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

Qian Duoduo is indeed very efficient.

Before noon, he ran back to the academy covered in sweat, not even bothering to drink water, and rushed straight into Jiang Lin's room.

"Headmaster! We've figured it out! We've almost figured out what color his underwear is!" Qian Duoduo gasped for breath, leaning against the doorframe.

Jiang Lin was wiping the glass Shen Kuo had just made with a rag, without looking up: "Tell me. Where do you live? What do you usually do?"

Qian Duoduo walked to the table, poured herself a cup of tea, and gulped it down.

"This Li Gefei is a complete poor, pedantic scholar."

Qian Duoduo breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm staying in a lower-class room at the Yuelai Inn, the most run-down place in the south of the city. It only costs five copper coins a day. Our informant said he walked all the way from Qizhou to Hangzhou, and the soles of his shoes are worn through twice."

Jiang Lin stopped what he was doing: "Continue."

"He rarely left the house, except when he went to the examination hall to take the exams, he would just stay at home studying."

"He was incredibly stingy with his food, never going to restaurants. Every day he would just buy two coarse flour buns from a street vendor and eat them with scallions he brought from his hometown."

"When I occasionally crave meat, I just buy a bowl of plain noodles, and I won't even add an egg!"

Jiang Lin frowned.

This sounds like a perfect template for a poor but hardworking scholar from ancient times.

They don't exhibit any of the behavior typical of modern people who time-travel and insist on making small inventions or improving their quality of life.

"He didn't come up with anything strange or unusual, like soap or perfume?" Jiang Lin asked.

Qian Duoduo shook his head vigorously: "Absolutely not. The shopkeeper said he only had a few tattered books and two patched clothes in his bag, not even a single piece of silver."

"Forget about perfumes, he can't even take a bath every day because he thinks it's a waste of hot water!"

Jiang Lin was a little confused.

If they were from the same hometown, how could they be in such a miserable state? This completely deviates from the typical wish-fulfillment trope of time-travel novels.

Even if someone's science skills are lacking and they can't make soap or glass, a time traveler who understands finance can easily engage in some speculation or profiteering at casinos or money exchanges, so they won't have to eat steamed buns and green onions every day.

"Did he say anything strange?" Jiang Lin persisted. "Like, did he mutter to himself anything about 'market trend,' 'short selling,' or 'leverage'?"

Qian Duoduo thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped her thigh: "You know what, there really is a strange saying!"

Jiang Lin put down his glass: "What did you say?"

"One night, when the innkeeper went to deliver hot water, he heard him muttering to himself in the room."

Qian Duoduo lowered his voice and leaned closer, "The guy couldn't hear very clearly, but it sounded like they were muttering something like 'Buying and selling short, that's the ultimate business principle.'"

"The waiter was puzzled at the time, wondering why this scholar's mouth was filled with the stench of money and the words of a merchant, which was an insult to his refinement."

Jiang Lin's heart skipped a beat.

Buying and selling short!

This is absolutely modern financial terminology! Who among the ancient natives would use such a highly generalized term to describe doing business?

Even if merchants in the Song Dynasty used pre-sale tactics, they would at most call it "buying on credit" or "buying on credit".

The term "buying and selling short" is something only those who have been thoroughly trained in the modern economic system can utter.

Jiang Lin slammed the glass down on the table.

"Headmaster, is there something wrong with this word?" Qian Duoduo asked cautiously, observing Jiang Lin's ever-changing expression.

"No, this is really wrong. This wave is in the atmosphere." Jiang Lin stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

Li Gefei is too divided.

His lifestyle is that of a typical poor man from ancient times, yet he can spout sophisticated financial jargon reminiscent of Wall Street.

What exactly happened? Did he damage his brain during the soul-transmigration, resulting in memory loss? Or is this guy an extremely patient and cunning old fox, deliberately pretending to be poor to deceive others?

"Money is plentiful." Jiang Lin stopped in his tracks.

"exist!"

"Make arrangements to host a banquet in the academy's dining hall tonight. Make it lavish, with all the main dishes."

Jiang Lin instructed, "Then you personally go to the Yuelai Inn and invite Li Gefei over for me."

"I've long admired the headmaster of Jingshi Academy and would like to invite him to a casual meal."

Qian Duoduo was shocked: "Headmaster, you're inviting that poor, pedantic scholar to dinner? He hasn't even earned a title yet!"

"Our academy's dining hall is only for honored guests."

"Stop talking nonsense, just go." Jiang Lin glanced at him. "Be polite, don't scare him away. If he asks why, just say he answered the exam paper exceptionally well."

"Alright, I'll get right on it." Qian Duoduo muttered to herself, but still slipped away.

Jiang Lin watched Qian Duoduo's retreating figure and let out a long sigh.

Tonight's dinner party is the final test.

He wanted to use the most direct, modern, and hardcore methods to stimulate Li Gefei's nerves at the dinner table.

If this kid reveals even the slightest bit of a modern person's instinctive reaction.

Jiang Lin would rather betray the world than let him leave Jingshi Academy alive.

……

As dusk falls, the city of Hangzhou is illuminated by lanterns.

Li Gefei sat on the rickety wooden bed in the Yuelai Inn, clutching half a cold, hard steamed bun in his hand, preparing to swallow it with plain water.

Suddenly, a rhythmic knocking sound came from outside the door.

"Is Minister Li here?" a smooth voice rang out.

Li Gefei put down the steamed bun and cautiously opened the door.

A plump merchant, adorned with gold and silver, stood outside the door, smiling like a Maitreya Buddha.

"Who are you?" Li Gefei looked him up and down, knowing that there were countless swindlers in Hangzhou who specifically targeted out-of-town test takers.

"My name is Qian Duoduo, and I am the manager of Jingshi Academy." Qian Duoduo politely cupped his hands in greeting. "Master Li, my headmaster invites you."

"We're having a banquet at the academy's dining hall tonight, and I'd like to invite you over for a drink."

Li Gefei froze on the spot.

Jingshi Academy? Jiang Lin?

This is now the most renowned name in Jiangnan Road! The exam questions for this provincial examination were set by Jingshi Academy, which thoroughly humiliated those arrogant scions of noble families.

Although Li Gefei was penniless, he knew that Jiang Lin was the mastermind behind Su Shi and a favorite of the emperor.

Why would such a powerful and influential person invite a poor scholar with no background to dinner?

"Manager Qian, have you mistaken me for someone else?" Li Gefei nervously rubbed the corner of his clothes. "I am merely a down-on-his-luck scholar, a complete stranger to Jiang Shanchang..."

"You didn't get the wrong one!" Qian Duoduo said with a smile, grabbing Li Gefei's sleeve.

"My headmaster said that your essay on the exam paper was absolutely brilliant! He admires talent and specially sent me to invite you."

"Master Li, please don't refuse. The carriages are waiting outside!"

Li Gefei felt a surge of joy, his heart pounding.

Could it be that Jiang Shanchang has taken a liking to my ambitions? If I can get close to this powerful figure, my life will be completely turned around!

"Then... allow me to change into some clean clothes," Li Gefei quickly said.

"No need to change, no need to change. The headmaster hates all that red tape. Your battle-damaged outfit is perfectly down-to-earth!"

Without saying a word, Qian Duoduo dragged Li Gefei outside.

Li Gefei was thus unwittingly stuffed into the luxurious carriage of Jingshi Academy, and in a daze, he sped off toward the turning point of his destiny.