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

The three of them greedily breathed in the air of freedom, and for a moment, they were all speechless.

Zhao Lingjun could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her cheeks. This time, they weren't from fear, but from excitement and grievance.

Jiang Lin patted her shoulder, then took off his tattered coat and draped it over her shoulders.

Feeling the lingering warmth on her shoulder, Zhao Lingjun trembled slightly. She subconsciously pulled the coat, which was soaked with sweat and smelled of earth but gave her a sense of security, closer, and lowered her head somewhat awkwardly.

"Headmaster..." She bit her pale lips, her voice barely audible, "I... about my identity, and the deception along the way... I didn't mean to lie to you, it's just..."

She looked up, her eyes filled with guilt and unease, eager to explain something. After all, along the way, she had watched Jiang Lin risk his life time and time again to save that "tomboy" apprentice. Now that his identity had been revealed, she was afraid that Jiang Lin would harbor resentment.

"Shh-"

Jiang Lin didn't let her continue. He raised a finger and gently placed it to his lips, making a shushing gesture.

"This is not the time to talk about these things." Jiang Lin's voice was soft, yet it carried a reassuring power. He looked at Zhao Lingjun's panicked eyes, his gaze complex, but without a trace of blame, instead carrying a hint of relief at surviving a disaster.

He turned and warily scanned the dense forest around him, lowering his voice to say, "Although we've exited the underground river, we're still within the territory of Daming Prefecture. Zhao Liben has been operating here for many years, with informants all around. We're not completely out of danger yet. Every moment is a matter of life and death."

Zhao Lingjun was taken aback for a moment, then understood Jiang Lin's good intentions. He swallowed back the explanation that was on the tip of his tongue and simply nodded heavily.

"Besides," Jiang Lin suddenly smiled, revealing a mischievous grin that he always had, "once the dust settles and we return to Bianjing, we'll have plenty of time. Then, we can settle all the scores for the crime of deceiving the emperor along the way, and for the extra copying you did for skipping classes."

Hearing that familiar teasing tone, Zhao Lingjun's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he smiled through his tears: "Alright, when the time comes, I'll let the headmaster decide my fate."

The two exchanged a smile, and the barrier created by their different social statuses quietly melted away at this critical moment of life and death.

The place they were in was indeed a dilapidated hunter's hut.

Outside the cabin was a dense forest.

"We...successfully." Shen Kuo muttered to himself, looking at the cold light stick in his hand, which appeared dull and lifeless in the sunlight.

"Yes, it was a success." Jiang Lin let out a long sigh of relief.

He carefully took out the cloth bag tightly wrapped in oilcloth from his bosom.

Opening the oilcloth, you'll find several account books inside. Although they're a bit damp, the writing is still clear.

These few thin booklets were their greatest gain from this trip. They were also the most lethal weapon to bring down Zhao Liben and the vast network behind him.

"Headmaster, what should we do now? Should we go straight to the government office?" Zhao Lingjun asked, wiping away his tears.

"No." Jiang Lin shook his head. "Going to the government office now would be like walking into a trap. Daming Prefecture is already Zhao Liben's impregnable territory. If we go now, the account books will only be destroyed, and our men will be killed on the spot."

"Where do we go?"

Jiang Lin looked up at the eastern horizon.

There, the sun is slowly rising, turning the clouds on the horizon into a brilliant gold.

"Go somewhere Zhao Liben can't reach." A meaningful smile appeared on Jiang Lin's lips.

He turned his head to look in the direction of Ghost Cry Garden behind him.

"Su Shi and the others should have already spread the news as I instructed."

……

In Damingfu City.

Having not slept all night, Su Shi, sporting two large dark circles under his eyes, was carrying ten thousand taels of gold as he walked through the streets of Daming Prefecture.

Following Jiang Lin's instructions, they did not report to the authorities, but instead went to a place no one expected—the largest entertainment venue in Daming Prefecture.

Before dawn, the entertainment district was already bustling with activity. Storytellers, singers, street performers—all sorts of people from different walks of life had gathered there.

This is the place where news spreads the fastest in the entire Daming Prefecture.

Su Shi spent a lot of money to book the best venue.

He didn't reveal his identity; he simply asked the storyteller to tell a completely new story based on the script he had given him.

The story is called "The Top Scholar of Ghost Cry Garden Competes in Magic, and Prefect Zhao Privately Opens the Underworld".

The content of the story is even more shocking.

From the "ghost fire stewed meat" in Ghost Cry Garden, to Scholar Su's "buttocks turned backward in a flat sand landing style" that repelled three thousand soldiers, to Prefect Zhao's guilty conscience and arson, finally, the most crucial secret is revealed—below Ghost Cry Garden is not the underworld at all, but a huge mine illegally mining "black water" and imprisoning tens of thousands of innocent refugees.

This story is told vividly and thrillingly.

The audience at the theater initially thought it was a newly adapted legend and listened with great interest.

But when they heard the words "Prefect Zhao" and "Blackwater Mine," everyone's expression changed.

Especially when Jin Wanliang, the former Vice Minister of Revenue who had been "missing" for three years, was invited to the stage by Su Shi and tearfully accused Zhao Liben of his crimes, the entire theater erupted in uproar.

"Oh my god! Is this real?"

"Lord Zhao... how could he be such a person?"

"No wonder people have been disappearing in the city these past few years; they've all been kidnapped and forced to work in the mines!"

Rumors spread like wildfire.

This shocking revelation spread like wildfire, starting from the theater and spreading throughout Daming Prefecture and even the entire Hebei Road.

……

In front of the hunter's cabin.

As Jiang Lin looked at the rising sun, he seemed to already see the towering waves that were about to surge within the city of Daming.

"Public opinion is only the first step," Jiang Lin said to Zhao Lingjun and Shen Kuo. "It can make Zhao Liben extremely anxious and prevent him from making any further rash moves. But to truly convict him, we still need someone who can deliver the final verdict."

He handed the most crucial ledger to Zhao Lingjun.

"Princess, it's up to you now."

Zhao Lingjun solemnly accepted the account book and hugged it tightly to his chest.

"Headmaster, what should I do?"

"Go find Wang Shao," Jiang Lin said, naming him. "He's at the military post station thirty miles outside the city, there to meet us. Have him escort you back to the capital as quickly as possible."

"Remember, this ledger is not to be given to anyone except the government." Jiang Lin's tone was more serious than ever before.

"I understand." Zhao Lingjun nodded heavily.

"Alright." Jiang Lin clapped his hands. "The stage is set up, and the actors are in place. Now, let's see how this arrogant Prefect Zhao will finish his last act."

He turned around and looked at the majestic and magnificent city of Daming Prefecture in the distance, his eyes becoming deep and cold.