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

"The new imperial examination system... it might not be so easy to implement." Chen Huai'an pointed out the pros and cons, and then fell silent.

Many things should have been considered by Li Shimin; he had already done his job very well.

After all, Li Shimin was the emperor, and he was just a person who received a salary.

"The new imperial examination system..."

Li Shimin murmured something and understood Chen Huai'an's meaning.

Nobody's a fool; everyone knows what's important and what's not.

Compared to the profits from refined salt, it is clearly more important to completely break the monopoly.

While the profits from refined salt might temporarily persuade aristocratic families to make some compromises, it wouldn't make them compromise completely.

Chen Huai'an's papermaking and movable type printing techniques truly opened up a new path forever, and the difference between the two is enormous.

The powerful families will not agree to this.

Chen Huai'an and Li Shimin would absolutely not compromise on such matters.

After much deliberation, Li Shimin asked, "Do you think the Yan family can stand against the powerful Shandong families known as the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families?"

"How could that be?" Chen Huai'an laughed. "The Yan family is indeed a large family with considerable influence in the court, but compared to the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families, they are far inferior."

"I won't mention the other prominent families in Shandong, but look at the Zheng family. Everyone's saying they're half the court. Doesn't Your Majesty understand?"

"How could the Yan family possibly defeat the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families on their own? If the Yan family were to endorse movable type printing, it would be more likely that they would be dismissed as a strange and frivolous skill."

"So that's what you were planning." Li Shimin suddenly realized.

He didn't really understand what Chen Huai'an and Yan Shigu had talked about. He had thought that Chen Huai'an wanted to use the Yan family to fight against the powerful families, but he didn't expect that it was just to get the Yan family to endorse him.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. The Yan family may not have that much power, but their family traditions and the reputation they've built up over the years are enough to give them credibility.

"No, no, no!" Li Shimin murmured, "It can't be used just for complete endorsement. That will kill the Yan family. This is a thorny path. Once you step on it, there's no turning back, and everyone has to give it their all."

"You can't possibly be unaware that the Yan family isn't enough, yet you still dragged them into it. So... the Yan family is just the beginning?"

Chen Huai'an laughed and said, "Going it alone would be foolish. Faced with something like this, the five clans and seven noble families might even band together. How can we not try to win over every force we can?"

"The Yan family is the first step, and a very crucial one, but we can't do without other support, otherwise we'll be at a disadvantage from the start."

"Who else do you plan to bring along?" Li Shimin asked curiously.

Chen Huai'an thought for a moment, then uttered a few names: "Du Ruhui, Xue Wanche, Xiao Yu, Lu Deming, and... the Shan family of Mount Tai!"

When he uttered these names, Li Shimin's expression visibly changed.

Who is Du Ruhui? Changsun Wuji had repeatedly offered to resign, but he had already made up his mind that Du Ruhui would be the next prime minister.

The key point is that Du Ruhui represented not only himself, but also the Du family of Jingzhao behind him.

Although the Du family could not compare to the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families, it was the most prominent family in Guanzhong, a top-tier aristocratic clan that passed down Confucianism and criminal law, and thus a considerable force to be reckoned with.

And what about Xue Yuanjing?

You know Xue Wanche, right? They come from the same family, one of the six clans of Guanzhong, the Hedong Xue clan.

The Xue family is quite interesting, as it is divided into two branches: the civil branch and the military branch.

Xue Wanche came from the martial arts lineage, while Xue Yuanjing came from the literary lineage of the Western Ancestral House. They established their families based on Confucianism and literature, which was a great help to them.

Then there's Xiao Yu, a descendant of the Southern Liang imperial family, from the Lanling Xiao clan, the leading overseas Chinese clan in Jiangnan, who is currently still the prime minister.

As for Lu Deming... he was one of the eighteen scholars of the Prince of Qin's mansion, and at the time served as a professor at the Imperial Academy. He authored "Explanations of the Classics" and was a contemporary authority on classical studies, on par with Yan Shigu.

Behind him stood the Lu family of Wu County, the head of the four major Wu clans in Jiangnan, a family renowned for its classical studies.

The last of the Taishan clan.

This one is even more special.

The Taishan clan currently has no high-ranking officials in the imperial court, but they are the most prestigious clan in Taishan County, a long-established gentry family in Shandong since the Han and Wei dynasties.

During the Zhenguan era, many of his sons served as local chief clerks and Confucian scholars. Although none of them were top-ranking prime ministers, they enjoyed extremely high prestige among the people of Shandong.

Both being Shandong gentry families, the Taishan Yang clan was once suppressed by the current Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families, and the two sides had long-standing conflicts.

Li Shimin pondered for a moment, then raised an eyebrow: "The families you selected... seem to be quite special."

"They are all families with upright traditions, and they all focus on classical studies. In addition... these families are scattered in all directions, and they are all families with strong local control."

"Of course, you can't just pick anyone," Chen Huai'an shook his head. "Otherwise, if you don't handle it right, you might finally suppress one of the Five Clans and Seven Families, only to have another one emerge. What's the point then?"

"There are countless families in the world, but only a few are most in line with our wishes, most worth winning over, and most helpful to us."

Li Shimin nodded, understanding Chen Huai'an's concerns.

However, the more he pondered it, the more he felt that Chen Huai'an's choice of these families was not without purpose.

Putting everything else aside, the combined strength of these families is indeed enough to make the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families wary.

With the support of Li Shimin and others, they might not be unable to contend with the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families.

Li Shimin pondered for a long time and said, "Alright, let's win over these families first. I will send someone to make contact with them. We can promote the people from the Yang family of Taishan first."

"Xue Yuanjing and Lu Deming were originally my former subordinates, so it wasn't difficult to persuade them. As for Du Ruhui, it goes without saying that the Du family of Jingzhao has always been at my service."

"Great, I knew I hadn't misjudged you!" Chen Huai'an said with a look of satisfaction.

Erfeng has grown up.

Before she became emperor, the second princess was somewhat inexperienced, but now that her elder brother has died and she has been forced to become emperor, she has become more and more skilled.

Li Shimin: ? ? ?

He said with a forced smile, "Now I understand. No wonder those brats, Cheng Chumo and his ilk, have been rebelling against the Heavenly Gang day after day. It turns out you're the one who taught them."

Chen Huai'an's relieved expression froze for a moment, and he coughed lightly, as if he had spoken his mind.

He quickly changed the subject, saying, "Your Majesty, don't think too simply. The martial world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's all about human relationships and social interactions."

"It's no problem for these few families to stand up against the powerful clans and then implement the new imperial examination system, allowing movable type printing to officially enter the historical stage."

"But once we do that, we can forget about peace and stability. We'll just be fighting each other all the time. His Majesty might even face criticism because of the locust plague."

"Given this situation, it's uncertain whether an edict of self-reproach would be effective."

Li Shimin's eye twitched, and he laughed in exasperation: "Did you think I was easy to talk to, and that made you take advantage of my kindness?"

"Then Your Majesty...would you like to have a snowball fight with me?"

Li Shimin: "..."

"..."