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

The crisp sound of gold coins hitting the table was even more melodious than the pipa music played by the courtesan of Fanlou.

This was like a shot of adrenaline, piercing the hearts of all the businessmen present.

"I am Afanti, a name you may not have heard of."

The merchant grinned, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth that seemed completely out of place with his rugged appearance.

He casually grabbed a handful of gold coins, letting them slip through his fingers with a chilling "clatter".

"But the Western Region grape wine I brought needs to be known throughout Bianjing. One hundred strings of cash? Who do you think you are! God above, in our backyard, hiring a bard to sing its praises costs five hundred gold coins!"

He held up five fingers, his gaze fixed intently on Jiang Lin, as if he were staring at a gold mine waiting to be mined.

"Five hundred strings of cash! I want this position!"

The entire room fell silent for a moment.

Then, it was like pouring a bucket of cold water into boiling oil, causing an instant uproar!

Five hundred strings of cash!

Just to buy that tiny piece of paper?

This guy's gone mad! Is his brain filled with nothing but wine?

Wang Wenxuan's face turned ashen. He slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, pointing at the foreign merchant and shouting, "Where did this barbarian come from? Doesn't he know the rules of Bianjing?"

"If you want to do business here, you'd better ask my Wang family first! Believe me or not, I'll make sure your truckload of grape wine can't even leave the warehouse!"

Normally, such a blatant threat would be enough to frighten any out-of-town merchant into kneeling on the spot.

But Afanti simply shrugged and spread his hands innocently: "I only know the rules of making money. As for who you are, Young Master Wang? Sorry, it's not mentioned in the newspapers, I don't know you."

"puff--"

On stage, Su Shi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

That smile was like toppling the first domino.

The businessmen below the stage exchanged glances, the fear in their eyes rapidly receding, replaced by a blood-red glint of greed.

If even the Hu merchants aren't afraid, why should we be?

That's Chengxintang paper! That's a chance to be photographed alongside the emperor's "imperial brush"!

No matter how powerful the Wang family is, can they surpass the prestige of the imperial family? Since even the paper from the inner palace can be used to print newspapers, it means that this academy has connections to the Heavenly Court!

If we don't follow suit now, and others become wildly popular in Bianjing, we'll be left with nothing.

"Six hundred strings of cash!"

A cloth merchant who usually scrimped and saved every penny suddenly roared, his eyes red and veins bulging on his neck, "I'm from 'Li's Silk Shop'! Young Master Wang, I'm sorry, but people die for money, birds die for food, and I, Li, will be the first to seize this wave of wealth!"

Wang Wenxuan's eyes widened, as if he were seeing this group of people for the first time.

But this is just the beginning.

"Seven hundred strings of cash! 'Zhang Family Inn' is offering seven hundred strings! I'll fight anyone who tries to take it from me!"

"Eight hundred strings of cash! Don't even try to take it from me. I'll offer eight hundred strings in cash, plus three jars of thirty-year-old Daughter's Red wine as a gift for Jiangshan Changrun Pen!"

The area is closed.

The merchants who had been sitting upright and watching Wang Wenxuan's expression just moments before were now like middle-aged women scrambling to buy discounted eggs, waving their banknotes and paper money and spitting as they spoke.

What Wang family's ban? What aristocratic prestige?

All that's coming is a bubble in the face of the massive influx of traffic!

Wang Wenxuan stood there dumbfounded.

He looked at the group of businessmen who were usually obsequious to him, but now they completely ignored his presence. Some even pushed him aside with their buttocks in order to bid for him.

His threats and his family background were like a fragile piece of waste paper in the face of the huge "arena of fame and fortune" built by Jiang Lin, and were instantly torn to shreds.

"They've rebelled...they've all rebelled..." Wang Wenxuan muttered to himself, and with a "crack," the ivory folding fan in his hand was snapped in two.

Su Shi was so excited that his face was flushed, and he slapped the Duan inkstone with such force that it made a deafening noise, and his voice was hoarse from shouting.

"Eight hundred strings of cash once! Eight hundred strings of cash twice! Eight hundred strings of cash three times! Sold! Congratulations to Zhangjiajiao Store, you've unlocked the secret to attracting customers!"

In just half an hour, all four GG slots at the bottom of the newspaper were sold, with a total price of three thousand guan!

This isn't printing newspapers, it's practically printing money!

Looking at the almost frenzied crowd below the stage, Su Shi wiped the sweat from his forehead and raised the gavel again.

His hands trembled slightly with excitement, but more than that, he felt a thrill of being in control of the entire scene.

This is so much more satisfying than writing articles to insult people! This is the true style of the Song Dynasty's number one rant... no, number one orator!

"Please be patient, everyone! What we just experienced was merely an appetizer."

Su Shi took a deep breath, turned to the side, and pointed his folding fan directly below the headline of the newspaper.

