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

Jiang Lin was taken aback.

That voice... is it Ouyang Xiu?

He rolled out of bed and opened the door. There stood an old man in a black cloak, his hood pulled low, carrying an exquisite food box.

In the dim light of the corridor, Jiang Lin could see the slightly tired but bright-eyed face.

It was none other than Ouyang Xiu, the leading figure in the literary world at the time and a Hanlin scholar.

"Lord Ouyang?" Jiang Lin was somewhat surprised. "What brings you here in the middle of the night...?"

"Shh-"

Ouyang Xiu made a shushing gesture, looked around, and slipped into the house like a thief, closing the door behind him.

"In this city of Bianjing, there are more eyes watching your room than stars in the sky. I must be on guard."

Ouyang Xiu removed his cloak, revealing his casual clothes. He walked to the table, opened the food box, and took out a pot of wine and two plates of exquisite side dishes.

"The inn's wine is of poor quality, so I specially brought my treasured 'Dongting Spring Colors' wine, which I've kept for many years. Normally, I wouldn't even let that rascal Su Shi have a sip, but tonight, I'm treating you to a welcome feast."

Jiang Lin smiled at this big shot who was acting all high and mighty, and without any hesitation, sat down.

"Good wine."

Jiang Lin picked up his wine glass, smelled it, and then tilted his head back to drink it all. It wasn't very strong; it tasted a bit like sweet rice wine. These days, literati love this kind of slightly sweet drink—no wonder their poems are so soft and sentimental.

"However, my true intentions lie elsewhere." Jiang Lin put down his wine cup and looked at Ouyang Xiu. "Your visit in disguise so late at night is probably not just to invite me for a drink, is it?"

Ouyang Xiu paused, then shook his head with a wry smile.

"Sir, you are indeed a man of few words."

He put down the wine pot, and the smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a solemnity and weariness typical of someone who had been in officialdom for a long time.

"Mr. Jiang, I'm a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush."

Ouyang Xiu stared into Jiang Lin's eyes and said in a deep voice, "The capital, not Runzhou."

"Runzhou only has academies and martial arts worlds; that's your territory. But here..."

He pointed to the pitch-black night sky outside the window, as if countless ferocious beasts were lurking there.

"This is a battlefield."

Jiang Lin poured himself another glass of wine, his expression calm, even somewhat nonchalant: "I'd like to hear the details."

Ouyang Xiu sighed, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, making a "tap-tap" sound.

"Your three students are outstanding. Su Shi topped the imperial examination and his essays were known throughout the land; Su Zhe and Zeng Gong were also exceptional individuals. They elevated you to a pedestal, but they also put you on a dangerous pedestal."

"In today's court, factions are everywhere. Han Qi wants to win you over, Fu Bi is watching and waiting, and those conservative old ministers..."

Ouyang Xiu lowered his voice, his tone chilling, "They think your teaching methods are 'strange tricks and frivolous skills,' that they are heretical. Before you even arrived in the capital, the memorials impeaching you were already piling up in the Censorate."

"Some people want to use your fame to rise to power, while others want to trample you into the mud in order to dampen the arrogance of the reformists."

At this point, Ouyang Xiu gave Jiang Lin a deep look. "Sir, you are now the target of everyone's criticism. One wrong step and you will be doomed."

The air inside the inn room seemed to freeze.

These words were spoken from the heart. If he didn't genuinely cherish talent and not want to see Jiang Lin, this rising star, fall, a dignified Hanlin scholar would never have made such a blunt, undercover visit late at night.

Jiang Lin remained silent for a moment.

He certainly knew how terrible the factional strife in the Song Dynasty was. It was a meat grinder, which even a genius like Su Shi was forced to exile to Hainan and almost fed to crocodiles.

But is he afraid?

Jiang Lin's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile that Ouyang Xiu couldn't decipher.

He casually picked up a peanut from the tea tray on the table and played with it between his fingertips.

"Lord Ouyang, do you know how to play chess?"

Ouyang Xiu was taken aback: "I know a little."

Jiang Lin placed the peanuts in the very center of the table, which is the "Tengen" position on the chessboard.

"The imperial court is like a game of chess. Once you're in the game, you're not in control of your own destiny. You can only be a pawn, manipulated and eaten by others."

"But I..."

Jiang Lin flicked his finger.

"Snapped!"

He flicked the peanut away, and it landed on the floor tiles, rolling around to the corner of the wall.

"I'm not involved."

"I seek neither official position nor wealth, nor do I desire to be remembered in history. Since I have no desires or wants, what can they do to me?"

"Trying to win me over? I don't need an official position. Trying to impeach me? I'm just a commoner, I have nothing to lose. At worst, I'll just pack up and go back to teaching in Runzhou, or go fishing overseas."

Jiang Lin looked at the dumbfounded Ouyang Xiu and laughed, "When a person steps off the chessboard, the player can no longer control him. On the contrary, I can stand by the chessboard, point and gesture, and even..."

He reached out and made a gesture as if to overturn a table, a hint of arrogance flashing in his eyes:

"If I'm in a bad mood, I can overturn their chessboard and smash their chess pieces."

Ouyang Xiu was utterly shocked.

He had served as an official for decades, and had seen corrupt officials, honest officials, and powerful ministers, but he had never seen a master like Jiang Lin who was a "rogue".

This kind of "being invincible without desires" rogue logic actually left him speechless, and he even felt... kind of good?

"Sir, you are brilliant!"

Ouyang Xiu took a deep breath, stood up, and bowed with his hands clasped. "I was being too attached to appearances. Your realm is indeed beyond the reach of us ordinary people."

That's right, I have thousands of years of historical spoilers and a fully-fledged modern knowledge base. Playing mind games with you ancient people is like a dimensional reduction attack.

Jiang Lin inwardly complained, but on the surface he maintained a calm and composed demeanor.

"In that case, I am relieved."

Ouyang Xiu put his cloak back on, seemingly relieved of a great burden, and then said meaningfully:

"His Majesty has extremely high expectations for you, sir; one could even say... he's staked the future of the Song Dynasty on this meeting. Sir, have you decided how to respond?"

Jiang Lin put down his wine glass, his gaze passing through the window, as if he could already see the majestic palace in the distance.

"I've already thought it through."

Jiang Lin said calmly, "I will present His Majesty with a great gift. A gift... that can extend the life of the Song Dynasty by another hundred years."

Ouyang Xiu gave him a deep look, but didn't ask any more questions.

He knew that some things could only be said to the emperor.

"In that case, I will not disturb your rest any longer, sir. Farewell."

Ouyang Xiu pushed open the door and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the night as if he had never appeared.

Jiang Lin was the only one left in the room.

He opened the window, and the night breeze, carrying the lingering charm of Bianjing's unique prosperity, rushed in.

In the distance, the direction of the imperial palace remained brightly lit, its glazed tiles gleaming coldly in the moonlight. There lived the most powerful man of that era, and also the most famous "benevolent ruler" in history—Emperor Renzong of Song, Zhao Zhen.

"Zhao Zhen, oh Zhao Zhen..."

Jiang Lin gazed at the palace and murmured to himself.

"History says you were 'incompetent at everything except being an official.' You were kind and benevolent, creating the 'Reign of Jiayou,' but you were also indecisive, leaving behind a mess of poverty and weakness."

Tomorrow will be the first time we meet.

Jiang Lin took out a copper coin from his sleeve, flicked it lightly between his fingertips, and caught it steadily.

"Now that I'm here, shouldn't the history of the Song Dynasty take a different turn?"