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

The next day, an extraordinary event occurred in Bianjing.

A group of young masters, who usually rode in luxury cars and wore fine silks and satins, appeared in some of the dirtiest alleys of Bianjing City, each carrying a wooden bucket, going door to door asking, "Excuse me, does your outhouse... need cleaning?"

The scene was even more bizarre than seeing an iron tree bloom in the street.

At first, the residents thought it was some young master from a wealthy family who had nothing better to do than play some novel game, and they all avoided him like the plague.

But when Zhou Yuan, with the help of two servants, shakily carried the first bucket of "spoils of war" out of a family's backyard, everyone watching was stunned.

it is true!

These rich kids are actually shoveling manure!

The news spread like wildfire throughout Bianjing City within half a day.

In teahouses, taverns, and on the streets, everyone was talking about it.

"Have you heard? Young Master Zhou, the Vice Minister of State Affairs, led the way in cleaning up the latrines!"

"Not only that! The third young master of General Han's family and the son of Vice Minister Li's family also went!"

"My God, has the world gone mad? What are they after?"

"It's all because of that Dean Jiang from Jingshi Academy! I heard this is the homework he assigned, and if you don't finish it, you'll be expelled from the academy!"

"Isn't Jiang Shanchang too ruthless? Isn't he pushing someone to their death?"

"What do you mean by 'forced'? What do you know! I heard that the line to get into that Jingshi Academy is so long it stretches all the way to the city gates! With the Wu and Cai families fallen, who isn't afraid? Getting into the academy means you're one of the officials' own people, like having an extra life! Forget about shoveling latrines, people would fight over even if they were offered to eat!"

Jiang Lin and his Jingshi Academy were once again thrust into the spotlight.

Some criticized him for his eccentric behavior and lack of civility, while others admired his skillful methods in bringing these fearless spoiled brats under his thumb.

The most vehement reaction came from the students of the Imperial Academy.

The Imperial Academy, the highest institution of learning in the Song Dynasty, was the most sacred hall in the hearts of scholars throughout the land.

Everyone here is a well-read and self-assured young talent. They take it upon themselves to carry on the teachings of the sages and serve the country, and they value "refined manners" above all else.

Jiang Lin's act of smashing Chen Dong and his group's pride with bloodstained account books at Fanlou had already fueled their resentment. Now, Jiang Lin had staged this "excrement-collecting for admission" spectacle, which they saw as a blatant insult to all scholars!

"This is utterly disgraceful! A complete disgrace!"

Inside a dormitory at the Imperial Academy, Chen Dong was trembling with anger. He smashed the teacup in his hand on the ground, shattering it into pieces.

His father, Chen Huai, was "captured" by the Prince of Jing and imprisoned in the Dali Temple prison, his fate unknown. Overnight, the Chen family fell from grace, and he, the talented scholar who was the center of attention at the Imperial Academy, became a plague that everyone avoided.

He blamed all of this on Jiang Lin.

"This Jiang Lin is a wicked man! He doesn't use the way of the sages at all; he uses all sorts of crooked and evil tricks! By making those sons of the powerful and wealthy shovel latrines, he's telling the whole world that studying is useless, that civility is useless! He's trying to uproot the very foundation of Confucianism!"

"Brother Chen is right! If this villain is not eliminated, how can we scholars maintain our dignity?" A student named Wang Fu echoed indignantly.

"We absolutely cannot stand idly by! We must let him know that the literary world of our Great Song Dynasty is not a place for some unknown country bumpkin to run wild!"

"That's right! We need to show him what true sagely learning is!"

Inside the dormitory, a dozen or so young students were in a state of high spirits, each one like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

They were the chosen ones, accustomed to being revered. But Jiang Lin's appearance drastically shook their worldview.

Jiang Lin didn't debate the classics with them, nor did he compete with them in poetry. He directly used the most brutal and realistic method to tell them: What you've learned is useless.

This is worse than killing them.

"Brother Chen, what do you suggest? We'll do whatever you say!"

All eyes were on Chen Dong.

Chen Dong took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He knew that anger alone wouldn't work. To deal with someone like Jiang Lin, he had to use a calculated strategy, a method that Jiang Lin couldn't refuse, to drag him into his area of ​​expertise, and then use his extensive knowledge and rigorous logic to completely defeat him.

He wanted to trample Jiang Lin underfoot in front of all the people of Bianjing, proving that Jiang Lin's methods were nothing but a cheap trick to gain popularity, while the way of the sages represented by the Imperial Academy was the true path to governing the country.

"Isn't Jiang Lin going to teach students 'investigating things'? Doesn't he think we're just bookworms?" Chen Dong's eyes turned sinister. "Then let's compete with him and see whose knowledge is more capable of 'serving the world and benefiting the people'!"

"How do we compete?" Wang Fu asked.

"A debate on classics!" Chen Dong said decisively. "Let's set up a platform at the Imperial Academy, using 'national wealth' and 'people's wealth' as ​​the topics, and invite officials, renowned scholars, and famous figures from the court to serve as judges for a public debate with his Jingshi Academy!"

"National wealth versus people's wealth?" Wang Fu's eyes lit up. "That's a great topic! This is a major policy of the court, and it best reflects a person's talent for governing the world! Jiang Lin is just a country bumpkin; what does he know about national finances? We'll cite classic texts, from Guanzi to the Discourses on Salt and Iron, using the gains and losses of past dynasties to refute him. What can he use to argue with us?"

"That's right!" another student exclaimed excitedly. "His tricks are nothing but the whimsical skills of commoners; they're beneath him! Once he's in a situation that truly tests his academic abilities, he'll definitely be exposed for what he truly is!"

Chen Dong sneered, "He can refuse, but if he refuses, it's tantamount to admitting his guilty conscience and that the knowledge of his Jingshi Academy is nothing but heresy. Then, we can jointly petition him to accuse him of 'spreading heresy and corrupting academic integrity,' and even the emperor won't be able to protect him!"

"Brilliant!"

"Brother Chen's plan is absolutely foolproof!"

The crowd cheered, as if they could already see Jiang Lin being humiliated and driven out of Bianjing.

"It's not enough for just us Imperial Academy students to show our face," Chen Dong thought more deeply. "Wang Fu, your family and the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy are old friends. We'll have to trouble you to pull some strings. We must make this a grand spectacle, so the whole world can see how Jiang Lin was defeated by our Imperial Academy!"

"No problem! I've got it covered!" Wang Fu patted his chest and assured him.

"Furthermore, we can't just challenge Jiang Lin alone." Chen Dong's gaze shifted to the window, landing on the Wild Goose Pagoda where Su Shi inscribed his name when he achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination. "Doesn't he have a disciple who also achieved the highest rank, Su Zizhan? Although Su Zizhan is exceptionally talented in literature, he is ultimately young and impetuous, and will inevitably make mistakes in political affairs. During the debate, we will focus our attack on him! As long as we refute this top scholar until he is speechless, it will be the same as slapping Jiang Lin in the face!"

"Okay! Let's do it this way!"

A group of students from the Imperial Academy immediately sprang into action.

Someone was responsible for drafting the challenge letter, using extremely refined language, quoting classical texts, and full of that pedantic air unique to scholars—the kind of pretentious pedantry that wants to both insult you and appear very cultured.

Someone was responsible for contacting familiar officials and censors to spread rumors in the court.

Wang Fu immediately went home to visit the highly respected Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.