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

The back hall of the government office in Daming Prefecture.

This place has been temporarily requisitioned by Transport Commissioner Chen Xiang as a venue for interrogating Zhao Liben.

Zhao Liben knelt below the hall like a lump of mud, his former official authority completely gone, leaving only a deathly pale face. He knew he was finished, utterly finished. Divine intervention, a fire dragon descending from the sky, boiling public resentment, and overwhelming evidence—any one of these would have been enough to condemn him to eternal damnation, let alone all of them combined.

Chen Xiang sat in the main seat, his face ashen. As the survivors of the underground black mine were rescued one after another, Zhao Liben's crimes were revealed one by one. The cruelty and bloodshed were so extreme that even this transport commissioner, who was used to the ups and downs of officialdom, felt a chill run down his spine.

"Zhao Liben!" Chen Xiang slammed his gavel and roared, "Do you know your crime?!"

Zhao Liben trembled and kowtowed shakily, "This humble official...this humble official knows his crime, this humble official knows his crime..."

"Confess your guilt? I think you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin!" Chen Xiang threw a stack of freshly compiled confessions in front of him. "You illegally operated mines, enslaved thousands of refugees, and disregarded human life. Do you admit to any of this?"

"I admit...this humble official admits..."

"Do you admit to secretly trading with the Western Xia, trafficking in weapons, and aiding the enemy in treason?"

Upon hearing the words "aiding the enemy and betraying the country," Zhao Liben abruptly raised his head, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes before they dimmed again. He slumped down and said dejectedly, "I...I admit it all..."

Jiang Lin sat leisurely in a guest seat, sipping tea as if none of this concerned him. Su Shi and Shen Kuo stood behind him, their expressions contrasting. Su Shi was filled with anger, while Shen Kuo was more interested in how Zhao Liben would solve the technical problems of transporting and storing flammable oil.

"Headmaster, are we just going to let him admit it like that?" Su Shi asked in a low voice. "That's too lenient on him. What about the people behind him? Aren't we going to dig them out?"

Jiang Lin put down his teacup and said calmly, "What's the rush? He's like a frightened bird right now, answering whatever he's asked. But if we push him too far, he might resort to desperate measures and make wild accusations, which wouldn't be good. That ledger is in the princess's hands; that's the real trump card. Right now, we just need to get him to reveal some details that aren't in the ledger."

Jiang Lin stood up, walked up to Zhao Liben, and looked down at him.

"Prefect Zhao, how have you been?" Jiang Lin's tone was very calm, but to Zhao Liben it sounded like the whisper of a devil.

"You... are you a human or a ghost?" Zhao Liben looked at Jiang Lin in horror.

"Who I am is not important." Jiang Lin squatted down to look him in the eye. "What's important is that I want to know some things. For example, how did you make contact with the Western Xia people? Where did you trade? Besides weapons, what else did you trade?"

Zhao Liben's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but then he hesitated.

"Don't even think about hiding it." Jiang Lin's voice was soft. "Your family, your clansmen, are still in the capital. You've committed a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family. Do you want them all to be buried with you? If you speak out, the Emperor might show a sliver of remorse and grant you a proper burial, sparing your family from the calamity. But if you don't speak..."

Jiang Lin didn't continue speaking, but his icy gaze made Zhao Liben feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

"I'll talk... I'll talk..." Zhao Liben's mental defenses completely collapsed. "It was... it was the 'Black Crow' caravan from Xixia that approached me. Twice a year, under the guise of paying tribute, they would send people to infiltrate Daming Prefecture and meet with my people at 'Luanfenggang' outside the city. Besides weapons, they... they also wanted me to provide maps of the Song Dynasty's border troops, and... and the preferences and private information of some court officials..."

"A defense map?" Chen Xiang exclaimed in shock, jumping to his feet. "You even sold a defense map?"

This is irrefutable evidence of treason and collusion with the enemy!

"They...they gave too much..." Zhao Liben wept uncontrollably. "I was blinded by greed...I..."

"Scumbag!" Su Shi couldn't help but curse.

