The sun and moon are both wrong: Starting with marrying Gongsun Ling

Chapter 53: Newton: Hooke is a corpse of the Dharma—

"So, do you now understand what your choice means?"

Shi Guagua looked at Lü Buyi, then at her own hands, then at the thorny crown and the stack of manuscripts.

"I think... I understand a little bit."

Shi Guagua gestured a very small distance with his finger, as if the Milky Way were between his fingers.

"Just this little bit."

"That's enough."

Lü Buyi gently placed the crown of thorns back in its original place.

He always handled his old friends' belongings with great care, even if he knew they wouldn't be damaged.

"I'm telling you this not so that you can understand it all right now."

"I just wanted you to know in advance that you probably won't become a purely evil person like your boss, nor a purely good person like my wife."

He looked into Shi Guagua's eyes: "So, in the future, don't get caught up in this, don't force yourself to be a good person, and don't indulge yourself in being a bad person—"

"You are who you are, neither good nor bad; that's the nature of people like us."

"And when you one day truly realize this."

"Then you will be able to awaken your innate supernatural power."

Baili Yuan leaned against the door frame and smiled slightly when he heard this.

He didn't interrupt, but quietly watched Lü Buyi and his little stone's conversation.

He was unusually quiet.

Because of Lü Buyi's guidance, and the rare opportunity to witness firsthand what kind of person I am, this is truly invaluable.

Many people think they know themselves very well, but in reality, most of the time people don't really know themselves.

Innate supernatural power, innate supernatural power—

If you don't even know what kind of person you are, how can you possibly nurture everything about yourself to create an opportunity for your true self to awaken?

After listening to Lü Buyi's explanation, Shi Guagua nodded as if she understood but not quite.

She still didn't quite understand what "background color" meant.

But since the boss said there's no need to worry about it, then let's not worry about it.

Her greatest strength is that she doesn't dwell on things she can't understand.

Furthermore, the boss even said it was related to his awakening of his innate supernatural power—

Although she didn't know how the two things were related.

But since it can awaken one's innate supernatural power, it shouldn't be a bad thing, right?

However, as his gaze swirled between the manuscript and the crown, Shi Guagua quickly thought of another problem.

She looked up, pointed to the stack of manuscripts lying quietly, and asked Lü Buyi in a soft voice:

"But, boss, since you said that people like you and I would choose that manuscript—"

"Does that mean the owner of the manuscript was someone like us?"

Baili Yuan raised his eyebrows, as if he had discovered a new continent. He looked at Shi Guagua with a scrutinizing gaze, full of amazement:

"Little pebble, you shouldn't have this kind of intelligence."

"Boss, don't laugh at me! And what do you mean by this?! I'm angry!"

Shi Guagua puffed out her cheeks and loudly complained about Baili Yuan's teasing words.

Lu Buyi gave a very faint smile, seemingly unbothered by anyone asking him about the deeds of his past friends.

You're right.

Lü Buyi's voice also softened somewhat unconsciously.

"Isaac Newton, among all the mortals I know, none can match his achievements and victories."

"Even Maxwell and Einstein in later generations could not surpass their predecessors."

"And in the ranking of modern people's contributions to historical figures, he would undoubtedly take the crown."

As Lü Buyi spoke, he gently ran his fingertips over the line of Latin text on the manuscript cover.

—Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy

"But similarly, throughout history, there has never been a more contradictory mortal than him."

"I think even if he were to be resurrected one day, he wouldn't refute my assessment."

Memories of myself four hundred years ago on another land.

Lü Buyi seemed particularly nostalgic.

Therefore, even though Shi Guagua hadn't asked any further questions, he had already started answering his own questions.

"How can there be such contradictory mortals in the world?"

"He was practically abandoned by his mother at a young age, and his longing for love was unparalleled, yet he never married or had children throughout his life."

"I remember when he was young and studying at Cambridge on my sponsorship, a young lady from Trinity College tried to strike up a conversation with him."

"But the result was that I ended up with ink splashed all over my face."

Lü Buyi gently tapped the cover of the manuscript with the knuckle of his index finger, paused, and continued:

"Later generations have always praised his unparalleled achievements in science, and he himself was proud of them."

"But in fact, he himself has always been a devout believer and believes that he was sent by God to save the world."

"After I took him to see the Dream of All Things, he even felt that he was the Messiah."

"His existence is to prevent an inevitable apocalypse, like the final day, from coming."

"In a time when materialists and religious believers are almost irreconcilable enemies, it is hard not to acknowledge his contradiction in this regard."

"In many ways, he is an extremely intelligent person—"

"For example, his achievements in physics and mathematics, which are widely praised."

"Newton's first and second laws, binomial theorem, infinite series expansion, calculus, reflecting telescopes, the seven-color spectrum, the law of gravity—"

"Can you imagine that all of this was done right under my nose during those eighteen months he spent back in his rural hometown, fleeing the plague when he was young?"

"Even I sometimes can't help but marvel when I recall how he could so easily manage all the household chores for his uncle."

"How can a mere mortal be so intelligent?"

"But the result is beyond question; he simply did it."

"but--"

At this point, Lü Buyi changed the subject: "Similarly, in many ways, he was also an extremely foolish person."

"Although I don't want to say it, it's an undeniable fact."

"After middle age, he devoted all his talent to meaningless fields such as economics and politics."

"Indeed, he has achieved remarkable success in economics and politics, but how can that compare to his scientific achievements?"

"How can he not be called foolish for making such a choice?"

"Not to mention his later failures in the stock market."

"If he hadn't mortgaged some of his manuscripts to me at a high price, he would most likely have gone bankrupt from that loss."

In Lü Buyi's presence, Shi Guagua heard a completely different Isaac Newton than the one in the textbook.

Moreover, the boss's words are getting more and more frightening.

What do you mean by saying that you funded Newton?

What do you mean by saying that you were there when Newton discovered those laws?

Good heavens...

The big boss wouldn't even be there for the famous scene with the apple tree, would he?

However, Shi Guagua suppressed her curiosity this time and did not ask immediately.

Because Lü Buyi was just getting to the most interesting point.

He said, "And on a deeper level, his contradictions are even more pronounced—"

"Sometimes, for example, his vision and breadth of mind beyond science can almost encompass the entire world."

"But sometimes, such as when he is calculating about money, or when he is dealing with people he has a grudge against, he can become extremely petty and vindictive."

At this point, Lü Buyi couldn't help but laugh at the amusing scene he had witnessed.

Do you know Robert Hooker?

Shi Guagua shook his head honestly.

"It's good that you don't know. If you knew about his Newtonian revenge, you would have wasted your time."

Lu Buyi patiently explained to Shi Guagua, "Hooke was Newton's academic predecessor at that time, and a Fellow of the Royal Society."

"Leaving aside his other achievements in mechanics and optics—"

"We'll just mention one point: he was also quite accomplished in improving astronomical telescopes."

"But unfortunately, he suppressed the young Newton in this field."

Lü Buyi stated Hooke's fate: "And the price was that he was a pivotal figure in mechanics and optics."

He didn't even leave behind a single portrait.

Shi Guagua's mouth dropped open: "That's so petty..."

"There are even more petty ones."

Lü Buyi continued, "When he was young, he wrote to me and mentioned Hooker more than once."

Do you know what he said to me?

Shi Guagua shook his head.

Lü Buyi read the sentence aloud in a tone that was both helpless and amused:

"Could you turn Hook into a corpse so I can destroy it in God's name?"