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

The next morning, the fog outside Runzhou City had not yet dissipated.

"A big watermelon, cut in half, one half for you, one half for him..."

Jiang Lin stood in the courtyard full of withered grass, his feet neither shoulder to shoulder, and his hands slowly drew circles in the air.

He is practicing Tai Chi.

The health habits from my past life shouldn't be abandoned in this body. After all, to survive in this era without antibiotics, health is the foundation of everything.

Three heads peeked out from the lecture hall entrance.

Su Shi, sporting a messy hairstyle and a bewildered expression, asked, "Ziyou, what is the master doing? Is he performing a shamanistic ritual?"

Su Zhe rubbed his sleepy eyes: "It doesn't look like that, it looks more like he's slacking off..."

Zeng Gong frowned and pondered: "Slow yet gentle, gentle yet strong, your boxing style... seems to subtly align with the Taoist principle of Yin and Yang."

Jiang Lin stopped his attack, exhaled a breath of stale air, and glanced at the three country bumpkins who had never seen the world.

"Awake? Go wash your face. We're having a diagnostic test today."

……

Breakfast consisted of congee with pickled vegetables.

Although it was meager, the three boys ate with great relish thanks to the "establishing a heart for heaven and earth" chicken soup they had eaten the night before.

After the meal, Jiang Lin sat down at the stone table with a teacup in his hand.

"Although you've made a pledge, I need to know your true capabilities."

Jiang Lin pointed to the old willow tree by the courtyard wall, which had just sprouted tender buds:

Write an essay on the theme of "Spring," in any style, within 15 minutes.

The three of them didn't hesitate and immediately laid out paper and ground ink.

Fifteen minutes later.

Jiang Lin held three sheets of paper with the ink still wet, his brows furrowing slightly.

Su Shi's poem, "The spring breeze blows and it grows again, the green willows dance with their waists..." is full of spirit, but the choice of words and sentence structure seems like that of a young man in love, too unrestrained.

Zeng Gong's poem, "The warm spring sun spreads its grace, and all things shine with glory..." is so neatly written, like that of someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder, that you can't find fault with it, but it's also so boring that it makes you want to sleep.

Su Zhe's poem: "When spring arrives, the grass and trees know..." is written in a very proper and careful manner, as if afraid of writing a single wrong word.

"Tsk."

Jiang Lin put down the paper and let out a meaningful sigh.

The three of them felt a chill run down their spines.

Su Shi asked cautiously, "Sir, how is it?"

Jiang Lin shook his head: "His foundation is decent, but if he goes to take the county exam like this, he'll just be wasting his time."

"Su Shi, you're too arrogant."

"Zeng Gong, you're too wooden."

"Su Zhe, you're such a coward."

The three future literary giants were criticized until their faces turned red, but they dared not refute him. After all, Jiang Lin's glorious image from last night was too lofty; if he said no, then it was definitely no.

Just then, a series of noisy footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Clang!"

The broken door that was just repaired yesterday was kicked open again.

"Good morning, Jiangshan!"

This time, it wasn't Fatty Wang who came, but a young master in fine clothes—Wang Shichang. Behind him followed the butler with a fierce face, and several craftsmen carrying buckets of lime.

Wang Shichang swaggered into the courtyard, covered his nose with a fan, and looked disgusted.

"This run-down place really does smell of poverty."

With a wave of his hand, the craftsmen behind him immediately carried buckets of lime to the courtyard wall, picked up brushes, and swished them a few times.

A huge white circle.

In the middle is written a large character – 拆 (demolish).

Jiang Lin's eyelids twitched as he looked at the modern-looking character "拆" (demolish).

"Wow, this is such a sudden change in style! Should I go collect my demolition compensation?"

Wang Shichang looked at Jiang Lin with a smug expression:

"Jiang Lin, my father said that if the money isn't paid back by noon the day after tomorrow, this courtyard will belong to the Wang family. I've already found the craftsmen; we'll just bulldoze it and expand the stable."

Su Shi, young and impetuous, suddenly stood up: "This is outrageous! This is a place for studying, not a place for you to raise horses!"

Wang Shichang scoffed, "Study? With the abilities of you three ugly, deformed children?"

He pointed to the wall with the word "demolish" written on it:

"Our Wenchang Academy had eight students in the top ten of the county examination last year! We are number one in Runzhou! Your dilapidated temple doesn't even deserve to be called an academy!"

Jiang Lin reached out and pressed down on Su Shi, who was about to lash out, and slowly stood up.

He walked up to Wang Shichang, looked at the word "demolish," then at the arrogant young master Wang, and suddenly laughed.

"Young Master Wang, since your Wenchang Academy is so prestigious, how about we make a bet?"

Wang Shichang was taken aback: "What are we betting on?"

Jiang Lin put his hands behind his back, his voice clear and cold, echoing throughout the entire courtyard:

"Let's bet on the county exam in three months."

"My three students swept the top three spots."

"And your Wang family's Wenchang Academy—" Jiang Lin paused, then held up a finger and shook it, "not a single one of the top ten students got in."

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Even the craftsmen who were painting the walls stopped what they were doing and stared at Jiang Lin as if he were a fool.

Wang Shichang was stunned for a moment, then burst into wild laughter, laughing so hard he couldn't straighten up:

"Hahahaha! Did I hear that right? They swept the top three spots? And they wiped out our Wenchang Academy?"

"Jiang Lin, are you driven mad by debt, or are you still dreaming?"

Even Su Shi and the other two felt their legs go weak.

