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

The morning after the bet was made, the sky over Runzhou was gloomy, like a giant pot overturned overhead.

The atmosphere in the lecture hall of Jiang's Academy was even more oppressive than the weather.

The table was piled high with yellowed Xuan paper, all the articles written by the three students over the past few years.

Jiang Lin, like a picky scrap collector, casually rummaged through these "works of art," his brows furrowing deeper and deeper, until he even made a "tsk tsk" sound.

"Is this the article you studied before?"

Jiang Lin picked up Zeng Gong's policy essay with two fingers, as if he were holding a dead rat:

"It's all flowery language, but devoid of substance. The entire piece is filled with quotations; which sentence is your own?"

He picked up Su Shi's poems again and shook them:

"Spiritual energy exists, but it's boundless. Are you planning to make the examiners play hide-and-seek with you in the exam room?"

The three of them lowered their heads, their faces turning a deep purplish-red.

This was their "masterpiece" that they used to be so proud of, how come it became a worthless piece of paper in the teacher's mouth?

Su Shi, being young and impetuous, couldn't help but retort in a low voice:

"Sir, isn't the imperial examination just testing your memorization of classics and your understanding of the principles of the ancients? Everyone writes it like that..."

"Everyone?"

Jiang Lin slammed the paper on the table, making a crisp sound.

"It's because 'everyone' writes it this way that you all failed the exam!"

He stood up, placed his hands on the edge of the table, and his eyes were piercing:

"Listen carefully. The imperial examination never tested how much ink you had in your belly, but rather—whether you could splash that ink in the way the examiners wanted to see."

"What kind of image does the examiner want to see?" Zeng Gong looked up blankly.

"That's right." Jiang Lin held up one finger. "Examiners are human too. Humans have preferences, weaknesses, and... cough, user profiles."

The three students looked completely bewildered: User profile? What kind of painting is that? A portrait of a lady?

Jiang Lin ignored their doubts and had a sudden thought.

[System, launch the vast library.]

[Search keywords: Imperial examination trends during the Jiayou era of the Northern Song Dynasty + examiners' aesthetic preferences + high-scoring exam paper templates.]

The next second, a massive stream of data flooded into Jiang Lin's mind.

Current state of the literary scene: The Western Kun style is prevalent, with ornate but empty language.

Future trend (led by Ouyang Xiu): The Classical Prose Movement, which emphasizes substantive content and plain, fluent expression.

Ultimate skill: Clear logic, rigorous structure, and sharp viewpoints.

Jiang Lin's lips curled slightly. This cheat code was practically a cheating artifact.

He snapped out of his daze, looked at the three students who were still in a daze, picked up a charcoal pencil, and drew a strange frame diagram on a large sheet of white paper.

"From today onwards, forget all those messy formats you learned before."

"I'm going to teach you a completely new essay structure, which I call the 'Eight-Legged Template'."

Although the eight-legged essay took shape in the Ming and Qing dynasties and was criticized by later generations for being rigid, in the Song Dynasty at this time, this structure was a logical nuclear weapon.

In an era where people still like to ramble on and on in their writing, a well-structured, progressively structured essay is like eye drops to cleanse the eyes of examiners!

Jiang Lin pointed to the diagram:

"The first step is to break down the problem. Use two sentences to get straight to the core of the problem, without any unnecessary words."

"The second step is to continue the discussion. Building upon the initial discussion, we will elaborate further."

"The third step is to begin the discourse. Begin the formal discussion, and imitate the tone of a sage."

"Then comes the stages of acquisition, initial stock purchase, mid-term stock purchase, later-stage stock purchase, and final stock purchase..."

Jiang Lin's charcoal pencil danced across the paper, drawing squares and arrows, as if he were dissecting a sophisticated mechanical beast.

"This...this is what writing an article is?"

Su Zhe stared in disbelief. "This looks like they're settling accounts..."

"That's right! It's all about accounting!" Jiang Lin tossed aside his charcoal pencil. "An examination essay is like a math problem. As long as you fill in the blanks, even if your writing is mediocre, you're guaranteed a perfect score in logic and will never go off-topic!"

The three of them looked at the cage-like frame with a mixture of curiosity and resistance.

Is this still writing an article? This is practically a fill-in-the-blank question!

Jiang Lin saw through their thoughts, but without explaining further, he simply tapped the table:

"Talk is cheap. Now, write something using this structure, with 'benevolence' as the topic!"

……

One hour later.

Jiang Lin held the three men's "first experience with the eight-legged essay," his expression complex.

Su Shi scratched his head, his usually bright and intelligent face now contorted in a grimace. Forcing a genius with such boundless imagination to confine himself to such rigid rules was worse than death for him.

The writing is like an eagle with its wings bound, extremely awkward.

Zeng Gong adapted quickly, but he was too honest, and every line he wrote was dry and lifeless, as if he were reciting a text.

