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

"Six thousand strings of cash?!"

A roar shattered the silence of the Wang family's main hall. A fine Ding kiln white porcelain teacup was slammed to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Wang Kui, the head of the Wang family, his chest heaving violently, pointed at the kneeling butler and his son, his fingers trembling as if he were experiencing the onset of Parkinson's disease:

"You...you've been cursed by that Jiang Lin, haven't you? Not only do we have to pay compensation, but we also have to repair their houses? Did the Wang family's money just fall from the sky?"

Wang Wenxuan, his face swollen like a pig's head, cried out, "Father, Jiang Lin has an imperial warrant for the inner court!"

"Moreover... he also has leverage over that gold hairpin. If this gets to the Kaifeng Prefecture, our Wang family will not only be disgraced, but we'll also be accused of murdering the top scholar..."

Wang Kui took a deep breath, his face so dark it seemed to drip water. He paced back and forth in the hall, his eyes as sinister as a vulture.

Wang Kui stopped and sneered, "The money is given, but the Wang family won't swallow this insult."

The old steward knelt on the ground, cautiously raising his head, a glint of malice flashing in his eyes: "Master, when Su Shi left, he deliberately pretended to be frail and sickly, unable to withstand the cold, in order to extort money. Why don't we..."

"Why not what?"

"The imperial court is currently discussing the selection of a military supervisor for Zhen Ding Prefecture in the northern border," the old steward said in a low voice, a sinister smile playing on his lips.

"That place borders the Liao Kingdom, is bitterly cold, and there are frequent conflicts. If we were to send this delicate top scholar there..."

Wang Kui's eyes lit up, then he frowned: "He is the newly appointed top scholar, and according to custom he should enter the Hanlin Academy, and be sent to prosperous places."

"Sir, have you forgotten? Lord Zhao of the Privy Council owes us a favor." Wang Wenxuan hurriedly interjected, his eyes gleaming with vengeful pleasure.

"Using the pretext that 'Heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility upon this person,' we recommended Su Shi to go to the frontier for training. The reason was readily available: he wrote 'The Eagle Shooting the Condor,' how could he write well about Guo Jing defending the city if he didn't understand military strategy? This is called 'unity of knowledge and action'!"

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Wang Kui slapped his thigh, the gloom on his face vanishing instantly.

If he went to Zhen Ding Prefecture, far from the emperor's reach, what if Su Shi died of illness due to "acclimatization sickness," or accidentally got involved in some "Liao conflict"... wouldn't that be completely unnoticed?

"Go, prepare a generous gift. I'm going to visit Lord Zhao tonight." Wang Kui looked at the dark night outside the window and grinned maliciously. "Jiang Lin, Su Shi, since you like acting, I'll give you an even bigger stage."

……

The following afternoon, at Jing Shi Academy.

Sunlight filtered through the dappled leaves onto the bluestone slabs. Jiang Lin lay on a rattan chair, a copy of "Taiping Guangji" covering his face, his breathing even.

"This fire won't do! The temperature is too low!"

A burst of anxious roar shattered the silence.

From a nearby independent workshop, Shen Kuo rushed out, covered in soot and carrying a piece of blackened charcoal. A tuft of his hair was singed, making him look like a bristling hedgehog.

"Headmaster! Wake up!" Shen Kuo rushed up to Jiang Lin, slammed the piece of coke on the table, and shouted, "You call this a 'blast furnace'?"

"Charcoal simply can't reach the temperature needed to smelt refined steel! This 'Project Heaven' has stalled from the very first step. Let's just stick to teaching!"

Jiang Lin slowly removed the book from his face, glanced at the piece of scrap metal, and yawned: "Cunzhong, you have to be patient in everything. If charcoal doesn't work, then try something else."

"What are we going to switch to? We've tried coal, but it's too high in sulfur, and the iron it produces is too brittle." Shen Kuo grabbed his hair, looking utterly devastated. "Unless we have the legendary real fire, it's impossible to mass-produce spring steel of that strength."

Jiang Lin sat up, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked with a playful look, "Have you ever heard of 'stone grease water'?"

Shen Kuo was taken aback, then frowned in thought: "The Book of Han records that there is a river called Wei River in Gaonu County, which is flammable. You mean that kind of viscous, lacquer-like black oil that ignites upon contact with fire?"

"It's not just found in Gaonu County." Jiang Lin dipped his finger in tea and drew a simple map on the table, pointing to a location in the north. "It's also found in the deep mountains surrounding Zhen Ding Prefecture. And the reserves are quite large."

"That thing spews black smoke and stinks; what use is it except for lighting lamps?"

"Purification," Jiang Lin uttered, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "It only requires a slight improvement to the distillation process."

"That stuff burns hot enough to turn even the hardest rock into water. Not only can it be used to smelt steel, but if it's placed in a specially made high-heat oil tank..."

Jiang Lin didn't continue speaking, but simply made a "spraying" gesture.

Shen Kuo's eyes lit up instantly, with the fervor of a scientist discovering a new continent: "Zhen Ding Prefecture... Zhen Ding Prefecture..."

Just then, Qian Duoduo ran into the courtyard, panting, waving a yellow official gazette in her hand, her face as pale as paper.

"Headmaster! Something terrible has happened!"

Qian Duoduo nearly tripped over the threshold, stumbled to the table, spread out the official gazette, and cried out, "The Privy Council just issued a transfer order!"

"That damned Wang family bastard actually used his connections to transfer Zizhan to Zhen Ding Prefecture as a judge! The reason given was... to let him experience life so he could write 'The Eagle and the Condor Heroes'!"

"Zhending Prefecture?" Shen Kuo was stunned, then overjoyed. "What a wonderful place! Not only does it have petrolatum water, but it also has excellent iron ore!"

Qian Duoduo looked at Shen Kuo as if he were an idiot: "Cunzhong, wake up! That's the border! That's a bitterly cold place!"

"The Wang family is really trying to destroy Zizhan! And the imperial edict says he must depart immediately without delay!"

Jiang Lin picked up the official gazette, glanced at the bright red seal on it, and the playful smile on his lips grew deeper.

"I am very satisfied with the efficiency of the Wang family."

"Headmaster?" Qian Duoduo was stunned. "You...you're not angry?"

"Angry?" Jiang Lin stood up and stretched. "I was just worried about not finding a reason to send someone to Zhengding to bring back that batch of 'stone grease'. Well, the Wang family has even arranged the travel expenses and bodyguards for us."

The Signatory Judge was in charge of military supplies and provisions. This position was practically tailor-made for "smuggling" strategic materials.

"Go, call Zizhan here." Jiang Lin straightened his clothes, his face instantly changing to a sorrowful, worried, and indignant expression. "Since the Wang family wants to watch the show, then we'll play along with them."