The reactions of Li Ying and Hu Guang were somewhat unexpected by Liu Hong.

If the opinions of the three parties (government, public officials, and government officials) cannot be unified, then the implementation of this matter will encounter great resistance.

However, reforming the official system is something Liu Hong must do in the next few years, and it can be said to be one of the things he must do. This is just a trial and a beginning.

"These three colleges are essential to develop!"

Liu Hong, sitting on the throne, only said this one sentence before quietly looking at Hu Guang and Li Ying.

Cao Song and Yuan Feng remained silent. They had guessed this outcome from the beginning; everything depended on His Majesty's will.

A brief silence fell over Deyang Palace.

Although the emperor's tone was calm, Li Ying and Hu Guang felt an invisible pressure coming from him. With just one sentence, they could feel the emperor's determination.

This is something that neither of them can stop.

However, this matter is too significant. The assessment itself has already aroused dissatisfaction among many aristocratic families. Now, if the students of those three academies are granted official positions, it will likely push the entire aristocratic family to the opposite side of the imperial court in an instant.

Even with the support of powerful families like the Yuan and Xun families, if we were to directly confront those families, not only would the imperial court be thrown into chaos, but the entire Han Dynasty would likely be plunged into chaos immediately.

After the emperor defeated the eunuchs and the imperial relatives, the court and the Han Dynasty finally stabilized. Li Ying and Hu Guang were unwilling to watch the emperor and the powerful families fight each other again.

After a moment's thought, Hu Guang still stood up with a stiff upper lip and said respectfully to Liu Hong, "Your Majesty is right, the three academies need to develop, but I still feel that bestowing official positions upon them is really inappropriate!"

Li Ying also spoke up, saying, "I think so too!"

Hearing that the two were still objecting, Liu Hong's face immediately darkened, and he narrowed his eyes as he looked at them.

Liu Hong parted his lips slightly and said, word by word:

"Give me a reason!!"

Sensing the coldness in the emperor's words, Li Ying and Hu Guang couldn't help but feel a chill.

"It is not that we, your subjects, oppose this, but since the founding of the dynasty by Emperor Gaozu, officials have always been selected through recommendation and investigation, a practice that has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. To rashly implement this method now might provoke a backlash from some people, and we fear this move would be detrimental to the stability of the court..."

Hu Guang then explained his concerns and their potential impacts to Liu Hong point by point.

Hu Guang's words can be seen as a warning, and his concerns are bound to come true.

Li Ying also spoke up at the opportune moment, saying, "Your Majesty, Situ's concerns are indeed reasonable. This matter should be implemented, but we still need to discuss a compromise!"

Hearing what Li Ying and Hu Guang said, and seeing that they were simply worried that his conflict with the powerful families would cause unrest, Liu Hong's expression softened considerably.

Liu Hong gave the two of them a meaningful look. It seemed that he was still too young and his view of things was inevitably somewhat one-sided.

Since Liu Hong took power, everything he did went smoothly after his intervention, which made him look down on certain aristocratic families.

Liu Hong was immediately alerted by today's events.

Sometimes, no matter what the issue, some opposing voices are needed. Only through debate can problems be discovered, and thus solutions can be found.

Liu Hong then glanced at the four men and said slowly, "The Grand Commandant and the Minister of Works have a point. So let's discuss how to find a compromise."

If the three academies want to attract talent, they must offer official positions, but they cannot offer them casually, lest they provoke a backlash from powerful families.

The group sat there racking their brains for a feasible solution, and the Deyang Palace fell silent once again.

Liu Hong's gaze kept drifting towards Yuan Feng. As a representative of a prominent family, the Yuan family naturally knew and understood how to deal with the situation.

Sure enough, a moment later, Yuan Feng stood up, cupped his hands to Liu Hong, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I have a method that may be feasible!"

"Oh? What's your plan, Master Sikong? Tell me quickly!"

Liu Hong's eyes lit up as he looked at Yuan Feng, his voice tinged with urgency.

Li Ying, Hu Guang, and Cao Song also looked at Yuan Feng with curiosity, wondering what methods this person from the most powerful family would use to deal with the other families.

Yuan Feng smiled and then said, "Your Majesty, I believe that rather than letting them passively accept, we should find a way to let them actively learn and accept the knowledge of the three academies."

“That makes sense!” Liu Hong nodded, agreeing with Yuan Feng’s words.

Then Liu Hong looked at Yuan Feng and asked, "Then, Minister, please tell me what method we should use?"

"promise!"

Then Yuan Feng organized his thoughts and said slowly:

"Your Majesty, as the sage once said: 'Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me.' This saying is a profound truth."

Students who want to become officials not only need to be well-versed in various classics, but also need to be proficient in a professional skill in order to better use their knowledge to govern a region.

Your Majesty might consider adding a few more questions to the upcoming assessment, in addition to the most basic ones, such as those on agronomy, engineering, medicine, and mathematics.

Students who can answer even one question correctly will be accepted, which also makes it easier for His Majesty and the court to manage and appoint them in a targeted manner.

Yuan Feng's words immediately plunged the people in the hall into deep thought.

Liu Hong glanced at Yuan Feng with surprise. Yuan Feng's method was quite similar to the later division of arts and sciences into different disciplines.

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