The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

On the arena, Zhang Shilian had been forced to the edge of a cliff.

Looking at the spirited Su Shi, he felt a mixture of jealousy and resentment. He too was a well-read man, having studied diligently for decades, yet today he was being toyed with like a monkey by a mere twenty-something!

Lost? No, I can't lose! Losing isn't just about losing face; the powerful figure behind me won't let me off the hook either!

He subconsciously looked up at the tightly closed private room on the third floor. There was a window slightly ajar, like a peering eye.

Zhang Shilian took a deep breath, a resolute and ruthless glint in his eyes. Since he couldn't compete in literary talent, then don't blame me for using "that" method. You forced me to this, Su Zizhan, you courted death!

He suddenly burst into three loud laughs, the laughter harsh and echoing throughout the Fanlou Hall.

"Su Zizhan! You do have some talent, though. But if you can match this last couplet, I'll kill myself on the spot!"

The entire hall fell silent instantly. Everyone sensed that the real bombshell was about to be unleashed. What had just been mere banter among scholars and poets was now tinged with the scent of blood.

Zhang Shilian took a step forward, staring intently at Su Shi, his face contorted, and read out each word slowly and deliberately:

The first line reads: "With the world still unsettled, and starving corpses littering the land, which king dares to claim a peaceful and prosperous era?"

boom--!

These words were like a thunderclap in Fanlou.

The onlookers fell silent instantly, and the students of the Imperial Academy turned pale with fright. Several of the more timid ones fell to the ground, their teacups shattering in their hands.

This isn't a couplet; it's a death trap!

This is not merely a word game, but a veiled attack on the heart! The current officials are diligently governing and implementing new policies, and they cannot tolerate terms like "starving corpses" and "chaotic times." Zhang Shilian is pushing Su Shi to his death—

If you praise the prosperous era in the second line, then you are a sycophant who ignores the suffering of the people, because there are indeed refugees and natural disasters now.

If you agree with him and say that the world is in a difficult state, and echo this first line of the couplet, then that is a great act of treason, satirizing the incompetence of the monarch, and is a capital offense!

This is an unsolvable political deadlock. No matter what we do, it's a dead end.

Su Shi's smile froze.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the folding fan, his lips moved as if he wanted to retort, but his throat felt blocked.

He is indeed highly talented, but he is still young. This kind of political trap, which involves his life and even his family, is completely beyond his ability to deal with.

Cold sweat trickled down Su Shi's temples and dripped onto the floor.

"What? Can't come up with a matching line?" Zhang Shilian looked at Su Shi's pale face, a twisted sense of pleasure rising within him. He sneered, "If you can't come up with a matching line, then admit that your Jingshi Academy is a fraudulent institution! Hand over the printing technology! Get out of Bianjing!"

"You... shameless!" Su Shi trembled with rage, but dared not utter a word. That one word might bring disaster upon the entire Su family.

"Where's my knife?" Even the slow-witted Yelü Hongji could tell something was wrong. Although he didn't understand the intricacies of the situation, he could tell Su Shi had been bullied. "I'll chop him down!"

Just as he was about to draw his sword, a slender hand pressed down on his wrist.

Jiang Lin stood up.

He straightened his sleeves, which were free of wrinkles, tossed the folding fan to Yelü Hongji, and then strode towards the arena.

His steps were slow, but each step seemed to tread on the heartbeats of the crowd. His composed demeanor contrasted sharply with the atmosphere of terror.

"Headmaster..." Su Shi's eyes reddened slightly, his face full of guilt, "This student is incompetent..."

"Step back." Jiang Lin's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable force. "You're trying to be a hero before you've even finished your apprenticeship? Is this kind of dirty work something you should be doing?"

Su Shi gritted his teeth and stepped aside.

Jiang Lin stood in the center of the arena, looking directly at Zhang Shilian.

That look wasn't directed at an opponent, but at a pile of unrecyclable garbage.

"What? The disciple is no good, so the master comes to his death?" Zhang Shilian felt much more at ease. This couplet was given to him personally, and there was absolutely no solution to it. No matter how clever Jiang Lin was, he wouldn't dare to risk his life to violate the court's taboos.

