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

The next morning, at the Imperial Academy.

The usually tranquil place, filled with the sound of students reciting their lessons, was shattered today by the crashing sound of porcelain breaking.

The study of the chief priest was in a mess.

Three sets of fine Yue kiln celadon tea sets lay scattered on the ground, tea spilled everywhere, tea leaves clinging to the chair legs, making the scene look particularly pitiful.

Liu Chang, the Imperial Academy Chancellor, with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes, pointed directly at the direction of Fanlou outside the window and let out a roar from the depths of his soul:

"They've gone mad! They've all gone mad!"

"One thousand strings of cash! One thousand strings of cash!"

Liu Chang was so angry that he trembled all over, and his fingers shook uncontrollably:

"Jiang Lin, that charlatan, uses such bizarre and ingenious tricks to bewitch people; it's a disgrace to scholarship! He's utterly disgraced!"

"The entire court of powerful officials, who usually pride themselves on being upright and honest, have all been blinded by this stench of money! They're all scrambling to give him money, it's simply... simply..."

Liu Chang struggled for a long time but couldn't come up with a suitable word. Finally, he slammed his fist on the table:

"What an idiot!"

Outside the door, several staff members huddled up, trembling, none daring to go in and risk getting into trouble.

After venting his anger, Liu Chang sat back down in his chair, panting heavily, his eyes filled with malice.

"No, we can't just let this go."

He gritted his teeth and said, "If this evil trend is allowed to continue, who will be able to concentrate on studying the classics? We might as well all go burn sand!"

"Someone come here! Grind the ink!"

Liu Chang waved his sleeve and declared, "I will write a memorial! I will impeach him! I will impeach Jiang Lin for 'using strange and frivolous skills to disrupt the country and misleading the public with extravagance'!"

An aide cautiously entered, grinding ink as he whispered a word of advice:

"Your Excellency, this memorial... I'm afraid it will be difficult to write."

"Why is it difficult to write? As the Imperial Academy Chancellor, I have a duty to uphold righteousness!"

The aide said with a pained expression, "Sir, think about it, who were those people who went to Fanlou last night to buy that exquisite glasswork?"

Liu Chang was taken aback.

The aide counted on his fingers: "The head steward of Minister Han's family went and spent six hundred strings of cash; Minister Fu's family also went; and Minister Wang, Vice Minister Li... I even heard that the palace is using them."

"If you were to accuse Jiang Lin of 'misleading the public' at this time, wouldn't that be tantamount to pointing your finger at Minister Han, Minister Fu, and the officials and cursing them as 'stupid pigs'?"

"Clatter".

Liu Chang dropped his calligraphy brush on the table, splashing ink all over his sleeve.

He froze.

Yes, all these powerful and influential people have already bought them. If he were to jump out and criticize them now, wouldn't he offend the entire court?

It's like everyone is wearing new clothes, and you insist that these clothes are for the dead. Aren't you just asking for trouble?

"This...this..."

Liu Chang's face turned pale and then red, feeling as frustrated as if he had swallowed a dead fly.

Just then, the advisor who was grinding ink suddenly coughed, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Um... sir, there's something else, but I'm not sure if I should say it."

"Spit it out!" Liu Chang was furious.

The aide shrank back, his voice barely audible, like a mosquito's buzz:

"Last night's auction... I... I also asked someone to attend the auction."

Liu Chang suddenly turned his head, his eyes wide like copper bells, staring intently at his trusted confidant:

"What did you say?!"

The aide quickly knelt down and explained in a tearful voice:

"My lord! I'm at my wit's end! My wife heard about this thing from somewhere."

"They say that the wife of Lord Wang next door is pregnant. If she isn't, she'll never be able to show her face in public again... She's been making a scene at home, crying, shouting, and threatening suicide. I really..."

"roll!!!"

Enraged, Liu Chang grabbed the inkstone from the table and smashed it over the ground.

"You spineless coward! Get out! Don't let this old man see you again!"

The staff member scurried away, covering his head, and rolled out of the study.

The study was finally quiet.

Liu Chang slumped into a chair, looking at the mess on the floor, feeling a tightness in his chest.

Even his own advisors have betrayed him. How can he possibly win this battle?

At that moment, the faint sounds of gossip from the streets and alleys could be heard outside the window.

"Have you heard? The Imperial Academy seems quite unhappy, saying that the Tiangong Liuli (a type of glasswork) is a strange and frivolous skill."

"Tch, what kind of fancy skills are they? I think they're just being pretentious! How much do those old scholars at the Imperial Academy even earn in a month? Can they even afford that?"

