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

Inside the Chuigong Hall, gold bricks covered the floor, dragon pillars coiled around, and a suffocating solemnity permeated the air.

Hundreds of high-ranking officials dressed in various official robes lined both sides, holding tablets.

When that faded blue robe crossed the threshold and appeared in the magnificent hall, he seemed completely out of place.

Countless gazes shot towards him like arrows. Contempt, hostility, and mostly a mocking "looking at a dead man" attitude. Did a commoner really think that venturing into a den of tigers and dragons would lead him to instant success by teaching a few scholars?

Jiang Lin walked leisurely, traversing the long imperial road, and arrived directly beneath the osmanthus tree.

Directly in front, Emperor Renzong of Song, Zhao Zhen, who was over fifty years old, sat on the dragon throne. He was dressed in casual clothes, and his face was kind but imposing without being angry.

Jiang Lin bowed respectfully, his voice clear and resonant: "This humble subject, Jiang Lin of Runzhou, is here by imperial decree to pay homage to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The main hall was deathly silent.

Emperor Renzong looked down at the young man, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes. To remain so calm in the face of the overwhelming pressure from the entire court—such composure couldn't be faked.

Emperor Renzong was about to say "Rise"—

"Wait a minute!"

A loud, thunderous yet extremely piercing sound rang out.

At the front of the civil officials' row, a man in a scarlet robe suddenly stepped forward, raising his official tablet high: "Your Majesty! Your subject, Tang Jie, the Imperial Censor, has a memorial to present!"

Emperor Renzong frowned slightly, but Tang Jie was a renowned "true censor," so he could only patiently ask, "What is it, Minister Tang?"

Tang Jie whirled around, pointing a finger directly at Jiang Lin kneeling on the ground, spittle flying from his mouth:

"I impeach this man!"

"This man is a commoner, without any official rank or title! Emperor Taizu once decreed that commoners are not allowed to enter the court to discuss politics! Today is a grand court assembly, with all the high-ranking officials present. How can a mere country bumpkin be allowed to enter the hall?"

"This violates the ancestral laws and disrupts the order of the court! Your Majesty, I beseech you to expel this madman from the palace and punish him for his grave disrespect!"

boom--!

This sparked a huge controversy. Many officials who disapproved of Jiang Lin's "arrogant reputation" echoed his sentiments.

"I second that! What kind of decorum is it for a commoner to appear in court!"

"This disrupts the proper order and violates the rules!"

The cheers were deafening. Emperor Renzong picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at him with amusement. He wanted to see if this young man, whom Ouyang Xiu had praised to the skies, would wet his pants in fright.

Jiang Lin knelt on the ground, listening to the accusations, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. Sure enough, they were using "ancestral laws" to intimidate him.

He slowly straightened his back, his spine ramrod straight, and turned to look at Tang Jie.

"This must be Imperial Censor Tang?" Jiang Lin asked calmly.

"It is indeed I, the official!"

Jiang Lin took out the imperial edict from his sleeve, held it high above his head, and said loudly:

"Lord Tang says I've broken the rules. But if I may be so bold as to ask—is this His Majesty's handwritten letter a fake?"

Tang Jie was taken aback: "Of course it's true."

"Since it's true..."

Jiang Lin's gaze sharpened as he stared directly at Tang Jie: "That was a decree personally issued by His Majesty, summoning this humble subject to the palace. Now, Lord Tang is blocking my way and trying to drive me out."

"Are you questioning my qualifications, or are you questioning—His Majesty's will?!"

That hat is way too big!

Tang Jie's expression changed, and he hurriedly bowed to the dragon throne: "Your Majesty, I dare not! I am merely upholding ancestral rules..."

"Ancestral rules are dead, but the will of the emperor is alive!"

Jiang Lin gave him no chance to breathe, his voice suddenly rising: "His Majesty is eager to seek out talented people and is willing to make exceptions to summon them, which is the act of Yao and Shun! Instead of thinking about sharing the burden of the emperor, Lord Tang uses rigid rules to obstruct the acceptance of advice."

"Is this the act of a loyal subject, or—deception of the emperor?!"

"You...you're just being unreasonable!" Tang Jie was so angry that his beard trembled, but he couldn't find any words to refute him.

In the first round, Jiang Lin won decisively.

The surrounding chatter subsided slightly. No one had expected this scholar to be so quick-witted, daring to accuse the Censor-in-Chief of "deceiving the emperor."

But the attacks did not stop.

