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

As the prefectural examination approached, the population density of Runzhou City was approaching that of a subway during the morning rush hour in later generations.

The inn was fully booked, and even the woodshed was occupied by scholars on their way to take the imperial examinations.

This would be a disaster for ordinary people, but for Qian Duoduo, it was a celebration.

He not only converted his own bookstore's warehouse into a "temporary youth hostel" charging by the bed, but also set up a stall at the entrance to sell "top scholar set meal" - which is actually just ordinary Dingsheng cake plus a cup of soy milk, but because it has the character "Jiang" printed on it, the price tripled and it was still in short supply.

Watching Qian Duoduo count money until his hands cramped, Jiang Lin could only sigh: Even capitalists would shed tears seeing this.

However, Jiang Lin had no time to deal with business at the moment, because his student was being "ambushed".

……

Wangjianglou is the largest restaurant in Runzhou.

What was originally a place for talented people to meet and exchange ideas has now become a hotbed of tension.

The elegant seating area on the second floor was occupied by a group of richly dressed young scholars. The leader, holding a folding fan and wearing a square headscarf, had a faint, almost imperceptible, mockery on his lips. This man was none other than Zhao Yuanji, the top scholar of the Canglang Academy in Suzhou, known as "the best writer in Jiangnan."

Standing opposite him were Su Shi, Su Zhe, and Zeng Gong.

The area was surrounded by onlookers, and some even placed bets on who would win.

"Is this the Jingshi Academy that claims to have swept the top three spots in the county-level examinations?"

Zhao Yuanji lightly waved his folding fan, his gaze sweeping over Su Shi's rather plain long robe. He scoffed, "It seems Runzhou is truly devoid of talent. When the tiger is away, the monkeys reign supreme. Even this shabby fellow, who can't afford Su brocade, can be called a scholar?"

Laughter erupted from all sides.

Candidates from Suzhou and Hangzhou have always been arrogant and conceited. In their view, what kind of outstanding people could a place like Runzhou produce?

Su Shi wasn't annoyed; he just blinked, his honest expression mirroring the one he wore when buying sesame cakes at the village entrance.

"My friend, does the price of clothes have anything to do with how well one is learned?"

Su Shi scratched his head and asked earnestly, "If Confucius had dressed in rags when he traveled around the states, would you have stopped him at the city gate to beg for food?"

puff--

Someone in the crowd couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Zhao Yuanji's face darkened, and he snapped his folding fan shut. "Sharp-tongued! I'm not here today to engage in a war of words with you. I heard that your Jiangshan prefecture is arrogant enough to claim he'll sweep the top three spots in the prefectural examination again? That's utterly ridiculous!"

He stood up and pointed to the Yangtze River flowing eastward outside the window:

"With talented individuals from all walks of life gathered here today, let's have a little competition. And I'll show you what it truly means to be outmatched!"

"Compare what?" Su Shi yawned, clearly having stayed up too late doing "game theory" problems yesterday because Jiang Lin had forced him to do them, and he hadn't woken up properly.

Let's use "Yangtze River" as the theme!

Zhao Yuanji said arrogantly, "If you can compose a poem that truly convinces me, I, Zhao, will cover the bill for this restaurant today! If you can't... hehe, then you people from Jingshi Academy, get out of here and don't show off in front of others again!"

The atmosphere froze instantly.

Everyone was watching Su Shi. So many people had written about the Yangtze River; there were countless masterpieces, and trying to write something new was harder than climbing to heaven. Zhao Yuanji was clearly bullying him.

Su Shi rubbed his eyes and turned to look at Su Zhe behind him: "Ziyou, did we bring any money?"

Su Zhe shook his head expressionlessly: "The master detained us, saying he was afraid we would buy snacks indiscriminately."

"That makes things easier."

Su Shi sighed, looked at Zhao Yuanji, and his eyes suddenly became incredibly clear, as if the honest little fat boy from before had vanished in an instant.

"Since someone's treating, I might as well eat it."

