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

The enormous fire dragon, formed by the explosive combustion of raging oil, carrying a world-destroying force, rushed straight towards Zhao Liben on the high platform amidst the terrified screams of countless people.

"No! No—!"

Zhao Liben's screams were drowned out by the deafening roar. He watched helplessly as the grotesque dragon head rapidly enlarged in his field of vision, the scorching heat already setting his official hat and beard ablaze. The fear of death gripped his heart instantly. He wanted to run, but his legs were already as weak as noodles, completely unresponsive.

Just when everyone thought Zhao Liben would be burned to a crisp, the raging fire dragon, less than three feet away from him, seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, and suddenly stopped. Then, the flames contracted and twisted violently, and finally, with a "boom," they turned into countless sparks flying down, only to be extinguished before hitting the ground.

The scene was deathly silent.

On the high platform, Zhao Liben lay limp on the ground, a foul odor emanating from his crotch, having literally wet himself in fear.

"Heavens...Heaven has shown mercy..." a soldier cried out in a trembling voice.

"It's the God of Literature! He merely punished the wicked and did not harm their lives!"

"May the Star Lord have mercy! May the Star Lord have mercy!"

The common people and soldiers began to kowtow frantically once again. The look in their eyes as they gazed at the indifferent figure on the high wall of Ghost Cry Garden was no longer one of awe, but of fanatical worship.

Jiang Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

Damn, that scared the hell out of me.

Shen Kuo's action just now was a complete blunder. He hadn't expected the explosion to be so precise and controllable, extinguishing just in front of Zhao Liben. If he had actually burned a high-ranking official to death in public, the consequences would have been dire. He would have been charged with treason.

However, the results were surprisingly good.

Jiang Lin cleared his throat, picked up the tin megaphone, and spoke in a low but clear voice that reached everyone's ears: "Zhao Liben, what goes around comes around, and even the gods have their wrath. Do you know your crime?"

Zhao Liben, who was lying on the ground, was trembling like a leaf and could not utter a single word.

"Headmaster, this..." Su Shi leaned closer, looking at the sea of ​​soldiers and civilians kneeling below, and was momentarily dazed. He had spent half his life studying the classics and had never imagined that one day he would witness such a "miracle" firsthand, and that he himself would be a participant in it.

"Don't speak, maintain your composure," Jiang Lin whispered a reminder. "You are now the representative of the God of Literature on Earth, mind your image."

Upon hearing this, Su Shi immediately straightened his back and tried to put on a compassionate expression, but in his heart he was furiously complaining: I'm just a poet, how did I become a spokesperson?

At this moment, Chen Xiang, the transport commissioner, and Zhang Ximeng, the prefectural judge, who were outside the crowd, finally squeezed to the front under the protection of a group of guards. They had also been quite frightened by the fire dragon, and their faces were now pale, their eyes filled with complex emotions as they looked at Jiang Lin.

"Lord Chen, Lord Zhang, you've come at the right time," Jiang Lin's voice came from the top of the wall. "This scoundrel has been illegally operating mines, enslaving the people, and trafficking in weapons, plotting a rebellion. Now, with witnesses and evidence in hand, he has incurred the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people, and the gods have issued a warning. As officials of the court, you two should know how to handle this."

Chen Xiang and Zhang Ximeng exchanged a glance, both seeing resolve in each other's eyes.

Now, Zhao Liben's downfall is a foregone conclusion. This is no longer a matter of political infighting; it is "divine will." Anyone who dares to protect Zhao Liben is going against the "God of Literature" in heaven and against the tens of thousands of people in Daming Prefecture.

Chen Xiang took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said loudly, "Men! Seize the criminal Zhao Liben and throw him into prison to await further orders! All guards, lay down your weapons and stand by!"

His guards rushed up the platform like wolves and tigers, dragging the terrified Zhao Liben down like a dead dog. The soldiers had long lost their will to fight, and upon hearing the order, they were as if granted a pardon, throwing their weapons to the ground with a series of clanging sounds.

"Seal off Ghost Cry Garden!" Chen Xiang then ordered, "No one is allowed to enter! Protect... protect the Star Lord's alchemy, do not disturb him!"

