Chapter 578: Chang'an Rice, Huaxia Rice

"Crush the withered and pull down the rotten… to intimidate both inside and out?"

Li Shimin's expression instantly turned intriguing, "Zi An, you youngster… you seem to be trying to fool His Majesty about the whole big picture."

"His Majesty, I never said that, don't overthink it." Chen Yan hurriedly denied, "I was just thinking, after the war, Qin Qiong, leading so many men, is idle, so why not bring some troops to clean up the bandits and marauders within the Tang Dynasty?"

"Did you forget? Last year when I returned to Chang'an, I even encountered a group of horse bandits ambushing the road."

"If they dare do this around Chang'an, I can't imagine what it's like elsewhere; are the common people constantly harassed?"

"Furthermore, the Money Shop needs expansion, so a secure passage must be established; otherwise, when the Money Shop expands outward, people's deposited money could be intercepted by horse bandits during transport—how ridiculous would that be?"

At that remark, everyone laughed.

Chen Yan, a dignified Duke, accompanied by a legitimate prince and four Princesses, on the way back to Chang'an encountered some horse bandits who were clueless about the world and tried to ambush them; indeed, it's quite laughable.

But their laughter wasn't because of that.

It was because of Chen Yan's underlying implication.

Sending Qin Qiong with troops to sweep the horse bandits within the Tang Dynasty?

Are you truly only aiming to eliminate these bandits and marauders for the sake of traveling commoners and caravans, and not to display force and intimidate the landed gentry?

Li Shimin reached out and tapped him, "You, you, your thoughts are always odd and strange."

"We'll discuss this later; the examinations are about to start, and I, as chief examiner, should also step down."

"Let's go; if you're interested, you may come with me to take a look!"

"......"

Imperial Examination, Imperial Examination.

In this era, what is most feared during the Imperial Examination?

Of course, cheating!

The current Imperial Examination system is still imperfect; to prevent cheating during the exams, many ministers have devised countless measures.

During Zhenguan Year Five, debates over this alone went on for an unknown length of time.

It was only later when Chen Yan stepped forward and gave the final word.

Various anti‑cheating regulations must be established, but such matters require gradual patching and refinement; they cannot be rushed.

Since there's concern about cheating, why not have Li Shimin's Mysterious Armor Army, eunuchs, and the Ministry of Personnel each assign a person to monitor.

Watch every move of each examinee to see if any cheating occurs.

Moreover, each examinee is separated by partitions, one per exam room.

And to prevent later swapping of test papers, Chen Yan also suggested covering the examinees' names, assigning each test paper a unique number, and before the spring examination assigning each examinee a number to be precisely distributed to the corresponding examinee.

These numbers are directly overseen by Li Shimin, minimizing any mishaps that could cause flaws in the long‑prepared Imperial Examination.

As chief examiner, Li Shimin's sole duty is to announce the official start of the Imperial Examination, then sit up there, and his duty is complete.

The ones staying busy are Li Chengqian and Deputy Examiner Changsun Wuji.

Chen Yan and Du Ruhui also ran over to take a look.

Hmm… how to put it, the atmosphere is quite tense and solemn; some scholars even have cold sweat beading on their foreheads.

After stepping out, Du Ruhui's expression turned odd as he said, "Your method does work; having the Mysterious Armor Army, eunuchs, and Ministry of Personnel officials watch the examinees truly prevents cheating."

"But during the exam, being watched by so many inevitably creates excessive pressure."

Fang Xuanling nodded in agreement, "I share that thought; if this causes examinees' pressure to become too great, leading to poor performance, those who could have passed might fail, which would be a real pity."

Chen Yan clicked his tongue, turned to Wei Zheng and asked, "Wei, what do you think?"

"How could I look?" Wei Zheng said lightly, "I just stand and watch, what else can I do?"

"If they can't even bear this little pressure, even if they pass, they'd likely be all show and no substance."

"In my view, those examinees just now who showed tension, broke out in cold sweat, and had trembling palms basically need not be considered."

"The Imperial Examination even considers personal image; why not add a criterion for stress endurance?"

"I'm increasingly convinced your method is good; from now on we'll do it this way—if someone underperforms because they're being watched, that's their own problem."

"After all, all examinees receive the same treatment; some can answer calmly, while others cannot—who can be blamed?"

Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling blinked, pondered for a moment, and smiled.

Indeed, Wei Zheng's words are rough but not without reason.

If one can't endure even this pressure, failing the exam isn't really a pity.

"Actually, the two of us had a narrow view and didn't think this through," Du Ruhui said cheerfully, "But regarding Wei's suggestion just now, after thinking it over, I find it feasible."

"So from now on we should propose to His Majesty that future Imperial Examinations be handled like this."

"We'll discuss future matters later," Chen Yan turned his head to glance at the sign of the Wen Ming Hall, "Gentlemen, March is almost here; this year the potatoes and Champa Rice will be planted, and the Tang Dynasty certainly won't lack food in the future."

"The Imperial Examination is now in full swing, and external threats will surely be pacified; what do you think… should we propose that His Majesty go to Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony?"

When the words 'Fengshan ceremony' were spoken, everyone's steps halted simultaneously.

Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling, after careful consideration, gave a faint, almost imperceptible nod.

Only Wei Zheng frowned, gave no response, seeming to hesitate.

"Wei, you think it's not feasible?" Chen Yan asked.

"It's… actually feasible, but the people's livelihood hasn't fully recovered yet, and the external enemies aren't fully subdued; perhaps it's a bit premature?" Wei Zheng hesitated.

Chen Yan, unfazed by the comment, said, "My suggestion is that we propose it this year, prepare everything, and then go to Mount Tai for Fengshan in Zhenguan Year Seven next year."

"By then, news of the potatoes and Champa Rice will surely be out, the external enemies will have been pacified, making it the perfect time for the Mount Tai Fengshan."

"Moreover, the Fengshan ceremony not only adds glory to His Majesty, but also gives the people a reassurance, showing that His Majesty is determined and that the future will only improve."

The final sentence completely convinced Wei Zheng.

Then, with a stern face, he said seriously, "I think Minister Chen's statement is…"

"...... What's wrong with it?"

"What Champa Rice, too unpleasant; it's clearly our Tang Dynasty's Chang'an rice, or Huaxia rice!"

Chen Yan: "......"

"......"