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

The people of Runzhou City have recently felt that the weather has changed.

Just three days ago, the Jiang Family Academy, a dilapidated place with even its walls leaking, was deserted.

Today, the entire alley where the academy is located is completely blocked. Carriages are lined up two streets away; an outsider might mistake it for a high-ranking official from the capital distributing porridge.

Inside the academy, Jiang Lin was lying on a specially made rattan chair, holding a bare folding fan in his hand, idly waving it.

"Sir! This is the three hundredth already!"

Su Shi rushed in, sweating profusely and carrying a stack of scrolls. His features were almost scrunched up: "The parents outside are practically breaking down the threshold! Just now, a wealthy man insisted on giving me a jade pendant, and I couldn't stop him!"

Jiang Lin didn't even lift his eyelids, and gently blew on the tea foam.

"What's the rush? Let Ziyou stand guard at the door; his poker face is perfect for warding off evil spirits."

Jiang Lin sat up, stretched in an extremely inelegant way, his eyes revealing a lazy air that seemed to enjoy watching a good show. "Tell the people outside that Jing Shi Academy isn't a marketplace. If you want to get in, you'll have to pass three tests."

……

Half an hour later, the noisy alley suddenly became quiet.

Jiang Lin had someone post a notice at the entrance with only three questions on it.

The first course is poetry: on "dust".

The second topic is the interpretation of the classics: "Why Confucius did not eat meat."

The third question is a strategy question: If you were given a deserted island, how would you survive for seven days?

When this question was presented, 90% of the students were baffled.

What kind of question is this? When did Confucius stop eating meat? What does survival on a desert island have to do with the teachings of a sage?

The screening process was incredibly fast.

Hundreds of children, the vast majority of them, stared blankly with their pens in hand, or wrote doggerel like "dust flying everywhere, it's so choking."

By dusk, only five people were standing in front of Jiang Lin.

A boy in patched clothes, with a stubborn look in his eyes; a chubby little boy, his eyes darting around; and a wild child carrying a hunting bow...

"Just these five?"

Su Shi muttered to himself, "Sir, these guys don't seem like bookworms. That Zhang San was just calculating how much ink cost."

"That's called cost control, you wouldn't understand."

Jiang Lin chuckled inwardly. This was exactly the kind of "unconventional talent" he wanted.

Just as Jiang Lin was about to give a speech, the door was suddenly pushed open roughly.

A middle-aged fat man dressed in brocade, with a large belly, barged in, leading a snotty-nosed, mentally challenged son. The fat man had a face full of scars, and behind him were four servants carrying boxes.

"Jiang Shanchang! I'm from Zhao's Silk Shop in the south of the city!"

With a wave of his hand, Master Zhao's servant slammed the box to the ground with a "bang," and the lid popped open, revealing gleaming silver and strings of copper coins that dazzled in the setting sun.

"This is one thousand strings of cash!"

The fat on Master Zhao's face jiggled, his arrogance overflowing. "My son may not be able to read all the characters, but we just want to share in your good fortune of being a 'third-place scholar in the county examination.' Please accept this money; it's your repair fee!"

The lecture hall was deathly silent.

Su Shi was so angry that his eyebrows stood on end, and he was about to start cursing when Jiang Lin waved his hand.

Jiang Lin stood up, his blue robe fluttering even without wind. He walked to the box of money, glanced down at it, then looked up, his face bearing that signature smile—a smile that was both comforting and unsettling.

"You're Master Zhao, right?"

Jiang Lin tapped the box of silver with his folding fan. "This is quite a lot of money. Enough to buy ten acres of fertile land, or hire a courtesan to perform on the Qinhuai River for half a month."

Master Zhao proudly raised his chin: "Of course! As long as the country lasts..."

"but."

Jiang Lin's voice suddenly turned cold, like a bucket of ice water poured on hot coals, "To me, money is not only omnipotent, but also a burden."

