Li Shui hesitated and hesitated to speak. But Ying Zheng's eyesight was so sharp that he saw through Li Shui at once.

Ying Zheng asked: "Do you have any idea?"

Li Shuigan laughed: "This..."

Ying Zheng asked again: "You dare not say? Why?"

Li Shui smiled bitterly and said: "Your Majesty is really very discerning. I am indeed a little afraid to say it."

Ying Zheng seemed very patient this time: "Why?"

Li Shui said: "Because I can think of a few people. For example, Shang Yang, Wu Qi..."

Ying Zheng's expression changed and he said, "Can the reform eliminate the second disaster?"

Li Shui was a little speechless, thinking: "Ying Zheng's focus is always so single-minded. What we are talking about now is not about disaster, but about the fact that once the law changes, I will die."

Fortunately, Ying Zheng reacted quickly, smiled at Li Shui, and said, "Don't worry, I am by no means a mediocre master. I will definitely keep you safe for the rest of your life."

Li Shui pondered for a while and felt that he should speak out his method.

Nowadays, there are many people outside who are yelling at me to kill him. If I don't tell him this method, he will still be killed. It's better to concentrate on helping the emperor solve the problem, and finally have a backer.

What's more, Ying Zheng already knew that he had a solution. If he insisted on not telling him, he might not be able to leave the study today.

So Li Shui said: "Your Majesty, there is indeed a way, but it needs to be considered in the long term and must not be done too hastily. Otherwise, I will be criticized by thousands of people and die without a burial place."

Ying Zheng leaned forward again and asked, "What is the solution?"

Li Shui analyzed: "The reason why the courtiers can threaten the emperor is simply because the relationship between the courtiers is complicated. It would be fine if we were all like Li Xin and we were close friends. But there are some key people.

, formed the concept of superior and subordinate."

"The king is a king, and ministers are ministers. Ministers should be equal. If they have the same political views, they can drink and have fun. If they have different political views, they can argue with each other."

"But if there is a distinction between master and servant among the ministers, it will be difficult to control. For example, the Wang family is the master, and Ma Lingshu and others who are attached to the Wang family are the servants."

"They are officials in the same dynasty as the Wang family in name, but in reality? Only the Wang family is obedient and obeys the Wang family's orders. Therefore, these people can only speak out the Wang family. Once the Wang family has an idea, they can use their subordinates to

Courtiers, create a lot of momentum. This is terrible."

Ying Zheng nodded in agreement and asked, "Then what do you think should be done to solve it?"

Li Shui said: "If you want to solve it, you must first find the cause of it? Why do Ma Lingshua and others only follow the Wang family? Because their official positions depend on the Wang family."

"I heard that if you want to become an official in Da Qin, there are three ways. One is to be awarded a title for military merit. The other is to be rewarded by nobles. The third is to recommend talents."

"The policy of conferring titles for military merit was of great benefit when the Qin Dynasty destroyed the six kingdoms. However, now that the country is unified and there are no more wars, it is more difficult to become an official based on military merit. Therefore, to become an official now, you mainly need to rely on the following two

.”

"And the favor of the nobles and the recommendation of talents naturally make it easier for the courtiers to unite."

"Under the grace of the nobles, the father is an official, and the son is also an official. Just like Wang Jian, Wang Ben, Wang Li, ancestors and grandsons, how can they not stick together in the court? This temple will soon become the ancestral hall of their Wang family.

.”

Ying Zheng was a little helpless. Li Shui's theory was indeed to the point, but this guy always liked to bring his own things with him. After saying a few words, he would slander his political opponents.

Li Shui added: "As for recommending talents, the king's focus is on talents, while the courtiers' focus is on recommendation."

"Whether a person is virtuous or not is decided by the courtiers. Whether a virtuous person can be an official is decided by the courtiers. There are a hundred virtuous people, but the courtiers just choose one of them. Can this person not be grateful?"

"What he is grateful for is not the court or the king. It is the courtiers who recommended him. He has just entered the court and has no foundation. He must find a backer. Naturally, he has to find the courtiers who recommended him. In this way, there will be recommendations.

The courtiers who have power naturally have a group of forces under their command."

"When this power is weak, it can confuse right and wrong and influence the government. When its power becomes stronger, it will sideline the monarch and even force the monarch to abdicate."

Ying Zheng was shocked when he heard this. He nodded repeatedly and couldn't help but said: "Huai Guzi, you are truly an immortal."

Li Shuigan smiled and said: "Ashamed, ashamed."

Ying Zheng asked again: "In your opinion, how to solve it?"

Li Shui said: "The selection of officials must be in the hands of the king. There should be no middlemen to make money... No, there should be no courtiers to interfere in the middle."

Ying Zheng nodded slightly, closed his eyes and thought for a while, then frowned and said: "However, the king's energy is limited. How to understand the people of the world? How to know who is worthy and who is not worthy without being recommended by others?

?”

Li Shui said: "There is a way to distinguish talents, and the name of this method is the imperial examination."

