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

"Hmph, this is official business, what's there to say?" Imperial Censor Li said with an indignant expression. "Does Chief Jiang intend to bribe me? His crime is compounded!"

"Not so." Jiang Lin lowered his voice and said in a volume that only the two of them could hear, "This humble one just wants to say that today's manuscript is still lying in the study. If you arrest the man, whether the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan can find Guo Jing in the desert... I'm afraid no one will really know."

Imperial Censor Li's face, which was as stiff as an iron plate, twitched almost imperceptibly.

He narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin looked back without fear, his eyes clear and sincere.

The air seemed to freeze for three seconds.

Suddenly, Imperial Censor Li turned around and roared at the group of fierce-looking yamen runners, "What are you all standing there for? All of you, retreat at least ten zhang away! I am going to interrogate this serious criminal myself! To prevent leaks, close the gate! Anyone who dares to approach will be dealt with according to military law!"

The constables were taken aback. Although they didn't understand why, they dared not disobey their superiors' orders and quickly retreated to a distance, even thoughtfully closing the gate for the two of them.

With a loud "bang".

The heavy wooden door closed, completely cutting off any view of the outside world.

The Imperial Censor Li, who had been looking stern, seemed to have his spine removed the moment the door closed, and his whole body instantly went limp.

He rushed to Jiang Lin, and a fawning smile, like a chrysanthemum, appeared on his usually "impartial" face.

"Brother Jiang... Brother Jiang!"

While rubbing his hands together, Censor Li hurriedly pulled out a thick stack of silver notes from the wide sleeves of his official robe, and stuffed them into Jiang Lin's arms without caring about the amount.

"Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! I am here to investigate a case, but mainly... the case of Guo Jing!"

Jiang Lin raised an eyebrow and did not take the silver note: "What does Lord Li mean by this? Gathering a crowd to cause trouble is a serious crime."

"What's the big deal! It's just the people's love for literature!"

Imperial Censor Li was so anxious he stamped his feet, completely losing his previous official air. He lowered his voice and said, "Brother, just give me a heads-up. My wife read the newspaper last night and cried her eyes out, insisting I come here today to find out the truth. Just how powerful is Mei Chaofeng's Nine Yin White Bone Claw? And... will Guo Jing become a little smarter in the future? Will he be able to learn some peerless martial arts?"

At this point, Imperial Censor Li looked around to make sure no one was watching before leaning close to Jiang Lin's ear, his tone almost pleading: "To be honest, I want to be that... that 'Golden Alliance Leader'! This money is the membership fee! If that's not enough, I also have two ancient paintings from the previous dynasty hidden in my home..."

Su Shi, sitting in the corner, was so shocked his jaw almost dropped to the ground.

He rubbed his eyes, unable to believe that the sleazy middle-aged man in front of him, who was so obsequious for spoilers, was actually the iron-faced censor who had made all the officials tremble in fear during his speeches in the imperial court.

Is this still the Song Dynasty?

Is this still the Song Dynasty where "all other pursuits are inferior, only studying is superior"?

Jiang Lin slowly put the stack of silver notes into his pocket, feeling their solid texture, and chuckled to himself: Wang Kui, you want to use the rules of officialdom to suppress me, but you don't know that in the face of the dimensional reduction attack of "cool novels", there are no classes, only readers.

"You're too kind, Lord Li." Jiang Lin adopted a "one of our own" expression and patted Imperial Censor Li on the shoulder. "Since you are also the 'Alliance Leader,' you naturally have special privileges. Su Zi just finished writing a draft chapter right behind us; the ink isn't even dry yet."

Censor Li's eyes instantly lit up like two searchlights: "Where is it? Lead the way! No... I'll go myself!"

As he spoke, this high-ranking official of the third rank lifted the hem of his official robe and rushed towards the backyard like a young man on his way to meet his lover. As he passed by Su Shi, he casually took out an exquisite jade pendant from his pocket and stuffed it into his hand.

"Scholar Su, you've worked hard! This is your writing fee! Please don't let Guo Jing die!"

Watching Imperial Censor Li's departing figure, Su Shi stood there dumbfounded, holding the jade pendant in his hand.

"Headmaster..." Su Shi turned his head and looked at Jiang Lin with a complicated expression. "I think the world has gone mad."

"No, the world isn't crazy."

Jiang Lin dusted off his sleeves, his gaze deep. "They were just starving for too long. We merely gave them some real 'spiritual nourishment'."

He walked to the door, peered through the crack at Wang Wenxuan who was still anxiously waiting for the results outside, and a mocking sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

The Wang family thought that the King of Hell had been sent to claim their lives.

Little did they know, what was being delivered were actually a child bringing wealth and a guard dog protecting the courtyard.

……

Half an hour later, the tightly closed gates of Jingshi Academy slowly opened again.

The sound of the door hinges turning was like the gavel of a judge, instantly silencing the noisy street. Thousands of eyes were fixed on the doorway, while Wang Wenxuan, fanning himself with a folding fan, wore a cold, amused smirk. In his view, that "mad dog" Imperial Censor Li had been inside for so long, the place must have been ransacked.

However, the next second, his folding fan froze in mid-air.

Li Yushi walked out with his hands behind his back and a measured gait. Although he tried his best to keep his signature dark face taut, the lingering sense of satisfaction from his "success" was impossible to hide. His sleeves were bulging, and if you looked closely, you could see the corners of several sheets of Xuan paper.

"Ahem!"

Imperial Censor Li cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping across the entire room with an air of authority, finally settling on Wang Wenxuan, whose face was full of anticipation, and he exhaled heavily through his nostrils.

"Upon my personal review, this novel serialized in the *Great Song Morning Post*..." Imperial Censor Li deliberately drew out his words, his gaze becoming solemn, "...every word is precious and thought-provoking! The Seven Heroes of Jiangnan in the book keep their promises—that is 'trust'; Guo Jing, though dull-witted, has his country and family in his heart—that is 'loyalty'! This is a fine example of promoting the moral education of our Great Song Dynasty; how can it be considered heresy or misleading?"

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Wang Wenxuan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and he exclaimed, "Lord Li! Are you sure you're not mistaken... um!"

The steward behind him quickly covered his mouth, trembling with fear. To question the Censorate's handling of a case in the street was tantamount to courting death.

Imperial Censor Li snorted coldly, completely ignoring the Wang family's antics, and turned to the people to loudly announce: "I have given the author 'Iron-Blooded Hermit' a profound lesson! I hereby order him—"

The people were on tenterhooks.

"—He is hereby ordered to seclude himself and reflect on his actions, devoting himself to writing! He must write three thousand words every day… no, five thousand words! If he misses even one word, I will hold him accountable!"