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

Runzhou, Jiang Family Academy.

The night was as dark as ink, but the candlelight in the study flickered merrily.

Jiang Lin stared blankly at the memorial papers spread out in front of him, pen in hand. He was pondering a serious question: how to express the core idea of ​​"I'm too lazy to move, I don't want to go to work" in the most euphemistic and sophisticated language.

Su Shi, who was standing next to him, was nervously rubbing his hands and occasionally stealing a glance at the blank memorial.

"Sir, you really don't plan to go?"

Su Shi swallowed hard. "That's Bianjing! The wine of Fanlou, the lanterns of the Imperial Street, and... and the emperor himself summoning you. This is something that so many people wouldn't even dare to dream of."

Jiang Lin glanced at him and shook his head in disgust.

"Zizhan, you only saw the prosperity of Bianjing, but you didn't see the pitfalls of Bianjing."

Jiang Lin dipped his brush in ink and finally put pen to paper.

"What's so good about being an official? You get up earlier than the chickens and go to bed later than the dogs. If you do a good job, it's your duty. If you don't do a good job, you'll get a lot of flak from those trolls in the Censorate."

While he was complaining, he wrote lines of elegant, flowing calligraphy on the paper.

The content, however, is extremely sincere, even carrying a touch of tragic grandeur stemming from "concern for the country and its people":

"This humble subject, Jiang Lin, kowtows in gratitude for Heaven's grace. However, I am of limited talent and learning, and of a lazy and indolent nature, and I fear I am unfit for such a great responsibility."

"Furthermore, I believe that the Song Dynasty does not lack redundant officials, but it lacks teachers who can cultivate talents for a hundred years."

"If I were to enter the court, I would only be adding one more mediocre official, which would be of no benefit to the country; if I were to remain in the countryside and devote myself to education, perhaps in ten years I could send Your Majesty ten or a hundred capable ministers to govern the country."

After writing the last character, Jiang Lin blew on the ink and nodded in satisfaction.

"Look, that's what you call vision."

Jiang Lin handed the memorial to Su Shi, saying, "Take this to the prefect and have him send it to the capital by express courier."

Su Shi held the memorial in his hands, read it once, and felt a chill run down his spine.

How could one refuse the emperor with such righteous indignation?

To claim "not wanting to be an official" as "for the sake of cultivating talent for the country"—that's a level of audacity that's even higher than the city walls of Runzhou!

"Sir..." Su Shi said with admiration, "I'll go right away! If the prefect doesn't dare to escort me, I'll say it was specifically instructed by Lord Ouyang Xiu!"

……

Three days later, in Bianjing.

The atmosphere at the morning court session in the Chuigong Hall was much more subdued than usual.

A memorial from Jiangnan was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples.

"Arrogant! Utterly arrogant!"

The censor in charge of miscellaneous duties held the memorial in his hand, so angry that his beard was trembling, and he spat on the back of the heads of the officials in front of him.

"Your Majesty! This Jiang Lin is merely a commoner, yet he dares to defy the imperial decree by relying on his talent?"

The censor grew increasingly agitated, even kneeling and kowtowing. "His Majesty's grace is boundless, summoning him to the capital. Instead of being grateful, he said something like, 'The Great Song Dynasty has no shortage of redundant officials.' Is he implying that all the officials in the court are just empty shells?"

"Your Majesty, I request that this man be punished for his grave disrespect, arrested and brought back to the capital to be executed, as a warning to others!"

Inside the main hall, a chorus of agreement arose.

In the Song Dynasty, scholars were desperate to become officials. Countless people would stay up all night to get the job of a seventh-rank county magistrate.

Now look what's happened! The emperor himself offered him a position, and this kid actually rejected it? And he rejected it so confidently? Isn't this a slap in the face to all scholars in the world?

On the dragon throne.

Emperor Renzong of Song, Zhao Zhen, did not fly into a rage as the censors had expected.

Instead, he held the memorial in his hand, read it over and over again, and a... amused smile appeared on his lips.

"My beloved ministers, please calm down."

Emperor Renzong waved his hand, his voice gentle, "What they said makes sense. You can't force someone to be an official; I can't exactly hold a knife to their throat and force them to take the position, can I?"

"Your Majesty! This is an excuse!"

The censor persisted, "He's playing hard to get! He's showing utter contempt for the emperor's authority!"