His words were extremely skillful; they both controlled the situation and gave Jiang Lin a great deal of face.

Jiang Lin nodded in satisfaction; Chen Xiang was a smart man.

He put down the loudspeaker and said to Su Shi and Shen Kuo beside him, "Alright, the play is over, let's wrap up."

Shen Kuo was still immersed in the data from the earlier oil explosion, muttering to himself, "That's not right. According to my calculations, the explosion range should have been larger. Why did it extinguish prematurely? Could it be that the concentration of turbid gas in the well wasn't high enough? I need to go and calculate it again..."

As he spoke, he started to run towards the well.

"Come back!" Jiang Lin grabbed him. "Now is not the time for scientific research. Niu Aihua, open the door, let's go out and meet those two officials."

Niu Aihua responded and walked to the courtyard gate. Looking at the broken door that she had kicked away and then barely managed to put back in, she curled her lip in disgust and simply kicked it down again.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Jiang Lin, accompanied by Su Shi, Shen Kuo, and Niu Aihua, strolled leisurely out of the Ghost Cry Garden.

The kneeling civilians and soldiers outside automatically parted to make way for Jiang Lin, and countless eyes converged on him with awe, curiosity, and fervor.

Jiang Lin walked straight up to Chen Xiang and Zhang Ximeng without glancing to either side, and cupped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Lord Chen and Lord Zhang."

Chen Xiang quickly returned the greeting, adopting an extremely humble posture: "I dare not accept such praise. Sir, you are a celestial being with astonishing abilities. I admire you wholeheartedly."

He no longer sees Jiang Lin as just an academy headmaster; he sees him as a living god in human skin.

"You flatter me, Lord Chen," Jiang Lin said with a faint smile. "I'm just a teacher. However, some principles must be explained, and some people must be dealt with."

His gaze swept over the distraught Zhao Liben, who was being escorted away, and he continued, "Some of the evidence against Zhao Liben is in the hands of Her Highness the Princess and will soon be presented to the Emperor. The other part lies beneath this Ghost Cry Garden. I think it's time for the people of Daming Prefecture to witness this hell on earth with their own eyes."

Chen Xiang felt a chill run down his spine and immediately understood Jiang Lin's meaning.

This is to expose Zhao Liben's crimes to the public and ensure he can never recover.

"You're right, sir!" Chen Xiang declared immediately. "I'll arrange for men to open the gates of hell right now, so everyone can see just how heinous the crimes Zhao Liben, this beast in human clothing, has committed!"

He turned to Zhang Ximeng and said, "Ximeng, this matter is in your hands! Be careful and protect the people. Also, please summon the best doctors to treat the victims in the mine!"

Zhang Ximeng nodded emphatically and immediately led his men to make the arrangements.

As the dry well of Ghost Cry Garden was fully opened, the entrance to the underground purgatory was exposed to the moonlight. When the torchlight illuminated the bottomless mine tunnels, and when the miners who had been enslaved for so long were rescued one by one and saw the light of day again, the entire Daming Prefecture was in an uproar.

Countless people, seeing the miners who were emaciated, poorly clothed, and covered in wounds, and listening to their tearful accusations, were filled with righteous indignation and wept bitterly.

The curses directed at Zhao Liben and the expressions of gratitude towards Jiang Lin and the others resounded throughout the night sky of Daming Prefecture.

Jiang Lin stood outside the crowd, quietly watching everything.

Standing beside him, Su Shi was filled with emotion: "Master, after this battle, I truly understand what 'the will of the people' means. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Zhao Liben lost the hearts of the people; even with immense power, he was destined to collapse."

"If you understand this, then this trip wasn't in vain." Jiang Lin patted him on the shoulder. "However, don't be too happy yet. Taking down Zhao Liben is just the beginning. The net behind him hasn't been closed yet."

Su Shi's expression turned solemn, and he nodded emphatically.

Jiang Lin looked up towards the direction of the capital, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

Lingjun, you should be arriving soon.

The storm in the capital has probably only just begun.