"Yo? Are you new here? Haven't seen you before," a boy of about fifteen or sixteen said, looking at Su Fan with curiosity.
Su Fan glanced at the boy, who was dressed in luxurious robes and adorned with a jade belt. His attire clearly indicated an extraordinary background.
The Imperial Academy was, after all, a school for royalty and nobles, and its students were naturally clad in finery.
"Mhm, new," Su Fan replied, wanting to tease the boy. He nodded with a smile.
"You're this old and still coming to school? You're so stupid," the boy said mockingly.
Su Fan looked much older than them, and yet he was only now attending the Imperial Academy. How slow could he be?
"Are you very smart then?"
"Of course! In mathematics, no one in the Imperial Academy is better than me!" the boy declared proudly.
"Mathematics? You're that confident, can I test you?" Su Fan asked with a smile.
"Go ahead," the boy said confidently, showing no apprehension.
"Listen carefully, the question is..."
"If you had to guess this question, what are your chances of getting it right? A: One-fourth. B: One-third. C: One-half. D: One-fourth. Take a guess."
Su Fan watched the boy with a silent smile.
The boy's face immediately showed confusion.
"What... what kind of question is this?"
The boy thought Su Fan was deliberately trying to stump him. What did this have to do with mathematics?
"Isn't probability a part of mathematics? Since I asked, there must be an answer. Take your time guessing," Su Fan said, then left, leaving the boy utterly bewildered.
Su Fan found the Grand Academician of the Imperial Academy. All of Su Fan's work arrangements were handled by this Grand Academician.
"You are Su Fan?" the Grand Academician asked, scrutinizing him.
"This student is," Su Fan replied.
Scholars and gentlemen believed in seniority; those who achieved mastery first were considered teachers. For an elder scholar like the Grand Academician, it was not out of line for Su Fan to address him as teacher according to custom.
"I've heard of you. I'm told you have considerable achievements in poetry. Could you compose a poem on the theme of learning, impromptu?" the Grand Academician asked Su Fan calmly.
Su Fan knew this was the man's way of testing him. No matter how highly he was praised outside, the Grand Academician wouldn't believe it without seeing it himself.
"Then this student will offer a humble attempt."
Su Fan had nothing to fear. With so many poems from modern times, he could simply recite one.
"Three watches of the night, a cock's crow at dawn,
This is the time for a man to study on.
With black hair, one knows not the haste of learning,
Only when white-haired, one regrets the late turning."
A poem, "Exhortation to Study," by the Tang Dynasty poet Yan Zhenqing, was recited by Su Fan.
The Grand Academician was immediately greatly impressed.
"Excellent poem, excellent poem!" the Grand Academician exclaimed.
The poem perfectly captured the diligence expected of scholars, lest they regret it in old age.
"Wonderful! Would it be possible to have this poem inscribed in the most prominent location in the Imperial Academy, to serve as a reminder to its students?" the Grand Academician asked Su Fan pleadingly.
"Naturally," Su Fan replied. He had no reason to refuse.
"Good! Good! Young friend Su Fan, as the rumors say, your achievements in poetry are indeed profound!" the Grand Academician said with delight.
"You flatter me, teacher."
"No need for humility. Calling me teacher is too much. In terms of poetry, I might have to call you teacher. His Royal Highness has given instructions for you to temporarily serve as a teacher at the Imperial Academy, with the rank of ninth grade. Are you willing?" the Grand Academician asked after some pleasantries.
"I will follow your arrangements, teacher."
Su Fan was not pretentious. He agreed to whatever the other said, which greatly impressed Zhuang Xingxian, the Grand Academician.
"Very well, then go and collect a set of Imperial Academy robes."
After leaving the Grand Academician, Su Fan followed a pageboy to change into a set of robes, the attire for teachers, also known as scholar's robes.
Su Fan walked freely through the Imperial Academy and entered a classroom. This was where teachers instructed the noble young lords.
"Who gave you this question!"
Su Fan noticed only a few people in the classroom. There weren't many noble young lords of the same age in the entire Tianlong City. This batch had only about a dozen students.
At that moment, the boy Su Fan had met earlier was being severely reprimanded by a teacher.
"A new student told me," the boy said timidly.
Although they were noble lords, the teachers had the authority to discipline them. In the Imperial Academy, there was no hierarchy of status, only teachers and students.
"What new student? How come I don't know? I think you're just disrupting the class and disrespecting your elders! Hold out your hand!" the mathematics teacher said angrily to the boy.
The boy timidly extended his hand. The mathematics teacher took out a ruler, ready to strike.
"A teacher who physically punishes students is not a good teacher," Su Fan said, stepping forward and interrupting the action.
The mathematics teacher frowned. Seeing Su Fan's attire, he knew Su Fan was also a teacher.
"I am educating a student, what business is it of yours? I haven't seen you before, where are you from?" the mathematics teacher questioned Su Fan rudely.
"It's you! So you're a teacher," the boy exclaimed, recognizing Su Fan with surprise.
"I never said I was a student," Su Fan replied with a smile.
The mathematics teacher was displeased that Su Fan was ignoring him.
"This is my lecture time. Disrupting the class, even if you are a teacher, I will still report you to the Grand Academician!" the mathematics teacher threatened Su Fan, bringing up the Grand Academician.
"Hmph! If you're not capable, don't be a teacher. Make way for those who are capable. If you can't teach students well, you resort to corporal punishment. A teacher like you doesn't deserve the title of 'teacher'," Su Fan said coldly.
"What business is it of yours? Also, from what I heard, you were the one who posed that question, right? What kind of nonsensical question is that? You're clearly misleading the students!" the mathematics teacher accused Su Fan loudly.
"Misleading students? You think my question is problematic?" Su Fan retorted.
"Of course. It's just a probability question, and you've even made a mistake in the question. With four options, the probability is naturally one-fourth. You have two options of one-fourth, so the question is clearly flawed," the mathematics teacher said dismissively.
Su Fan immediately chuckled.
"It seems your teaching ability is just so-so."
The mathematics teacher became indignant.
"Isn't that right? Isn't your question obviously flawed?"
"Of course not. I deliberately put two identical choices. Since there are two identical answers, then the real choices are reduced to three, right?" Su Fan explained slowly.
"Then the answer is one-third?" the mathematics teacher frowned, contemplating. Could the answer be option B?
"No, your options are still four, so it shouldn't be one-third," the boy said thoughtfully.
Su Fan nodded appreciatively at the boy.
"Your student is smarter than you. That's right, the number of options remains four, but two identical answers cannot both be correct. This means options A and D can be eliminated, leaving only options B and C. The answer is obvious."
Su Fan's explanation enlightened the boy. So this seemingly dull question was actually so interesting!