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

Before dawn, just after the night watchman of Bianjing had struck the fourth watch gong, the light came on in room number one of the Yunlai Inn.

With dark circles under her eyes, Qian Duoduo held the brocade robe she had bought for a lot of money yesterday and circled around Jiang Lin.

"Sir! Ancestor! Please change into it!"

Looking at Jiang Lin, still wearing his worn blue shirt and slowly sipping his porridge, Qian Duoduo's voice trembled with tears:

"Today is an audience with the Emperor! The entire court is watching. If you go dressed like this, won't those censors gossip about you and break your back? This is not only shabby, it's utterly disrespectful!"

Jiang Lin put down his porridge bowl, glanced at the robe embroidered with gold thread that looked as tacky as a nouveau riche's, and shook his head in disgust.

"Duoduo, you don't understand."

Jiang Lin stood up and straightened his faded yet unusually clean blue robe. "I'm going to teach, not to be selected as a concubine. Dressed like that, are you trying to make me compete for the emperor's favor with the ladies of the harem?"

"But……"

"There are no 'buts'," Jiang Lin interrupted him, his eyes clear. "I am a commoner, so I will wear commoner's clothes. It would be truly pathetic to dress up as a noble just to meet the emperor."

At Chenshi (7-9 AM), at the Donghua Gate of the Imperial Palace.

The majestic palace walls cast huge shadows in the morning light, and the golden glazed tiles reflected a dazzling light.

This was the center of power in the Song Dynasty, and the Dragon Gate that countless people dreamed of.

Jiang Lin stood at the palace gate, followed by Qian Duoduo, who looked nervous.

"stop!"

A high-pitched, arrogant voice rang out. The head eunuch guarding the gate, holding a whisk, leaned against the vermilion gate, his eyes revealing the snobbishness of someone living at the foot of the imperial city.

"Who are these unauthorized individuals? This is the imperial palace; how dare they trespass here?"

Jiang Lin remained expressionless, took out a letter personally written by Emperor Renzong, and handed it over: "Jiang Lin of Runzhou, hereby summoned to an audience by imperial decree."

The eunuch took the envelope and gave a forced, insincere smile.

"The letter is true. However... Mr. Jiang, I must remind you of something." The eunuch pointed with his whisk at Jiang Lin's plain clothes, "You are now a commoner."

Jiang Lin raised an eyebrow slightly: "How about becoming a commoner?"

"White body?"

The eunuch sneered and pointed to a spot a few feet away from the main gate. There was a low, dilapidated side gate there, usually used by the servants who carried swill.

"According to the ancestral rules of the Song Dynasty, the main gate is for officials, ministers, and nobles. If you, a commoner, were to enter through this gate, it would be an offense against the imperial aura."

The eunuch pointed to the side gate, a mocking look on his face:

"To enter the palace as a commoner, you must go through that gate. You'll also have to undress and be searched there, lest you bring any sharp weapons and disturb His Majesty. Mr. Jiang, please?"

Qian Duoduo's face turned red with anger when he saw the dog-hole-like side gate. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to rush forward: "You eunuch, you've gone too far! My master is a guest invited by the officials, and you expect us to crawl through a dog hole?!"

"Insolence!" The eunuch's face darkened. "The palace has rules! If you don't want to come in, get out!"

Jiang Lin stopped the enraged Qian Duoduo.

He glanced at the side gate, then at the eunuch's "I'm upholding ancestral rules, there's nothing you can do about it" attitude.

This is a show of force. If you crawl through it, your backbone will be broken; if you don't, you'll be disobeying orders.

Jiang Lin smiled.

He didn't get angry, nor did he try to squeeze through the door. Instead, he turned around and walked to the white jade steps in front of the main gate of Donghua Gate, lifted his robe, and sat down comfortably.

The eunuch was stunned: "What...what are you doing?"

Jiang Lin leisurely straightened his sleeves, looked up at the rising sun, and said in a relaxed tone:

"Since my father-in-law says that ancestral rules cannot be violated, I won't put you in a difficult position, so I won't go in."

"What?!" the eunuch shrieked. "His Majesty summons you! How dare you disobey? That's a capital offense!"

"No."

Jiang Lin raised his head, his eyes clear yet sharp as knives:

"It's not that I don't want to go in, it's that you, father-in-law, are stopping me because of 'ancestral rules.' If I go through the side door, I'll be admitting my lowliness."

"I am a guest invited by a personal letter from the Emperor. For a guest to crawl through a dog hole is not just a disgrace to me, but a disgrace to the Emperor!"

"If this gets out, what will the court officials think of His Majesty? If it reaches the ears of the Liao envoys, who say that the Song emperor's tutor is a dog-hole crawler, what will they think of the Song Dynasty?"

Jiang Lin pointed to the sun in the sky and said with a smile:

"There's still a quarter of an hour. I'll sit here and wait. When His Majesty fails to arrive and sends someone to question him, I'll tell him the truth—it was this eunuch who, in order to uphold the ancestral rules of the Song Dynasty, kept His Majesty's guest out of the door."

"Father-in-law, let's see if my head will fall first, or yours?"

