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

Late at night, inside the imperial palace.

The palace gates were already locked, but with an urgent imperial edict, the vermilion gates slowly opened a crack. A carriage sped in, its wheels making a rapid clattering sound on the bluestone slabs.

Sitting in the carriage was Ouyang Xiu, who had just fallen asleep but had been dragged out of bed.

"What business does Your Majesty have so late at night?"

Ouyang Xiu straightened his slightly disheveled official hat, his heart filled with unease. Was there an emergency at the border? Or had another earthquake struck somewhere?

When he rushed to Chongzheng Hall (the side hall where Emperor Renzong usually conducted his business), he found that there were no Grand Councilors, only Emperor Renzong himself, who was circling around the imperial desk, as excited as a child who had just received a new toy.

"Your subject, Ouyang Xiu, pays his respects..."

"Stop knocking! Come here!"

Emperor Renzong grabbed Ouyang Xiu, who hadn't yet knelt down, and dragged him directly to the imperial desk, pointing to the lone scroll that had been chosen.

"My dear minister, please take a look at this article!"

Emperor Renzong's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement: "I have read memorials for thirty years, and I have never seen such a bold yet insightful policy essay! This is not written by a scholar, it is clearly written by a prime minister!"

Ouyang Xiu took a closer look and saw that the handwriting on the paper was rich and unrestrained, exuding an indescribable composure.

Even though his name is obscured, he would still recognize this handwriting even if it turned to ashes.

"this……"

Ouyang Xiu pretended to pick up the exam paper, but in his heart he was overjoyed: Su Zizhan, you really did not let me down!

He quickly skimmed through it. The more he read, the more shocked he became.

Is this what Su Shi wrote in the examination hall?

This isn't an exam answer; it's like stripping the Song Dynasty bare!

"To enrich the country, first revitalize commerce," "To strengthen the military, first reduce its size," "Pilot programs for wider implementation"... Each suggestion was like a sharp needle piercing the rigid system of the Song Dynasty.

"His Majesty."

Ouyang Xiu put down the examination paper, took a deep breath, and his expression became extremely solemn. "This essay... is like a potent poison."

"That's right! It's a potent and dangerous medicine!"

Emperor Renzong slapped his thigh suddenly, "But the Song Dynasty is now gravely ill; lukewarm water won't save it. We must use this potent medicine! My dear minister, who do you think this person is?"

Ouyang Xiu gave a wry smile and didn't mince words: "Your Majesty, this whole page is filled with 'pragmatism,' and this bizarre logic of basing 'national wealth' on 'commercial circulation'... who else could it be but a student taught by Jiang Lin of Runzhou?"

"It really was him!"

Emperor Renzong sighed deeply, slumped onto his dragon throne, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "I knew it. The only one capable of teaching such 'dragon-slaying techniques' is Jiang Lin, who dared to defy my imperial edict."

Although the name hasn't been changed yet, the emperor and his minister understand each other implicitly.

"This Su Shi truly inherited his teacher's essence."

A brief silence fell over the hall.

The candle flame crackled and popped.

Emperor Renzong tapped his fingers lightly on the imperial desk, as if making a difficult decision.

"My dear minister, who do you think should be awarded the title of top scholar?"

This is a sensitive issue.

Logically speaking, this article was of a level that could easily surpass everyone else's. However, Su Shi had already won first place in the provincial examination. If he were to win first place in the palace examination as well, he would achieve the double honor of winning the top honor in both the provincial and municipal examinations. Including the prefectural examination, he would truly be a triple honor winner.

Such glory often attracts jealousy and may even make the court seem "unremarkable," with the limelight being monopolized by a single academy.

To maintain balance, the emperor would usually give the top scholar a lower ranking, such as second or third.

"Is His Majesty hesitating about whether to avoid suspicion?" Ouyang Xiu bluntly pointed out.

"yes."

Emperor Renzong sighed, "It's one thing for an academy to sweep the top three spots, but if they also take the top scholar position, I'm afraid the old ministers in the court will have something to say. Besides... the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind, and I also want to temper the arrogance of these young people."

"Your Majesty! Absolutely not!"

Ouyang Xiu suddenly raised his voice and even took a step forward.

"Sharpening one's edge? That depends on what kind of edge!"

"If it were merely arrogance and ignorance, it would naturally need to be tempered. But what shines through in this scroll by Su Shi is a noble spirit that embraces the world! It is the courage to undergo painful reforms for the Song Dynasty!"

Ouyang Xiu pointed at the exam paper, his emotions running high:

"The Song Dynasty is now mired in decline and gloom, and it desperately needs a sharp sword like this to pierce the heavens! If Your Majesty, for the sake of so-called 'balance,' were to suppress such a peerless genius as second place, it would truly chill the hearts of scholars throughout the land!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you not only refrain from suppressing it, but rather elevate it greatly!"

"Make him the top scholar! Make him the role model! Let all scholars in the world know—the Song Dynasty doesn't need sycophants, but true heroes who can get things done!"

These words resonated deeply.

Emperor Renzong stared at the excited Ouyang Xiu for a long while, stunned.

After a long while, he suddenly smiled.

"What a true hero!"

Emperor Renzong picked up his vermilion brush and wrote a large "一" (one) heavily at the beginning of the scroll.

"Minister Ouyang is right. With the Song Dynasty in such a state, what's the point of talking about balance?"

"Let him be the top scholar!"

"I want to see what kind of name this 'Sword of the Great Song,' trained by Jiang Lin, will achieve in the court!"

With the top scorer determined, the rest of the ranking process will be much faster.

Emperor Renzong then picked up two more examination papers that had impressed him.

A steady and rigorous treatise on the reform of officialdom—that was Zeng Gong's.

A document that focuses on people's livelihood and is written with earnest words—that was Su Zhe's.

"This one is well-organized and can be ranked third in the imperial examinations," Emperor Renzong said, pointing to Zeng Gong's paper.

"This one..." Emperor Renzong looked at Su Zhe's paper and hesitated. "It is well written, but it is a bit immature, and it is too similar to the top scholar's strategy. I'm afraid it might be considered plagiarism. I'll rank it seventh in the second class."

Everything has settled down.

The sky was already beginning to lighten.

Ouyang Xiu bowed and took his leave: "Your Majesty is wise. I will go to the Ministry of Rites to arrange the release of the results immediately."

"Wait a minute."

Emperor Renzong suddenly called out to him.

"There's one more thing."

Emperor Renzong stood up, walked to the palace gate, and looked at Bianjing City in the morning light, his eyes gleaming with the light of a hunter seeing his prey.

"After the results are announced, don't let Su Shi rush to express his gratitude."

"Bring him here. I wish to see him privately."

Ouyang Xiu was taken aback: "Your Majesty intends to..."

"No matter how beautifully an article is written, it is ultimately just empty talk."

Emperor Renzong smiled knowingly. "I want to test him personally. Is this 'enriching the country and strengthening the military' plan just empty talk taught by his monstrous teacher, or does he really have the ability to clean up this mess for me?"

"If he can answer that..."

Emperor Renzong paused, his voice low:

"Then I'll have to change my approach to this game."

……

When Ouyang Xiu walked out of the palace gate, the cold sweat on his back had already been dried by the wind.

He looked up at the rising sun on the horizon, and a strange excitement welled up in his heart.

"Jiang Lin, oh Jiang Lin..."

"You haven't just sent three students; you've brought the prelude to a reform in the Song Dynasty!"

"Next, we'll see if your eldest disciple can withstand the official's 'soul-searching questions'."