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

Jing Shi Academy, back kitchen.

The congee with preserved egg and lean pork in the pot was bubbling away, and its delicious aroma captivated Su Shi. He squatted by the stove, spoon in hand, his eyes more focused than when he was reading a classic text.

"Master, does this porridge really help to reduce internal heat?" Su Shi swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "Last night, watching Old Man Zhang spit blood was exhilarating, but when I got home, I felt uneasy, as if I had done something wrong."

Jiang Lin lay on the rattan chair beside him, his face covered by a tattered palm-leaf fan, his legs crossed high, and his voice drifted out lazily:

"That's because you have a guilty conscience. You have what's called 'a conscience that hasn't been completely eradicated.' Just drink a couple of bowls of porridge and write a couple of articles to vent your anger, and you'll be fine."

"Then I'll just have some porridge. Spitting is bad for my voice." Su Shi chuckled and was about to take a spoonful.

Just then, a series of chaotic footsteps, like the sound of drums, burst in.

"Chief! Something terrible has happened! The sky has fallen!"

Qian Duoduo rolled into the kitchen like a ball of meat. His chubby face, which usually smiled like a Buddha, was now as white as a freshly painted white wall.

"I just went to the south of the city to pick up my order, and all the paper shop owners... they all backed out! They refunded all the deposits, and even if I increased the price by 30%, no one dared to sell us a single piece of paper!"

Su Shi's hand trembled, and the spoon fell into the pot with a "clang," splashing up a few bubbles of porridge that made him gasp for breath.

"What the heck?"

"It's not just paper; the ink shops have also cut off supplies. The shopkeepers said that someone from above has given the order: anyone who dares to supply Jingshi Academy will be unable to survive in Bianjing, and their entire family will go hungry."

Qian Duoduo looked at Jiang Lin in despair, her eyes like she was grasping at a last straw:

"Chief, the warehouse only has enough paper to print today's newspaper. Tomorrow's newspaper... we're out of paper!"

"Out of toilet paper?"

Jiang Lin finally removed the palm-leaf fan from his face, revealing a pair of sleepy eyes.

He even yawned, reached out and fumbled around on the stove for a while, picked up the bowl of congee with preserved egg and lean pork, and slurped down a big mouthful.

"Hmm, the cooking time is good. Use less salt next time."

Qian Duoduo was sweating profusely with anxiety, his fat body trembling with his shaking.

"Headmaster! What time is it and you're still eating porridge? All the paper shops in Bianjing have canceled their deposits, and even the ink workshop we had a deal with said their furnace exploded. They're trying to wipe us out!"

Su Shi lost his appetite for porridge. He paced back and forth in the cramped kitchen, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan: "This is a ruthless scheme! It's like cutting off the fuel supply! Those old...old seniors of the Wang family of Zhending, they really know how to do things ruthlessly."

"Without paper, even the best articles can't be published. It's like a pot of absolutely delicious stew, but instead of giving me chopsticks, they sewed my mouth shut!"

"What's the panic?" Jiang Lin put down his bowl, smacked his lips, still savoring the moment. "It's just the three tricks of business warfare: cutting off supplies, lowering prices, and poaching talent. Wang Huai has gone crazy and is going all in."

He stood up, slowly took off his apron, and casually tossed it aside, showing no sign of panic on his face.

"Let's go, bring the porridge."

"Where to?" Qian Duoduo was stunned. "To buy paper?"

"Why buy toilet paper? They're practically shitting on our necks." Jiang Lin straightened his clothes, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Let's go to the main gate and see what kind of big gift our opponents have prepared for us."

……

At the entrance of Jingshi Academy.

The streets, usually filled with the sound of students reading aloud, are unusually noisy today.

More than a dozen horse-drawn carriages, fully loaded with goods, were parked haphazardly in the middle of the road, completely blocking the academy's gate. A group of men who looked like servants were shouting and yelling, even driving away the vendors who had set up stalls at the entrance.

"Yes, yes, clear the area! Our young master is buying this land!"

A young nobleman dressed in brocade robes, holding a folding fan, stood in the middle of the road, his face displaying undisguised arrogance. He was none other than Wang Wenxuan, the young master of the Zhen Ding Wang clan.