"you--!"

The eunuch broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

He was instructed by someone to disgust this country bumpkin, but he never expected that the scholar would be such a scoundrel! If this matter were to reach the emperor, the emperor would definitely behead him to settle the matter for the sake of his reputation.

"Oh dear! Mr. Jiang! What are you doing!"

The eunuch's face changed faster than flipping through a book; in an instant, he put on a fawning smile, bent over like a shrimp, and jogged over to help Jiang Lin.

"I was just joking with you! You are a highly respected scholar specially invited by His Majesty, naturally different from ordinary commoners! Rules are rigid, but people are flexible!"

The eunuch shouted at the imperial guards at the gate, "What are you all standing there for! Open the main gate! Please invite Mr. Jiang into the palace!"

The imperial guards beside him nodded secretly: This scholar looks weak, but he has a tough backbone and is not to be trifled with.

Jiang Lin dusted himself off, stood up, and looked at the eunuch who was still wiping his sweat, giving him a faint smile:

"You're too kind, Father-in-law. Next time you joke around, remember to keep track of the time."

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and, with Qian Duoduo looking triumphant, strode into the main entrance.

Passing through the Donghua Gate, the palace road stretches long, and the red walls and yellow tiles exude a sense of oppression.

As Jiang Lin was walking, a middle-aged official in a purple robe and jade belt approached him. The man had a fair complexion and a sinister look in his eyes. He was followed by several attendants and exuded an air of grandeur.

It was Wang Deyong, Han Qi's confidant and the Vice Minister of Revenue.

As the two passed each other, Wang Deyong suddenly stopped and looked at Jiang Lin with a half-smile.

"This must be the renowned Mr. Jiang Lin, right? I've heard so much about you."

Jiang Lin stopped and slightly bowed, saying, "This humble subject is indeed you. May I ask who you are, sir...?"

"Wang Deyong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

Wang Deyong stroked his beard, speaking in a condescending tone, "I heard you're from Runzhou, sir? Runzhou is a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters, perfect for... retirement."

A needle hidden in cotton.

Wang De stepped forward, lowered his voice, and revealed his true intentions:

"Mr. Jiang, Bianjing is not like Runzhou. The waters here are deep and the waves are high. Some fish can thrash about in small ponds, but if they go into this vast ocean, they might drown if they're not careful."

A stark warning.

Jiang Lin looked at the high-ranking official, but instead of being afraid, he smiled even more brightly.

"Thank you for the reminder, Lord Wang."

Jiang Lin straightened his blue robe and said calmly:

"However, Lord Wang is overthinking it. I grew up by the river since I was a child. I don't have any other skills, but I am a good swimmer."

He raised his head, looked directly into Wang Deyong's eyes, and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"No matter how deep the water is, it won't drown the dragon. As for choking... Lord Wang should worry more about himself, after all, he's getting old and prone to shortness of breath."

"You—!" Wang De's expression changed. He hadn't expected this scholar to be so venomous, and he was about to lash out.

Just as tensions were rising, a high-pitched and shrill announcement suddenly came from the direction of the main hall:

"An imperial edict—!"

Everyone was startled, and Wang Deyong quickly shut his mouth and bowed.

Zhang Maoze, the emperor's personal eunuch, walked briskly down the steps of the main hall, holding a whisk. His gaze swept across the crowd and finally landed on Jiang Lin.

Zhang Maoze glanced again at the officials around him who were all listening intently, then suddenly raised his voice and said loudly:

"His Majesty said that since Mr. Jiang has come about the illness of the Great Song Dynasty, there is no need to have a private conversation in the side hall."

"It just so happens that today is a grand court assembly, with all officials gathered. His Majesty invites Mr. Jiang to join us in the hall!"

"His Majesty wants all the officials to hear what brilliant ideas Mr. Jiang has to offer!"

boom--!

These words caused an uproar in the room.

Wang Deyong's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Allowing a commoner to attend court? To be ranked alongside the prime minister and ministers? This was unheard of since the founding of the Song Dynasty!

"Your Excellency! This violates ancestral rules!" Wang Deyong couldn't help but speak up. "How can a commoner be allowed to enter the Chui Gong Hall to discuss state affairs?"

Zhang Maoze glanced at him coldly: "Lord Wang, this is the Emperor's decree. If you have any objections, you are welcome to impeach him before the Emperor."

Wang De was speechless for a moment, but the resentment in his eyes deepened.

He turned to look at Jiang Lin, a cruel sneer curling at the corner of his lips:

"Fine, you choose the path to hell when heaven is there. A private audience might have saved you some face, but since you insist on coming to court, don't blame us for stripping you bare in the imperial court!"

Jiang Lin laughed.

He straightened his clothes and gave Zhang Maoze a slight bow: "This humble subject obeys the decree."

Then, without even glancing at Wang Deyong, he strode toward the palace gate that symbolized supreme power.

Behind him, the gazes of the officials were like thorns in his back, as if a pack of hungry wolves were staring at a sheep that had foolishly wandered into their territory.

Jiang Lin smiled slightly and said to himself:

"The show is about to begin."