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

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The urgent knocking startled Jin Wanliang, who was pacing inside the room.

"Who...who is it?" he asked nervously, lowering his voice.

"I am Su Shi."

Su Shi's voice came from outside the door.

Jin Wanliang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ran over to unlatch the door bolt.

Su Shi slipped in, immediately closed the door, and locked it from the inside. His face was pale, his forehead was covered in sweat, and his chest was heaving violently.

"Something terrible has happened, Lao Jin!" Su Shi said, leaning against the door, panting heavily.

"What happened?" Jin Wanliang's heart jumped again. "Did that old bastard Zhao Liben do something?"

"It's more than just physical violence!" Su Shi said with a wry smile. "He even overturned the table! Now the streets are swarming with soldiers, searching house to house! The city gates are all closed. They say they're catching some notorious bandit, but I think they're after us!"

"What?!" Jin Wanliang collapsed to the ground, his face ashen. "It's over, it's over... We're trapped like rats in a barrel... I knew it, I knew we shouldn't have listened to Jiang Lin, he's a madman! Now look what's happened, he's got us all dead!"

He became increasingly frightened as he spoke, clutching his head and trembling.

He had barely escaped that hellish place and hadn't even had a few days of peace when he faced the risk of being caught and taken back. The thought of that dark and gloomy mine sent chills down his spine.

"What are you panicking for!" Su Shi was furious at his spineless appearance. "Is this the time to panic? The headmaster anticipated Zhao Liben's move. As long as we hide well, we'll be fine!"

"Hide? Where can we hide?" Jin Wanliang cried, "This is Zhao Liben's territory. He could turn the entire Daming Prefecture upside down, and none of us could escape! Scholar Su, you're a man of official rank; perhaps he wouldn't dare do anything to you. But me? I'm just a fugitive. If I get caught, he'll definitely kill me!"

Su Shi frowned. Jin Wanliang's words made sense. The place they were hiding in was the former residence of one of Jin Wanliang's mistresses. Although it was secluded, it could not withstand a search by government troops.

We have to find a different place.

But where can we exchange it for?

Su Shi's mind raced. He couldn't stay at an inn; it had long been under government control. Friends? He was a stranger in this place; where would he find friends?

Are we really just going to sit here and wait to die?

Do not!

A hint of stubbornness flashed in Su Shi's eyes. He was the top scholar in the imperial examination, the headmaster's eldest disciple. The headmaster had entrusted him with such an important task; he absolutely could not fail like this.

He forced himself to calm down and carefully recalled Jiang Lin's plan.

Jiang Lin once said that the battleground for public opinion lies with the people. Therefore, the strongest force to protect them must also be among the people.

Soldiers can search civilian homes and inns, but there are always some places that are inconvenient for them to search, or that they disdain to search.

such as……

Su Shi's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Old Jin, do you remember that karaoke bar we went to yesterday?"

"Washe?" Jin Wanliang was taken aback. "I remember, what's wrong?"

"What was that storyteller's name again?"

"I think his name is... Old Wu."

"Yes! That's him!" Su Shi slapped his thigh. "Let's go find him!"

"Looking for him? What do you want with him?" Jin Wanliang asked, puzzled. "He's just a storyteller, what use is he? The soldiers will definitely go after him first!"

"Precisely because the soldiers will go to him first, his place might actually be the safest place right now." Su Shi's thoughts became clearer. "If Zhao Liben wants to arrest someone, he will definitely go to the theater. But after they arrest the person, they will think that the source has been cut off, and they will relax their vigilance on that place."

"Moreover," Su Shi paused, then continued, "think about it, where are the most people, the most diverse, and the most chaotic places? It's places like entertainment districts, where all sorts of people gather. If we mingle in there, it's like a drop of water flowing into the ocean—how will they find us?"

Jin Wanliang listened with skepticism: "This... will it work?"

"Whether it works or not, we have to try! It's better than waiting to die here!" Su Shi pulled Jin Wanliang up. "Quick, pack up, we're leaving right now! Before the searching soldiers reach this street, let's sneak out the back door."

The two dared not delay any longer. After quickly tidying up, they climbed over the wall from the backyard and slipped into a small alley next to it.

Like two frightened mice, they darted through the maze-like alleyways, deliberately choosing secluded and deserted corners. Along the way, they could clearly hear the shouts of soldiers and the cries of the people coming from the main street.

Jin Wanliang was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he wanted to give up several times, but Su Shi pulled him along from the front.

With great difficulty, they finally managed to get around to the back entrance of Paradis.

Su Shi looked around to make sure no one was there before knocking on the door.

After knocking for a while, a hoarse and wary voice finally came from inside: "Who is it?"

"Mr. Wu, it's me, the one who came to you yesterday to tell you a story," Su Shi said in a low voice.

There was a moment of silence inside the door, then the bolt was gently pulled open, revealing a crack. Old Wu's wrinkled face appeared behind the door; when he saw it was Su Shi, his expression changed.

"Oh dear, young master! How dare you come here! The officials just left, and they're out there looking for you!" Old Wu stamped his feet anxiously.

"Mr. Wu, I know. That's why I've come to seek refuge with you," Su Shi said sincerely. "Please do us a favor and let us hide here for a while. Rest assured, we will not implicate you."

Old Wu looked troubled. He was just a mouthpiece for a living; how could he dare to go against the government?

Su Shi noticed his hesitation, took out a silver ingot from his pocket, and stuffed it into his hand.

"Mr. Wu, I know this matter has put you in a difficult position. But we are forced into this situation. The story you told yesterday concerns the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of people in Daming Prefecture. If we are arrested, those imprisoned in the illegal mines will never see the light of day again."

Su Shi's words made Old Wu's eyes flicker. Although he was a nobody, he had spent his whole life telling stories, and he still had some sense of loyalty, treachery, good, and evil in his heart.

He gritted his teeth and pushed the silver back.

"Young master, what are you saying? I can't accept this money." He turned to the side, opened the door, and said, "Come in. How long you can hide is up to fate."

Su Shi and Jin Wanliang were overjoyed and quickly slipped into the theater.

Old Wu led them to a storage room backstage where miscellaneous items were piled up.

"No one usually comes here, so you can stay here for now. I'll bring you food and drinks later," Old Wu instructed. "Don't make a sound or wander around."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Wu!" Su Shi said gratefully, bowing with his hands clasped.

"Don't thank me, I'm doing this for those who died unjustly." Old Wu sighed and turned to leave.

The storage room was dimly lit and filled with dust and a musty smell. Jin Wanliang plopped down on the floor, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Su Shi stood still, peering through the crack in the door at the performers struggling to make a living on the stage outside, his gaze becoming complicated.

For the first time, he truly felt the power of the "people".

For the first time, I understood the true meaning of the headmaster's words.

Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Zhao Li thought he could control everything, but he didn't know that when he became an enemy of all the people, his defeat was already inevitable.