The old man lowered his head, thought carefully for a long time, and finally looked up and said, "It seems... it's not such a bad thing after all..."

Todd continued to analyze the feasibility of holding official selection examinations in Muxi City: "First, due to the popularity of drama and novels, the literacy rate in the city is not low; second, the gathering of scholars provides the best candidates for the examination; third, the invention of the printing press has reduced the cost of examination papers, making large-scale examinations a reality; and finally, most positions in the kingdom are basically vacant."

Emerson looked up and asked, "There's another question: who will set the exam?"

Todd touched the bridge of his nose: "I'll do it myself. It's not really appropriate to have someone else write this kind of thing."

Emerson nodded.

Indeed, if anyone other than the king were to take on the responsibility of creating the exam questions, it would draw questions and opposition from other factions.

"There's another matter. With so many vacant positions, different types of exam papers are needed for selecting officials. Won't creating so many exam papers put too much pressure on His Majesty?"

Todd waved his hand and explained with a smile, "When you first start an official exam, you can start with one position. If it works, you can then expand it. This method is also known as a pilot program."

Emerson looked at the king and sighed, "Your Majesty, sometimes I really can't see through you. If you're dull-witted, your wisdom is sometimes unmatched; if you're wise, I've heard others talk about some of your past actions, and they're really... really unpredictable..."

Todd responded with a wry smile, "People are always improving."