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

The iron pestle fell, its dull thud echoing through the silent blacksmith's shop with a peculiar rhythm.

Jiang Lin's movements were not fast, but each strike was delivered with full force, landing steadily on the ink blob in the center of the mortar. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and slid down his cheeks, but he didn't care, focusing intently on repeating this monotonous action.

Shen Kuo stood aside, watching the changes in the stone mortar intently.

After being pounded thousands of times, the originally slightly loose tobacco ash and glue have completely melted together, turning into a lump of glossy black ink paste that exudes a faint scent of ink and medicine.

"Master, that's about enough!" Shen Kuo said excitedly, observing the luster and elasticity of the ink paste. "If you keep pounding it, it will become too sticky."

Jiang Lin finally stopped and let out a long sigh of relief. Even he felt his arms were sore and numb from the continuous high-intensity physical labor, and his hand was throbbing with pain.

"Now it's your turn." Jiang Lin handed the stage over to Shen Kuo.

Shen Kuo nodded, carefully removing the lump of ink from the stone mortar and placing it on a clean stone slab. He then began to knead and roll it repeatedly with his hands, expelling the last bit of air. This process was somewhat similar to a northern pastry chef kneading dough, requiring considerable experience and a good feel for it.

Finally, Shen Kuo pressed the kneaded ink stick into a simple ink mold that he had temporarily carved from wood.

The ink mold has a very simple design; it is long and narrow, with only four characters engraved on it.

Jiang Lin leaned closer to take a look and saw that the four characters were written with vigorous strokes and extraordinary momentum. They were none other than Su Shi's handwriting – "Dongpo's Remaining Ink".

These four characters were copied by Jiang Lin from Su Shi's earlier manuscript of "Shooting the Eagle".

"Su Shi's calligraphy?" Shen Kuo read it aloud, his eyes lighting up. "Headmaster, what a great name! Senior Brother Su is currently being slandered by Zhao Liben, and his fate is unknown. Naming this ink after him will not only attract attention but also serve as a show of support for him!"

"Support him?" Jiang Lin smiled. "No, I'm just trying to make him the target of hatred."

"Huh?" Shen Kuo didn't react.

"Think about it, Su Shi's literary talent was unparalleled, which naturally attracted jealousy. Now, with this exquisite inkstone named after him, what will those self-important literati think, even if they don't say it?"

"They'll criticize Su Shi for seeking fame and fortune, but at the same time, they can't help but want to get their hands on this ink to prove their own taste. In the end, whether they praise or criticize, the reputation of 'Dongpo Ink' will spread throughout the city in the shortest amount of time," Jiang Lin explained.

Shen Kuo was dumbfounded. After a long while, he managed to stammer, "Headmaster, your move... is too underhanded."

"Warfare is based on deception." Jiang Lin waved his hand dismissively. "To deal with someone like Zhao Liben who doesn't follow the rules, you can't play by the rules."

After the ink stick was pressed and shaped in the mold, Shen Kuo took it out and put it into a box filled with wood ash for final drying.

"Master, now we just need to wait for it to dry slowly in the shade. This process can't be rushed; it will take at least ten days to half a month for the ink stick to dry completely and set, otherwise it will easily crack," Shen Kuo said.

"Ten days or half a month?" Jiang Lin shook his head. "We can't wait that long."

Zhao Liben's patience will only last three to five days at most. Once he realizes the search is fruitless, he may resort to more extreme measures. They must throw this ink out of the hole and ignite public opinion before that happens.

"However, if we force it to dry, the quality of the ink will be greatly reduced, and it may even become waste," Shen Kuo said anxiously.

"Who said we had to force it to be dried?" Jiang Lin pointed to the iron box that Shen Kuo had modified to collect tobacco ash. "We can use that iron box to precisely control the temperature and humidity, simulating the most suitable environment for air drying, thereby greatly shortening the drying time."

This theory, later known as the "constant temperature and humidity drying method," is a commonly used technique in industrial production. But to Shen Kuo at that moment, it was nothing short of a fantasy.

"Control the temperature and humidity? This... how is that even possible?"

"It's all up to human effort." Jiang Lin patted him on the shoulder. "I believe in you, Cunzhong. You're the top student in the 'Investigation of Things' class at Jingshi Academy. This little problem won't stump you."

Jiang Lin's flattery reignited Shen Kuo's fighting spirit. He circled the iron box several times, muttering calculations to himself, and soon immersed himself in tackling the new technical challenge.

Three more days passed.

Over the next three days, the atmosphere in Daming Prefecture grew increasingly oppressive. Checks at the city gates became more stringent, and more and more soldiers patrolled the streets. Some soldiers even began storming into civilian homes and conducting indiscriminate searches, causing widespread panic and discontent among the city's residents.

The theater where Su Shi and Jin Wanliang were hiding was raided by government soldiers several times. Fortunately, Old Wu was clever and hid them in a secret compartment under the stage each time, thus managing to escape unscathed.

Everyone sensed that a huge storm was about to break.

In the abandoned blacksmith shop, the first piece of "Dongpo's Ink" was finally successfully produced with the help of Shen Kuo's "black technology".

When Shen Kuo carefully handed the jet-black inkstick, which gleamed with a faint purple light, to Jiang Lin, both grown men couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

This ink was even more perfect than they had imagined.

The inkstone is as hard as jade and feels warm to the touch. A gentle sniff reveals no trace of smoke or glue, only a refined ink fragrance mixed with a faint medicinal aroma, which is refreshing and soothing.

"Give it a try." Jiang Lin's voice was also a little hoarse.

Shen Kuo had already prepared a fine Duan inkstone and a pool of clear water. He personally held the ink and gently ground the ink on the inkstone.

After only a few strokes, a pool of ink, as black as night and as bright as a mirror, appeared in the inkstone.

"Excellent ink!" Shen Kuo couldn't help but exclaim. "It grinds so quickly! And the grinding edge is so fine and silent. This quality... I'm afraid even Li Tinggui's 'Xi Ink' is no better!"

Jiang Lin took a wolf-hair brush, dipped it in ink, and casually wrote four characters on a rough piece of straw paper—

"The way of heaven is clear."

The brush touched the paper, the ink spreading instantly, then quickly coalescing again. That black was so pure, so profound, as if possessing a power to devour everything. The ink layers were distinct, the thickest parts unfathomably black, the lighter parts still vibrant and spirited.

Even more amazing is that the ink dries very quickly. After it dries, the paper seems to be covered with a thin layer of glossy varnish, which shimmers with a charming luster under the light.

"A divine product! This is absolutely divine!" Shen Kuo stared at those four words, trembling with excitement. "Headmaster, we succeeded! We succeeded!"

Jiang Lin also breathed a sigh of relief, and a long-lost smile appeared on his face.

He put down the brush in his hand, picked up the ink stick that embodied their hard work, and his eyes flashed with a sharp glint.

"The ink is fine, but I don't know if Prefect Zhao will appreciate this generous gift."

He turned to Shen Kuo and said, "Cunzhong, make all the remaining ink paste into inksticks. Send one to Prefect Zhao. As for the rest, we're going to hold the most unique 'auction' in the history of Daming Prefecture!"

Shen Kuo was taken aback, then realized what was happening and asked excitedly, "Headmaster, are we... going to take the initiative?"

Jiang Lin nodded, looking out the window as if he could already see Zhao Liben's distorted, horrified, and angry face when he received this "gift."

"That's right. He's sealing off the whole city to trap us. Well then, we'll bring everyone in the city onto our stage."

"Doesn't he love watching plays? This time, let's make him the star!"