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

Traveling south, stopping and starting along the way, they built two bridges, resolved three cases of local bullies oppressing the villagers, and incidentally popularized the smallpox vaccination method, preventing a small-scale outbreak.

When Jiang Lin's entourage arrived outside Hangzhou, Su Shi's reputation as "Su Qingtian" had already spread throughout the Jiangnan region through the mouths of merchants traveling north and south.

The people eagerly awaited to see what this legendary, benevolent, and exceptionally talented new top scholar looked like.

However, when Su Shi's carriage arrived at the gates of Hangzhou, the expected scene of loud gongs and drums and the crowds flocking to welcome him did not materialize.

The city gate was deserted, with only a few minor officials leaning against the city wall, yawning listlessly.

Leading the procession was a middle-aged man with a goatee, dressed in the robes of a prefect. When he saw Su Shi's entourage, he merely raised his eyelids lazily and gave a token bow.

"This humble official, Liu Wenhai, the Prefect of Hangzhou, has met with Vice Prefect Su."

His tone was flat, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible contempt.

Although the Tongpan was a deputy sent by the imperial court to supervise the Zhizhou (prefect), and had the power to co-sign documents, the Zhizhou was the real leader in the local area. How dare a mere Zhuangyuan (top scholar) who hadn't even grown his hair yet try to boss people around in Liu Wenhai's territory? Dream on.

Su Shi frowned slightly.

Although he disliked the red tape of officialdom, the other party's attitude clearly showed that they didn't take him seriously. This was no longer a matter of etiquette, but a blatant provocation.

"You're too kind, Prefect Liu." Su Shi stepped down from the carriage and returned the greeting with neither servility nor arrogance. "I am new here and will need Prefect Liu's guidance in the future."

"Of course, of course," Liu Wenhai said with a forced smile. "Prefect Su must be tired from his long journey. I have already arranged accommodations for you, and I will send someone to take you there in a moment."

After saying that, he gave a wink to a minor official next to him.

The clerk understood immediately, walked up to Su Shi, and said with a fawning smile, "Lord Su, please come with me."

Su Shi wanted to say a few more words to Prefect Liu to find out more about him, but seeing that the other party was indifferent, he had no choice but to give up.

Led by the minor official, the convoy passed through the bustling streets of Hangzhou, winding its way through the city before finally stopping at the end of a secluded alley.

Before me stood a dilapidated mansion, the paint on the gate mostly peeled off, revealing the rotten wood inside. A crooked plaque hung above the gate, bearing the two characters "Su Mansion," which looked as if they had been carelessly scribbled on with ink, the ink even spreading out in a smudge.

Pushing open the creaking courtyard gate, a damp, musty smell wafted out.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds and covered with cobwebs. In the very center of the hall, there was even a huge hole in the roof beam, through which sunlight shone, creating a dappled patch of light on the ground.

"This...this is the place you were talking about?" Qian Duoduo looked at the scene before her, her face turning green with anger.

This is no residence for high-ranking officials; it's clearly a haunted house!

The clerk who had led the way spread his hands innocently: "Sir, please don't wrong me. This is the most... the most spacious official residence we could find in the city. As you know, land in Hangzhou is incredibly valuable, and official residences are extremely scarce. Prefect Liu went to great lengths to make room for you, Lord Su."

"Bullshit!" Niu Aihua, with her fiery temper, grabbed the clerk by the collar and lifted him up. "Do you think I'm stupid? Believe me or not, I'll chop you in half right now!"

"Heroine, spare me! Heroine, spare me!" The clerk was terrified, and a foul smell wafted from his crotch.

"Stop, Ai Hua," Su Shi said, stopping her.

He looked at the dilapidated house before him, his heart burning with anger, but his face remained calm.

He knew this was the first sign of trouble from the other party.

If he were to fly into a rage over such a trivial matter today, he would have fallen right into the other party's trap, solidifying his reputation as "young and hot-blooded, and ignorant of the rules."

"Thank you for your trouble," Su Shi said calmly to the terrified official, then turned to the crowd and said, "Don't just stand there, get started cleaning. I think this place is quite nice, quiet and peaceful."

Although everyone was indignant, they had no choice but to suppress their anger and begin cleaning up after Su Shi had spoken up.

Just then, Jiang Lin's luxurious four-wheeled carriage slowly drove up and stopped at the entrance of the alley.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Jiang Lin peeked out. He glanced at the dilapidated "Su Mansion," then at Su Shi weeding in the courtyard, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Wow, Zizhan, not bad. A new official, and you're already living in such a... unique house?"

Su Shi gave a wry smile: "Teacher, please don't make fun of me."

Jiang Lin jumped out of the car, put his hands behind his back, and paced around the yard twice like an old cadre on an inspection tour.

"Hmm, not bad at all. Great natural light, excellent ventilation, and it even has its own natural lawn—a truly auspicious place."

Zhao Lingjun followed behind, looking at the huge hole in the roof, and said irritably, "Jiang Lin, are you blind? Is this a place anyone can live in?"

"Why can't we live here?" Jiang Lin said seriously. "With a little renovation, it would be a wonderful place to stay. Look at that hole in the roof, it could be turned into a skylight, so you could lie in bed at night and watch the stars. How romantic!"

"I..." Zhao Lingjun was stunned by his twisted logic.

Just then, another yamen runner arrived, carrying a large pile of dusty files.

"Lord Su, this is what Prefect Liu sent for you. These are all long-standing unsolved cases in Hangzhou Prefecture. Prefect Liu said that since you are the newly appointed top scholar and a brilliant judge, these cases will be entrusted to you."

After saying that, the yamen runner put the file on the ground, turned around and ran away, as if he was afraid of getting some bad luck on him.

Su Shi stepped forward, picked up a scroll at random, opened it, and immediately frowned.

"The cargo ship that disappeared fifteen years ago..."

"The murder of a wealthy businessman's entire family twenty years ago..."

"A child abduction case from thirty years ago..."

They are all old, trivial cases. The evidence is long gone, and the witnesses are either dead or moved, making it impossible to investigate them.

This Liu Wenhai not only humiliated him at his residence, but also tried to ruin him with these flimsy cases, making him unable to hold his head up in Hangzhou Prefecture.

"This is outrageous!" Su Shi was so angry that he trembled and punched a pillar next to him.

"Are you angry?" Jiang Lin's voice drifted over.

"Teacher, Liu Wenhai is clearly trying to kill me!" Su Shi said through gritted teeth.

"So what are you planning to do? Go and argue with someone? Or write a memorial to the emperor and go back to the capital to file a complaint?" Jiang Lin glanced at him sideways.

Su Shi was speechless.

He knew neither method would work. Arguing would only make him a laughingstock, and complaining? That wouldn't solve his immediate problem; by the time the approval came from the capital, Liu Wenhai would have already ruined him.

"Teacher, I..."

"Remember, Zizhan," Jiang Lin patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "The officialdom is not an examination hall. You can't win just because you write well or your reasoning is correct. Here, it's about who has the more skillful methods and who has the harder fist."

He paused, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"He gave us a hard time, so we'll give him a taste of his own medicine. He wants us to back down, but we'll be right here and do something truly extraordinary."

Jiang Lin walked to the center of the courtyard and looked up at the western sky.

The afterglow of the setting sun is shining on the West Lake not far away, making it sparkle and look very beautiful.

However, amidst the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains, Jiang Lin keenly detected a... stench of decay.

"Come on, I'll take you to a good place," Jiang Lin said to the group.

"Where to?"

"West Lake." Jiang Lin's gaze deepened. "Let's go see the first great gift that our Prefect Liu has given us."