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

In the study of the Lin family mansion, the Lin family patriarch was scratching his head in worry as he looked at the "top secret internal reference scroll" that he had bought at a high price.

"Dad, this question is absolutely outrageous!" Lin Yaozu, the eldest son of the Lin family, pulled at his hair, his features almost scrunched up. "The horse feed losses of the Northwest border army? We people from Jiangnan have hardly ever seen a live horse, how can we calculate this piece of junk?"

The head of the Lin family slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups rattle: "You have to figure it out whether you can or not! This is a real problem we bought for a thousand strings of cash!"

"That little bastard Jiang Lin is dabbling in practical policy essays; he's clearly trying to ruin our family's future," the Lin family head panted. "If you memorize this question and can recite it from memory in the exam, our Lin family can completely turn things around!"

Lin Yaozu spread his hands with a bitter face: "But Dad, there isn't even an answer key in here. Even if I wanted to memorize it, I wouldn't know where to start."

"Go hire the most expensive accountant in town! And find a few retired veteran thugs!" The Lin family head gritted his teeth. "Calculate it for me tonight! Even if it costs lives, you have to figure this out!"

The Lin family was in complete chaos, and the other prominent families who had bought fake exam questions weren't faring much better. The studies of the Zhang, Li, and Wang families were all brightly lit, with everyone working tirelessly on the Northwest horse racing exam questions.

Just then, Wang Biao and his men knocked on the Lin family's door.

He didn't wear official robes, but instead changed into the attire of a traveling merchant, and specifically asked to see the head of the Lin family.

The Lin family head was feeling irritable in the middle of the night and wanted to kick the man out, but when he heard that the other party had exclusive inside information about the imperial examination, he immediately had someone lead Wang Biao into the study.

"What business does this old man have with me in the middle of the night?" The Lin family head looked at the newcomer warily.

Wang Biao chuckled dryly, pulled out the stolen oil paper package from his pocket, and slammed it on the table. "Patriarch Lin, let's not beat around the bush. You should have a copy of this too, right?"

The Lin family head's heart skipped a beat, and his hand unconsciously reached for the paperweight: "Who exactly are you?"

"Don't worry, Patriarch Lin, I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm here to bring you wealth and honor." Wang Biao sat down casually.

"A gift of wealth and honor?" The head of the Lin family was skeptical.

Wang Biao leaned closer and lowered his voice: "To be honest, I'm from the capital. There are some big shots up there who don't like Su Shi and Jiang Lin, and they're planning to use this imperial examination to uproot them completely."

He tapped the oil paper package on the table: "I know you bought this set of questions, so I came to let you know."

The Lin family head's eyelids twitched. A big shot from the capital? Could it be... Grand Tutor Cai?

He tentatively asked, "What does the above mean?"

"What they mean is that this question is guaranteed to be genuine," Wang Biao sneered. "Su Shi was lax in his military discipline and allowed his subordinates to sell genuine exam questions. This is a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine generations of his family! On the day of the exam, the officials from the Censorate will personally come down to inspect the venue."

Wang Biao stared into the Lin family head's eyes: "When the time comes, as long as we find the draft of this exam question on any of you scions of noble families, Su Shi's cheating charge will be irredeemable!"

The Lin family head's legs went weak with fear: "Absolutely not! If they find cheat sheets on us, wouldn't the Lin family's reputation be completely ruined?"

"Look at things from a broader perspective, Patriarch Lin." Wang Biao patted him on the shoulder. "The higher-ups want to get rid of Su Shi, not you. As long as you cooperate, the officials in the Censorate will know what it means to give them a break."

"Once Su Shi falls from grace, won't the rules for the imperial examinations in Jiangnan have to revert to the poetry and classical texts we're familiar with?" Wang Biao continued to paint a rosy picture. "Then, won't your aristocratic families' good days return?"

After hearing this, the head of the Lin family started making all sorts of calculations in his mind.

This is a great deal! This is a huge profit! As long as Su Shi and Jiang Lin are arrested and Jingshi Academy closes down, the Lin family will not only be able to vent their anger, but also regain their dominance in the literary world of Jiangnan.

But he was still cunning and wary: "Words are no proof; why should I believe you?"

Without wasting words, Wang Biao took out an ebony token from his pocket and waved it in front of the Lin family head.

Looking at the flamboyant "Cai" character above, the Lin family head instantly filled in the blanks.

He's truly one of the Grand Tutor's men!

The Lin family head immediately bowed low, his face plastered with a fawning smile: "So you're a master under the Grand Tutor! My apologies for my overreaction! Since this is the Grand Tutor's scheme, my Lin family will go through fire and water for you!"

Wang Biao was satisfied with his attitude: "You're sensible. You're in charge of notifying the other schools to bring their drafts on the day of the exam. Remember, act naturally and don't let anyone notice anything amiss."

After seeing Wang Biao off, the Lin family head was so excited in his study that he kept rubbing his hands together, feeling like he had won everything.

"Jiang Lin, Jiang Lin, this time even a god can't save you!" The Lin family head sneered. "Trying to use practical strategies to ruin our livelihoods? This time, we'll show you what true strength is!"

He immediately sent people to contact other prominent families. Upon hearing that they had latched onto Grand Tutor Cai, the heads of those families were all energized and eagerly clamored to cooperate.

A massive conspiracy targeting Su Shi and Jiang Lin grows ever larger amidst the revelry of aristocratic families.

However, they had no idea that all of this, including their current smug expressions, was part of Jiang Lin's calculations.

Inside the study of Jingshi Academy, Jiang Lin was leisurely listening to Qian Duoduo report intelligence, a smirk playing on his lips.

"They've all taken the bait?" Jiang Lin asked casually, fiddling with the tea lid.

Qian Duoduo nodded repeatedly, smiling like a triumphant fox: "They've all been bitten to death! That old bastard from the Lin family thinks he's got connections with the Grand Tutor, and he's been walking all over the place these past few days. His gang treats that 'Northwest Horse Problem' like an ancestor, and they're doing arithmetic on it all night long."

Zhao Lingjun, holding his sword, rolled his eyes and said, "These people are incredibly stupid. They've been sold out and they're still helping to count the money."

Su Shi, however, was getting restless and asked worriedly, "Teacher, if they really put on a big show in the examination hall, and the Censorate uses it as an opportunity to make trouble, how should we deal with it?"

Jiang Lin stood up, walked to the window, looked at the dark night sky, and spoke in a calm tone that exuded an undeniable domineering aura.

"Zizhan, you must remember this principle," Jiang Lin turned to Su Shi, "All suffering is ultimately for the salvation of all beings. Dealing with these unreasonable scoundrels, lecturing them with sage-like principles is useless. You have to be more ruthless than them, more cunning than them!"

Jiang Lin held out his hand: "Is the real exam paper ready?"

Su Shi nodded quickly, pulled out a top-secret dossier sealed with sealing wax from his sleeve, and handed it over with both hands: "It has been prepared exactly as the headmaster instructed. The exam questions are all about on-site calculations of water conservancy, agriculture, sericulture, and commercial taxes in Jiangnan; there isn't a single thing about the Northwest."

Jiang Lin took the file, weighed it in his hand, and the smile on his face gradually turned cold.

"The real show is about to begin." Jiang Lin's gaze was sharp as he looked towards Lin'an City.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing whether these young masters from noble families, who have been studying horse-related questions until their eyes are bloodshot, will have their resolve shattered on the day of the exam."

Jiang Lin chuckled lightly: "Cai Jing wants to play dirty tricks? Then I'll show him what real double-crossing is all about!"