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

Half an hour later.

Zhou House.

Zhou Boyan, the Vice Minister of State Affairs, cried his heart out at home.

His only son was gone just like that.

He hated Jiang Lin, hated Jingshi Academy, and hated himself even more for sending his son to that hellish place.

Just then, a servant came to report that someone from the palace had arrived.

Zhou Boyan quickly wiped away his tears and went out to greet them.

The one who arrived was King Zhao Xi of Jing.

Zhao Xi, her face filled with grief, held Zhou Boyan's hand and sighed deeply.

"Lord Zhou, please accept my deepest condolences. I have also heard about your son's situation. Truly, heaven is jealous of talent! Heaven is jealous of talent!"

"Your Highness..." Zhou Boyan's tears fell again when he saw him.

"That Jiang Lin is truly hateful!" Zhao Xi said indignantly. "He uses sorcery to bewitch the masses, acts perversely, and now he has even taken your son's life! Such a villain must be severely punished; otherwise, it would be an injustice to Heaven!"

"Your Highness, you must do me justice!" Zhou Boyan cried out as if grasping at a straw.

"Don't worry." Zhao Xi patted his shoulder. "I have already contacted dozens of colleagues in the court. Tomorrow morning at court, we will definitely submit a joint memorial impeaching Jiang Lin and seeking justice for your son!"

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!" Zhou Boyan was moved to tears.

Zhao Xi comforted him for a few words, then left with a "heavy expression".

As Zhao Xi left the Zhou residence and boarded the carriage to return home, the sorrow on her face vanished instantly, replaced by an irrepressible smugness.

Jiang Lin, you are still too young.

You thought you could outsmart everyone, but you never expected to fall victim to such underhanded tactics, did you?

With Zhou Yuan dead, Zhou Boyan, the Vice Chancellor, will become the sharpest knife in my hand. At that time, with him leading the wailing and protests in the court, and with the public opinion campaign I've arranged among the people, Jiang Lin, even if you have a thousand mouths, you won't be able to explain yourself.

No matter how much the emperor admires you, he would never risk offending the entire scholar-official class for someone whose reputation is already ruined.

Your death is near.

……

That evening, a fine coffin made of Phoebe zhennan wood was carried into Jiang Lin's courtyard.

After being "processed" by Shen Kuo, Zhou Yuan's "corpse" was carefully placed into a coffin.

The entire courtyard was draped in white banners, a scene of solemn mourning.

Su Shi's "Elegy for Zhou Sheng" spread throughout Bianjing (Kaifeng) at lightning speed.

"...Alas, Zhou Sheng, young and ambitious, abandoned his fine clothes to plunge into the mire, for the sake of the people, measuring fields and paths, tirelessly enduring hardship, undeterred by heat or cold. One day he succumbed to illness, his soul returning to Mount Tianmu. His lofty ambitions unfulfilled, he died young, forever leaving heroes to weep with sorrow..."

Su Shi's literary talent was already unparalleled, and coupled with his genuine emotions, this article was written with every word dripping with blood, moving all who heard it to tears.

The people of Bianjing then realized that the纨绔子弟 (a spoiled, dissolute young man) who led the way in shoveling latrines, and the unlucky fellow who fell into the stinking ditch, had died while trying to save them, the disaster victims.

Public opinion underwent a subtle reversal once again.

The criticism of Jiang Lin and Jingshi Academy subsided, replaced by sympathy and regret for Zhou Yuan.

Many people even spontaneously went to the entrance of Jiang Lin's courtyard to pay their respects to Zhou Yuan.

In a secret room deep within the courtyard.

Jiang Lin and Shen Kuo stood facing a large wooden barrel filled with strong liquor, ready for battle.

A person is soaking in a wooden tub.

It was Zhou Yuan, who was already "dead".

He was completely naked except for a hollow reed tube inserted into his mouth and nose for breathing.

"Master, is it really... really possible?" Shen Kuo's palms were sweating with nervousness.

"I don't know." Jiang Lin's answer was straightforward. "That's what the book says. Gu worms are afraid of strong liquor and high temperatures. Soaking them in high-proof liquor, combined with moxibustion, has a certain chance of forcing the Gu worms out."

