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

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, a thin mist enveloped Bianjing City.

The Imperial Street in front of the Examination Hall was already packed with people like sardines in a can.

Thousands of examinees, along with their servants, families, and idlers from all over the city who came to watch the spectacle, blocked the entire street so much that not even a fly could get through.

The air was thick with the smells of sweat, cosmetics, and a strong sense of anxiety.

Everyone is waiting for that yellow list that will decide their fate.

That thin piece of paper can make someone rise to the top in one step, or drive them mad on the spot.

"This exam is presided over by Lord Ouyang Xiu, and I heard the standards are extremely strict!" an old scholar said, wiping his sweat. "I heard there was an unlucky fellow who was kicked out by Lord Ouyang for using an obscure character."

"I think this year's top scholar will definitely be a talented scholar from Kaifeng Prefecture, or one of those brilliant fellows from Suzhou."

"That's not necessarily true. I've bet fifty coins on the talented scholar from Jiangxi!"

The front of the crowd, the best view.

The young master Liu, who had once mocked Su Shi at the inn, was now fanning himself with a folding fan, dressed in fine clothes, standing out among the candidates in plain clothes.

His face was etched with the words "I'm determined to win."

"Young Master, we've secured a good spot. We guarantee you'll see your name right away!" the lackey said obsequiously.

"Hmph." Young Master Liu glanced contemptuously at the poor scholars behind him and sneered, "What kind of country bumpkins are you from Runzhou? How dare you talk so arrogantly? You probably can't even touch the heel of Sun Shan (the last one on the list)."

He snapped his folding fan shut: "Once the list comes out, if those people's names aren't on it, we'll go to the Gaosheng Inn and give them a good 'visit,' and teach them a lesson about the rules of Bianjing City."

Just then—

"It's out! It's out!"

A shout acted as a fuse, instantly igniting the entire arena.

The heavy gates of the examination hall swung open with a loud crash.

Several burly constables, wielding fire and water clubs, cleared the way, shouting menacingly, "Silence! Stand back!"

Following behind were officials from the Ministry of Rites carrying the yellow list, their expressions as solemn as if they were holding an imperial edict.

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

Tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on the slowly unfurling yellow paper, and even the sound of breathing stopped.

The official from the Ministry of Rites cleared his throat, his voice booming like a bell, and began to call out the names.

Every word felt like a heavy hammer blow to the heart.

"In the second year of the Jiayou era, he achieved first place in the provincial examination—the top scholar!"

The official paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the room.

"Runzhou, Jingshi Academy, Su Shi!"

boom--!

A commotion broke out in the crowd.

"Su Shi? Who's that?"

"Never heard of it! Isn't it from Kaifeng?"

"Runzhou...Runzhou again?"

Before everyone could even process this news, the official immediately followed up with a second statement:

"Second place in the provincial examination!"

"Runzhou, Jingshi Academy, Zeng Gong!"

This time, the commotion turned into gasps of surprise.

It's like pouring a ladle of cold water into a pot of hot oil.

"Jingshi Academy again?!"

Are these two relatives? Or classmates?

However, the most terrifying blow was yet to come.

The Ministry of Rites official looked at the list, blinked in disbelief, then took a deep breath and shouted:

"Third place in the provincial examination!"

"Runzhou, Jingshi Academy, Su Zhe!"

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

When the third name was read out, the scene fell into an eerie silence for three seconds.

It was as if time had been frozen.

Immediately following was a deafening "Holy crap!" (Song Dynasty version).

"They've gone mad! They've all gone mad!"

"Top three? They swept them all?!"

"Has the Jingshi Academy been blessed? Or has it been bewitched by Lord Ouyang Xiu?!"

"Cheating! This is absolutely... no, who would dare cheat when Ouyang Xiu is the examiner?"

The crowd was in an uproar.

Everyone pushed and shoved forward as if trying to knock down the wall, wanting to see if the three names on the list really did have that despairing suffix written after them—[Runzhou Jingshi Academy].

Standing at the very front row, Young Master Liu was as stiff as a stone statue.

The expensive folding fan in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud," breaking the fan ribs.

But he was completely unaware.

His face was deathly pale, his lips trembled, and his eyes were unfocused: "Su Shi... Zeng Gong... Su Zhe... how could this be..."

First, second, third.

This is not just a ranking; it's a dimensional attack, a humiliation of all scholars in the world, a crushing blow to their faces.

"Young Master..." the attendant beside him asked cautiously, as if trying to rub salt in the wound, "Are we... still going to the Gaosheng Inn to humiliate them?"

Young Master Liu suddenly came to his senses and slapped his henchman across the forehead:

"Humiliate me my ass! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

He picked up the folding fan, covered his face with his sleeve, and scurried out of the crowd like a rat crossing the street: "Run! From now on, avoid anyone with the surname Su! Don't let anyone know I know them!"

……

Gaosheng Inn.

Unlike the bustling chaos outside, the atmosphere inside the top-tier room was almost excessively peaceful.

Su Shi and his two companions were having breakfast.

Three bowls of steaming hot mutton noodles were placed on the table, sprinkled with bright green scallions.

Su Shi was holding a bowl, with one foot on a stool, slurping noodles without any regard for his image, sweating profusely as he ate.

"Slurp—ah! This Bianjing mutton is authentic, not gamey at all!"

"elder brother……"

Su Zhe put down his chopsticks, looked at his elder brother's carefree appearance, and said helplessly, "It's so noisy outside, even the windows are shaking, are we really not going to go check the list? I'm so worried..."

"What are you looking at?"

Su Shi took a bite of garlic and mumbled, then casually picked up a few pieces of meat from Su Zhe's bowl and put them into his own. "We've used up all of your secrets, sir. If we still can't get into the top three, we might as well jump into the Bian River and save ourselves from going back and making you angry."

Zeng Gong appeared composed, peeling garlic, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed his inner excitement.

"Zizhan is right. If we didn't trust you, sir, we wouldn't have come to Bianjing."

Just then—

"Bang!"

The door was suddenly kicked open, and the two door panels almost flew off.

The waiter rushed in like a madman, his hat falling off, and he was holding a piece of red paper that he had just copied.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw the three people eating noodles, his legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud.

"They won! They won! All three of you won!"

The waiter, his voice trembling with emotion, began to kowtow repeatedly.

"Master Su is the top scholar! The number one!"

"Master Zeng is second! Master Su is third!"

"Heavens above! Our little inn has produced three extraordinary individuals! The innkeeper just fainted, but when he woke up, he said the three gentlemen's rooms are all on the house! From now on, you three will be the living advertisements for our Gaosheng Inn!"

Su Shi swallowed the noodles in his mouth and wiped the grease off his lips.

He exchanged a glance with Zeng Gong and Su Zhe.

There was no ecstasy or screams in the eyes of the three, only a sense of relief that "the mission has finally been completed," and boundless respect for the gentleman in the distance.

Su Shi stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

On the street below, countless people were surging toward the inn, waving their arms and shouting their names, creating a wave of noise.

"gentlemen……"

Su Shi gazed at the southern sky, a smile playing on his lips, and murmured to himself:

"We've passed the first hurdle."

"We've earned back your reputation."

However, what Su Shi didn't know was...

This victory brought not only glory, but also countless eyes watching from the shadows.

The powerful, the wealthy, and even the one deep within the palace...

The name of Jingshi Academy is too bright, so bright that some people want to destroy it, and so bright that some people... want to possess it for themselves.