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

Han Qi's words were like a sugar-coated poison pill, which he smiled and offered to Jiang Lin's lips.

The entire room fell silent.

This isn't an invitation; it's a deadly trap. It's an unsolvable "open conspiracy."

If Jiang Lin agrees to enter the court, it would be tantamount to voluntarily jumping into this cesspool called "officialdom".

At that time, you'll be forced to coil up like a dragon and lie low like a tiger. The entire court has plenty of ways to assimilate you through bureaucratic red tape and departmental wrangling, or simply sideline you, turning you into a mere puppet who only knows how to stamp documents.

If Jiang Lin shakes his head and refuses, that would be even worse. You just blew up the "layoff theory" so much, but when it comes down to you being asked to do it, you don't dare?

Then you're just a keyboard warrior who only talks big, a hypocrite seeking fame and fortune. All the reputation you've just built up will collapse in an instant.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant."

Jiang Lin mentally gave Han Qi a thumbs up. The old fox is shrewd; this old man is trying to morally blackmail me.

Seeing that Jiang Lin remained silent, Tang Jie, the Imperial Censor who had been holding back for so long, immediately jumped out.

"Mr. Jiang, Minister Han is asking you a question!"

Tang Jie looked utterly heartbroken, and his spittle almost landed on Jiang Lin's face:

"Since you keep talking about layoffs to save the Song Dynasty, why don't you do it yourself? Are you all talk and no action? Or are your so-called strategies just empty talk?"

With one taking the lead, other officials followed suit, and the clamor grew louder and louder.

"Yeah, you try it if you dare!"

"It's easy for him to talk when he's not in the situation. Let's see what he can accomplish if he's put in charge!"

"They probably don't even know how to write official documents, hahaha!"

The mocking voices surged in like a tidal wave, as if to drown Jiang Lin.

Emperor Renzong, Zhao Zhen, sat on the dragon throne, his brows slightly furrowed, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest. He looked at Jiang Lin, unsure of himself: Could this lad really have been stumped by the questions?

Standing in the crowd, Ouyang Xiu sighed inwardly, his palms sweating: "Sir, oh sir, this hurdle is difficult to overcome."

Amidst the overwhelming barrage of questions, Jiang Lin remained silent.

He kept his head down, seemingly deep in thought, or perhaps weighing the pros and cons. To onlookers, that look appeared guilty, like he was admitting defeat.

Han Qi's smile deepened. Young people are still too inexperienced. The game of court politics isn't something that can be played simply by having talent.

The main hall was deathly silent.

Ten breaths... twenty breaths...

In this suffocating silence, every moment seemed to be stretched out infinitely.

Just as Tang Jie was preparing to add fuel to the fire and completely nail Jiang Lin to the pillar of shame—

Jiang Lin suddenly raised his head.

His face showed no sign of panic, but rather an unusual calm. He first glanced at the aggressive Tang Jie, then at the confident Han Qi, and finally turned his gaze to Emperor Renzong on the dragon throne.

"Lord Han, gentlemen, you have misunderstood."

Jiang Lin's voice wasn't loud, but it had a strange penetrating power that instantly silenced the noisy hall.

Han Qi raised an eyebrow: "Oh? What's the misunderstanding?"

Jiang Lin took a deep breath and said something astonishing:

"From beginning to end, I never thought about becoming an official."

boom--!

The entire court was in an uproar. The officials looked at each other, wondering if they had misheard.

"You don't want to be an official? Then what are you doing here?"

"Writing such a long policy essay, even at the risk of offending the entire court, wasn't it all for the sake of getting an official position?"

Even Emperor Renzong was stunned, leaning forward with a puzzled look on his face: "Mr. Jiang, do you mean...?"

Jiang Lin straightened his clothes, and with a solemn air, knelt in the center of the main hall.

"Your Majesty, I came to the capital not to become an official, nor for that purple robe and gold belt."

Jiang Lin raised his head, his eyes as clear as a college graduate's, his tone so sincere it brought tears to one's eyes:

"I am merely a teacher. My greatest skill in this life is teaching; my greatest wish is to teach more good students."

At this point, Jiang Lin gave a wry smile and pointed to the menacing officials around him:

"As for myself... Your Majesty, you see, I don't understand politics, I don't understand human relationships, and I don't understand the intricate rules of officialdom."

"If someone as straightforward as me were to actually become an official and stand in the court, I'm afraid I would be played to death by you gentlemen within three days, leaving not even a bone fragment behind."

These words caused an eerie silence to fall over the hall.

Han Qi was stunned.

Wang Deyong's mouth dropped open.

Sima Guang's hand, which was stroking his beard, froze in mid-air.

They had imagined a thousand possible responses from Jiang Lin, and even planned how to refute his boastful words. But they never expected that Jiang Lin would simply back down!

He not only admitted his own incompetence, but also flattered the entire court—"You are all too capable; I can't outmaneuver you."

What's this called? This is called strategic retreat!

Han Qi's smile froze, but then relaxed again. Since this kid had admitted defeat and confessed that he couldn't navigate the officialdom, the threat of the "layoff theory" was naturally eliminated.

