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

The night in Bianjing is as bustling as day.

As the top of Tokyo's 72 official restaurants, Fanlou's atmosphere tonight is somewhat eerie.

The cheerful laughter and clinking of glasses that used to fill the air were gone, replaced by suppressed sobs and the occasional burst of angry curses.

The elegant seating area on the third floor is draped with sheer curtains.

Su Shi slumped on the soft couch, his face as pale as if it had just been plastered with putty. He held a piece of white silk in his hand, occasionally covering his mouth and coughing violently, as if he were about to cough up his lungs.

"Brother Zizhan! You...you must take care of yourself!" Chen Jichang, a talented scholar from the Imperial Academy, held Su Shi's hand tightly, his eyes red with tears. "Although Zhen Ding Prefecture is far away, we scholars must not lose heart!"

"Ji Chang..." Su Shi weakly raised his eyelids, his voice as thin as a whisper, and pointed tremblingly to the bright moon outside the window:

"I was originally... a recluse of Jingshi Academy, but alas... alas, my fate is full of twists and turns. Going to the northern border, I fear... cough cough cough! I fear I will never see the beauty of Bianjing again."

After saying that, he closed his eyes in pain, and a single, glistening tear slid down his cheek.

"The Wang family has gone too far!"

"Not only are they destroying the academy, but they're also driving the top scholar to his death!"

"This isn't being an official, it's practically suicide!"

The surrounding literati were agitated, and some even began grinding ink, preparing to write poems on the spot to vehemently denounce Wang Kui's ancestors for eighteen generations.

In the corner, two Wang family spies dressed in plain clothes exchanged a glance, a cold smile curling at the corners of their mouths.

"It seems he really is nearing his end."

"Su Shi's health is too weak. He's already like this before even leaving the city. He'll probably be buried as soon as he gets to Zhengding."

The two were satisfied and quietly left to report back.

As soon as the two left, Jiang Lin slowly emerged from behind the screen, holding a plate of unfinished melon seeds.

He glanced at Su Shi, who was still "twitching," and calmly said, "Alright, the audience has all left. Stop shaking, or you'll shake out the chicken leg you just stole."

Upon hearing this, Su Shi opened his eyes instantly, showing no sign of weakness whatsoever.

He sat up with a jolt, grabbed the teapot on the table, took a big gulp, and let out a long sigh: "I was suffocating! Headmaster, this ginger juice is too strong, it stings my eyes."

"How can I fool those bastards if it's not spicy?" Jiang Lin spat out the sunflower seed shells and pulled out a long bill from his pocket—

"Just now, Chen Jichang gave fifty strings of cash for 'medicine expenses,' and Zhang Yuanwai gave one hundred strings of cash for 'settlement expenses.' Adding in other miscellaneous expenses... our income for tonight is enough to cover the academy's expenses for half a year."

Su Shi chuckled and rubbed his hands together: "Then my appearance fee..."

"Put it on the tab, I'll buy you donkey meat later." Jiang Lin casually stuffed the bill back into his pocket. "But this isn't enough."

"Not enough?" Su Shi's eyes widened. "We received twenty cartloads of supplies from the Wang family!"

"Supplies are supplies, and money is money." Jiang Lin straightened his collar, a shrewd businessman's smile playing on his lips. "The Wang family has wronged us so badly; do you think this is over without some compensation for emotional distress?"

……

Half an hour later, at the side gate of the Wang family.

The old steward of the Wang family had just seen off a group of officials who came to inquire about information, and was exhausted with a sore back. When he looked up, he saw Jiang Lin standing under the lantern with a smile on his face.

The old housekeeper's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively wanted to close the door.

"Hey, Butler Wang, don't be in such a hurry to close the door." Jiang Lin stuck one foot out and wedged the door, smiling innocently. "I'm here to make a deal with your family."

"I won't buy insurance! Nor will I buy newspapers!" the old butler roared, his face dark.

"Talking about money is so vulgar." Jiang Lin sighed, pulling a roll of Xuan paper from his sleeve. "This is the last poem Zizhan wrote just now at Fanlou before his 'death.' The title is 'A Gift to Wang Kui,' and the content... well, every word is like a drop of blood, every line piercing the heart. If it were published on the front page of the Bianjing Xinbao tomorrow..."

The old butler's face turned deathly pale instantly.

Su Shi's reputation is at its peak. If he were to write a poem criticizing the Wang family, the Wang family would be firmly labeled as "persecuting loyal officials." How would the Wang family members ever be able to survive in the scholarly circles again?

"What...what do you want?" the old butler asked through gritted teeth.

"Simple." Jiang Lin held up one finger. "One thousand strings of cash. That'll buy out the copyright to this poem. Also, Zizhan's health isn't good; he'll need a renowned doctor to accompany him on this journey, and that will cost..."

"Give it to us! We'll give it to you!" the old butler practically roared. He just wanted to get rid of this plague and didn't want to see him for even a second longer.

A moment later, Jiang Lin, carrying a thousand strings of cash in his pocket, hummed a little tune as he walked back to the academy.

"Tsk, how can you call this extortion when it's a matter for scholars? It's called a writing fee."

Just as I turned the corner, a tall, slender figure blocked my way.

Under the moonlight, Zhao Lingjun, dressed in men's clothing, held a folding fan and looked at Jiang Lin with a half-smile. Behind her were two guards with deep auras.

"Master, you have quite the skills." Zhao Lingjun lightly waved his folding fan, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Lin's bulging chest. "He plays the victim to gain sympathy, then extorts money from him. This ability to 'eat one fish twice' is truly an eye-opener for me..."

Jiang Lin remained calm, patting the silver notes on his chest: "Zhao Ling, you're blocking the road late at night, perhaps trying to get a share of the profits?"

"Money? This disciple has no shortage of it." Zhao Lingjun took a step closer, lowered his voice, and a sly glint flashed in his bright eyes. "But I'm going on this trip to Zhen Ding too."

Jiang Lin frowned slightly: "That's the border region, a harsh and cold place, not a picnic."

"Precisely because it is a border region." Zhao Lingjun closed his folding fan, his expression suddenly becoming more serious:

"There's a discrepancy in the military accounts of Zhen Ding Prefecture recently, and the Imperial City Guard has been investigating for a long time without any leads. Since Chief Jiang is going to 'refine oil,' why not help me cover for him?"

Jiang Lin narrowed his eyes, sizing up this unfathomable disciple.

It seems that this person is not only the academy's financial backer, but also an ambitious politician.

"One more person means one more mouth to feed," Jiang Lin said calmly.

"I'll cover your travel expenses, and all food and lodging will be provided free of charge." Zhao Lingjun stretched out a hand, as white as jade. "In addition, once we arrive in Zhengding, I have a special pass from the Privy Council that can mobilize three hundred Imperial Guards."

Jiang Lin instantly grasped her hand, his smile even brighter than when he'd met Butler Wang: "Deal! Zhao is truly public-spirited and righteous; the academy needs talents like you!"