He turned around, his back to Master Zhao, and spoke in a low voice, each word as firm as iron:

"When I take on a disciple, I look at their destiny, not their money. If this child is a gem, I won't take a penny; if they are a lump of mud, you can bring them mountains of gold and silver and still not get a single word from me."

"The door's over there. Get out before I have someone throw you out."

Master Zhao's face turned a deep purplish-red, and his finger pointing at Jiang Lin trembled: "You...you don't know what's good for you! A poor, penniless schoolteacher, what are you pretending to be so high and mighty for!"

"Zizhan," Jiang Lin called out softly.

"Yes, sir!" Su Shi, who had been unable to contain himself any longer, stepped forward, standing like an iron tower. "Please!"

Looking at Su Shi's murderous gaze, and then at Zeng Gong beside him, who was thin but had an even colder look in his eyes, Master Zhao ultimately didn't dare to make a move and slunk away with his box.

……

After shooing away the flies, Jiang Lin sat back down in his chair.

At this moment, the way the five chosen youths looked at Jiang Lin had completely changed. It was the look of someone looking at a god.

"I've memorized them all."

Jiang Lin's gaze swept over the five somewhat timid children—Li Ming, Zhang Liang, Zhao Si, Qian Bao, and Zhou Tian. Their names were incredibly rustic, but he saw the light in their eyes.

"Once you've entered my school, don't go out with your head down. What scholars value is knowledge, not pomp and circumstance. As long as you have something in your minds, you can be respectable even if you're wearing a burlap sack."

The five children knelt down in unison and kowtowed loudly, saying, "We will follow your teachings!"

Jiang Lin nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the three Su brothers who were standing aside watching the show.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot."

Jiang Lin pointed to the five new students, "From today onwards, the three of you have been promoted."

Su Shi was taken aback: "Upgrade?"

"Yes, teaching assistant," Jiang Lin said with a smile. "I won't teach the basic 'Thousand Character Classic' and 'Analects,' you will. Whoever's student does poorly on the exam will be responsible for washing dishes for a month."

"Ah?!" Su Shi cried out in alarm, "Sir, we still need to prepare for the prefectural examination!"

"Teaching is the best form of learning." Jiang Lin didn't even blink when he started to deceive people. "Only when you can teach these idiots will your knowledge be considered complete."

Su Shi and the other two looked at each other, and finally could only bow with bitter faces: "This student...accepts the order."

……

half a month later.

The repair funds, which the Wang family lost the bet on, have finally arrived.

Dozens of craftsmen went in and out, tearing down and rebuilding the dilapidated courtyard walls, and replacing the leaky roof with brand-new blue tiles. The courtyard, which was originally overgrown with weeds, was leveled and transformed into a training ground and a reading corner.

Although it has been completely renovated, Jiang Lin specifically instructed that no clichéd ornate decorations be used; the overall style remains minimalist and elegant. Blue bricks, white walls, and a few clumps of bamboo exude a cool, aloof air, as if saying "keep away."

It was late at night.

Jiang Lin stood atop the newly renovated library, gazing at the myriad lights of Runzhou City.

On the desk behind them lay newly written policy essays by Su Shi and his two companions. Their writing style was more sophisticated than during the county examination, and they were already showing signs of becoming prime ministers.

"We've taken the first step and established a firm foothold."

Jiang Lin stroked the folding fan in his hand, a meaningful smile curving his lips.

Making a name for oneself in the county examination is just the beginning; the upcoming prefectural examination will be the real battleground. It will be a fierce competition among the talented scholars of the entire Jiangnan East Circuit, and with only these two skills, it will probably not be enough to hold the fort.

"System," he muttered to himself, "retrieving the past years' exam questions from the Great Song Dynasty, and while you're at it... exchange for that 'Devil Training Program' for me."

If we're going to play, let's go big.

Jiang Lin looked north, his gaze seemingly piercing through the night, reaching the bustling city of Bianjing.

"Ouyang Xiu, shouldn't you set off now?"