Jiang Lin smiled, a smile that was calm and serene.

He extended a finger and gently shook it: "Zhang Shilian, I originally thought you were just stupid, but I didn't expect you to be wicked as well. Using such treasonous words as a couplet, are you trying to help the government eliminate some members from the household register because you think your nine generations of relatives are too numerous?"

Zhang Shilian's expression changed, and he said with a fierce but weak tone, "Don't spout nonsense! These are words of concern for the country and its people..."

"Concerned about the country and its people?" Jiang Lin interrupted him, his voice suddenly rising, like the clash of metal, echoing throughout Fanlou. "Since you want to hear it, then I'll teach you what true vision is!"

Jiang Lin took a sudden step forward, his momentum overwhelming, his voice resounding in every corner, each word striking people's hearts like a heavy hammer blow:

The second line reads: "The sun and moon shine brightly again, talents from all directions gather, witness the sons and daughters of our Great Song Dynasty, together forging a great cause for millennia to come!"

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Immediately afterwards, a deafening roar of cheers erupted!

"Excellent! What a wonderful idea to jointly forge a great cause for posterity!"

"This is true righteousness! This is the spirit of the Song Dynasty!"

If Zhang Shilian's first line was a dark and damp ghostly trick, then Jiang Lin's second line was a blazing sun, directly extinguishing those demons and monsters to ashes.

You're just trying to use "people's hardships" to blackmail me, aren't you? I'll elevate my stance directly to "the future of the nation" and "national rejuvenation"!

You say there are starving people now? I say that's the darkness before dawn, because we are gathering talents (like everyone here) to create a great cause together!

This counterattack not only avoided the trap, but also served as a way to curry favor with the officials, the court, the common people, and even all the scholars present.

Flawless. Impeccable.

Zhang Shilian's face was ashen, and he seemed to have lost his spine. He staggered backward and crashed into the railing.

"No...it's impossible...how dare you..."

"What wouldn't I dare?" Jiang Lin pressed on, giving him no chance to breathe. "Zhang Shilian, in front of the Liao crown prince and scholars from all over the land, you openly predicted the downfall of the Song Dynasty. I don't think you're here for a contest; you're a Liao spy, aren't you?"

This hat, if put on, would be heavier than Mount Tai.

Yelü Hongji, standing to the side, was stunned. Pointing to himself, he looked completely bewildered: "Huh? He's one of ours? How come I didn't know?"

This incredible assist was practically a textbook example of how to finish off an opponent.

puff--!

Overwhelmed by anger and fear, Zhang Shilian coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

"That's it?" Jiang Lin looked down at him coldly and said, "Want to faint? Not so easy."

He turned to look at Yelü Hongji: "Your Highness, according to the life-and-death contract we just signed, the loser is at the mercy of others, right?"

Yelü Hongji grinned maliciously, cracking his knuckles to reveal a set of gleaming white teeth: "That's right, do you want to dislocate his arm or his thigh? I'm very skilled; I guarantee a clean cut."

Zhang Shilian was terrified. He struggled and shrank back, his eyes filled with terror as he looked towards the third-floor window, screaming, "My lord! Save me! My lord, save me..."

Jiang Lin kicked him over and looked up at the closed window on the third floor.

Inside the private seating area on the third floor.

A beautiful porcelain cup was crushed, and scalding hot tea spilled all over the table.

"Fool!" a deep, angry voice rang out. "You're good for nothing but causing trouble! Get out of here!"

Jiang Lin turned around, put the booklet in his pocket, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today's farce has come to an end. But the lessons at my Jing Shi Academy have only just begun."

He patted Su Shi on the shoulder, then glanced at Yelü Hongji, who was beaming with excitement and seemed to have not yet had enough of beating people, and said softly, "Let's go home."

"You're back already?" Yelü Hongji asked, still wanting more.

"I'll give you an extra meal when we get back." Jiang Lin's lips curled slightly, but his eyes were as cold as ice. "Eat...pig stew."