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

At 3:45 AM, at the Daqing Hall.

This majestic palace, representing the highest power of the Song Dynasty, now resembled a silent behemoth, overlooking the hundreds of insignificant tribute scholars below.

The heavy vermilion gates were tightly shut, isolating the hall from all the noise of the outside world. The main hall was dimly lit, with only the huge candles, as thick as a child's arm, burning on either side, occasionally crackling. Hundreds of candidates, dressed in brand-new official robes, stood solemnly beneath the vermilion gates, according to their ranking in the imperial examination, like lambs to the slaughter... no, like pillars to be chosen.

The atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

Even Su Shi, who was usually fond of joking and fearless, felt as if a huge stone was pressing on his chest and held his breath.

He stood in the first row, secretly glancing up at the high dragon throne.

The person sitting there is the Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Zhen.

Contrary to legend, this emperor, who reigned for over thirty years, was nothing more than a kind-faced but weary middle-aged man. His temples were gray, and his eyes were heavily puffed up with bags, the result of endless memorials, urgent reports from the border, and an ever-expanding treasury.

"My lords."

Emperor Renzong's voice echoed in the hall, somewhat hoarse, yet conveying an undeniable authority and... anxiety.

"After decades of hard study, you are all outstanding individuals who can stand here today."

"In previous years, the imperial examinations mostly tested poetry and prose, which was to create a facade of peace and prosperity. But today..."

Emperor Renzong slowly stood up, his gaze sharp as he swept over the pairs of young, anxious eyes below the stage. Suddenly, he did something no one expected—he slammed a memorial he was holding heavily onto the imperial desk!

"Snapped!"

A sharp crack startled several timid scholars in the back row so much that their knees nearly buckled and they knelt down.

"I'm tired of those flowery articles! My ears are weary of the phrase 'prosperous age'!"

Emperor Renzong descended the imperial steps, his voice rising a few decibels, and posed the question that was enough to give the conservatives a heart attack on the spot:

"The Song Dynasty has stood for a hundred years, outwardly prosperous, but inwardly exhausted! To the north, the Liao Dynasty is eyeing it covetously, demanding millions in tribute annually; to the west, Yuan Hao is invading the borders, leading to years of continuous warfare!"

"The treasury was empty, and the people resorted to cannibalism; the army was as numerous as ants, yet utterly incapable of fighting, collapsing at the first sign of the enemy!"

"I do not concern myself with the subtle words of the sages, but only with the problems of today! What do you, my ministers, think is the best way to break this deadlock?!"

boom--!

Although the hall remained completely silent, it felt as if a depth charge had been detonated in everyone's heart.

It really is this question!

Su Shi felt a chill run down his spine, and all the blood in his body rushed to his head.

He subconsciously pressed his chest, where the golden brocade pouch seemed to become scorching hot, like a red-hot branding iron.

Sir... is he even human?

They even predicted what the emperor would say and what anger he would feel?!

"What I want is a knife!" Emperor Renzong's voice echoed throughout the hall, filled with a desperate madness. "A knife capable of scraping bone to remove poison, capable of killing with bloodshed! Whoever dares to make this knife, I will grant him the title of ruler of the world!"

Most of the surrounding candidates were pale-faced and drenched in cold sweat. This question was far too broad and too sensitive. To admit that the Song Dynasty was "empty-handed"? Wasn't that a slap in the face to the emperor? Who dared to take on this challenge?

Most people immediately had second thoughts: Hold on, don't be reckless. Let's just write "cultivate virtue and practice benevolence, be frugal and love the people" instead. It may be mediocre, but at least it won't stick to the pot and won't cost us our heads.

Su Shi took a deep breath, and at an angle unnoticed by anyone, a wildly arrogant smile appeared on his lips.

"As the gentleman said, Zhao Zhen was an honest man, but also a pitiful one."

"Since even the emperor is going to 'break the deadlock,' then I'll hand him a hammer today!"

Su Shi came to the desk, ground the ink, and picked up the brush.

At this moment, his mind was no longer filled with classical Chinese phrases, but rather with the "potent medicine" that Jiang Lin had prescribed for the Song Dynasty in the golden brocade pouch last night.

The first cut: dissecting the lesion.

Su Shi wrote directly, his pen as sharp as a knife:

"Your Majesty's worries lie in the depletion of resources and the exhaustion of strength. However, I believe that the world is not lacking in wealth, but rather in the powerful and wealthy, not in the state; the army is not lacking in numbers, but rather in its lack of training and the fostering of arrogance and laziness!"

This strike directly pierced the festering sore of land annexation and redundant troops, leaving it bleeding profusely, yet striking straight to the core.

The second approach: prescribing the right medicine for the illness.

Following Jiang Lin's framework and combining it with his own writing style, Su Shi packaged modern economic theories into a simple yet profound policy essay:

"To enrich the nation, one must first revitalize commerce. Establish markets and exchanges to facilitate the flow of goods, so that all profits from across the land will go to the imperial court, not to those who seize territories." (This was the rudimentary form of the market and exchange law!)

"To strengthen the army, one must first reduce its numbers. Eliminate the old and weak to make room for the elite, restore the original purpose of the militia, and integrate soldiers into agriculture, allowing them to farm in peacetime and fight in wartime." (This refers to the Baojia system and the troop reduction policy!)

The third step: Execution path.

"It is easy to establish laws, but difficult to implement them. Select one or two prefectures as pilot areas. If successful, they can be implemented throughout the country; if unsuccessful, they can be limited to one region without harming the foundation of the nation."

By this point, Su Shi was completely absorbed in his writing, his brushstrokes flowing like dragons and snakes, as if divinely inspired. This wasn't an exam; it was teaching the emperor how to be a CEO! It was performing brain surgery on the Song Dynasty!

But just as he was about to put down his pen, Jiang Lin's words of advice, "Be cowardly at the end," suddenly echoed in his mind.

Su Shi's hand trembled, and he suddenly came to his senses.

"No, that's too arrogant. If I hand it over like this, those old ministers will tear me apart."

He forcibly suppressed his arrogance, adopting an extremely sincere, even somewhat "blame-shifting" tone, and wrote the final paragraph:

"However, I am but a commoner, with no experience in local government or county administration. My theoretical knowledge of military strategy may contain omissions. Although this plan is brilliant, without a wise and decisive ruler and without capable ministers working together with one heart, I fear it will be difficult to achieve complete success. We have only a burning passion to serve as Your Majesty's soldiers, even unto death."

After writing the last sentence, Su Shi looked at the scroll and couldn't help but give his teacher a thumbs up in his heart.

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

He first displayed his talent, then his loyalty, and even flattered the emperor in between. This combination of tactics would have even the most hardened emperor completely under his control.

As the last rays of the setting sun shone on the glazed tiles of the examination hall, the bell rang to signal the end of the examination.

Su Shi put down his pen, looked at the scroll that had been taken away by the official who had concealed his name, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Sir, I've lit this fire for you. Whether it will burn or not depends on the fate of the Song Dynasty."

……

The examination papers were collected, and the candidates left the Daqing Hall with trepidation.

However, Emperor Renzong did not return to the inner palace to rest as usual. He directly ordered all the candles to be lit in the side hall of Chongzheng Hall and moved the hundreds of scrolls to his desk.

"Your Majesty, it's late. Let's look at it tomorrow," the old eunuch advised.

Emperor Renzong waved his hand, his eyes bloodshot, his voice hoarse yet unusually firm:

"I can't sleep. The Song Dynasty can't sleep either."

"Tonight I'll see if any of these hundreds of scholars is a Hua Tuo (a legendary physician) who can save the Song Dynasty!"