Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

Among the questions in the imperial examinations, poetry was the simplest.

Some test takers, after reading the source material, will immediately focus on the poetry questions.

As Chen Chang'an wrote with lightning speed in his cell, hushed cheers could be heard from other cells in the examination hall.

"Chrysanthemum, moon, snow, willow, sword, desert, spring breeze, pavilion, peach blossom, clear spring... I guessed it right! Haha, I guessed 'moon' right!"

"Moon, Willow—I bet on both!"

"I guessed three correctly! Thank God! After the imperial examinations, I'll go to the temple to give thanks!"

"Sigh, I didn't bet on any of them..."

……

The poems for the imperial examinations contained ten common images, so it wasn't far off that candidates could guess one or two correctly.

This means they can spend months, or even a year and a half, carefully polishing their words and phrases in advance, instead of having to write a fine poem in just three days.

The candidates who correctly predicted the imagery in the poem were overjoyed.

Those who didn't guess correctly could only sigh while simultaneously composing essays and poems.

As for the policy essay questions, they didn't look at them.

After reading the question, I couldn't help but think about it.

Thinking about essays and poems at the same time is already a mess for the mind. If you add three policy essays on top of that, the end result will only be that the essays are not well written, the poems lack charm, and the policy essays are not particularly outstanding.

While most candidates were still brainstorming, Chen Chang'an had already finished writing ten poems.

Unlike articles that require revision, poems are readily available, and most do not require any changes, so they take less time to write.

While waiting for the exam papers to dry, Chen Chang'an picked up the third page of questions.

The policy essay was the most important part of the imperial examination. There were three policy essay questions, and each of them had the same weight as the previous essays and poems.

This was also Chen Chang'an's weakest subject, yet the one he was best prepared for.

"The annual revenue from salt tax in Daning is insufficient, private salt is rampant, and official salt is difficult to sell. This paper discusses the drawbacks of the salt administration and proposes reform measures to replenish the national treasury and ensure the well-being of the people."

This is the first question in the policy essay section.

The rampant smuggling of salt and the sluggish sales of official salt were not only a chronic problem in Daning, but also a chronic problem in the dynasties of Chinese history.

If we were to answer this question using the mindset of this era, the answer would simply be to address it from three angles: increasing penalties for smuggling salt, lowering the price of official salt, and adding salt inspectors. Most test takers would probably write something like that.

Chen Chang'an could also write it this way. The advantage of writing it this way is that it is stable, closely related to the topic, and there are no obvious mistakes.

However, the drawback of writing it this way is also its stability.

If all test takers write like this, their policy essays will hardly get high scores.

Chen Chang'an is, after all, a modern person. Even if he crammed for two months before the exam, when it comes to writing classical Chinese and speaking in a pretentious manner, he can't compare to those candidates who have been immersed in classical Chinese for ten or twenty years, or even longer.

Given his less-than-ideal writing skills, he had to make the most of his strengths.

Chen Chang'an leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

The ills of the salt administration are a well-worn topic in this era. Official salt is expensive and of poor quality, while private salt is cheap and of superior quality. Naturally, the people buy private salt instead of official salt. Increasing penalties, lowering official prices, and increasing the number of anti-smuggling officers are all temporary solutions that do not address the root cause. Replacing a hundred officials would yield the same result.

The government only cares about collecting taxes, not about quality. The reason why smuggled salt sells well is not because it is cheap, but because it is better and cleaner than official salt. If the quality of official salt could be improved to a level far exceeding that of smuggled salt, the situation would be completely reversed.

The root of this problem lies not in political measures, but in the salt extraction process.

He picked up his pen and wrote the first line on the draft paper.

"The problem with the salt administration lies not in its high price or heavy taxes, but in its poor quality. Official salt is coarse and contains sand, making it bitter to eat, which the people dislike. Although private salt is cheaper, its quality is not necessarily better. Only official salt is the worst, so the people have no choice but to use it. If we want to reform the problems with the salt administration, we must first reform the problems with the quality of the salt..."

Chen Chang'an studied humanities in his previous life, so his studies were relatively easy.

One of his great hobbies in his spare time is reading online novels, especially historical time-travel novels. After reading so many, he has become very familiar with the steps of alcohol purification, refined salt preparation, perfume, cologne, soap making, cement firing, gunpowder mixing, and even blast furnace steelmaking...

Salt from that era was mostly coarse and yellowish, with a bitter taste and impurities, due to its crude processing.

By grading and sun-drying salt, followed by crystallization and filtration, high-quality refined salt can be obtained, and the salt production can be greatly increased.

If the government's salt is both good and cheap, the people will naturally not buy smuggled salt. This would not only crack down on smugglers but also increase salt tax revenue and improve the people's living standards, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop.

He picked up his pen and continued writing.

"There are two ways to improve the salt-making method. First, grade and sun-dry the salt; second, purify and filter it... If the quality of official salt is better than that of private salt, then the people will naturally choose official salt and abandon private salt. Salt taxes will rise on their own, and private salt will be eliminated by itself. The success of the salt administration does not lie in strict laws or price reductions, but in making official salt the only choice for the people. This is the fundamental solution."

After finishing writing, Chen Chang'an read it over again to make sure there were no mistakes or omissions.

Only then did he turn his attention to the second question.

"The imperial examination system in Da Ning follows the old system, selecting officials based on three subjects: classical texts, poetry, and policy essays. However, in recent years, there have been powerful enemies abroad and frequent border wars; there are floods within the country, requiring the management of river works; and with the gradual opening of trade routes, foreign trade affairs have become increasingly complex. Yet, among those selected through the imperial examinations, many are skilled in poetry but few are knowledgeable in practical matters; many are adept at writing but few are knowledgeable in military affairs, politics, water conservancy, and finance. This paper discusses the current shortcomings of the imperial examination system and proposes reform measures so that all officials selected by the court can be put to practical use in governing the country."

This question differs from the first question on salt administration. The salt administration question tested specific technical solutions, while this question tests institutional design thinking.

This essay question made Chen Chang'an look at the officials in the upper echelons of Da Ning with new respect.

The examiners clearly understood that the imperial examinations selected mostly literary figures skilled in composing poems and prose, who were all adept at writing poetry and essays, but when it came to governing the country, eight out of ten were completely clueless.

This is actually an inherent flaw in the imperial examination system.

The imperial examination system faced the same dilemma from the Sui and Tang dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties: the people selected became increasingly good at taking exams but increasingly incompetent at doing practical work.

What Daning needs are people who can get things done.

In another world, scholars have long since thoroughly studied the imperial examination system, so answering this policy question would naturally not be difficult for him, given his modern mindset.

Chen Chang'an organized his thoughts in his mind, then slowly began to write: "The problem with the imperial examination system lies not in the number of subjects, but in the singular method of selecting officials. Talented people throughout the land each have their own strengths; some excel in literature, some in administration, some in military affairs, and some in finance. To test ten thousand people with a single set of questions is like trying to cure all diseases with a single medicine, or fitting all shapes and sizes with a single garment—it will inevitably fall short. If we wish to cultivate talents capable of governing the world, we must first change the method of selecting officials…"