At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

"What did the Six Dynasties accomplish? They only served to pursue their own selfish interests!"

"Heh~ How ironic."

Outside the Yudu magistrate's residence, across the street, is a private room in a restaurant.

Standing by the window, Chu Ling looked down at everything in front of him and said with a half-smile, "People shouldn't say things like 'take it easy' or 'don't worry about it.' People who say that are either stupid or malicious. Of course they won't be anxious or agitated if it doesn't happen to them. After all, they're not the ones who get hurt or harmed. So why not say it more nicely?"

"That's how you show how amazing and unique you are."

“When this happens to you, it’s a different story. Why won’t you help me solve it? I’m already in this state, and you still say things like that?”

"Hehe, there aren't that many people in this world who can truly empathize. Even if there are, it's about understanding yourself and comforting yourself. Perhaps that way, even the biggest problems can be solved. But there are always some people who say one thing to your face and another behind your back, making things more and more complicated."

"My brother is absolutely right!!"

Chu Hui gripped the bamboo fan tightly, his eyes fixed on the front, and said through gritted teeth, "No matter how good something is, it's impossible to please everyone, because people are different."

"A policy that can ensure the interests of the majority is considered an excellent policy."

"Taking into account the majority will inevitably harm the minority."

"In such a situation, the minority who suffer losses will inevitably become frustrated and secretly plot something or push something forward, which will change the situation."

"What's even more infuriating is that, as a result, the majority who should have been taken into consideration, including those who are ignorant of the situation and right and wrong, have been instigated to rush to the front."

"Your Majesty, I now understand why some good things end up turning into bad things. The few who do evil are extremely hateful, and those who are instigated are also hateful!"

As Chu Hui spoke, his gaze never left the outside of the Yudu Magistrate's residence.

The surging crowd made all sorts of gestures and shouted all sorts of words.

The Northern Army soldiers who came on orders dispersed to various locations to maintain order.

The main gate of the Yudu Magistrate's Mansion was tightly closed.

The area around Zhang Bu's examination hall was guarded by hundreds of armored warriors. The cold eyes of these strong men vigilantly scanned the surroundings, preventing anyone from attacking the examination hall.

Those closest to them, however, were some scholars who, like madmen, tried to rush over and tear down Zhang Bu's examination list.

"If you choose to do something, you must choose to accept everything."

Hearing Chu Hui say this, Chu Ling smiled and turned around, gently patting Chu Hui's shoulder. "Does Your Majesty know that throughout history, in the name of 'new policies,' 'reform,' 'innovation,' and 'legal reform,' many initiatives aimed at eliminating old abuses, relieving financial difficulties, and mitigating conflicts have failed more often than succeeded?"

"Your Majesty, I am foolish and ignorant, and I beg you to enlighten me."

Upon hearing this, Chu Hui quickly bowed and greeted them.

"The root of the problem lies with people."

Chu Ling maintained his smile and said, "No matter how complicated things are in this world, nothing is more complicated than people, because things are caused by people. Similarly, if you choose to do something to resolve some bad things, then no matter what you encounter in the process, you must learn to bear it."

"Disagreements and doubts are to be expected; criticism and abuse are the norm, since these arise from the things you do."

"Without the things you do, none of this would exist."

"Knowing all this, why still choose to do it? Because if we don't, the foundation will be eroded and the nation's fate will be overthrown, so we must do it."

As Chu Ling finished speaking, the atmosphere became subtle.

Li Zhong and the others standing to the side stood motionless like statues, as if they hadn't heard anything.

"Brother Emperor~"

Chu Hui wore a complicated expression.

How could he not understand this principle?

But he was still furious!

What my own elder brother did was clearly beneficial to the country and the world!

"You all should step aside first."

"Yes."

Li Zhong and his group breathed a sigh of relief and left the private room with their heads bowed.

Chu Ling lifted his robe and sat down on the brocade stool.

"sit."

Upon seeing his elder brother, the emperor, he reached out and lightly tapped the table.

Chu Hui hurriedly walked to the side.

"The change from 'newly appointed Jinshi' to 'newly appointed Gongshi' is only one word, but the implications are worlds apart," Chu Ling said calmly, toying with his wine cup.

“The clever ones can see at a glance that the imperial examination list has been posted. The selection of candidates for the imperial examination has ended, but the central government’s talent selection ceremony is not over yet.”

"Not to mention all the things that happened before this year's selection of the imperial envoys. The case of the imperial envoy leak has been closed, but many people were arrested before and after that. These suspects are still being held in the Imperial Guard prison."

"Now that the list of successful candidates for the imperial examination has been published, I have taken back the titles of Zhuangyuanlang, Bangyanlang, and Tanhualang, and have only given the title of Huiyuan to the first-place candidate."