Ying Zheng asked curiously: "Imperial examination? I have never heard of it. What does this mean?"

Li Shui said: "Your Majesty can summarize the difficult problems of governing the country and then regularly summon all those who are aspiring to be officials in the world."

"Instruct them to do the questions on the spot. Then His Majesty will review their answers. If they have insights, they can be appointed directly. If they don't have insights, they can go home and continue studying."

"In this way, the new officials are selected by His Majesty. The one he is grateful to can only be Your Majesty. And whether they are talented or not, Your Majesty can also see clearly at a glance, so that they will not be deceived."

Ying Zheng's eyes lit up and he said with satisfaction: "That makes sense, that makes sense. Why didn't I come up with such a good idea after thinking about it so hard?"

Li Shuiqian laughed and thought: "This method seems very simple to understand once you hear it, but it is difficult for people to figure it out out of thin air. The imperial examination took several dynasties and generations to perfect.

ah."

Of course, what Li Shui told Ying Zheng was a crude version of the imperial examination. There was no mention of the naming method or the provincial examination.

Because there is no need, not many people in Da Qin can really read. This simple version of the imperial examination can be fully handled.

When more people take the exam in the future, it will not be too late to make improvements.

Ying Zheng looked at Li Shui and said, "Talking with you is like drinking fine wine, with endless aftertaste. Now I understand why you are hesitant and unwilling to tell you this solution."

"Once you say this method, it will be equivalent to cutting off the career path of countless powerful children from becoming officials. They will definitely hate you to the core."

Li Shui smiled bitterly and said, "Yes."

Ying Zheng said: "Return a favor. How can I ignore you if you take the risk to propose a clever strategy? I have just thought about it. This method of imperial examination should be developed slowly."

"I will first abolish the recommendation and change it to the imperial examination. As for the favor of the nobles, I will not move it for the time being. In this way, I can not only control the courtiers who pass the imperial examination, but also avoid the opposition of the powerful."

"When the time is right, the number of people who can become officials through the imperial examination can be increased, and the number of nobles who are favored by the imperial examination can be reduced. One will go down and the other will increase, and eventually all the candidates will be selected through the imperial examination."

Li Shui said sincerely: "Your Majesty is wise."

This time, it's not that I mean to flatter. It's that Ying Zheng's method is indeed feasible.

In fact, after the imperial examination was established in the Sui Dynasty in later generations, until the end of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial examination was used to select scholars in parallel with the favor of the nobles. The resistance can be seen.

Ying Zheng felt that he had solved a serious problem in his heart and was in a good mood. He talked with Li Shui for a long time.

It was not until afternoon that Ying Zheng took Li Shui's hand and sent him out of the study.

The little eunuch guarding the door was dumbfounded: "Let His Majesty deliver it in person? I'm afraid Wang Wan and Li Si will also receive such treatment in the future, right?"

Li Shui walked out of the study and stood in the sunshine, feeling a little high-spirited. After all, his words made the imperial examination appear a thousand years in advance. This can be regarded as a groundbreaking event in the officialdom.

Li Shui was intoxicated when he saw Fu Yao walking over from a distance.

Li Shui waved to Fu Yao, called him over, and said in a low voice: "My master, I have racked my brains for your throne. Today I finally made your majesty smile. Your future is stable."

Fu Yao's eyes were a bit strange. In his admiration, there was a hint of sympathy. In his sympathy, there was also a bit of gloating. Apart from gloating, there was also a bit of unbearability.

Li Shui frowned and asked, "Is something wrong?"

Fu Yao said: "Master, have you forgotten something?"

Li Shui looked at him strangely: "What did I forget?"

Suddenly, Li Shui's head buzzed: "Oh no, I missed something important."

Yesterday I made an appointment with Weiyang to meet in the alchemy room at noon and tell her what the words on the bronze mirror meant.

As a result, Ying Zheng dragged him into discussing state affairs, which delayed him for too long.

How can you be late for a date with a girl? Especially the girl you haven't caught up with.

Li Shui ran towards the alchemy room. After running for two steps, he turned back and took Fu Yao with him.

Fu Yao said, "Sister doesn't allow me to go."

Li Shui said: "It doesn't matter, you go and show your face and leave later."

After arriving at the alchemy room, Wei Yang was waiting there angrily, with her eyes a little red.

Li Shui coughed a little apologetically and said: "After the court meeting, I was going to come immediately, but Fu Yao kept pestering me. I couldn't get rid of him several times. Seeing that it was late, I had to take him with me.

He came together."

Fu Yao's face turned pale: "No, I didn't. I was wronged."

Seeing Wei Young coming to pull his ears, Fu Yao ran away like a rabbit.

Standing outside the alchemy room, Fu Yao wanted to cry but had no tears.

At this time, Li Shui opened the door a crack, stuck his head out, and whispered to Fu Yao: "This is the lesson I taught you. When traveling in the world, you must know how to adapt to changes. Okay, here's the truth.

, you can experience it carefully and you can leave now."

Fu Yao said oh and left thoughtfully.
Chapter completed!