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

Inside the Chuigong Hall, the tense atmosphere instantly turned eerie.

Just moments ago, Wang Deyong, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, had displayed an awe-inspiring righteousness, declaring his intention to "eliminate traitors for the country."

Upon hearing Jiang Lin's question about "the cousin in Luoyang" and "the royal gardens," the muscles on his face twitched suddenly, and a barely perceptible hint of panic flashed in his eyes.

But he was a seasoned veteran of officialdom, and his reaction was extremely quick; he immediately rebuked him sternly:

"Nonsense! Utter slander!"

Wang Deyong pointed at Jiang Lin, his fingers trembling. "I am an official appointed by the imperial court, and my family and relatives are all law-abiding citizens! What royal garden? What embezzlement of imperial land? You are framing a minister in front of His Majesty!"

"Framed?"

Jiang Lin smiled.

"Lord Wang, that garden called 'Luoyang West Garden' was originally bestowed upon Shi Shouxin, a founding meritorious official, during the reign of Emperor Taizu. Later, Shi's descendants returned it to the court, and according to the law, it should be under the management of the Ministry of Revenue, which means it is under your jurisdiction."

Jiang Lin raised his head, his gaze sharp and fixed on Wang Deyong's face:

"But how come there was a seal with the surname 'Wang' on this land deed five years ago? Moreover, as far as I know, that Lord Wang who works in Luoyang, although his official rank is not high, has never sent less than three thousand strings of cash to your residence during festivals."

"You...you..."

Wang Deyong's face turned deathly pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead. This wasn't just corruption; it was embezzlement of imperial property, a heinous crime of deceiving the emperor! How could this kid know so much? Even the amount of three thousand strings of cash matched perfectly!

"Your Majesty! This man is spreading heresy and misleading the public! I am innocent!" Wang De knelt on the ground with a "thud" and kowtowed desperately, trying to cover up his guilty conscience with his voice.

Emperor Renzong sat on his dragon throne, looking at Wang Deyong expressionlessly, a flash of disgust in his eyes. Though he was benevolent, it didn't mean he was a fool. Wang Deyong's reaction spoke volumes.

Jiang Lin gave the officials no chance to catch their breath. He turned around and glanced at the officials who had attacked him the most fiercely.

[System notification: Scan complete. Blacklisted data generated.]

Jiang Lin's lips curled into a cruel smile. Since you want to play this game of stripping your underwear off, then don't blame me for stripping you all naked.

Let all the officials see what these seemingly virtuous gentlemen are hiding beneath their robes.

"Scholar Jia".

Jiang Lin suddenly called out a name, looking at the Hanlin scholar Jia An who had just caught his breath.

Jia An's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively took a half-step back: "What...what are you going to do?"

"You just said that I come from a humble background and am not qualified to talk about governing the country."

Jiang Lin said casually, "Then I would like to ask Lord Jia, as a Hanlin Academician, your monthly salary is only fifty strings of cash."

"But as far as I know, you took two new concubines last year. One was 'Little Peach Blossom' from Fanlou, and the other was 'Thin Horse' from Suzhou. The redemption fee alone cost two thousand strings of cash."

"May I ask, Lord Jia, is this two thousand strings of cash your accumulated salary of forty years, or... did someone else pay for it?"

"I..." Jia An's face turned a deep shade of liver, filled with shame and indignation. His finger trembled as he pointed at Jiang Lin. "A disgrace to scholarship! A disgrace to scholarship!"

"Liu, the Imperial Scholar."

Jiang Lin completely ignored Jia An's breakdown and turned his gaze to Liu Chang, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy.

Liu Chang tensed up, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

"Lord Liu just tested me on the Analects. I'd also like to ask Lord Liu, why is it that every year in the Imperial Academy's annual examinations, there are always a few incompetent students who manage to get top marks?"

"I've heard that as long as you present Lord Liu's steward with a jade Buddha statue, this 'superior' grade is practically guaranteed?"