This was a folk remedy he had stumbled upon while reading some ethnography and unofficial histories in his previous life. He himself was unsure whether it would actually work.

Now, we have no choice but to try anything, even if it seems hopeless.

"Let's begin," Jiang Lin said in a deep voice.

Shen Kuo nodded, took out the moxa sticks he had prepared, lit them, and began to smoke and roast the wood in several specific locations around the barrel.

As the temperature rises, the spirits in the wooden barrel begin to emit strong steam.

Inside the sealed room, the smell of alcohol and the smoke from the mugwort mixed together, making it hard to open one's eyes.

Time passed, second by second.

Zhou Yuan remained unresponsive inside the wooden tub, like a real corpse.

Shen Kuo's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.

Jiang Lin's heart was in his throat.

Just when he was about to give up.

Suddenly, Zhou Yuan's body convulsed violently.

Then, his tightly closed mouth suddenly opened.

A strange insect, entirely black, about an inch long, resembling a centipede but with a pair of transparent wings, suddenly shot out from deep within his throat!

The strange insect seemed extremely afraid of the surrounding alcohol fumes and high temperature. As soon as it emerged, it flapped its wings, trying to escape.

"Now!" Jiang Lin shouted.

Niu Aihua, who was standing by, reacted quickly and used a pair of red-hot iron tongs to clamp down in mid-air!

With a "sizzle" sound!

A foul stench of burnt flesh instantly filled the air.

The strange worm was tightly clamped by the iron pincers, emitting a piercing shriek as its body twisted and struggled violently before finally turning into a pool of black water.

The Gu worms were forced out!

Jiang Lin and Shen Kuo both breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the ground.

After spitting out the Gu worm, Zhou Yuan's originally bluish-purple complexion began to return to rosy color at a visible speed.

His heartbeat, which had been faint and barely perceptible, became strong and powerful.

He came back to life!

Early the next morning.

Just as Prince Zhao Xi of Jing, together with dozens of censors, was preparing to launch a fatal attack on Jiang Lin in the court.

A coffin made of golden nanmu wood was carried out of Jiang Lin's small courtyard by a grand procession.

The funeral procession stretched as far as the eye could see.

Not only were there students from Jingshi Academy, but also thousands of ordinary people from Bianjing and disaster victims who came spontaneously.

At the very front of the procession, Su Shi held the memorial tablet in his hands, his face filled with sorrow.

Jiang Lin, dressed in white mourning clothes, personally supported the coffin.

The procession proceeded to Zhuque Avenue, preparing to head towards the Zhou family ancestral tombs outside the city.

Just then, a soft "knock" sound came from inside the coffin.

The sound was very soft, but it was exceptionally clear in the solemn funeral procession.

Everyone stopped and looked at each other in bewilderment.

What was that sound?

"It seems...it seems to be coming from inside the coffin?"

Jiang Lin's face showed a look of "astonishment".

"Quick! Open the coffin!" he shouted.

Several servants hurriedly pried open the coffin lid.

Then, under the gaze of tens of thousands of shocked, horrified, and incredulous eyes.

Zhou Yuan, who had been "dead" for three days, slowly sat up from the coffin.

He looked around blankly, then at the burial clothes he was wearing, and finally his gaze fell on Jiang Lin. Weakly, but with unwavering clarity, he called out:

"Headmaster..."

The entire room fell silent.

Immediately, a scream erupted, as loud as a landslide or a tsunami!

"It's...it's risen from the dead!"

"My God! The dead have come back to life!"

Ignoring the gasps of the crowd, Jiang Lin stepped forward, supported the swaying Zhou Yuan, and then, in front of everyone, took something out of Zhou Yuan's sleeve.

It was a folded petition.

Above, two large, crooked characters were written in blood.

—Seek justice!

Jiang Lin unfurled the petition, and with all his might, shouted angrily towards the direction of the palace:

"Zhou Yuan, a student of Jingshi Academy, has recovered from a serious illness and come back to life! He hereby submits a letter written in blood, accusing Prince Zhao Xi of using witchcraft to frame loyal officials and murder students! We beg Your Majesty to uphold justice for all scholars in the land!"

The sound, like a thunderclap, exploded in the sky above Bianjing City!