hearing this.

Fang Xuanling glared at him fiercely.

Empress Zhangsun shook her head and asked Zhangsun Chong, "Have you figured it out yet?"

Changsun Chong said, "Aunt, no matter how I calculate it, this money isn't enough. Roosters are so expensive, five coins each. Buying 100 would cost 500 coins. How is that possible?"

The crowd burst into laughter again.

Empress Zhangsun was not only Zhangsun Chong's mother-in-law, but also his aunt.

Empress Zhangsun, upon hearing this, said in an annoyed tone, "You child, you never study properly and you always say you don't have enough money. Why do you have to buy so many roosters?"

"Couldn't you have bought more chicks?"

"Hmm, that makes sense. Let me calculate it again."

"Songtsen Gampo, have you figured it out yet?"

Songtsen Gampo replied: "My calculations show that..."

There are 0 roosters, 25 hens, and 75 chicks.

Empress Zhangsun nodded: "It seems you have a quick mind. You've passed this test."

Empress Zhangsun then asked Li Tai, "Have you figured it out?"

Upon hearing this, Li Tai panicked, because he couldn't calculate it either, and he was sweating profusely with anxiety.

He asked Fang Xuanling, who was sitting next to him, in a low voice, "Your Excellency, I don't know how to do this question. What should I do?"

Fang Xuanling whispered a few words in his ear.

Then Li Tai said, "Mother, I have just calculated it, and it is the same as Songtsen Gampo's answer."

"Couldn't you have given a different answer?"

There are multiple ways to solve this problem; it's not that there's only one answer.

"I haven't thought of any other methods yet."

Empress Zhangsun shook her head in disappointment: "Li Chengqian, can you solve this problem?"

In fact, Li Chenggan had three possible solutions in mind, but he didn't need to say them all.

He replied, "Mother, the result of my calculations is:"

There are 4 roosters, 18 hens, and 78 chicks.

Empress Zhangsun nodded slightly: "The Crown Prince is indeed quick to react."

Where is the Crown Princess?

Su Wan smiled: "In response to Your Majesty, I also have a calculation method:"

There are 8 roosters, 11 hens, and 81 chicks.

After listening, everyone calculated it and found it to be exactly right.

Empress Zhangsun then asked Princess Wencheng, "Can you solve this problem?"

Princess Wencheng smiled: "My algorithm is:"

There are 12 roosters, 4 hens, and 84 chicks.

The group checked Princess Wencheng's answer again, and it was exactly the same.

Fang Yi'ai exclaimed, "There are so many algorithms, but I haven't been able to figure out a single one."

The atmosphere in the main hall immediately became lively.

"Next, we will proceed with the second test."

Empress Zhangsun then took out a brocade box from a drawer in her desk. The box was exquisitely crafted, and upon opening it, everyone saw a jade sphere inside, about the size of an egg, and it was quite beautiful.

Empress Zhangsun took out the sphere, held it in her palm, and introduced it to everyone, saying, "Do you see this sphere?"

Everyone said, "We saw it."

"This jade sphere is unique; it has a hole that runs from the front to the back."

However, the hole isn't straight; it's curved. The problem now is…” Empress Zhangsun paused, then took a silk thread from the drawer of her desk. The thread was about a meter long.

"Does anyone know how to thread this thread through this sphere?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd began to discuss it amongst themselves.

Some people say, "Isn't that simple? Just thread a line through it."

However, some people shook their heads, saying, "The Queen made it clear that there's a hole inside the sphere, and that hole isn't straight, it's curved."

If it's straight, it's easy to pass through, but how can you pass through a curved one?

Fang Yi'ai just failed the first test and felt embarrassed.

He stood up and said, "I'll give it a try."

Empress Zhangsun ordered a palace maid to place the jade ball and the silk thread on a tray and present them to Fang Yi'ai.

Fang Yi'ai took it and began to thread the silk thread into the hole of the jade ball.

However, after throwing it halfway in, it wouldn't go in.

Because the ball is semi-transparent, you can see it clearly, but the line gets blocked halfway through, so you can't see through it.

Fang Yixin thought to herself, "I've really embarrassed myself today."

He fiddled with it for a long time, but in the end, he still couldn't thread it through.

Changsun Chong retorted, unconvinced: "You idiot, I'll give it a try!"

He took the ball and, following the same method, patiently threaded the string through it.

But when they got halfway through, they encountered a bend and couldn't get through.

Changsun Chong was so anxious that he was covered in sweat.

Fang Yi'ai sneered, "You're just showing off. You can't get through either, can you?"

Seeing that Changsun Chong was not using his brain, Changsun Wuji kept shaking his head and sighing.

Changsun Chong was very discouraged: "It's impossible for this thread to go through. The thread is soft, and the hole inside the sphere is curved. How can it possibly go through?"

Empress Zhangsun laughed and said, "Can't you use your brain?"

At this moment, the palace maid placed the ball and silk thread on the tray in front of Songtsen Gampo.