Just as Tang Jie left, a green-robed official emerged with a sinister air. His eyes gleamed, and his cheekbones were prominent.

"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Min, a junior official in the Ministry of Personnel, have something to say."

After bowing, Zhang Min turned to Jiang Lin, her eyes full of malice: "Mr. Jiang, you have quite the sharp tongue. But in the imperial court, mere words are not enough; one must have a clean reputation."

Zhang Min sneered and raised her voice:

"I have heard that this Mr. Jiang comes from a humble background in Runzhou, and his origins are unknown! He runs a school in the countryside, gathering people to amass wealth, and the content he teaches is heretical and unorthodox!"

"Even more so, rumors circulated that he was elusive and often visited by foreign merchants. Some said he was a wandering sorcerer, while others said he was a spy sent by the Liao Dynasty to wreak havoc on the Song Dynasty!"

"How can we allow someone of such unknown background to stand within ten steps of His Majesty? If he were to disturb His Majesty's presence, who could bear the consequences?!"

This move is even more ruthless, directly escalating to political censorship and personal safety.

The moment the word "spy" was uttered, the commander of the imperial guards in front of the palace instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword. The atmosphere in the hall instantly froze.

Emperor Renzong put down his teacup, leaned forward, and seemed to want to hear an explanation.

Jiang Lin looked at Zhang Min, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He slowly stood up, dusted off his knees, and suddenly laughed.

"Lord Zhang, you just said it was 'rumor'?"

Zhang Min raised her head: "There's no smoke without fire! We must investigate thoroughly!"

"There's no smoke without fire."

Jiang Lin approached Zhang Min step by step, his face showing an expression as if she were a fool:

"As a senior official in the Ministry of Personnel, Lord Zhang, you must be well-versed in the Song Dynasty's Criminal Code, right? Then you should know how the crime of 'false accusation' is punished?"

Jiang Lin's voice suddenly turned cold, like ice shards in the dead of winter:

"In the imperial palace, officials, without any real evidence, openly accused commoners who were summoned to the palace of being spies based solely on the phrase 'I heard'."

"If you cannot produce evidence, you are framing an innocent citizen and deceiving your sovereign!"

"Lord Zhang, do you dare sign and affix your seal to your statement and have it sent to the Dali Temple for trial? If they find I'm a spy, I'll cut off my head and let you kick it around; if they don't find me..."

Jiang Lin's eyes were icy as he stared intently at Zhang Min:

"Do you think you can still keep your official position?!"

"this……"

Zhang Min was terrified by this ruthlessness. He had been instructed to throw dirty water; what evidence did he have?

Sweat beaded on his forehead, his eyes darting around: "I...I only did it for His Majesty's safety..."

"Does this mean we can spout nonsense just to ensure His Majesty's safety?"

Jiang Lin pressed on, "Or is it that someone instructed you to use your words to drive away the people His Majesty invited, so as to embarrass His Majesty?!"

"You're lying! I didn't!" Zhang Min was so frightened that her face turned as white as paper, and she knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, please understand! I had absolutely no such intention!"

On the dragon throne, Emperor Renzong watched this scene with a playful smile on his lips.

That's interesting. Jiang Lin is not only sharp-tongued, but also has meticulous logic; he's always right.

"alright."

Emperor Renzong finally spoke, his voice not loud but enough to bring the argument to an abrupt halt, "Minister Zhang is only confused by his concern, you may leave."

Zhang Min felt as if she had been granted a pardon and scrambled back into the queue.

They lost to two opponents in a row.

Jiang Lin stood in the center of the main hall, his clothes fluttering in the wind, looking like a god of war.

But he knew the real test had only just begun. He had only been a small fry; the real boss was yet to come.

really.

A stir rose in the crowd as an elderly man in a scarlet robe, with white hair and beard, slowly emerged. His steps were steady, and his presence commanding; the surrounding officials instinctively made way for him.

Jia An, a Hanlin Academician.

Jia An walked up to Jiang Lin, stroked his beard, and gave him a sinister look.

"Mr. Jiang has a sharp tongue. But in the imperial court, in the end, it is knowledge and ability that speak for themselves."

Jia An spoke calmly, his tone revealing an arrogant condescension:

"Since Mr. Jiang boasts that he can teach top scholars, let's discuss his scholarship and qualifications."

"I'd like to see just how much knowledge you, a mere commoner who hasn't even passed the imperial examinations, possess, daring to spout such nonsense in this grand hall!"