"You're making false accusations!" Liu Chang screamed. "Where's the evidence? Do you have any evidence?"

"Evidence?" Jiang Lin sneered. "If the Dali Temple were to search the cellars of your residence, I think they would find quite a few unregistered 'refined objects,' wouldn't they?"

"And there's Imperial Censor Tang..."

Jiang Lin's gaze swept toward Tang Jie, the Imperial Censor.

Although Tang Jie was a true censor, he was not without flaws. He was about to retort when Jiang Lin spoke first:

"Lord Tang, your integrity and uprightness are admirable. However, your relative by marriage, who does business in Cangzhou, has been monopolizing the local salt permits under your name. Are you truly unaware of this, or are you pretending not to know?"

This barrage of attacks, like a violent storm, left the entire court reeling.

The officials who were named turned pale and swayed precariously; those who were not named trembled and shrank back desperately, fearing that the gaze of this "living Yama" would fall upon them.

terrible!

Who exactly is this person? How did he know these secrets? Did he plant eyes in every official's home?

The entire Chuigong Hall was in complete chaos.

Some people were wiping away sweat, some were begging for mercy, and some were frantically trying to recall if they had any dirt on others.

What was originally a "siege" against Jiang Lin instantly turned into a "one-sided massacre" by Jiang Lin alone.

Emperor Renzong sat upright on the dragon throne, the teacup in his hand long since cold. Looking at the group of ministers below, who usually spoke of benevolence and righteousness but were now behaving so disgracefully, he felt both sorrow and a strange...satisfaction.

"My ministers..."

Emperor Renzong sighed inwardly. He knew the Song Dynasty's officialdom was corrupt, but he hadn't imagined it to be this bad. And this Jiang Lin was like a sharp knife, mercilessly tearing away the veil of pretense.

That's enough.

Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, a gentle yet powerful voice rang out.

Ouyang Xiu stepped forward.

He looked at his colleagues' mess on the ground, then at Jiang Lin, whose eyes were bloodshot with rage, and smiled bitterly to himself: This kid is too ruthless. If this continues, the court will cease to function.

"His Majesty."

Ouyang Xiu cupped his hands and said, "The imperial court is a place for discussing politics, not a place for exposing shortcomings. Mr. Jiang is new here, and your colleagues are just being overly concerned, so there have been some disagreements. Why don't you let Mr. Jiang state his purpose first, and then we can discuss other matters?"

This offered both sides a way out.

Emperor Renzong knew he couldn't really investigate and punish everyone, otherwise there would be no one to do the work tomorrow.

"Ouyang Qing is right."

Emperor Renzong said calmly, "This matter... will be discussed later. All of you, please return to your ranks."

The officials who were named felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They hung their heads, like defeated roosters, and slunk back into the crowd.

Jiang Lin also knew when to stop.

He straightened his sleeves, bowed respectfully to Emperor Renzong, and his face regained its harmless smile:

"Your Majesty, I have been rude."

"You gentlemen just questioned my character and background. I was merely defending myself and had no intention of targeting anyone. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me."

Please forgive me?

Wang Deyong, Jia An, and the others nearly coughed up blood upon hearing this. "You've exposed all our secrets, and you expect us to forgive you?"

But at this moment, no one dared to speak. Because they were afraid. In the hand of this man in plain clothes, it seemed, lay a "Book of Life and Death" that only the King of Hell possessed.

Silence returned to the main hall.

But this silence was even more eerie and oppressive than the previous commotion.

All eyes were drawn to the front of the civil official line.

There stood an elderly man in purple robes, who always kept his eyes closed in meditation, seemingly detached from the situation.

The current prime minister is Han Qi.

The previous censors, physicians, and scholars were merely appetizers. Before Han Qi, they were all just pawns. Now that the pawns are all dead, the true commander-in-chief is finally about to step down.