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

"What can you do for the people of Hangzhou?"

Jiang Lin's question was like a heavy iron hammer, slamming into Cheng Yi's skull.

Does it cite numerous classical texts? Is it a lengthy essay of tens of thousands of words? Or does it teach people to "preserve heavenly principles and extinguish human desires"?

Can these things be conjured into rice? Can they be exchanged for copper coins? Can they make the silt accumulated in West Lake evaporate on its own?

Absolutely not!

The renowned Neo-Confucian scholars exchanged bewildered glances, like a group of ducks being collectively choked. Normally high and mighty, who would dare judge them by the practical standard of "whether or not they could secure funding"?

"That's just sophistry!" Cheng Yi's throat was dry, and he forced out the words through gritted teeth, "What I teach is the great path of enlightening people's hearts and bringing peace to all generations! How could your craftsmanship and mercenary skills compare to that!"

"To enlighten people's hearts?" Jiang Lin laughed in anger. "How? By letting the common people starve while you chant scriptures and teach them your 'starving to death is a small matter, but losing one's integrity is a great matter'?"

"Pfft—"

Someone below started laughing so loudly that the roof of the tent was instantly blown off.

The common people never hold their tongues, and Jiangshan's words are just so damn pleasing to the eye!

"Exactly! They can't even afford to eat, what's the point of talking about principles!"

"That old man's easy to talk when he's not the one suffering. Let's starve him for three days and see if he still wants to bury his head in his books!"

"Jiang Shanchang is a living bodhisattva; following Jiang Shanchang means you'll have plenty to eat!"

This undisguised mockery rubbed Cheng Yi's hard-earned dignity, built up over sixty years, into the mud. He trembled, pointing at Jiang Lin and roaring, "You brat! How dare you misinterpret the sage! I'm talking about the integrity of scholars! Without integrity, one is nothing but a walking corpse!"

"Integrity?" Jiang Lin retorted sharply, directly challenging him, "Is the integrity of a nation upheld by a bunch of lazy, empty-talking intellectuals like you?"

He turned around abruptly, pointing to the shimmering West Lake, then sweeping his gaze across the myriad lights of Hangzhou.

"A nation's strength depends on millions of people who are well-fed, clothed, and have money in their pockets! If you can't even get enough to eat, can your spirit withstand the Liao cavalry or cleave the Western Xia's scimitars?"

The entire room fell silent.

These words struck like a thunderbolt, sending chills down the spines of all the scholars.

Behind the crowd, Su Shi stared intently at Jiang Lin's back, feeling as if an electric shock had struck the top of his head, and his blood was surging wildly!

Throughout his life, he has witnessed countless droughts, floods, and widespread displacement, and his once profound knowledge has proven powerless in the face of reality.

Today, my mentor revealed a profound truth in a single sentence!

True governance and benefiting the people are not about writing a few sentimental poems or submitting a few memorials to the emperor! It's about ensuring the people have enough to eat first, and then talking about all that nonsense about education!

Cheng Yi was so rebuked that his vision blurred and he couldn't utter a single word.

"Don't try to twist the facts!" A young disciple, seeing his master's predicament, jumped out to defend him, his face flushed. "Even if you want to be wealthy, you should acquire it ethically! Your so-called 'shareholding system' is nothing but inciting the entire city to engage in a profit-driven frenzy! How is it different from opening a gambling den? This is corrupting people's hearts!"

It finally took the bait.

Jiang Lin sneered inwardly. The same old trick: unable to argue the facts, they resort to moralizing.

"The pursuit of good food and clothing is seen as 'human desire' that should be eradicated in your eyes?" Jiang Lin looked at him like he was an idiot. "Fine, then I'll teach you what the 'right path' is today!"

His gaze pierced precisely into the crowd: "Boss Zhang!"

Mr. Zhang, the owner of Hangzhou's largest silk shop, jumped in surprise and quickly replied loudly, "Yes, sir! What are your orders, Mr. Jiang?"

"Did you exchange the land deed for the Su Causeway that you bought for 5,000 strings of cash for 'West Lake shares'?"

Boss Zhang thumped his chest loudly: "We've changed! Not only me, but all my relatives and the shop's employees have bought in! It's a huge profit!"

Jiang Lin abruptly turned his head, staring at the Neo-Confucian disciple, his voice booming: "Do you understand? I didn't ask anyone to gamble away their entire fortune! I've divided the future of West Lake into ten thousand pieces!"

"In the past, West Lake belonged to the officials! They made money off the common people, but when something went wrong, the whole city had to take the blame!"

"Now, West Lake belongs to every ordinary person who owns stocks! Every brick and tile on the Su Causeway is inextricably linked to the wallets of tens of thousands of households in the city!"

Jiang Lin spread his arms wide, exuding an aura of power.

"You call this greed? I call this 'popular will'! This force protecting their own livelihoods is a million times stronger than your empty promises of 'divine justice'!"

"I'll ask you again!" Jiang Lin pressed on, "Why did Cai You secretly collude with powerful figures in Jiangnan, attempting to impeach Lord Su and halt the West Lake project, without even making a ripple?"

"Because the stewards, concubines, and servants of those powerful families all hold shares in West Lake! Anyone who dares to touch West Lake is ruining the livelihoods of the entire city! Who dares?!"

The vendors and ordinary people in the market immediately straightened their backs, their eyes blazing with anger.

That's right! Anyone who dares to cut off my source of income, I'll fight them to the death!

On the outermost edge of the crowd, Cai You, dressed in fine clothes and secretly watching the show, suddenly felt his legs go weak and almost knelt on the ground with a "thud".

He broke out in a cold sweat, his heart nearly leaping out of his throat. Holy crap?! How did he manage to expose all my top-secret schemes in front of tens of thousands of people?!

At this moment, Cheng Yi's face had turned a deep purplish-brown.

I can't win the argument. I absolutely can't win!

The other party didn't play by the rules at all, and used the most vulgar "money, grain and benefits" to trample his "Confucianism" into the quagmire!

"Enough—!!"

Cheng Yi let out a hoarse roar, his eyes bloodshot, like a gambler who had lost everything.

Since we can't win an argument by reasoning, let's flip the table!

"Eloquent words and a deceitful appearance! Bewitching people!" Cheng Yi pointed intently at Jiang Lin, completely tearing away the pretense of a great Confucian scholar. "Your heretical talk, which abandons the essential for the trivial, is pure trash! Today, in the name of the sage, I will condemn you as a heretic!"

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Heresy and heresy! Once these four words are firmly established, all scholars in the world will regard the Academy of Statecraft as their mortal enemy!

This is the ultimate killing move that results in mutual destruction!

Su Shi's expression changed drastically, and he strode forward to protect his teacher.

Zhao Lingjun gripped the sword hilt tightly, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

Just when the tension was at its peak and a critical moment was approaching!

"Report—!!!"

"Urgent dispatch from the capital! Imperial edict has arrived!"

A piercing shriek that tore through the sky suddenly exploded.

The crowd on the perimeter was forcefully pushed aside with a loud bang. A red-robed imperial messenger, covered in dust and holding aloft a glaringly bright yellow imperial edict, stormed towards the tent, surrounded by armored imperial guards, exuding a murderous aura!