Who would take seriously the words of a coward who doesn't even dare to enter officialdom?

Many officials wore disdainful smiles. They thought he was a king, but he turned out to be a bronze-level expert?

However, just when everyone thought Jiang Lin had admitted defeat and was ready to laugh at him—

Jiang Lin, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly straightened his spine slowly.

In that instant, the naivety and fear on his face vanished, replaced by a clear-headed understanding of the world and an awe-inspiring righteousness that made people afraid to look him in the eye.

Jiang Lin's gaze sharpened, coldly sweeping over the calculating faces of the court officials, finally settling on Emperor Renzong, and he said loudly:

"Your Majesty, high office and generous salary are not what I desire; praise or blame, gain or loss are not what I fear. My entire life is dedicated to just fourteen words—"

"I will face a thousand pointing fingers with a cold eye, yet bow my head to serve the people like an ox!"

boom!

The moment these fourteen characters were uttered, they resounded like a great bell in the hall, making everyone's eardrums ache.

The smiles of the officials who had been laughing at him froze on their faces.

Han Qi's pupils contracted sharply, Sima Guang stared in shock, and even Emperor Renzong leaned forward slightly from his dragon throne, deeply moved by the resolute yet compassionate sentiment contained in the poem.

What unyielding spirit! What a lofty realm!

Jiang Lin took a deep breath, his words ringing out firmly: "Rather than be a scheming and power-hungry minister in the court, I would rather be a teacher in the academy, dedicating myself to the future of the Song Dynasty! This is my choice!"

Emperor Renzong came to his senses and looked at Jiang Lin kneeling on the ground with admiration in his eyes.

"Good! What a great 'being played to death in less than three days'! What a great 'willing to be an ox for the people'!"

Emperor Renzong pointed at Jiang Lin and laughed loudly, "Mr. Jiang, you are indeed frank! Of all the civil and military officials, you are the first to dare to say to my face that you don't understand officialdom!"

After laughing, Emperor Renzong composed himself, and a chilling glint suddenly shot from his seemingly gentle eyes.

"I am willing to be an ox for the people..."

He muttered those seven words to himself, his eyes gradually becoming deep and sharp:

"If you're willing to be an ox, then you must plow the fields. If you truly wish to retire from public life, you should compare yourself to a carefree cloud or a wild crane; why compare yourself to a toiling ox?"

"You don't want to be an official, but you want to get things done."

"Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

Jiang Lin slowly straightened up, his gaze intense, looking directly at Tian Yan.

The time has come for the true intentions to be revealed.

"Your Majesty, I do not want an official position, I do not want money, I only want one thing."

"What?"

"A piece of land."

Jiang Lin held up one finger, his voice firm and strong, "A place big enough and quiet enough."

"What do you want to do with the land?" Emperor Renzong asked, intrigued.

Jiang Lin took a deep breath and said loudly:

"I wish to build an academy."

"I want to build an unprecedented academy. The students I want to teach will not be bookish pedants who only know how to read by rote, nor will they be romantic talents who only know how to compose poems."

Jiang Lin abruptly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the officials who were merely occupying their positions without performing their duties, finally settling on Han Qi, and said, word by word:

"What I need to teach are people who can solve practical problems. They need to be pillars of society who understand water conservancy, agriculture, mathematics, and law, and who can govern the country, bring peace, and serve the people!"

"Since I myself cannot serve as an official, then I will cultivate a thousand, ten thousand officials who can get things done, to share Your Majesty's burdens, and to... rejuvenate the Song Dynasty!"

Emperor Renzong was deeply shaken upon hearing this.

To cultivate talents for practical application? To rejuvenate the Song Dynasty?

This isn't building an academy; it's clearly creating a "talent factory" for the emperor!

Emperor Renzong pondered for a moment, then gently tapped his fingers on the dragon throne, producing a series of crisp sounds.

"interesting……"

Zhao Zhen couldn't see through Jiang Lin, but one thing he was clear about: giving him a piece of land was far safer than giving him a powerful official position. Even if a mere academy headmaster caused a ruckus, could he possibly overturn the fate of the Song Dynasty?

"Granted."

Zhao Zhen waved his hand, a relaxed smile on his face, "Mr. Jiang is of noble character and integrity, how could I refuse? A mere piece of land, I can afford it."

"Someone come here—"

An old eunuch immediately bowed and jogged forward.

"By imperial decree, Jiang Lin is granted a villa, 'Songshan Villa,' for the purpose of establishing an academy. Furthermore, I personally bestow upon him a plaque inscribed 'Jingshi Academy' as a token of my commendation!"

"Songshan Villa?"

The moment those four words were uttered, the atmosphere in the main hall instantly became subtle.

The officials, who were initially annoyed that Jiang Lin had "escaped unscathed," now looked at each other as if they had heard the biggest joke in the world. They were all staring at each other, their lips curling up in a wild grin, wanting to laugh but not daring to, their faces contorted with suppressed laughter.

Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this is hardly a reward.

You're clearly sending this Mr. Jiang... to his death.