"Based on all of the above, although the time for the imperial examinations to be announced was short, I believe that by now, many people have already guessed that I have a backup plan."

Chu Hui listened attentively.

In fact, Chu Hui had guessed all of this after that incident, which is why he was so angry when he saw someone gambling on the posting of the imperial examination results.

"I'm going to test you."

Chu Ling raised the wine cup he was playing with and smiled at Chu Hui, saying, "Why did our imperial grandfather specifically establish the imperial examination system as a grand plan for selecting talents for the central government?"

At this point, Chu Ling handed the wine cup to Chu Hui.

Chu Hui hurriedly accepted it with both hands.

"this……"

"No rush, Your Highness. Think it over before you answer me."

Noticing Chu Hui's nervousness, Chu Ling maintained her smile and gently patted his shoulder.

Chu Hui frowned slightly as he stared at the wine cup he was holding, lost in thought.

Chu Ling stood up, turned around, and walked towards the window.

As if he had seen something, a faint smile appeared on Chu Ling's lips.

"Back off!!!"

A shout came from outside.

Chu Ling reached out and closed the window, and the noise outside subsided considerably.

“Brother! Our grandfather abolished the old system and adopted the imperial examination system as the new one, intending to eliminate the long-standing problem of protégés and former officials!” Chu Hui’s expression turned serious as he stood up and spoke to his elder brother.

"There has always been something that cannot be eliminated: the arrival of power inevitably leads some people to take on positions of authority, and they will inevitably do things that are detrimental to the law, harmful to the central government, and disastrous to the country, for various reasons."

"This is not unique to our dynasty. It has existed in previous dynasties and in every dynasty. It's just that the way we deal with this kind of thing is different."

"My grandfather was wise and powerful, having fought his way out of a chaotic world. Therefore, he understood that if some things are left unattended, they will only get worse!"

Chu Ling smiled with relief.

“What my brother said has pointed out the fundamentals, but it lacks some key points.”

Chu Ling stepped forward and extended his hand to Chu Hui, saying, "If we extend the timeline, it won't be hard for you, my brother, to see that everything my grandfather did was a combination of moves."

"The proposal of the selection of tribute students will inevitably cause turmoil, and the turmoil will be accompanied by some major cases. This will lead to those who have strong opposition being labeled with various accusations and then eliminated."

"It is because of this that the Emperor's grandfather has very opposing views. Some say that the Emperor's grandfather was wise and mighty, while others say that the Emperor's grandfather was tyrannical and bloodthirsty."

"There are just too many people with ulterior motives!!"

Chu Hui said emotionally.

"Brother, you have lost your composure."

Seeing Chu Hui's reaction, Chu Ling calmly said, then patted Chu Hui's shoulder and sat down on the brocade stool, "I have told you more than once that as a member of the royal family, in a high position, you must not lose your composure no matter what happens."

"When the mind is disturbed, one loses reason."

"This can lead to anger, resulting in wrong decisions. Once you're led by the nose, the consequences can be severe."

"I lost my composure regarding my elder brother's reprimand."

Chu Hui lowered his head and said, "Please punish me, Your Majesty."

"Punishment?"

Chu Ling smiled and pointed at Chu Hui, saying, "Can punishment change everything? If that's the case, I don't know how many times I've punished you for what you did in Shanglin Garden. You are my brother, my own flesh and blood, not someone I picked up."

Chu Hui chuckled awkwardly.

"Let's get back to business."

Chu Ling composed himself and said, "Because of my grandfather's killing, the selection of tribute students has become deeply rooted in people's hearts, and no one mentions the old system anymore."

"That's why the value of military merit-based promotions has increased."

"Even so, the foundation of the Kogong selection has not been fully established in the Great Yu state, after all, many problems have arisen before and after this."

"So that's how the anonymous grading system came about?!"

Chu Hui seemed to have thought of something, and said with wide eyes.

"Yes."

Chu Ling nodded and said, "When I was in Shanglin Garden, I thought about one thing: perhaps the system of anonymous naming was something my grandfather thought of when he was alive, but he did not implement it."

"Are they trying to get the late Emperor to do it?!"

Chu Hui's shock intensified.

"That's probably the case."

Chu Ling looked disappointed. "After all, there was no anonymity. For those with ulterior motives, it would be too easy to find candidates related to them among the many exam papers."

"And if the exam paper is passable, making the list is just a matter of a single thought, isn't it?"

"Even if the exam paper isn't good, can't we just rewrite it?"

"If you can't do those things, can't you just bring things in before the exam? Or, if you're lucky, someone might even manipulate the exam questions and spend money to buy them—that's a worthwhile deal, isn't it?"

