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

Runzhou, the night was as dark as ink.

Inside the Jiang Family Academy, a solitary lamp flickers dimly.

Jiang Lin was playing chess with Su Shi, and the black and white pieces were locked in a fierce battle on the chessboard.

"Knock knock knock".

A very light yet very urgent knocking broke the silence.

There were no imperial guards clearing the way, nor were there any high-ranking officials from the Inner Palace Secretariat.

The only person who came was Prefect Shen of Runzhou.

But his appearance at this moment was more terrifying than seeing a ghost—his official hat was askew, he was clutching an ordinary cloth bag tightly in his arms, and he was pressed against the door crack, as if he were carrying a powder keg that could explode at any moment.

"Mr. Jiang..."

After entering, Lord Shen slammed the door bolt shut behind him, his voice barely audible, almost tearful:

"Something terrible has happened! From the capital... from the capital, an 'urgent confidential document'! It went through the Imperial City Guard's secret channels and was delivered directly to my bedside!"

Su Shi curiously leaned over: "Sir, what's the matter that you're so alarmed?"

Lord Shen shakily untied the cloth bundle, revealing a letter inside that had no signature, only a private seal.

That was the emperor's private letter.

Unfolding the letter, Zhao Zhen's familiar flying white calligraphy came into view.

This time, the tone was no longer that of an emperor inquiring about something, but rather the lament of a scholar eager for talent:

"I have long admired your talent, sir. I was deeply impressed when you spoke of your ambition to educate people. However, the Song Dynasty has long suffered from deep-seated problems, and I often wake up in the middle of the night feeling that I am alone and unable to support it. Since you have the talent to govern the world, how can you bear to see the people of this land suffer? I would be honored if you could come to the capital for a chat with me. I will certainly prepare my bed and breakfast to welcome you..."

At the end of the letter, instead of the imperial seal, there was a seal bearing the inscription "Zhao Zhen's Private Seal".

This isn't an emperor summoning his ministers; it's clearly Liu Bei pleading with Zhuge Liang!

Su Shi, who was standing to the side, craned his neck to steal a glance, and immediately gasped, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

Su Shi felt his worldview crumbling. "Sir, this...this is the Emperor's own handwriting! This is an incredible show of respect! If we don't go now, wouldn't it be a bit..."

Is this a bit too much to ask?

Prefect Shen frantically winked at him, his meaning clear: My goodness, please agree quickly! If you don't agree soon, I, the prefect, will have a heart attack!

However, Jiang Lin closed the letter and sighed softly.

He took the letter, turned and walked back to the lecture hall, sat back down in the wicker chair, and tapped his fingers rhythmically on the armrest.

"Zizhan."

Looking at the excited Su Shi, Jiang Lin suddenly asked, "What do you think will happen if I go to the capital now?"

Su Shi was taken aback for a moment, then exclaimed excitedly, "That would naturally mean promotion and immense prestige! With His Majesty's high regard, he'd at least be a fifth-rank official, right?"

"And then?" Jiang Lin asked rhetorically.

"And then..." Su Shi scratched his head, "and then he displayed his talents in the imperial court, assisting the emperor?"

"wrong."

Jiang Lin shook his head, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Then, I will become a thorn in the side of those old foxes in the court."

"I come from humble origins, with no connections or influence. The more the emperor favors me, the more the prime ministers, privy councilors, and censors resent me."

Jiang Lin stood up, walked to the window, and looked at Zeng Gong and Su Zhe, who were studying hard in the courtyard.

"More importantly—"

Jiang Lin's voice lowered, "What will you do if I leave?"

Su Shi was stunned.

"Your skills are not yet up to par. Your writing is good, but it has not yet reached the level of 'mastery'; your policy proposals are insightful, but you still lack a comprehensive understanding of the Song Dynasty."

"If I leave you all now to become an official in the capital, who will take care of your studies? What will you use to compete with the best talents in the country in the imperial examination a year from now?"

"For my own official position, you ruined the potential of three prime ministers..."

