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

Hangzhou, by West Lake.

After more than a month of round-the-clock work, the Su Causeway has taken shape. The wide causeway lies across the lake, and the peach and willow trees planted on both sides have sprouted tender green branches. A gentle breeze blows, and the lake surface ripples, creating a scene so beautiful that it's hard to look away.

On the shore of West Lake, a large temporary shed for supervising the work was set up at Jingshi Academy.

Today marks the completion of the first month of dredging in West Lake and the day when wages are paid to displaced people.

The area in front of the greenhouse was packed with people, bustling with activity. Not only did local Hangzhou merchants and celebrities come, but also many scholars from all over Jiangnan who had come to see it.

Everyone came because of Su Shi's reputation. His essay "On the Dredging of West Lake and the Livelihood of the People" is incredibly popular. Su Shi's status among students in Jiangnan is now approaching that of Confucius and Mencius.

Jiang Lin was unusually dressed in a formal blue long gown today, but he still looked as lazy as ever. He sat in a grand chair next to the tent, holding a cup of pre-Qingming Longjing tea, sipping his tea while watching Su Shi socialize among the crowd.

Su Shi was the star of the day. Dressed in a brand-new official robe, his face glowing, he chatted and laughed with the guests. Already known for his unrestrained and unconventional manner, he now exuded the air of a master with his immense fame.

"Sir, look at how smug Senior Brother Zizhan is, his tail is practically wagging in the air." Zhao Lingjun whispered to Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin smiled and said, "Let him be. He's been suppressing his feelings for so long; it's time for him to let it all out. Scholars need to have a sense of pride; otherwise, they can't write good articles."

Just then, Qian Duoduo squeezed through the crowd, sweating profusely.

"Headmaster! Something terrible has happened!" Qian Duoduo whispered, her expression somewhat panicked.

Jiang Lin frowned and put down his teacup. "What's the panic? Even if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. Tell me, what happened?"

Qian Duoduo swallowed hard. "I just received news from the capital that Cai Jing has made his move. He didn't use the government's power, but instead enlisted the help of Master Cheng Yi. Master Cheng, along with dozens of renowned Neo-Confucian scholars, has already sailed south. Judging by the time, they should arrive in Hangzhou today!"

Jiang Lin's eyes narrowed slightly when he heard the name "Cheng Yi".

He knew all too well who Cheng Yi was. He was one of the founders of Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty, a true titan in the hearts of scholars across the land. Cai Jing's move was ruthless; knowing he couldn't defeat Su Shi in terms of political achievements, he wanted to completely negate Su Shi's scholarship.

If Cheng Yi were to publicly declare Su Shi's scholarship as heresy, Su Shi's accumulated reputation would instantly collapse. In that era, being labeled a heretic by a great Confucian scholar was tantamount to social death.

"Master Cheng himself has taken to the field? Interesting." Jiang Lin not only didn't panic, but instead laughed.

Zhao Lingjun became anxious: "Jiang Lin, you're still laughing! That's Cheng Yi! If he comes here to challenge us, can Senior Brother Zizhan argue with him? Cheng Yi's talk about the principles of heaven and human desires is so convoluted and easy to confuse people."

Jiang Lin patted Zhao Lingjun on the head.

"What's there to be afraid of? He'll talk about his principles, and we'll talk about ours. Bookworms only argue based on concepts; at Jing Shi Academy, we always let the facts speak for themselves."

Jiang Lin stood up and straightened his clothes.

"Let's go and greet this great Confucian scholar. I want to see if his 'preserve heavenly principles and eliminate human desires' can stop the rolling waves of our West Lake."

As soon as Jiang Lin finished speaking, a commotion suddenly arose outside the crowd.

The once bustling area in front of the tent fell eerily quiet. The crowd parted to make way for a group of elderly men dressed in simple Confucian robes, their expressions solemn, as they slowly approached.

Leading the way was an elderly man with white hair and beard and a gaunt face. He leaned on a cane and walked with a shaky gait, but his eyes shone with a captivating light.

This person was Cheng Yi.

Su Shi also saw the group of people, and the smile on his face disappeared. He quickly stepped forward and respectfully bowed deeply.

"This junior, Su Shi, met with the esteemed Mr. Cheng. I was unaware of your presence and have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me." Although Su Shi was arrogant, he still dared not neglect the superficial courtesy towards such a leading figure in academia.

Cheng Yi stopped and looked coldly at Su Shi, without returning the greeting.

"So you are Su Zizhan?" Cheng Yi's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an air of superior authority. "I read your article in Bianjing. The language is indeed ornate, but unfortunately, it's full of frivolous tricks and vulgar money, utterly devoid of any trace of the way of the sages!"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

The Jiangnan students who came to offer their congratulations were stunned. They hadn't expected Cheng Yi to be so ruthless from the start, directly criticizing Su Shi's article as worthless.

Su Shi's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He straightened up, suppressing his anger, and said, "Old sir, you are mistaken. What I wrote in my articles were all practical matters concerning saving the people from suffering. In your eyes, is ensuring that the people have enough to eat considered vulgar greed? Is it a lack of the way of the sages?"

Cheng Yi snorted coldly and slammed his dove-shaped staff heavily into the ground.

"A wise man seeks the Way, not food! The teachings of sages lie in understanding principles, rectifying the mind, and cultivating oneself. Your academy doesn't teach the Four Books and Five Classics, nor does it discuss the principles of Heaven and human relations. Instead, it teaches accounting, farming, and bridge building! This is corrupting the scholarly atmosphere! This is enticing students to pursue fame and fortune! If this continues, won't all the scholars of our Great Song Dynasty become profit-driven merchants and craftsmen?"

Dozens of renowned Neo-Confucian scholars following Cheng Yi echoed his sentiments.

"Exactly! It's utterly disgraceful!"

"Such behavior disqualifies one from standing on the shores of West Lake!"

"Su Shi, you are destroying the literary tradition of my Great Song Dynasty!"

These old men were all filled with righteous indignation, their spittle almost spraying onto Su Shi's face.

Su Shi was so angry that he trembled all over. Just as he was about to retort, a hand was placed on his shoulder.

Jiang Lin slowly walked out from behind Su Shi.

He looked at Cheng Yi with a relaxed smile that was infuriatingly smug.

"Oh dear, sir, don't get so angry. At your age, you're going to ruin your health by getting upset. You've come all the way from Bianjing; if you collapse here, we can't afford the medical bills." Jiang Lin's words were full of sarcastic remarks.

Cheng Yi, his beard bristling with anger, retorted, "And who are you! How dare you, a mere servant, interrupt when I'm discussing philosophy with Su Shi!"

Jiang Lin wasn't angry. He simply pulled over a chair and sat down in the middle of the crowd.

"Servant? Old sir, your eyesight isn't very good. I am Jiang Lin, the headmaster of Jingshi Academy. You come to my territory, insult my people, and disrupt my business, and you won't even let me speak? What kind of 'justice' is this?"

Jiang Lin emphasized the words "natural law" with a mocking look in his eyes.

"So you're Jiang Lin?" Cheng Yi sized Jiang Lin up and down, his eyes filled with disdain. "I've heard you've been spreading heresies, inciting Su Shi to implement some kind of shareholding system, corrupting the entire city's population with greed. A shameless scoundrel like you dares to call yourself a headmaster?"

Jiang Lin burst into laughter.

"Shameless? Old sir, that's quite a accusation of yours." Jiang Lin's smile vanished, his eyes turning icy. "You keep saying we don't follow the ways of the sages. Fine, then today, in front of all the scholars in the world, I'll discuss with you what the true ways of the sages really are!"