The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

"Yes," Chen Huai'an admitted. "Back then, I was just a peasant from the very bottom of society, and the provincial examination was my only way out."

"Of course, I believe you all understand that the number of places for the local tribute students is very small, and the officials of the prefecture and county will basically recommend all the sons of the gentry."

"For a poor family like mine with no official or academic background, without the recommendation of local gentry, I was basically not qualified to take the exam."

"Unless you are truly exceptional and happen to encounter a conscientious official, you will have a chance to be recommended."

Changsun Wuji fell silent instantly.

Apart from Chen Huai'an, the person with the lowest status among those present was probably Wei Zheng.

Even Wei Zheng, who came from an official family, could still get a recommendation even if he fell on hard times.

They never imagined that it would be so difficult for children from the poorest families to even attempt the imperial examinations.

Li Shimin sighed softly.

He knew very well that what Chen Huai'an said was true, and that was precisely why he had always wanted to promote students from poor families, but he didn't have many good ways to do so.

Even with the imperial examination system, access to higher levels of society remained firmly controlled.

Li Shimin didn't even notice many people from poor families, so what was the point of promoting them?

Unless it's a special case like Chen Huai'an's.

Chen Huai'an said, "Therefore, the first issue is to reform the imperial examination system!"

"But let's not talk about solutions now, let's find out the problem first."

"Based on my own experience, after I embarked on the path of the imperial examination through the provincial examination, I encountered all kinds of candidates in the county and prefecture and faced all kinds of difficulties, but I won't go into details."

"When I entered the final exam, which was the final unified exam conducted by the Ministry of Personnel, I encountered a very serious problem."

Chen Huai'an looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "The right to conduct examinations and the right to grade papers are in the hands of aristocratic civil officials!"

"The chief examiners of the provincial examinations, and the assistant directors of the Ministry of Personnel, mostly came from prominent families in the Guandong and Guanlong regions!"

"The examiner doesn't look at the content of your exam paper; the first thing he looks at is the candidate's name!"

"First, we'll see your last name, then your first name, and finally your family background, before we even look at the contents of your exam paper!"

"It's useless for a poor student to answer better than a student from a noble family, because in the eyes of these examiners, you are still inferior to a student from a noble family!"

"It can be said that the outcome of the imperial examinations was often determined from the moment you filled in your name."

Hearing these words, Wei Zheng exclaimed in astonishment, "Isn't it a bit much?"

"I admit that many examiners tend to favor those from aristocratic families, but has it gone this far?"

"Even if a student from a poor family answers better, it's useless?"

"Useless?" Chen Huai'an slowly shook his head. "Unless you answer far, far better than the aristocratic students, making it impossible for the examiners to ignore you, then you will have a chance."

"However, the reality is that it is already incredibly difficult for children from poor families to pursue education; they even have great difficulty buying a book. How can they compare to the children of aristocratic families?"

Du Ruhui couldn't help but ask, "So, Mr. Chen, you passed the exam because you answered so well, so well that the examiners couldn't ignore you?"

"That's right." Chen Huai'an nodded first, then said, "After all, nothing is absolute. With such a large population in our Tang Dynasty, even if there are only one genius among ten thousand, there are still more than a thousand."

"It's just that the vast majority of them have been buried."

"There were many exceptions like me, which is why there were still people from poor families who could rise to prominence in the imperial examinations in the past!"

Li Shimin was instantly enlightened, slapping the armrest of his chair: "Excellent! What a genius, one in a million! There are over a thousand of them!"

"Indeed, how vast is the territory of our Great Tang Dynasty!"

"There must be quite a few talented and extraordinary people, geniuses and prodigies."

"Reform! The imperial examination system must be reformed!"

If Li Shimin had previously hesitated about whether to implement reforms next year, intending to listen to Chen Huai'an's methods before making a decision.

And now, he has already made up his mind.

The imperial examination system must be reformed; it must be reopened next year!

From now on, regular imperial examinations will be held every year, and a grand imperial examination will be held from time to time!

The ministers in the palace understood this and remained silent.

After a long pause, Changsun Wuji said, "Mr. Chen, please continue."

"And thirdly!" Chen Huai'an held up one finger. "Do you really think the content of the current imperial examinations is reasonable?"

"Nowadays, the Mingjing examination is the mainstream, requiring rote memorization of Confucian commentaries, while the Jinshi examination only tests current affairs and miscellaneous essays, and the number of successful candidates is extremely small!"

"Therefore, the court is filled with the words of the sage, the sage says, the sage does this and that!"

"Speak of benevolence and morality when you open your mouth, and talk about morality and benevolence when you shut up."

"And the result?"

Wei Zheng laughed: "The result is that they are all very good at reasoning, but when it comes to getting things done, none of them can do it."

Du Ruhui paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "It seems... that's indeed the case."

Fang Xuanling wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "Mr. Chen is right. What we need are officials who get things done, not just those who can talk a good game."

"This definitely needs to be changed!"

"The content of the imperial examinations cannot remain unchanged. I remember Mr. Chen saying that times are progressing and those who cannot keep up with the times are destined to be eliminated."

"Just like how the weapons and armor of our Great Tang Dynasty now far surpass those of the Eastern Turks, the Battle of Wugong Mountain in the ninth year of the Wude era is the best proof of that!"

"The emergence of new iron-forging methods brought about changes in all aspects. Not only did the Tang army have to adapt to new weapons, but the people also had to adapt to new agricultural tools."

"Correspondingly, as times progress, the old systems must also change!"

Fang Xuanling's words caused many people's gazes to shift slightly, but in the end, they didn't say anything.

Everyone understood Fang Xuanling's subtext.

He seemed to be talking about ironware, but he was actually referring to modern Confucian classics.

This means that the way of the sages is no longer very applicable in today's world.

However, this statement cannot be said openly, otherwise it would cause a lot of trouble.

Everyone understands.

Chen Huai'an was somewhat surprised, not expecting Fang Xuanling to say such a thing.

Li Shimin nodded with his chin: "Huai'an, you can continue."

"Alright." Chen Huai'an pondered for a moment, then said, "The fourth point is that the threshold for official appointment is extremely high; the imperial examination is merely a stepping stone!"

"What does that mean? It's actually quite easy to understand. Even if a poor family member passes the exam, they can't become an official directly; they have to wait for the Ministry of Personnel to select them."

"Election!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, do I need to explain what election means?"

Li Shimin sarcastically remarked, "The so-called selection process is nothing more than looking at family background, social standing, appearance, and speech."

"Even if a child from a poor family passes the imperial examination, they will be waiting for selection for many years, while those from aristocratic families can be quickly appointed to important official positions!"

"Ha... I remember, you failed at the selection process; you were going through the selection process, and suddenly your honors were gone!"

"..."