Grand Minister Shangnang was also worried for Songtsen Gampo, thinking that if Songtsen Gampo couldn't get past this hurdle, then his marriage to Princess Wencheng might not be so certain.

The problem was that even the Grand Minister Shangnang couldn't think of a solution; he couldn't very well just smash the jade ball.

Songtsen Gampo stood up and bowed: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please wait a moment. I will be back soon."

Empress Zhangsun agreed.

Songtsen Gampo left the main hall and headed towards the flowerbed in the courtyard.

After a short while, he returned to his seat.

It turned out he had gone to catch an ant.

The crowd was puzzled, wondering what Songtsen Gampo was doing catching ants.

Songtsen then wrapped the silk thread around the ant's waist, and then smeared honey on the other side of the jade sphere.

Ants love to eat sweet things.

Songtsen Gampo stuffed the ant into the hole of the jade ball.

The ant crawled through the hole and quickly passed through the sphere.

In this way, the silk thread passed through the sphere.

Everyone looked at it and suddenly realized what was going on.

Applause rang out in the hall.

Li Chenggan had already thought of this method.

However, he still greatly admired Songtsen Gampo; he was quick-witted.

Empress Zhangsun looked at Fang Yi'ai and Zhangsun Chong: "It seems that your thinking is still lagging behind. You need to study harder. How can you do without being flexible and adaptable?"

Princess Gaoyang said irritably, "Those two must have been kicked in the head by a donkey."

Although Fang Yi'ai and Changsun Chong were resentful, they dared not argue back.

Empress Zhangsun said, "Next, there is one more question."

Please come with me to the stables.

It turns out that there are two stables not far behind this palace. One stable is empty, while the other stable has 40 horses, including 20 mares and 20 foals.

The group arrived outside the stable and looked inside.

The ponies cheered and frolicked together.

The mares, on the other hand, were quite quiet.

Empress Zhangsun pointed to the horses and asked Songtsen Gampo, "Do you have a way of identifying which of these 20 mares and 20 foals are mother and child?"

Fang Yi'ai watched from the side and suddenly felt a little dizzy. He thought to himself, these mares look almost the same, and the foals look the same too. How can you tell which ones are from the same family?

He asked Changsun Chong in a low voice.

Changsun Chong said, "How would I know?"

I don't feed these horses. If I let them graze here every day, I might be able to tell them apart. But now they all look pretty much the same, how am I supposed to tell them apart?

After looking at it, Su Wan said to Li Chengan, "This question is a bit difficult. It's not easy to distinguish because there are no obvious markings."

Li Chengan whispered a few words in Su Wan's ear.

Su Wan nodded repeatedly and smiled, "You're really smart. I wonder if Songtsen Gampo could solve this problem."

Songtsen Gampo pondered for a moment, then drew out a horsewhip.

Then he opened both stable doors.

After he went inside, he drove all the ponies into the empty stable next door.

Then, he closed both gates of the stables.

Looking at the horses again, the foals, unable to find their mothers, began to neigh.

Songtsen Gampo said, "We will come back to watch later, and then we will know the result."

The crowd was puzzled, wondering what Songtsen Gampo was up to.

Empress Zhangsun smiled and nodded.

The group returned to the main hall and sat in their original seats.

Empress Zhangsun looked at everyone with tearful eyes: "The civil exams are almost over, now let's have the military exams."

The crowd whispered among themselves, wondering how the martial arts exam would be conducted.

Empress Zhangsun said to Songtsen Gampo, "I've heard that you are quite skilled in martial arts and were very prestigious at a young age. People in your area also enjoy wrestling, is that right?"

Songtsen Gampo replied, "Your Majesty, that's right. We Tibetans have boys who enjoy wrestling, horseback riding, and archery from a young age; these are all fundamental skills."

"Alright, everyone spread out in the middle of the field, and you can have a wrestling match right there and see who can wrestle the best."

If you win three consecutive rounds without losing, you pass!

Princess Wencheng was a little anxious when she heard this, thinking to herself, "Isn't this making things difficult for Songtsen Gampo?"

The group shifted their positions, clearing the space in the middle.

Fang Yi'ai was unconvinced. So far, he hadn't won a single game and thought he had to regain some face.

He took off his outer garment, stepped forward, and bowed: "Your subject will have a friendly exchange with Songtsen Gampo."

Li Shimin was an outstanding warrior. On many occasions, he charged into the enemy camp alone, slashing and hacking, and often took the heads of generals.

He had long heard that Fang Yi'ai was quite capable, and he wanted to see for himself today.

Li Shimin nodded: "Then you'd better be careful."

"The materials are fine too!"

Fang Ye strode to the center of the hall, pointed at Songtsen Gampo, and said, "Come on, let's wrestle."

Songtsen Gampo stared at Princess Wencheng.

Princess Wencheng nodded to him.

So Songtsen Gampo stood up, took off his outer robe, revealing a short jacket underneath, dressed casually, and stretched his arms and legs without any looseness or discomfort.