"Young Master Wang, this...we're doing a good job in business, and you..." Old Li, who sells sesame cakes, looked distressed.

"Enough nonsense!" Wang Wenxuan tossed out a silver ingot. "Take the money and get lost. I think this land has bad feng shui, so I plan to buy it and build a latrine facing their academy's gate to ward off bad luck."

The surrounding people dared not speak out in anger. Everyone knew that the Wang family was clearly trying to sabotage Jingshi Academy. Not only were they cutting off your paper supply, but they were also blocking the road in front of your door and building an outhouse in front of your door to disgust you.

"This is outrageous! Is this some kind of public indecent assault?" Su Shi was so angry that his beard almost stood on end, and he wished he could rush up and shove the folding fan into Wang Wenxuan's mouth.

Just then, Jiang Lin strolled out with his hands behind his back.

Wang Wenxuan saw Jiang Lin, snapped his folding fan shut with a "snap," and laughed in a sarcastic tone: "Oh, isn't this Headmaster Jiang? What's wrong? Out of paper to print those damn newspapers? Why don't you sell this academy to me? I just happen to need a yard to keep dogs."

Jiang Lin didn't even glance at him, but turned to Su Shi and said, "Zizhan, take out your notebook and write this down. I've already thought of the headline for tomorrow's headline."

—"Shocking! The young master of the Wang family of Zhending spends a fortune in the street just to build a latrine in front of the academy? Is it a distortion of human nature or a decline in morality?"

"You still want a tomorrow?"

Wang Wenxuan laughed so hard he almost fell over, tears welling up in his eyes, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Jiang Lin, are you still dreaming? From today onwards, you won't be allowed to bring a single piece of paper, a drop of ink, or even a goose feather from Bianjing City into the academy! Let's see what you'll use to make an imprint! Your mouth, perhaps?"

He took a step forward, lowered his voice, and said with a vicious look in his eyes, "Jiang Lin, you're still too green to fight with the Wang family. If you know what's good for you, kneel down and kowtow three times, close your newspaper and get out of Bianjing. Maybe then I might spare you a meal."

Faced with this overwhelming ridicule and threats, Jiang Lin's smile only grew brighter.

He stretched, as if he hadn't heard Wang Wenxuan's words at all, turned to look at the row of carriages blocking the entrance, and clicked his tongue twice: "Young Master Wang, you have quite the grand gesture. However, blocking the road sometimes means trapping yourself."

"Trapp me to death?" Wang Wenxuan sneered. "I think you're just being stubborn even when you're about to die! I'll stay right here and see who dares to bring you a single piece of paper today!"

"Alright, then you can keep watch over it."

Jiang Lin waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away an unreasonable beggar. "Zizhan, Duoduo, go back. There are too many flies outside, it's too noisy."

After saying that, he actually turned around and left, walking lightly, as if nothing had happened.

Su Shi and Qian Duoduo looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Headmaster! We...we're really going back like this?" Qian Duoduo was almost in tears. "What about the paper?"

"Go back and have some porridge." Jiang Lin said without turning his head. "The porridge won't taste good if it gets cold."

Wang Wenxuan stood there, watching Jiang Lin's back with that "dead pig doesn't fear boiling water" attitude. All the humiliating words he had prepared were stuck in his throat, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

It felt like throwing a punch with all your might, only to hit a piece of cotton.

"Pretend! Let's see how long you can keep up this act!" Wang Wenxuan roared in exasperation. "Guards! Block both the front and back doors! Don't let a single fly in! Let's see how many days he can hold out!"

……

The atmosphere inside the academy was extremely oppressive.

"Headmaster, is there really no other way?" Su Shi held the bowl of porridge, which had already cooled down, but he couldn't bring himself to drink it.

Jiang Lin sat on the steps, toying with a smooth pebble in his hand, gazing intently at the hazy sky.

"Zizhan, do you know what's most important in fishing?"

"Is it bait?"

"No, it's patience." Jiang Lin tossed the pebble high into the air and caught it steadily. "The bait has been cast, and the big fish is on its way to bite. Now all we have to do is wait."

"What are you waiting for?"

Jiang Lin smiled slightly, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"Waiting for the wind to come."

Just then, a soft knocking sound came from the back door of the academy.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the deathly silent academy.