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

The spring of the second year of the Jiayou era was exceptionally noisy.

The willows in Runzhou City had just sprouted new buds, and the ice on the docks had not yet melted completely, yet the official road was already crowded with carriages and horses heading to the capital for the imperial examinations.

This was a banner year for the imperial examinations, and scholars from all over the country flocked to Bianjing. But in Runzhou, all eyes were focused on that seemingly inconspicuous alley—the Jingshi Academy.

Today marks the start of the journey for the "Three Heroes of Jiangmen".

……

At the entrance of the academy, there was a great commotion of gongs and drums, and red flags were waving everywhere.

Prefect Shen of Runzhou arrived in person, dressed in plain clothes, beaming like an old chrysanthemum: "Prefect Jiang, with this visit, these three talented scholars will truly be leaping over the dragon gate! From now on, our Runzhou region may produce a prime minister!"

Beside him, the former arch-rival, now the number one "fanboy," the head of the Wang family, squeezed into the crowd, shouting loudly, "Lord Shen is right! I, Wang, drew a fortune stick at the Guandi Temple yesterday, and it was extremely auspicious! I dare say it right here, next year's imperial examination will definitely produce a top scholar from Jiangmen!"

The surrounding people cheered and applauded.

Su Shi, Su Zhe, and Zeng Gong, who were at the center of the storm, looked helpless at this moment.

They have been "armed" to the teeth by Qian Duoduo.

"Senior Brother, here are five hundred taels of silver notes. They've been sewn into your lining to keep out thieves."

"Second Brother, this is a special 'anti-motion sickness medicine' (menthol) made by the master. Take a sniff if you feel unwell on the road."

"Senior Brother Zeng, these are membership cards for several major inns in the capital. I've already taken care of them in advance..."

Qian Duoduo chattered on like a mother hen, wishing she could pry up two of the academy's floor tiles and bring them along.

"Alright."

A lazy yet authoritative voice rang out.

The crowd fell silent instantly and automatically made way for them.

Jiang Lin, wearing a thin blue robe and carrying a hand warmer for winter (though it was spring, he was too lazy to change), slowly walked out.

"teacher!"

The three immediately stood at attention, the awkwardness of being watched vanishing instantly, replaced by expressions of respect and reluctance.

Jiang Lin walked to the front of the horse and looked at the three students.

This departure will be long and arduous. Perhaps when we meet again, it will be in the imperial palace.

"Did you bring everything?" Jiang Lin asked.

"I've got everything!" Su Shi patted his bulging bag.

"Did you bring your brain?"

"I brought it...I brought it." Su Shi shrank his neck.

Jiang Lin smiled and took out three brocade pouches of different colors from his sleeve.

One is red, one is gold, and one is black.

"These three brocade pouches, one for each person. Keep them safe."

Jiang Lin handed the brocade pouch to the three men, his expression becoming unusually solemn.

"I opened this red brocade pouch the night before the imperial examination. Inside were some of my 'guesses' about the exam questions, as well as strategies for answering them."

"This golden brocade pouch was opened on the eve of the imperial examination. Inside was a 'prescription for governing the country' for the emperor."

Su Shi's eyes lit up, and he was about to reach out to touch it when Jiang Lin tapped the back of his hand with a folding fan.

"Don't rush to see it. If you see it beforehand, you'll panic. This thing can only save your life when the time comes."

"What about the black one?" Su Zhe asked curiously.

Jiang Lin's gaze suddenly deepened, as if piercing through time and seeing the hardships these three young people would face in their future careers.

"This black one..."

Jiang Lin was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Don't open it unless absolutely necessary. If one day in the future you are demoted, exiled, or even feel so desperate that you want to jump into a river... then look at it."

The three of them were startled.

Jump into the river? Be exiled?

Although they were in the prime of their lives, this ominous prophecy still sent a chill through them, a sense of unease about the political landscape.

"Don't worry, sir!"

Zeng Gong, the most composed of all, carefully and solemnly put the three brocade pouches close to his body, declaring, "This student will certainly remember your teachings, Master, and will not open them until the appointed time!"

"Alright, stop making it sound like a life-or-death situation."

Jiang Lin waved his hand, reverting to his disdainful expression. "Hurry up and go, don't waste time. Remember, if you don't make it into the top ten, don't come back saying you know me. I can't bear the embarrassment."

"The student bids farewell to his beloved teacher!"

The three of them knelt down together and, witnessed by the elders of Runzhou, performed the highest level of kneeling worship before Jiang Lin.

Then, he mounted his horse.

"drive!"

Hooves kicked up dust as three young figures sped away in the spring breeze, carrying youthful spirit as they rushed towards the bustling yet dangerous city of Bianjing.

……

The crowd gradually dispersed only after the caravan disappeared at the end of the official road.

Prefect Shen leaned closer, his face full of flattery: "Prefect Jiang, what brilliant plans are written in these three brocade pouches? Could you give me a sneak peek?"

Jiang Lin glanced at him, a half-smile on his face: "Lord Shen, heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. If you do, the title of top scholar will no longer be effective."

After dismissing the prefect and other idlers, Jiang Lin turned and returned to the academy.

The once bustling entrance instantly became quiet.

"Duoduo".

Jiang Lin stood in the empty courtyard, looking at the hoofprints on the ground, and suddenly spoke.

"Sir, I'm here."

Qian Duoduo, who had been hiding in a corner wiping away tears, quickly ran over. "Are you also reluctant to part with Senior Brother and the others?"

"What a load of rubbish."

Jiang Lin turned around, the warmth in his eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by a cold, capitalist-like glint.

"They've gone to the capital to fight, so we can't just sit idle in the rear."

"How's the 'Phase Two Paper Production Project' I asked you to prepare coming along?"

Qian Duoduo switched modes in an instant, pulling an abacus from her sleeve: "Everything's ready! Just give the order, and our newly improved bamboo paper can be mass-produced. The cost is even 30% lower than the current 'Jingshi Paper'!"

"very good."

Jiang Lin opened his folding fan, a calculating smile playing on his lips.

"Hold the goods in place, don't ship them yet."

"wait."

"Wait for what?" Qian Duoduo asked, puzzled.

"When those three little tigers have made a huge mess of things in Bianjing, when the whole Song Dynasty is asking, 'What kind of paper did the top scholar use?'..."

Jiang Lin slammed the folding fan shut, making a crisp sound.

"That will be the time for us to reap the profits from the wallets of all the scholars in the world."

Qian Duoduo shuddered upon hearing this. Looking at her husband's back, she felt that beneath that blue robe lay not the integrity of a scholar, but a gold-devouring beast.

"Sir...aren't you playing a bit too big a game?"

Jiang Lin walked towards the back hall with his hands behind his back, his voice drifting in the spring breeze:

"Big? This is nothing."

"The real show is just beginning."