Jiang Lin turned around, looked directly into Su Shi's eyes, and said, word by word:

"This deal was a huge loss."

Su Shi's eyes instantly reddened.

He originally thought that his teacher was aloof and arrogant, but he never expected that his teacher's disobedience was all for their sake!

Little did they know, this was entirely because Jiang Lin didn't want to go to work.

"Sir..." Su Shi choked up, wanting to kneel down, but Jiang Lin held him up.

"Alright, stop getting sentimental."

Jiang Lin curled his lip in disdain. "Go, grind the ink. I need to write a reply to this enthusiastic official."

……

Jiang Lin picked up his pen at the desk.

This time, he didn't use the cliché of "commoners' fear," but wrote in an extremely realistic way, even to the point of being heartfelt.

"Your Majesty's kindness is deeply appreciated by this humble subject. I wish I could grow wings and fly to Your Majesty's presence."

"However, there are still dozens of promising young talents in the Caomin Academy, who are at the crucial stage of their growth. If we leave now, it will be like a farmer abandoning his seedlings in the wilderness. We may gain temporary glory, but we will lose a long-term plan."

"This humble subject humbly requests Your Majesty to grant a one-year extension."

"One year later, in the spring of the second year of the Jiayou era, when the flowers bloom, this humble subject will surely present Your Majesty with a grand gift that will shake the world—three top scholars!"

"These three people were exchanged for the carefree life of this commoner. Your Majesty is wise enough to settle this score."

After finishing writing, Jiang Lin blew the ink dry and carefully sealed it.

Prefect Shen watched in horror, nearly fainting on the spot.

"Jiang... Jiangshan is long..."

Prefect Shen stammered, "Are you... negotiating with the Emperor? Asking for a one-year grace period? Are you treating an imperial edict like a bargaining match at a market?"

"Lord Shen, please calm down."

Jiang Lin handed the letter to the eunuch who had been waiting outside the door, a confident smile on his face.

"This is called 'futures trading'."

"I believe that our official has the vision for long-term investment."

The eunuch took the letter, gave Jiang Lin a deep look, and said nothing more than a cupped-hand salute: "I will certainly convey your words, sir. However, I fear that the turmoil in the capital will be stirred up again because of this letter."

After saying this, the eunuch led his men and hurriedly left.

Watching the dust settle in the distance, Prefect Shen plopped down on the ground, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead: "He's gone mad, truly mad... refusing twice in a row, now our Runzhou is going to be infamous."

Jiang Lin stretched and lay back down in the rattan chair, then beckoned to Su Shi:

"Zizhan, don't just stand there. We haven't finished that article yet, come and continue."

"A year isn't a long time. If you want to crush those talented scholars in the capital in the imperial examinations of the second year of the Jiayou era, you'll have to go through a lot!"

Looking at his teacher's calm and composed demeanor, Su Shi felt an unprecedented surge of pride welling up in his heart.

"Yes, sir!"

……

A few days later, in Bianjing.

Jiang Lin's second reply was like a depth charge, sent to the Chuigong Hall.

Meanwhile, the news spread like wildfire.

"What? Jiang Lin refused again? And he even made a one-year agreement with the emperor?"

"Arrogant! They have no respect for their ruler and father!"

"He said he'd send three top scholars to the capital? What an arrogant tone! Does he think top scholars are like cabbages?"

The entire court was instantly thrown into an uproar.

Inside the Chuigong Hall, Zhao Zhen looked at the "treasonous" yet "extremely tempting" reply in his hand and remained silent for a long time.

The prime ministers and censors below the stage were arguing heatedly. Some demanded that troops be sent to arrest Jiang Lin immediately, while others suggested that he be banned from taking the imperial examinations for life.

Just when everyone thought the emperor was about to fly into a rage, Zhao Zhen suddenly raised his head and slammed the letter heavily onto the imperial desk, making a crisp "smack" sound.

Then, the emperor of the Song Dynasty uttered a sentence that left all the officials speechless...