"Exactly! Students at Jingshi Academy can both study and earn money—that's real skill! What can the Imperial Academy do besides knowing classical Chinese?"

"If I had a son, I'd send him to Jing Shi Academy too, at least he wouldn't starve!"

These words pierced Liu Chang's ears like needles.

The reputation of the Imperial Academy has been further damaged because of these few broken cups!

Liu Chang was so angry he was trembling, but there was nothing he could do.

I stayed up until late at night.

Liu Chang paced back and forth in his study, walking about three thousand laps.

Finally, he stopped and glanced at the teacup he had smashed in the corner. He then remembered his wife's cold eyes and the word "useless".

He sighed deeply, and a hint of humiliation, and a hint of... barely perceptible longing, appeared on his stern old face.

"Someone come here."

The advisor who had been kicked out earlier peeked back in: "Sir?"

Liu Chang, with his back to him, looked at the moon outside the window, his voice hoarse:

"Go...go to Fanlou."

"Huh?" The aide was taken aback. "What are we going to Fanlou for? To cause trouble?"

"What are you doing, causing trouble!"

Liu Chang turned around abruptly, his face flushed red, and roared through gritted teeth:

"I'm going to order a piece of exquisite glass art! The very best!"

The staff member was dumbfounded: "M-Sir? Didn't you say it was some kind of strange and ingenious trick?"

Liu Chang, with his neck stiffened, said with righteous indignation:

"I did this for...for researching the enemy!"

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated! How can we find its flaws and criticize it if we don't bring it back and study it carefully?!"

"Hurry up and go!"

The aide struggled to suppress his laughter, his face turning purple with embarrassment: "Yes, yes, yes! I understand! I'll go 'study' it right away!"

The news reached Jingshi Academy the next day.

Jiang Lin was sitting in the courtyard basking in the sun when he listened to Su Shi's vivid report and couldn't help but laugh.

"Liu Chang bought some too?"

"I bought it! I had someone reserve it for me, and I specifically asked for the most expensive screen!" Su Shi laughed so hard he almost fell over.

"Sir, you didn't see it. The owner of Fanlou almost dropped his jaw when he received the deposit. It seems even this Chief Scholar Liu can't escape the 'it smells so good' admiration!"

Jiang Lin put down his teacup and shook his head:

"It's not that he really likes it."

"Who is that?"

"His wife smells really good."

Jiang Lin gazed at the distant outline of Bianjing city and said meaningfully:

"Zizhan, you must remember this. The most formidable opponent in this world is neither a political foe in the court nor a general on the battlefield."

"It's just whispering in someone's ear."

"As long as we win over the circle of wealthy women, the sky over Bianjing City won't fall down."

Su Shi nodded as if he understood, but his admiration for his teacher was as boundless as a surging river.

However, the big tree attracts the wind.

The fame of Tiangong Liuli (Heavenly Crafted Glass) not only caused a sensation in Bianjing (Kaifeng), but also spread to more distant places along trade routes.

three days later.

The Imperial Palace, the Hall of Hanging Arches.

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies rushed over to request an audience, holding a gold-embossed letter of state in his hands, his face full of anxiety.

"Your Majesty! Something has happened!"

Emperor Renzong was reviewing memorials when he heard this and looked up: "What's the panic? Has the Liao Kingdom attacked?"

"They haven't called yet, but it's almost time!"

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies wiped his sweat and presented the official letter:

"The Liao envoy, Xiao Dalin, has arrived. He brought a personal letter from the Liao emperor, saying that..."

When Emperor Renzong opened the imperial letter, his eyebrows immediately rose.

It was written in an extremely arrogant tone:

"It is said that the Great Song Dynasty possesses a divine object called 'Heavenly Crafted Glass,' which is crystal clear and exquisitely crafted. The Emperor of the Great Liao Dynasty greatly admires it."

"The special envoy is willing to exchange a thousand northern pearls, a hundred sable pelts, and ten fine horses for three pieces of exquisite glasswork."

"I hope the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty will not be ungrateful."

Although the last sentence wasn't explicitly stated, the meaning was implied between the lines.

Emperor Renzong threw the imperial edict onto the table and laughed in anger.

"These Khitans have a really good nose."

He thought of that brat who stole his money, and then he thought of Jiang Lin, that arrogant young man who dared to confront Han Qi in the palace.

"That's interesting."

Emperor Renzong stroked his chin, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes:

"The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies shall bring the Liao envoy to an audience."

"I want to see if this Heavenly Crafted Glazed Tile can kill these greedy barbarians."