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

All eyes in the hall were focused on Su Shi and the eunuch holding the imperial edict.

The atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

Receiving the imperial decree meant that Su Shi had admitted to all the charges, the West Lake project had completely failed, and all the hard work of everyone had gone to waste.

Refusing the imperial decree is tantamount to disobeying it, a crime punishable by double the severity, beyond even the help of a deity.

This is a dead end.

Su Shi's lips moved, filled with bitterness. He knew he had no choice. He couldn't implicate his teacher, nor could he implicate the princess.

He slowly extended his hand.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the rolled-up yellow silk, Jiang Lin's hand firmly landed on his shoulder.

The hand didn't exert any force, yet it seemed to carry an undeniable power that brought Su Shi to a stop.

Su Shi turned around in surprise and saw Jiang Lin's face, which was so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.

"Sir..." he called softly.

Jiang Lin ignored him and stepped forward to face the eunuch holding the imperial decree.

"Father-in-law, you've worked hard." Jiang Lin's tone was very calm, even with a slight smile, but that smile was colder than ice. "I'm afraid we cannot accept this imperial decree."

boom!

Jiang Lin's words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the silent hall.

Cannot answer?

Has he gone mad?

Does he know what he's saying?

Lord Wang and the Lin family head could hardly believe their ears; a surge of joy instantly welled up in their hearts.

That's wonderful! It's like heaven is helping me!

They were just wondering how to escalate the situation, but they never expected that the other party would actually walk headlong into their own death!

Disobeying the imperial decree! This is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!

The eunuch's face changed instantly, and he shouted sternly, "How dare you! Who are you? How dare you speak such arrogant words and disregard the laws of the court!"

"Me?" Jiang Lin smiled. "I'm just a pageboy for Lord Su. But even a pageboy can see that there are several major problems in this decree."

"Nonsense!" The eunuch was so angry that his whisk trembled. "The imperial edict was issued by the Secretariat-Chancellery and represents the court. How dare you, a mere servant, interfere!"

"Please don't be hasty, Your Excellency," Jiang Lin said unhurriedly. "Regarding the first question, as you yourself said, this decree was issued by the Secretariat-Chancellery, and is a 'court edict,' not a 'decree' personally written by His Majesty. According to the regulations of our Great Song Dynasty, although a court edict has the effect of law, if it is seriously inconsistent with the local situation or has major omissions, local officials have the right to submit a memorial to appeal and request a review."

"This is not something I'm making up. It's a rule set by the founding emperor to prevent powerful ministers from dominating the court and deceiving the emperor."

Jiang Lin directly invoked the ancestral family laws of the Song Dynasty.

The eunuch choked on his words. Although he was a palace official, he might not have been as familiar with these complex court regulations as Jiang Lin, an associate professor of history.

Before he could retort, Jiang Lin continued, "The second question is about the imperial edict, which states that Lord Su 'filled in the lake and sold land.' This is utter nonsense. We have never sold an inch of land! The land of West Lake belongs to the Great Song Dynasty forever. What we are transferring is the 'century-long right to use' the land on the embankment!"

"Our Jing Shi Academy has already submitted a detailed report to the authorities regarding this concept. This is an innovative move to revitalize state-owned assets, so how did it become a serious crime of illegally selling off national territory in the mouths of some people?"

"A century-long usage right?"

This new term stunned everyone present.

The businessmen's eyes lit up. That's right! We're not buying land, just the right to use it! That makes a completely different deal!

"As for the third question, it is also the most important one."

Jiang Lin's voice suddenly rose, his gaze sweeping across the entire room like lightning.

"This decree only states that construction is halted and that it is null and void. Then I ask you, have the ministers of the Secretariat who issued this decree considered the consequences?"

"At the West Lake construction site, there are 3,121 workers. Behind them are more than 3,000 families and tens of thousands of mouths waiting to be fed! If work is stopped, they will once again become starving refugees tomorrow! Who will bear this responsibility?"

"The merchants present here have invested a total of 93,000 strings of cash in response to the government's call and for the development of Hangzhou! With this loss nullified, their life savings are gone! Who will compensate them for this loss?"

Jiang Lin pointed at the ashen-faced merchants, asking each question with a stern tone.

"Is it possible that a mere piece of paper written on a whim by some high-ranking officials in the capital will cause tens of thousands of people to be displaced and the entire business community of Hangzhou to go bankrupt?"

"May I ask, Your Excellency, are the officials of the Secretariat planning to allocate 100,000 strings of cash from the national treasury to compensate the merchants, or are they planning to open the granaries to distribute grain to feed these 3,000 workers?"

"If they can do it, we will accept the decree immediately without hesitation! If they cannot, then this decree, which only concerns killing and not burying, is a wicked decree that will bring disaster to the country and its people!"

"We are unable to comply!"

Jiang Lin's every word was like a heavy hammer, striking everyone's heart hard.

He instantly elevated a simple matter of disobeying an imperial decree to a matter of national welfare, the court's reputation, and the lives of countless people.

He wasn’t defending Su Shi personally; he was advocating for the three thousand workers, the investors, and the future of Hangzhou as a whole!

The merchants, who had been despondent, were now excited as if they had grasped at the last straw when they heard Jiang Lin's words.

"Yes! We can't stop production!"

"We can't just let our money disappear like this!"

"The imperial court cannot treat us like this!"

The eunuch was left dizzy and sweating profusely by Jiang Lin's barrage of questions.

He was merely a messenger; how could he possibly answer these questions? Compensation? Grain distribution? Even selling him outright wouldn't get him to do that!

He shouted, his voice trembling with fear, "You...you're just making excuses! You're threatening the imperial court!"

"A threat?" Jiang Lin sneered. "I'm just stating the facts. A decree that can't even handle the aftermath is utter bullshit!"

Just then, Su Shi, who had been silent all along, finally stood up.

Jiang Lin's words completely enlightened him.

Yes, what am I afraid of? Everything I've done has been in accordance with the court's will and the people's will! I've done nothing wrong! The ones who are wrong are those powerful ministers sitting in the capital, who only know how to form cliques and suppress dissent, and who don't care about the lives of the people!

An unprecedented surge of courage and boldness burst forth from his chest.

He walked to Jiang Lin's side, looked directly at the eunuch, and said in an extremely firm and clear voice:

"Father-in-law, my teacher... oh no, my page's words are my words."

"I, Su Shi, as the Vice Prefect of Hangzhou, am paid by the Emperor and bear his burdens. The West Lake project benefits the present and future generations, and it does not consume a single penny of the national treasury. It is entirely a matter of relieving the Emperor's worries and alleviating the people's difficulties. I would never abandon such a beneficial undertaking for the country and the people halfway!"

He paused, then said, slowly and deliberately, "Before receiving a clear imperial edict from His Majesty, for the sake of the millions of people in Hangzhou and for the sake of the court's reputation, I, your humble servant, cannot accept this imperial decree!"

As he spoke, he took the rolled-up yellow silk from the dumbfounded eunuch.

However, he did not kneel down.

He stood there, holding a yellow silk ribbon, his posture as straight as a pine tree, his eyes like torches, as if he were an unshakable deity.

The entire hall was awestruck by his imposing presence.

The joy on Lord Wang's and the Lin family head's faces had vanished, replaced by deep fear.

They finally realized that they were not dealing with a young official who could be manipulated at will.

Instead, it was a tiger that had been completely enraged!