Chu Hui's mouth dropped open.

Because these things have all happened before.

It's impossible to guard against!

No system is perfect; there will always be loopholes. And some people will choose the crooked path over the right one.

"So the Emperor left this matter to the Emperor."

Chu Hui composed himself and looked at Chu Ling, saying, "But the late Emperor said that he would entrust the specifics of this matter to you, my elder brother?"

Chu Ling nodded.

The emperor's elder brother mentioned by Chu Hui was Emperor Xuanzong Chun.

Chu Ling never shied away from mentioning this person on certain occasions; he would bring it up when necessary, because Chu Ling's throne was not seized or stolen, but inherited legitimately!

Regardless of why Chu Ling was chosen to succeed to the throne at that time, the enthronement ceremony was held, the edict of accession was issued, and it was certified by the three empresses, so Chu Ling's throne has legal validity!

This is something no one can question.

Moreover, the rebellion of the rebellious vassal states was suppressed.

Anyone who dares to even consider this is courting death!

“However, even so, the selection process for the imperial examinations is still not very fair.” Under Chu Hui’s gaze, Chu Ling flicked his sleeves and said, “Besides leaking the exam questions, some people have other ideas on other things.”

"So my brother came up with the idea of ​​numbering and copying the new rules."

Chu Hui said somewhat excitedly.

"good."

Chu Ling nodded and said, "As a major talent selection plan in the central government, it doesn't matter who is selected. However, I would like to give as much fairness as possible to those from poor families and farming families."

There's a saying in Dayu: "Studying hard for more than ten years is just to pass the imperial examination, but reality is much crueler than that."

“For those born into good families, the path is paved from childhood. They hire famous teachers, study hard, do not produce, and cultivate their hobbies. I know that this is what their ancestors and parents worked hard for. We cannot label them because of this.”

"But if the central government does nothing about these current situations, the gap will only widen further. In layman's terms, this is called a huge gap between the rich and the poor; more accurately, it is called severe polarization."

Chu Hui listened attentively.

"The most despairing thing in the world is knowing something but being unable to break free from invisible shackles and cages," Chu Ling said, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"For those groups who throw themselves into policies determined by the central government, when they have given a lot but received very little in return, resentment will arise. Once this resentment accumulates to a certain extent and turns into hatred, it will be difficult to salvage many things."

"What I want to do is to apply some fairness to the selection of candidates for the imperial examinations, so that those who have real talent and knowledge of human suffering can be promoted through the imperial examinations established by the dynasty."

So even before the selection process for the Kogong began, there were one wave of trouble after another.

Hearing this, Chu Hui felt a surge of emotion.

"Your Majesty, what should I do next?"

Thinking of all this, Chu Hui placed the wine cup on the table, stood up solemnly, and bowed to Chu Ling.

Chu Ling smiled with relief.

Talking to smart people means they understand everything immediately.

There's a reason why Chu Ling values ​​Chu Hui.

"What kind of imperial examination selection do you think is truly fair, Your Highness?"

Chu Ling picked up the wine cup and asked Dong An in return, turning to Chu Hui.

"We must show people hope!"

Chu Hui replied without hesitation, "My brother said before that there is no absolute fairness in this world, and even if there were, it wouldn't be available to the majority."

"Therefore, the true fairness of the selection process for the Kogong lies in relative fairness."

"I understand what Your Majesty has said. Because the scholars participating in the imperial examinations are still lacking a title, some things seem to have been resolved, but in reality, they haven't. Currently, many people are still choosing to serve under someone else in order to see a glimmer of hope!"

"Your Majesty, I understand that even if a solution is found, this trend cannot be eradicated. After all, the officialdom is a hundred times, a thousand times more complex than the imperial examinations!"

"But just because we know these things exist doesn't mean we should choose not to do them. Doing and not doing are two completely different concepts. So even if we know some things will happen, we still have to choose to do them, because only by doing them can we possibly change things. If we don't do them, things will only get worse!"

"I am very pleased that my brother could think of these things."

Chu Ling smiled and put down the wine cup. He reached for the wine pot beside him and, as he poured the wine, looked at Chu Hui and said, "I want to share a hope with all the students in the world, a hope that everyone will never forget."

"Students selected through the imperial examinations become the new imperial scholars of the dynasty. This hope is tangible and visible to them, while those who do not pass will at least find some solace in this hope."

"However, this hope cannot be contained in the existing examination hall in Yudu, nor can it be sustained. I intend to hold an examination in the Taiji Hall so that this hope can take root!"

At this point, Chu Ling put down the wine pot, picked up the cup of wine, and handed it to Chu Hui...