Sir, yesterday we were talking about "striving for the top three," how come today it's become "not only do we need to be in the top three, but we also need to wipe out our opponents"? The difficulty level has gone from hard to hell!

Jiang Lin remained expressionless, quietly watching Wang Shichang laugh wildly:

"Just tell me, are you brave enough to bet?"

Wang Shichang stopped laughing, his eyes turning sinister: "What's the stake?"

Jiang Lin pointed to the ground beneath his feet:

"If I lose, this academy, land and buildings, will be given to your Wang family for free. The debt of five hundred strings of cash will be wiped clean. I, Jiang Lin, will leave with nothing and get out of Runzhou."

Wang Shichang's eyes lit up.

Although the land deed for this academy isn't worth much, if we could get it for free and also drive away Jiang Lin, our mortal enemy, that would be a double blessing!

"Alright! You said it yourself!" Wang Shichang was afraid that Jiang Lin would go back on his word.

"Wait a minute," Jiang Lin said calmly, "What if you lose?"

Wang Shichang scoffed, "How could we possibly lose?"

"What if?"

"If we lose..." Wang Shichang's eyes darted around, "Whatever!"

Jiang Lin's lips curled into a "kind" smile:

"If you lose, I want Wenchang Academy to take down its plaque and change its name to 'Jingshi Academy Runzhou Branch'."

Wang Shichang's expression changed.

This is a real slap in the face! If they lose, where will the Wang family put their face?

But then he thought again: Three poor students taking the top three spots? Dream on! Wenchang Academy has invited famous teachers to oversee the school, and there are more than a dozen promising students who are guaranteed to pass the exam.

How could we possibly lose in this situation?

"Fine!" Wang Shichang gritted his teeth. "Let's gamble! I'll have someone deliver the contract this afternoon. We'll sign and seal it in black and white!"

"Please." Jiang Lin gestured for the guest to leave.

Wang Shichang led his men away arrogantly. Before leaving, he pointed at the character "拆" (demolish) and laughed, "Jiangshan Chang, keep this character; we'll need it in three months!"

……

The news spread like wildfire, reaching the entire city of Runzhou in less than half a day.

In the teahouse, the storytellers had all changed their stories.

"Hey, have you heard? That penniless Jiang Lin has gone mad!"

"What happened?"

"He made a bet with the eldest son of the Wang family, saying that his three students would sweep the top three spots in the county exam and shave their heads at Wenchang Academy!"

"Wow! That's incredibly arrogant! Wenchang Academy is the best academy in Runzhou!"

"I think Jiang Lin knows he can't pay off his debts, so he's just throwing caution to the wind and trying to use the bet to delay for three months so he can make a few more meals."

The "Changle Casino" in the city even opened betting odds overnight.

Jiang Lin wins, odds are 50 to 1.

Wang Jia wins, odds are 1.01.

The column for betting on Jiang Linying is still at zero.

……

In the afternoon, around 3 PM.

Wang Shichang did indeed arrive.

Not only did they come, but they also invited several of the most famous local gentry in Runzhou to act as guarantors, and even Wang the Fatty, who was in charge of collecting debts, came to watch the spectacle.

The contract was made in duplicate, and it was written very clearly.

Jiang Lin didn't even look at it before picking up a pen and signing his name on it, then pressing his red handprint on it.

His movements were graceful and fluid.

Wang Shichang put away the contract, his face crinkling with laughter: "Jiang Shanchang, enjoy these last three months. Don't blame me for being ruthless later."

After seeing off these plague-mongers, the courtyard finally quieted down.

The setting sun once again bathed the lecture hall in its light.

Su Shi, Zeng Gong, and Su Zhe sat around the table, the atmosphere so heavy it was as if they were about to be executed.

"Sir..." Zeng Gong said with a bitter face, "Isn't this bet too cruel? Sweeping the top three might still leave a glimmer of hope, but to prevent any member of Wenchang Academy from making the top ten... how can we control that?"

Su Zhe muttered under his breath, "Yeah, unless we break all their examinees' legs..."

Jiang Lin was wiping the ink off his hands when he heard this. He looked up and revealed a mysterious smile.

"Who said we'd break their legs? We're educated people; we should be civilized."

He walked up to the three people, his gaze sweeping over their youthful yet promising faces.

"Close the door."

Su Shi was taken aback and quickly ran to close the broken door tightly.

The lights in the lecture hall dimmed.

Jiang Lin's voice rang out in the dim light, carrying an irresistible magic:

"I know you think it's impossible."

"It's indeed impossible using conventional methods."

"but--"

Jiang Lin pulled out several "handwritten copies" that he had been working on overnight from his pocket and slammed them heavily on the table.

Dust flew everywhere.

"Starting tonight, the academy will be under closed-door special training. Except for eating and sleeping, no one is allowed to step out of the academy gates."

"What I want to teach you is not the meaning of scriptures, nor strategies."

"But something that has never happened before in this era—"

Jiang Lin paused, a sly and confident glint in his eyes:

"The method of quickly mastering the eight-legged essay and the psychology of exam preparation."

The three boys' eyes lit up instantly when they saw the few thin booklets.

Although they didn't understand what "formalistic writing" or "psychology" meant, they did understand the word "crash course".

Faced with this desperate bet, these two words were a lifeline.

Jiang Lin looked at them and silently recited in his heart:

"Tremble, candidates of the Great Song Dynasty. The fear of being dominated by 'Five Years of College Entrance Examinations and Three Years of Simulation' is about to descend."