Emperor Renzong couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Waiting for a high price? I don't think so."

He turned to look at Ouyang Xiu, who had been standing silently to the side.

"Minister Ouyang, you've met this man. Tell me, what's he up to?"

Ouyang Xiu took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed.

He was actually cursing in his heart: Jiang Lin, Jiang Lin, you're putting on too much airs. I bragged to His Majesty, and you actually stood me up.

But on the surface, he had to smooth things over.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Jiang Lin's actions were not arrogant, but rather... insightful."

"Transparent?" Emperor Renzong raised an eyebrow.

"When I was in Runzhou, I had a long talk with him all night long."

Ouyang Xiu began to utilize his literary talents and engage in artistic embellishment. Jiang Lin once said: "There are countless officials in the world, and I am not lacking in physical form. But good teachers are hard to find. If one could teach ten or a hundred capable ministers like Fan Wenzheng Gong (Fan Zhongyan), wouldn't that be better for the country and the people than for me to be mediocre in the court?"

He said he was willing to be the cornerstone of the Song Dynasty, paving the way and building bridges so that future generations could stand on his shoulders and reach for the blue sky!

Upon hearing this, the noise in the court instantly subsided.

The censor, who had been indignant just moments before, opened his mouth but found himself unable to refute. They had already elevated the matter to the level of "willing to be a stepping stone for others"; to accuse them of arrogance would only make one appear petty.

The smile in Emperor Renzong's eyes deepened.

"I don't want to be a mediocre bureaucrat; I just want to be a teacher to a group of capable officials..."

Emperor Renzong murmured to himself, his fingers lightly tapping the imperial desk, "Such magnanimity, if it's feigned, then he's a complete fraud. If it's genuine..."

"That would be a great fortune for the Song Dynasty."

Emperor Renzong stood up and looked at the censors below the stage who were still indignant. He suddenly felt that these officials who only knew how to follow the rules were a bit boring.

In contrast, the young man who dared to say "no" to the imperial edict and who dared to say "I will train a hundred prime ministers" was like a breath of fresh air, instantly arousing the great Song emperor's strong curiosity.

"Interesting, very interesting."

Emperor Renzong made his decision with a wave of his sleeve.

"Reveal my imperial edict."

"The Censorate is not allowed to harass Runzhou again, nor is it permitted to punish anyone there."

"Since he says he wants to teach, then let him teach. I want to see if he can produce anything worthwhile."

After the court session ended.

Inside the imperial study, Emperor Renzong dismissed his attendants, leaving only his trusted eunuchs.

"My lord, go and fetch the set of 'Chengxintang Paper' that I have kept in private."

The old eunuch was startled: "Your Majesty, what are you doing...?"

"write a letter."

Emperor Renzong walked to the desk, rolled up his sleeves, and personally ground the ink.

"Ordinary imperial edicts are for officials to see; they're cold and impersonal. It's normal that he doesn't come."

Emperor Renzong picked up his brush, dipped it in thick ink, and his eyes gleamed with the excitement of a hunter seeing a rare prey.

"This time, I will not command him as the emperor."

"I want to invite him to come out of seclusion as a student seeking knowledge."

"I want to see if he'll still be willing to refuse me this time."

……

Runzhou, Academy.

Jiang Lin was lying on a rattan chair sunbathing when he suddenly sneezed loudly.

"Achoo—!"

He rubbed his nose and muttered, "Who's talking about me? It must be those censors cursing me."

Su Shi peeled an orange for Jiang Lin and asked cautiously, "Sir, you refused the imperial edict. Are you really alright? I've heard that the censors in the capital can be quite foul-mouthed."

"Let them scold us, it won't hurt us."

Jiang Lin took the orange, popped it into his mouth, and mumbled, "Besides, this rejection is called 'playing hard to get'."

"Is it a case of feigning indifference to lure someone in?" Su Shi wondered.

"No one cherishes things that are easily obtained."

Jiang Lin looked in the direction of the capital, a sly smile playing on his lips.

"The first refusal was an attitude, letting the emperor know that I have backbone."

"Just wait and see. That good-natured Zhao Zhen will definitely not let this go. The next imperial edict is probably already on its way."

"And this time..."

Jiang Lin stretched, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes:

"What has arrived is probably not just an imperial edict, but also the official's sincere heart."