Jiang Lin waved his hand, signaling him to calm down, and continued to ask, "The privacy of court officials? What would they need this for?"

"I...I don't know either," Zhao Liben shook his head. "They just told me to collect information, especially from the military generals and officials who advocated a hardline stance against Western Xia, the more detailed the better. They said it was to...to better understand the political situation in the Song Dynasty."

Jiang Lin frowned.

Something's not right here. The Western Xia people probably wanted these things for more than just "understanding the political situation." It's more like they were preparing for some deeper level of infiltration and division.

He glanced at Chen Xiang, who understood and immediately ordered someone to record Zhao Liben's confession word for word and have it signed.

The interrogation continued until dawn.

In order to save his life, Zhao Liben confessed almost everything he knew. In addition to the transactions with the Western Xia, he also revealed how he used his connections to sell the extracted oil to powerful figures in the capital, and the locations where he hid the enormous wealth he had embezzled over the years.

A vast, interconnected black network, stretching from local areas to the capital, and from commerce to the military, is gradually becoming clear to the public.

Chen Xiang stared at the lengthy confession, dozens of pages long, his hands and feet turning cold. He knew that this case had far exceeded the scope of what a mere transport commissioner like himself could handle.

"Mr. Jiang," Chen Xiang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, walked up to Jiang Lin, and said respectfully, "This matter... this matter must be reported to the imperial court immediately. I will write an urgent memorial and submit this confession along with the matter of Daming Prefecture to Your Majesty. In addition, I would like to ask you and Scholar Su and the others to stay in Daming Prefecture for the time being, so that there can be witnesses when the imperial decree is issued."

Jiang Lin nodded: "That's how it should be. However, before the imperial edict is issued, I would like to ask Lord Chen to keep the news confidential, especially the part about Western Xia. It must not be leaked, so as not to alert the enemy."

"Your humble servant understands!" Chen Xiang replied solemnly.

By the time Zhao Liben's matter was dealt with, it was already broad daylight.

Jiang Lin led Su Shi and Shen Kuo back to a quiet residence that Qian Duoduo had arranged in advance. Jin Wanliang and Old Wu were also brought over, finally out of danger.

As soon as he entered, Su Shi slumped into a chair and sighed, "It's finally over. These past few days have been more tiring than ten years of studying."

"The end? Not a chance." Jiang Lin poured himself a cup of tea. "The mess in Daming Prefecture will keep Chen Xiang and the others busy cleaning up for a while. Our real battlefield is in the capital."

Just then, a servant rushed in from outside, his face showing a hint of anxiety.

"Jiang Shanchang, something terrible has happened! A letter has arrived from the capital!"

He handed over a letter. The envelope had no markings, but the sealing wax was the secret seal of Jingshi Academy.

Jiang Lin's heart sank; he had a bad feeling.

He tore open the envelope and quickly glanced through it. The letter was sent by Wang Shao; the handwriting was messy, clearly written in a very rushed manner.

The letter contained few words, but every single one struck Jiang Lin's heart like a heavy hammer blow.

"The princess has arrived in the capital, and the account books have been submitted. However, there is great resistance at court. A high-ranking official has placed the princess under house arrest in the palace on the grounds of 'spreading rumors and fabricating evidence.' On the same day, the Western Xia delegation arrived in the capital, seeking a marriage alliance with the Emperor… The person they are seeking is none other than Princess Jianing, Zhao Lingjun. The pro-peace ministers strongly advocate for granting the request to solidify relations between the two countries. The situation is critical; please return immediately, Headmaster!"

"Snapped!"

Jiang Lin crushed the teacup in his hand into pieces.

A chilling killing intent emanated from him, and the temperature in the entire room seemed to drop several degrees.

"Headmaster?" Su Shi and Shen Kuo were both taken aback by Jiang Lin's reaction, having never seen him so out of control.

Jiang Lin slowly raised his head, his eyes showing no anger, only a bottomless, icy pool.

"They want Lingjun to go and marry into a foreign power?"

His voice was soft, yet carried a chilling calmness.

"Good, very good. It's really very good."