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

Three months is just a period of seclusion for cultivators, but for Qian Duoduo, it was a transformative sprint.

For the past three months, brokers in Runzhou City have avoided him whenever they see him—because this guy is too ruthless when it comes to bargaining; he can talk the dead back to life and make the living want to die.

Site selection, renovation, recruitment, and procurement.

When the "Jingshi Bookstore" sign, covered with red cloth, was hung on the most bustling West Market Street in Runzhou City, Qian Duoduo looked thinner, but his eyes shone like two will-o'-the-wisps.

……

On the opening day.

There was no fanfare as I had imagined, because Jiang Lin once said, "True style is letting others make the noise for you."

At the entrance of the bookstore, there was only a huge red notice.

The above is not a promotional discount information, but a one-to-one replica of the "red list" from the county examination three months ago.

Top of the list: Su Shi.

Second place: Zeng Gong.

The third-ranking scholar: Su Zhe.

Beside the red list was a storyteller, his spittle flying as he spoke:

"Dear readers! Do you want to know why Jingshi Academy swept the top three spots? Do you want to know the secret behind Su Shi's outstanding essays? Was he a reincarnation of the God of Literature? Did he take some kind of magic elixir? No!"

The storyteller struck his gavel and pointed to the bookstore's entrance behind him:

"The secret is all in this book! 'The Collected Works of the Three Top Scholars of Runzhou in the First Year of Jiayou,' containing the handwritten essays, poems, and reflections of these three talented scholars! Limited edition, only 300 copies available daily! Read it, and you could be the next top scholar!"

This modern combination of "anxiety marketing" and "top scholar's notes" was a devastating blow to scholars and parents in the Song Dynasty who hoped their children would succeed.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

"Give me a copy! My son, Gou Dan, is taking the imperial examination for the first degree next year!"

"Don't push! I want to soak up some of the scholarly atmosphere too!"

"Three hundred copies? I'll pay double!"

Su Shi, who was drinking tea in a private room on the second floor, blushed as red as a monkey's bottom when he heard the shouts from downstairs.

"Sir..." Su Shi covered his face, "This is too... too embarrassing! That storyteller actually said that the room was filled with red light when I was born—that must be a monster!"

Jiang Lin calmly peeled peanuts: "This is called brand packaging. Do you care about your reputation, or about making money to support those junior students at the academy?"

Su Shi opened his mouth, but finally sighed dejectedly: "I need money."

……

Meanwhile, across the street, at the entrance of "Wang's Bookstore," the shopkeeper was jumping up and down in a panic.

Seeing the booming business across the street, Manager Wang gritted his teeth and ordered his assistant, "Go! Buy a copy, and we'll copy and print it tonight! We'll sell it cheaper than them!"

Piracy was commonplace in the Song Dynasty.

However, just as Shopkeeper Wang had the books bought back and was preparing to start work, Qian Duoduo came in with two burly men, all smiles.

"Manager Wang, are you busy?"

Qian Duoduo held a light piece of paper in her hand; it was the contract that the Wang family signed when they lost the bet.

"We have it clearly written down in black and white." Qian Duoduo shook the paper, smiling like a little fox. "Although Wang Family Bookstore hasn't been officially handed over yet, the copyright of all articles about Su Shi and the other two belongs solely to Jingshi Academy. If we breach the contract... the remaining 50% of the bookstore's shares will belong to us."

Manager Wang's hand, holding the woodblock print, froze in mid-air, his face deathly pale.

This is the second trick Jiang Lin taught Qian Duoduo: copyright barriers.

"You're busy, I won't bother you any longer." Qian Duoduo cupped her hands in greeting, turned and left, leaving Manager Wang staring blankly at the best-selling book, unsure whether to print it or not, almost bursting with frustration.

……

A month later.

Inside the academy's accounting office, the clinking of copper coins sounded like heavenly music.

With dark circles under her eyes, Qian Duoduo excitedly pushed a thick ledger in front of Jiang Lin.

"Sir! It's exploded!"

Qian Duoduo's voice trembled as she said, "In the first month, after deducting paper, ink, labor costs, and shop rent, we made a net profit of two hundred strings of cash! We've already recovered all the initial investment of one hundred strings of cash, and that's only because we controlled sales and used that 'hunger marketing' tactic every day!"

Su Shi, who was listening nearby, almost popped his eyes out.

Two hundred strings of cash!

An average family's annual expenses are only a dozen or so strings of cash. How can someone earn so much in just one month by writing a few articles?

"Knowledge is money, Zizhan."

Jiang Lin looked at the dumbfounded student, smiled, and patted him on the shoulder, "Don't say that studying is useless anymore."

He casually flipped through the account book, showing little surprise. This amount of money was merely pocket money in his original plan.

"Well done."

Jiang Lin closed the ledger and looked at Qian Duoduo, "Now that the bookstore is stable, you can take 60 of the 200 guan in profit as dividends and working capital. As for the rest... let's do something big."

Qian Duoduo was taken aback: "What else do you need to do? Open another branch?"

"The vision is too narrow."

Jiang Lin pulled a roll of blueprints from his sleeve and threw it on the table.

The drawings were densely covered with strange pools, filters, and formula proportions, along with many incomprehensible symbols (chemical equations).

"This is..." Qian Duoduo leaned over to take a look, her face full of confusion.

"Improved papermaking techniques."

Jiang Lin casually dropped this bombshell: "Paper these days is too expensive and brittle. My formula uses bamboo and wood waste instead of expensive mulberry bark, and adds a special bleaching process. It can reduce costs by 60%, while doubling the toughness."

This is the result of his searching in the "Ten Thousand Volumes Library" all night long—an improved version of the papermaking process from "Tiangong Kaiwu" (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature).

Qian Duoduo was a business expert. He stared at the words "cost reduced by 60%" on the blueprint, his breathing became rapid, and his hands trembled even more than when he was counting money.

"Sir...where did these blueprints come from?"

If this is true, it's not just about making money; it's about destroying the livelihood of the entire Jiangnan paper industry and forcing a complete re-establishment of the rules!

"Don't ask where it comes from, it's a family heirloom."

Jiang Lin tapped the table with his fan. "Take the money and find a trustworthy craftsman to build me a paper mill. Remember, keep the formula a secret. Have different people do each step of the process. Anyone who dares to leak it will be handed over to the authorities for investigation."

Qian Duoduo took a deep breath, solemnly tucked the blueprint into his pocket, and carefully placed it close to his body. At that moment, he felt as if he were holding not a piece of paper, but a mountain of gold.

"I'll get to it right away! If this method really works..."

Qian Duoduo's eyes turned incredibly fierce. "From now on, we'll dictate the price of paper in Jiangnan."

After Qian Duoduo left like she was carrying a bomb, Su Shi was still in a daze.

"Sir..." Su Shi swallowed hard. "You can even make paper? This...this is too outrageous! Can the price of paper really drop that much?"

Jiang Lin stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the bamboo forest swaying in the wind outside.

In the Song Dynasty, paper was as precious as gold, and even poor students had to practice calligraphy on sand trays. Breaking down this barrier was his true purpose in orchestrating this grand scheme.

Only when paper becomes cheap can books become cheap. Only when books become cheap can those from poor families rise above their circumstances.

"Zizhan."

Jiang Lin turned around, flashed Su Shi his signature charlatan smile, and held up one finger:

"Don't rush, let the bullets fly for a while."

"Six months from now, I will cut the price of paper in Runzhou in half."

Looking at his teacher's confident, almost arrogant, back, Su Shi felt a chill run down his spine. He had a vague feeling that this lazy schoolteacher was about to poke a hole in the sky of the Song Dynasty.