At present, the imperial examination system in Dali is still immature.
In addition to the regular examinations, there is also a "public recommendation" system.
The term "public recommendation" refers to the practice where officials in the imperial court can recommend successful candidates for the national examinations.
The starting point was good, but after these years of development...
The system of public recommendation has long been distorted, becoming a tool for powerful families to manipulate the imperial examination system.
It appears that the election is nominally based on merit.
However, in reality, before even entering the imperial examinations, the fate of who would pass and who would succeed had already been decided by powerful families.
Those who remained were either sons of high-ranking officials or relatives of powerful clans.
To completely change the current situation in Dali where powerful families control the imperial examinations, we must first reform the system!
This will completely eradicate the remnants of the recommendation system.
However, Mu Zian was also aware that once the system was reformed, it would inevitably infringe upon the rights and interests of all the aristocratic families in Dali.
Those who have benefited from the system will certainly not agree.
This move is tantamount to challenging the entire official family of Dali with one's own strength, and the difficulty of it is unimaginable.
An ordinary person would never have succeeded, but Mu Zian was the Duke of Zhenguo of Dali.
He was second only to the emperor, and above all others, not to mention that Xiao Yu wanted Mu Zi'an to be a loyal subject.
There is no better way than to make enemies of all the official families in the land.
Mu Zi'an can also take this opportunity to win over the hearts of students from poor families across the country.
Just as he was pondering this, the study door creaked open.
Liu Rushi and Ning Hongchen each held countless invitations and piled them up in front of Mu Zian.
Ning Hongchen smiled.
"Young Master is now a big shot in the entire capital. The storerooms are overflowing with all these visiting cards and imperial edicts."
Mu Zian had anticipated this situation.
I pretended to be drunk when I came back to avoid being questioned on the spot.
Although I have a wealth of knowledge spanning thousands of years, it doesn't mean that the ancients were fools who could be easily fooled.
The saying "too much talk leads to mistakes" perfectly illustrates this point.
Mu Zian put down his pen, feeling a bit of a headache at that moment.
He can never shake off the title of "Poet Immortal".
"Tell Mr. Jia that he overexerted himself last night and that the Duke needs to rest for the next few days."
"With the imperial examinations just around the corner, it is not appropriate for me, as one of the examiners, to have too much contact with you students."
Liu Rushi relayed Mu Zian's words to Jia Xu.
Even so, people continued to visit in droves over the next few days.
Moreover, the caliber of the people coming here is getting higher and higher.
Many nobles and high-ranking officials were even inquiring around whether Mu Zi'an had a woman he liked.
Everyone was thinking of sending their daughters to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
After all, Mu Zian is currently enjoying unparalleled prominence, not only for his military achievements but also for his renowned poetry.
His face practically screams "talented person." Becoming in-laws with someone like him would be a sure path to a bright future.
For a time, all the prominent families in the capital rushed to visit, almost breaking down the threshold of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Until the matter was reported to Xiao Yu.
She was about to see her prized son-in-law snatched away by someone else.
Xiao Yu also waved his hand and immediately issued an edict to sternly refute those who wanted to steal his son-in-law.
Unfortunately, while it wasn't entirely ineffective, the effect was minimal.
However, at least on the surface, there were far fewer people coming to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to propose marriage, which allowed Mu Zian to have a few days of peace and quiet and focus on his memorials.
As time went by, another bombshell announcement was made!
Pei Shaoji has gone mad!
Ever since he was rescued from drowning on the night of the poetry gathering on the painted boat, Pei Shaoji has been suffering from typhoid fever and a persistent high fever.
He was sent to the Pei family in Qinghe overnight for treatment, but no matter how many doctors were called, it was to no avail.
Pei Shaoji had a high fever for seven consecutive days, and it seemed his life was nearing its end.
Only when the imperial physician from the palace arrived was his life saved.
Although the person was saved, he became mentally impaired.
Moreover, he is extremely irritable, prone to violence and injuring people, which is a stark contrast to his previous gentle and refined image.
They even set fire to the entire Pei family's library in the middle of the night.
If the fire hadn't been discovered in time, the entire Pei family might have perished in the flames.
The transformation of a once-proud and talented individual into a violent madman has left many people deeply moved.
Although Pei Shaoji was in such a terrible state, no one blamed Mu Zi'an.
Pei Shaoji's broken promise and attempt to escape by drowning had already earned him the contempt of many.
Now that his temperament has changed so drastically, it further confirms that he is short-tempered, petty, and narrow-minded.
As a result, the Pei family's reputation also plummeted.
In just half a month, Pei Shaoming and Pei Shaoji, two members of the younger generation of the Pei family, died and went insane, respectively.
Even a top-tier aristocratic family like the Pei family would be on the verge of collapse in the face of this situation.
But! Mu Zi'an deliberately left them with no evidence.
At this moment, the Pei family in Qinghe was shrouded in gloom and despair.
A young man in a long robe shouted indignantly; this man was Pei Shaoqing, the eldest son of the Pei family.
Although Pei Shaoqing was the eldest son, he was not the legitimate son, but was born to a concubine.
However, he was adopted by the Pei family matriarch at a young age and grew up with Pei Shaoji, holding a prominent position in the family.
"Father, how can this matter be left like this! Third Brother is the pride of our Pei family! And now he has been driven mad by that Mu Zi'an!"
"My mother cries day and night, and now she's going to cry herself blind!"
"Besides, Shaoming's body is not yet cold! Father! If we do not avenge him, what will the world think of the Pei family!"
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