He didn't even ask for pen and ink; he walked directly to the railing, looked at the river, and gently tapped his fingers on the railing.

step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

"The great river flows eastward, its waves sweeping away countless heroes of the past..."

The moment the first sentence was uttered, the once noisy restaurant fell silent.

Zhao Yuanji's cold smile froze.

That overwhelming momentum, like giant waves crashing against the shore, instantly made everyone's scalp tingle.

Su Shi did not recite the entire poem "Nian Nu Jiao" but instead improvised, incorporating the "game" and "strategy" of the past few days into his poetic inspiration.

He pointed to the merchant ships on the river, his voice clear and impassioned:

"...Jagged rocks pierce the sky, and surging waves crash against the shore, churning up thousands of piles of snow. The landscape is like a painting, and how many heroes have emerged in this era!"

Although it's only half a poem, how could a twenty-year-old boy write such a magnificent and boundless spirit? It's clearly the perspective of looking down on all living beings from the clouds!

When Su Shi finished reciting the last line, the entire Wangjiang Tower was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

After a long while.

"good!!!"

Someone shouted first, and then the cheers almost lifted the roof off.

Zhao Yuanji, who had just been mocking Su Shi's tattered clothes, was now deathly pale, his hand holding the folding fan trembling. He was an expert and could naturally discern the difference in their expressions.

This isn't poetry; it's like trying to crush an egg with Mount Tai!

"Brother Zhao."

Su Shi smiled and cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you for the meal. Waiter! Bring me three of your most expensive braised pork knuckles! To go!"

Zhao Yuanji: "..."

……

In a private room in the corner of the restaurant.

Jiang Lin was watching this scene through the gap in the screen, a peanut in his hand, a slight smile on his lips.

"Sir, aren't you worried?" Qian Duoduo poured wine for Jiang Lin from the side.

"What are you worried about?"

Jiang Lin tossed a peanut into his mouth, chewing it with a crunchy sound. "That kid Zizhan, he seems carefree and easygoing most of the time, but when it comes to a real situation, he's a complete show-off. The harder you push him, the higher he bounces."

"That Zhao Yuanji was really unlucky. Of all people to mess with, he had to mess with this cheater."

Jiang Lin stood up and patted the crumbs off his clothes.

"Let's go. We've finished the appetizer; tomorrow's the main course."

……

The examination hall opened the following morning.

As the heavy bugle sounded, thousands of candidates lined up in long queues and, after undergoing rigorous body searches, slowly poured into the examination hall.

The atmosphere was tense and deadly, like a battlefield.

Su Shi and his two companions stood out conspicuously in the crowd—no wonder, yesterday's poem had made Su Shi an overnight "internet celebrity" in Runzhou City.

Countless gazes, some filled with envy, others with apprehension, were cast upon them.

"Brother, a lot of people are watching us," Su Zhe whispered.

"Look, it's not like we'll lose a piece of our flesh." Su Shi shrugged, still carrying the examination basket that Jiang Lin had specially prepared for them—it contained refreshing peppermint oil and high-calorie chocolate to fill their stomachs (actually, it was brown sugar cocoa cakes that Jiang Lin made using a traditional method).

Zeng Gong took a deep breath and gripped the handle of the examination basket tightly: "The master said, we shouldn't pay attention to others. What we're writing is a strategy for governing the country, a technique for slaying dragons. How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan?"

"Well said!"

Su Shi chuckled and looked up at the towering gate of the examination hall.

"Let's go! Let's go in and give these examiners from the Great Song Dynasty a little 'world-shaking' experience!"

Meanwhile, inside the academy.

Jiang Lin was lying on the rattan chair with his eyes closed, resting, while the system interface flashed in his mind.

[Key milestone detected: Prefectural examination begins.]

[Mission Objective: Sweep the top three spots and become famous throughout Jiangnan.]

Current progress: 0%

Jiang Lin turned over and muttered to himself:

"Ouyang Xiu, Ouyang Xiu, I hope your heart can withstand this year's exam."

"After all, I didn't teach them anything bad, I just taught them some... truths that were a thousand years ahead of their time."