latelenovela Chapter 97 Real and Fake Boxes
Chapter 97 Real and Fake Boxes
Emperor Cheng was uncertain, but his face remained expressionless. He simply waved his hand and said, "My Great Recruitment is full of talented people, so naturally we can solve this problem. Pass it down so that everyone here can see it."
The Empress pondered carefully, but Consort Zheng gave a nonchalant snort: "What a fuss, just break it open."
"My beloved concubine, be careful what you say." Emperor Cheng was at his wits' end with her; she had become increasingly unruly lately.
Consort Zheng didn't seem to care much about the Emperor's warning. Although she remained silent, she refused to apologize.
The box was presented to the servants by a waiter. Although Shen Li was at the back of the line, she already knew what was written on it. She simply asked Gu Chang'an, "Husband, are you confident you can unlock this?"
"Truth or fiction, it's just a child's game." Gu Chang'an didn't take it seriously, but Shen Yue was very curious.
"What do you mean, real or fake?" Shen Yue craned her neck next to Shen Li, but fell silent when the box finally arrived.
Shen Li and Gu Chang'an each only glanced at it.
As Shen Li expected, Gu Chang'an had a photographic memory; one glance was enough for him.
"How do I judge that?" Shen Yue scratched her head. "How am I supposed to know which statement is true? Aren't they contradictory?"
Many people share the same question as Shen Yue: how to determine the truth or falsehood of five seemingly random sentences?
"Sister, can you do it?" Shen Yue asked.
"I'm not good at these things, but I do have some clues." Shen Li could only say modestly. She had read some copies of detective files since she was a child and learned some analytical and organizational skills.
All I can say is that this is definitely a children's game.
"Yue'er, do you want to know?" It was Gu Chang'an who asked the question.
Shen Yue nodded repeatedly, and even got up and went to Gu Chang'an's other side to ask, "Brother-in-law, do you know?"
"Listen carefully," Gu Chang'an said in a low voice.
"That is indeed an interesting question. I will also bestow a prize upon the first person to solve this riddle: a yellow riding jacket." Emperor Cheng laughed heartily.
In reality, he wasn't sure either. He didn't know if there was something wrong with the question, or if he could really solve it.
“Your Majesty, I know where Dongzhu is.” Shen Yue stepped forward and strode ahead.
While most people were still racking their brains, Shen Yue had already walked to a spot not far from the dragon table.
"The second daughter of the Shen family has grown so much." Emperor Cheng saw that although the little girl was young, her eyes were bright and she was not at all timid, which showed that she was confident.
"You say you know where Dongzhu is?" he asked with a kind smile.
"Yes." Shen Yue nodded firmly.
"Then you should try to solve it. Your courage is commendable at such a young age. I will reward you whether you are right or wrong." Emperor Cheng laughed heartily. The reason he said this was not because he was particularly fond of the answer, but because if he was wrong, he could use his young age as an excuse.
The Japanese servants returned from among the officials, lined up in order, and announced their box numbers.
Many people at the table were deep in thought. Some suddenly realized something and slapped their heads or thighs, regretting that they had been a step too late.
Shen Yue glanced at it and pointed to the last one: "This is the Dongzhu Box, and there is no gold inside."
Prince Heijo and his entourage from Japan were dumbfounded. They found it so easily?
"What? Open it." Shen Yue said to the servant.
The servant then opened the box, inside which was only a piece of paper with two words written on it: 'Eastern Pearl'.
"Oh, right." Shen Yue was very excited as she held the note; she just thought the method was amazing.
Those who had figured out the answer were even more disappointed, because their analysis was not wrong, they were just a step too late.
"Haha, Prince Pingcheng, you've found the right child!" Emperor Cheng was relieved and looked at Xiao Shenyue with great delight.
Only Shen Zizai was puzzled. He knew that although his youngest daughter was smart, she was not focused on this subject. This question might not be difficult for her, but to be faster than most people would require absolute brainpower.
Is my youngest daughter this capable now?
“Yes…right.” Prince Heijo sent someone to deliver the Eastern Pearl.
It was indeed a huge pearl, dazzling and beautiful to behold.
"Shen girl, tell me how you knew Dongzhu was in that box?" the Empress Dowager couldn't help but ask.
Those who couldn't solve the problem also looked at Shen Yue, waiting to hear the answer.
“Your Majesty, the first statement says that every box contains gold, while the third statement says that only one box contains gold. These two statements are contradictory, so one must be true and the other false.”
"There's also a contradiction: the second box says the fourth box has pearls, while the fourth box says it doesn't. One of these is true, and the other is false."
“Since three out of the five statements are false, then the contents of the last box must be false. If the box says there are no Dongzhu pearls, then there are Dongzhu pearls,” Shen Yue explained in detail.
Gu Chang'an only gave her a slight hint, and she immediately understood the trick.
Many people present suddenly realized what was going on and exclaimed in amazement. The Japanese said that even their children could answer the question, and Shen Yue was not much older than a child, so it was quite impressive.
"Then I wonder if the young lady can find how many chests of gold there are? And which chests are they?" the Japanese minister asked again.
"This is even simpler, it's in box number three." Shen Yue walked over, knocked on the box, and said to the person, "Open it."
Box number three, when opened, contained another note that read: 'Gold'.
"This is the only box; the rest are empty." Shen Yue held the note and said decisively, "Open the rest."
The other three were opened, and sure enough, they were all empty; there were no notes.
The cabinet minister and Prince Heijo were both somewhat embarrassed; the solution to the problem was far too fast, especially for a child.
"How did they manage to do that?" the Empress Dowager asked, even more puzzled.
"Now we need to investigate the clues. Since the fifth box only contains pearls, it means that not every box contains gold. Since the first box was a lie, then the contents of the third box must be true, meaning that only one box contains gold."
“Look at the contents of the second and fourth boxes. The second box says that the pearl in the fourth box has been proven to be fake, so its statement that there is no gold in the third box is the opposite,” Shen Yue continued.
The Japanese were speechless. Only the people of the Great Zhao praised them. This praise was different from most of the empty words; it came from the bottom of their hearts and they felt it was inspiring.
If we are stumped by the tiny country of Japan, what will become of the Great Zhao?