Su Zhe, on the other hand, was simply trying to reach the word count, repeating the same things over and over again.

"No, it's too stiff."

Jiang Lin shook his head, "You're forcing this on, not writing it."

Su Shi slammed down his pen, somewhat deflated: "Teacher, is this method really going to work? I feel... it's too restrictive, and the resulting writing is lifeless."

"Lifeless?"

Jiang Lin smiled.

"That's because you're not skilled enough. True classical Chinese writing is like dancing in shackles, yet still managing to create unparalleled beauty."

He walked to the table, spread out a new sheet of paper, and dipped his brush in ink.

"Watch closely. I'm going to demonstrate what a standard 'exam-killing weapon' looks like."

Jiang Lin took a deep breath, recalled a model essay written by a top scholar in the imperial examinations of the Ming and Qing dynasties, made slight modifications to adapt to the writing style of the Song dynasty, and then began to write.

The brushstrokes flowed like dragons and snakes, completed in one go.

The precision with which the problem was solved was like a sharp sword being drawn from its sheath;

The stability of the topic is like laying the foundation of a building;

The narration was so powerful, like a surging river.

Especially the parallel structure in the middle, every sentence is powerful and the logic is so tight that not even a needle can be inserted!

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Jiang Lin put down his pen.

"Take this and circulate it."

The three of them came closer, and their expressions changed after just one glance.

I originally thought that such a rigid structure couldn't produce a good article, but Jiang Lin's piece...

It's easy to read aloud and has a great rhythm!

Every point of view is perfectly supported by that framework, progressing layer by layer, making you want to read the second paragraph after finishing the first, until the final conclusion, leaving you feeling completely clear and irrefutable!

"this……"

Su Shi held the article, his hands trembling. "This article, when read, has a certain... a certain..."

"He possesses an undeniable domineering aura," Zeng Gong added the second half of the sentence.

Su Zhe swallowed hard: "If the examiners saw an essay like this, they probably wouldn't even blink."

Jiang Lin picked up his teacup, concealing the smile on his lips:

"That's what we call 'user experience.' Examiners have to look at hundreds of papers a day, and they're exhausted. Whoever makes it the most enjoyable for them to read is number one."

……

For the next ten days, Jiang's Academy entered a grueling period.

Jiang Lin transforms into a ruthless question-setting machine.

Early morning: "One line from *The Great Learning*, in the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, write it down!"

Before lunch: "You're not allowed to eat until you finish writing this section of the Doctrine of the Mean!"

Late at night: "Is this what you call breaking the problem? Rewrite it!"

The lights in the academy burned all night long.

The pile of waste paper in the lecture hall was almost ankle-deep.

Su Shi went from initial resistance to confusion, and finally to fervor. He discovered that while this "eight-legged essay template" limited divergent thinking, it greatly honed the depth of thought and the density of logic.

His articles began to become sharp and precise, like a sharp knife that had been forged through countless trials.

Zeng Gong's writing, while meticulously crafted, exudes a grand and dignified air, as steady as Mount Tai.

Su Zhe improved the fastest; he perfectly executed the template and became the most consistent scorer.

Evening of the tenth day.

Jiang Lin set another test question.

This time, the three of them picked up their pens and started writing without any hesitation.

The exam was handed in after half an hour.

Jiang Lin sat in the sunset, holding three answer sheets, and carefully read them.

After a long while, he put down the test paper and let out a long sigh of relief.

Reborn.

If these three articles were placed in the current Runzhou County Examination, they would be like a max-level character entering a newbie village—wielding absolute power.

"gentlemen……"

Su Shi cautiously observed Jiang Lin's expression. He had been scolded for the past ten days and was now traumatized. "This time... do we have to rewrite it again?"

Jiang Lin raised his head and looked at the three students with dark circles under their eyes, gaunt appearance but bright eyes, and finally showed his first smile in ten days.

"No."

He folded the papers neatly and patted them gently.

"With this level of skill, getting into the top three in the county-level exam is as easy as taking candy from a baby."

The three of them immediately breathed a sigh of relief and slumped into their chairs.

"Finally... I don't have to rewrite it..." Su Zhe almost cried.

However, Jiang Lin's next words made their hearts leap into their throats again.

Jiang Lin stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the lights of thousands of homes gradually lighting up in the distance. His voice was soft and low:

"However, this is only a passing grade."

"Passing?" Su Shi jumped up. "Sir, this is only passing?"

Jiang Lin turned around, his eyes flashing with arrogance:

"I said, I want more than just a top-three finish."

"This kind of article, while solid, isn't 'explosive' enough."

"In the days to come, I will teach you the real killer moves."

He paused, then said, slowly and deliberately:

"I want your essays to be so amazing that the examiners will slam their fists on the table while grading them, and might even feel the urge to rush out of the exam room and drag you out for a closer look—"

"What kind of monster could write such words?!"

The three looked at each other, feeling a chill run down their spines.

Sir, your appetite is... far too great!