NOVPUBSong Residence.
Li Nuo had already forgotten the previous incident, completely immersed in the book.
The experiences of this period had made him profoundly realize one thing.
He must take the Imperial Examination.
Longevity was his main goal, as for cultivation, it was merely incidental.
If he wanted to live longer, he still had to become an official.
Sneaking around and adjudicating cases covertly would only leave loopholes for others to exploit.
If he were to be conferred a title by the court, he would have no place to appeal.
The law of Daxia, though flawed in many respects, cannot be denied—the court indeed governed by the law.
After all, Daxia was the cradle of Legalism and the country most deeply influenced by Legalist thought among all states.
Redemption, officialdom, and titles, though unfair, were indeed clearly written into Daxia’s laws.
Even as the father, the Minister of Justice, he could not change this, at least not overtly break the law.
Li Nuo, without having gone through the Imperial Examination and without official status, was legally and rightfully titled by the court.
But if he were to acquire an official title, even if it were only that of a small County Magistrate, as long as he behaved uprightly and sat straight, those above would have no way to handle him.
Of course, not everyone could do this.
County Magistrate Pei was also a magistrate, and of the highest grade in Daxia, yet even if he was incorruptible and diligent, those above could still find countless reasons to deal with him.
It was because his father wasn’t named Li Xuanjing.
Therefore, Li Nuo must participate in the next Imperial Examination.
Not only to participate but also to acquire an official title.
The current problem was, how to gain such a title?
The book in Li Nuo’s hands detailed the Imperial Examination system of Daxia, including the historical changes of the examination and the most recent system in place.
Since the founding of Daxia, the examination covered the Six Arts of Confucianism, which had not changed for hundreds of years.
However, in earlier times, the Six Arts were completely separated.
At that time, examinees did not need to understand everything; among the Six Arts, they could choose any one to be tested on.
Reaching the pinnacle in any one of them could lead to becoming an Advanced Scholar.
Depending on the subject chosen, the graduates of each art would be assigned different positions.
Mathematics was the most widely applicable; the top talents would be assigned to the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Industry, etc., while the second-tier would enter other government offices, handling calculation and clerical work.
Horse Riding and Shooting graduates mostly entered the Ministry of War, Taipu Si, and the like.
Graduates of the Ritual and Music Departments would be absorbed by the Ministry of Rites and Taichang Si, responsible for matters of rituals and sacrifices.
These five arts were considered specialized talent.
The Book Department had the most diverse curriculum—literature, economy, institutions, law, political discourse... with the broadest employment opportunities. Daxia’s orthodox civil servants mostly came from the Book Department, and the competition was the most intense, truly a situation where thousands compete for a single plank bridge.
Li Nuo thought it was good this way, admitting based on strengths, specialized and rational.
The later Imperial Examination gradually unified the Six Arts, changing from recruiting specialists to recruiting talent knowledgeable in all subjects.
Such a measure seemed fair but was in fact unfair.
The Book and Mathematics departments were two popular disciplines.
Although, compared to the nobles and rich heirs, children from poor families needed to suffer more hardships and take more detours to acquire knowledge in these two subjects, hard work could make up for it.
But how about the other subjects?
To study Horse Riding, one at least needs a horse and a chariot.
The majority of children from poor families, even if they bankrupted themselves, could not afford a horse and carriage.
Shooting and Music too required guidance from famous teachers and early practice to achieve something.
The expenditures involved easily amounted to thousands of taels of silver.
The Ritual Department could theoretically be self-taught, with detailed records of various ritual procedures in books, which could be learned step by step.
But what’s written in books is one thing, while practical operation is another.
A scholar from a poor family, even if he could recite the "Five Rites" perfectly, how could he compete with Song Yu, whose father was an Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites?
Even the Book Department had undergone significant reforms over the years.
Previously, Calligraphy and painting were not part of the examination, skills that were difficult to self-learn and similarly required guidance from famous teachers.
Although the barrier was lower than riding and shooting, it also needed money to pave the way, especially painting.
Ink painting was still feasible, but the pigments used in colorful ink painting were extremely expensive, and an average family simply could not afford them.
The original Imperial Examination was a public examination, but with continuous reforms, it became more elitist and gradually turned into a game exclusive to the nobility and powerful families.
Although not explicitly written, everything was very clear.
With the reform of the Imperial Examination to date, almost completely, the children from poor families lost their path to promotion, a fact that could be seen from the number of examinees.
Twenty years ago, each Imperial Examination had over half a million contenders.
But in the last two rounds, there were only about a hundred thousand.
The increasingly higher barriers kept eighty percent of the students outside of the examination.
It’s true that every year, the academies would admit some exceptionally talented children from poor families and provide them with conditions to learn the Six Arts.
But to catch up with others’ decade of accumulation within a few years, starting from almost nothing, was undoubtedly a difficult task.
Li Nuo should be grateful that he was born into a family of nobles.
Otherwise, even if he had the intention to take the Imperial Examination, his family did not have the financial resources to provide him with the conditions to learn the Six Arts.
Before officially participating in the Imperial Examination, he had one more thing to do.
He must enter an academy.
Only the academies registered with the court granted their students the qualification to participate in the Imperial Examination.
Each year, the academies would hold public examinations to admit a group of students.