That was the most prominent and prestigious prime spot next to the four large characters of "Da Song Zao Bao" (Great Song Morning Post), the first thing anyone would see when they picked up the newspaper.

There, a circle of gold thread was deliberately drawn out, making it seem out of place, yet exuding an air of nobility.

"Next up is the grand finale of this conference—'GoldenEye'!"

Su Shi surveyed the room and announced a breathtaking figure: "Starting bid, one thousand strings of cash!"

The entire room fell silent instantly.

One thousand strings of cash!

That's enough to buy a nice three-courtyard house in Bianjing, or even book the top courtesan at Fanlou for half a year!

Wang Wenxuan had recovered his senses by this time, and the shock in his eyes gradually turned into resentment.

He knew that if this "golden eye" were to expose this today, the Wang family's reputation would be completely humiliated.

Since we can't stop it, let's destroy it!

Wang Wenxuan took a deep breath, preparing to quote an exorbitant price and then renege on the deal, completely ruining the whole affair.

"two thousand……"

He had just opened his mouth, but the sound hadn't even fully escaped his throat yet.

"Squeak—"

The heavy nanmu wood doors of the lecture hall were pushed open with a dull thud, abruptly cutting off all the noise.

The last rays of the setting sun streamed in through the crack in the door, casting an extremely long shadow of the person standing at the doorway, stretching all the way down to the platform, like a line dividing yin and yang.

He was a middle-aged man with a fair complexion and no beard, dressed in a blue eunuch's robe.

He wasn't holding a money bag, but rather a bright yellow scroll, his expression solemn, as if he were holding the entire Song Dynasty's empire.

The high-pitched, shrill voice, with its penetrating power, instantly echoed throughout the lecture hall.

"Wait a minute!"

All eyes turned to that direction.

Among the crowd, several Imperial City Guard spies who had been disguised as merchants and silently taking notes suddenly stiffened, lowered their heads, and even quietly took a few steps back to hide themselves in the shadows.

Wang Wenxuan was also startled by this sudden turn of events, and swallowed back the words that were about to come out, almost biting his tongue in the process.

Jiang Lin stood on the high platform, his eyes narrowed, staring intently at the scroll in the eunuch's hand.

That color is too glaring.

That was the exclusive color of imperial power.

That bright yellow color was reserved for the imperial family!

The eunuch, with his eyes fixed straight ahead, carried the scroll and shuffled through the crowd.

Wherever he went, the originally crowded merchants seemed to part the sea as if Moses had parted the sea, automatically making way for a wide passage.

Everyone held their breath, deliberately keeping their breathing soft.

People from the palace have arrived!

Could it be because they used Chengxintang paper, thus angering the emperor? Or is it that the Wang family truly has connections and influence, managing to persuade the emperor to shut down the academy?

Su Shi dared not be cheeky anymore and subconsciously looked at Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin's expression remained calm, but his hand, hidden in his sleeve, clenched slightly. He had calculated the merchant's greed, Wang Wenxuan's incompetence, and even Zhao Lingjun's background.

But what he hadn't anticipated was that this Song Dynasty emperor's internet speed was actually so fast!

The eunuch walked down from the stage, stopped, and glanced at Jiang Lin and Su Shi on the stage before finally settling on Jiang Lin.

"Jiang Lin, the headmaster of Jingshi Academy, receives the imperial decree."

The eunuch's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an irresistible pressure, the confidence bestowed by imperial power.

Jiang Lin took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, stepped down from the platform, and bowed: "This humble subject, Jiang Lin, receives the imperial decree."

Merchants and scholars alike, including Wang Wenxuan, all knelt down on the ground with a thud, the sound of their knees hitting the earth echoing everywhere.

Inside the lecture hall, you could hear a pin drop.

The eunuch slowly unrolled the scroll and read aloud:

The imperial edict reads: "Although Jingshi Academy is a privately run school, its teaching methods are effective and its innovative spirit is commendable. I have recently heard that a newspaper called 'Morning Post' is being promoted, its paper is of high quality, and its concept is novel, which greatly pleases me..."

Upon hearing the words "deeply appreciated by the Emperor," Wang Wenxuan, who was lying on the ground, trembled all over, as if his spine had been removed, and his face turned ashen.

It’s over.

This is an official stamp and certification, and it's the highest level of anti-counterfeiting label!

The eunuch continued reading: "...I hereby bestow upon him an inscription written by the Emperor, granting him the authority to 'understand the people's sentiments and heed the will of Heaven.' Furthermore, I have heard that books contain tales of wealth, and now I encounter the saying 'Golden Eye,' which I find quite intriguing. This position of 'Golden Eye'..."

The eunuch paused, closed the scroll, and gave Jiang Lin a meaningful smile, his eyes seeming to say, "You've struck gold, kid."

"The emperor said he wants this 'Golden Eye'."