I traveled back to the Qin Dynasty, and the First Emperor begged me to become his empress.

Chapter 309 adds mathematics and law.

After a moment of contemplation, Ying Wuyou slowly spoke, “If someone wishes to register for the imperial examination, they must first go to the local government office and have their past experiences and deeds recorded in detail. Furthermore, they must invite neighbors as witnesses to jointly sign and affix their fingerprints to confirm that the person is of good character and has no criminal record. At the same time, the government should carefully design a series of tests, such as creating simulated scenarios to demonstrate whether the person can steadfastly uphold their principles when faced with ill-gotten gains. If, after such rigorous screening, it is still impossible to detect that someone is of poor character, then it can only be attributed to the dereliction of duty and incompetence of the county officials.”

Upon hearing this, the King of Qin couldn't help but smile broadly and said, "Haha, my son is indeed meticulous and thorough in his thinking! Let's proceed with this plan."

At this moment, Chunyu Yue stepped forward, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Princess's plan is indeed detailed and thorough, but what should be done about the specific content of this imperial examination? After all, we cannot treat it as a one-size-fits-all affair without any distinction."

Ying Wuyou's lips curled into a faint smile, a smile as warm and inviting as the spring sun, instantly inspiring a sense of closeness. Standing tall and composed, she replied, "What you say is absolutely right, sir. In my humble opinion, the provincial examination should focus on the classics, history, philosophy, and literature, as well as strategies and methods of governance, to truly understand the level of scholarship among you students. Furthermore, I believe mathematics and law should also be included in the assessment. As for the palace examination, it would be best if Father himself set the questions."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a loud voice suddenly rang out from the crowd, retorting, "Including mathematics and law in the assessment is truly inappropriate!"

Ying Wuyou raised her eyes upon hearing the voice and looked in the direction from which it came. She saw that the speaker was Kong Jia. Faced with Kong Jia's questioning, Ying Wuyou remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic. She smiled slightly and said softly, "I wonder why Lord Kong finds this action inappropriate? In this world, the court governs the country, and mathematics is crucial to the collection of taxes and the planning and construction of various projects; moreover, the law is a vital cornerstone for maintaining the stability and peace of the nation. As an official, if one is completely ignorant of mathematics, how can one ensure the fair and reasonable distribution of taxes and corvée labor, and how can one avoid errors in the calculations related to water conservancy projects? Similarly, if one is ignorant of the law, how can one judge cases impartially and selflessly, thereby upholding social fairness and justice? Moreover, our Great Qin has always relied on the legal system to govern the country, so attaching importance to the law is naturally indispensable."

Kong Jia was momentarily at a loss for words. His face flushed red, and he stammered, "This... Throughout history, mathematics has never been a mainstream subject! Few people have gone to study it in depth. If we rashly include it in the imperial examinations, some truly talented people may fail simply because they are not good at mathematics."

Ying Wuyou smiled slightly after hearing this and calmly retorted, "What our Great Qin needs to select are talents who can adapt to the ever-changing needs of the Great Qin. If many students only know how to memorize the knowledge in traditional classics such as history, philosophy, and literature, but are completely ignorant of the operation and handling of practical affairs, then what substantial benefit can such people bring to our Great Qin?"

The King of Qin nodded slightly after hearing this, clearly indicating a degree of agreement with Ying Wuyou's words. Seeing the King's attitude, Ying Wuyou continued to elaborate on his point: "Furthermore, the newly added subjects of mathematics and law will not have a higher weight in the imperial examinations than traditional subjects like classics, history, philosophy, and literature. This arrangement is merely to subtly assess the candidates' talents in different areas, in order to comprehensively evaluate their academic abilities."

After hearing this, although some disagreements remained, upon careful consideration, the crowd seemed to find some merit in her argument. Seeing this, the King of Qin immediately announced loudly, "I find Jia Yang's words quite reasonable. Regarding the imperial examinations, let us proceed according to her proposed plan!"

At this moment, Shusun Tong frowned slightly, seemingly lost in thought, and asked, "The imperial examination is indeed of paramount importance, but consider this: if students from remote areas first endure the hardships of the preliminary examinations, then rush to the provincial examinations, and then tirelessly travel day and night to Xianyang to participate in the metropolitan and palace examinations, they would spend most of the year on long journeys. Due to the prolonged travel and exhaustion, the time they actually have to concentrate on their studies is extremely limited. Worse still, these students are very likely to become physically and mentally exhausted from the long journey, and may even contract diseases or experience physical discomfort along the way. In this case, those who are originally quite talented may be delayed and have their plans thwarted by the long distance. Isn't this situation unfair to these students?"

Ying Wuyou pondered for a moment, then slowly replied, "What Lord Shusun said is indeed reasonable. That is why I propose that we do not need to hold all the examinations every year. The preliminary examination can be held once a year; the provincial examination can be changed to be held every three years; the metropolitan examination can be held the year after the provincial examination, that is, only once every four years; and finally, the palace examination can be held immediately after the results of the metropolitan examination are announced. With this arrangement, even those students from afar will have more time to prepare for the various examinations, thus reducing the adverse effects caused by the long journey."

Wang Wan cupped her hands and asked Ying Wuyou, "Where does the princess intend to hold the imperial examinations?"

Ying Wuyou replied slowly, "Regarding the venue, a suitable place has not yet been found, but I believe a suitable place will be found within a few days."

Upon hearing this, Wang Wan quickly replied, "If Your Highness has any needs, I will certainly do my utmost to assist you!"

Ying Wuyou raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile, and nodded lightly, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Prime Minister. If I really encounter any difficulties, I will certainly trouble you for your help."

At this moment, Li Si, who was standing to the side, also asked, "So, how many people does the princess plan to have pass the imperial examination this time?"

After a moment's thought, Ying Wuyou replied, "This matter depends on the number of people reported by each county. We will discuss it with you all then, depending on the specific circumstances."

Li Si and Wang Wan were both unable to obtain the exact information they hoped to know from Ying Wuyou, and they couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. However, they knew that it was not advisable to be too aggressive at this time, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble. Therefore, they had no choice but to give up for the time being.

The King of Qin, seated high above, looked at Ying Wuyou with a gratified expression and praised him with a smile: "Jiayang is indeed exceptionally intelligent! He has managed to arrange such an important matter as the imperial examination so clearly and logically. Does anyone have any objections?"

The ministers exchanged glances and replied in unison, "We have no objections."

The King of Qin nodded slightly in satisfaction. He said slowly, "In that case, all of you ministers must now devote yourselves fully to assisting Jiayang in preparing for this imperial examination. If anyone dares to create any obstacles or deliberately obstruct this matter, I will punish them severely without leniency!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the courtiers shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!" The sound was deafening and echoed throughout the court.

Ying Wuyou respectfully bowed to the King of Qin, then solemnly accepted the order. Seeing this, the King of Qin waved his hand slightly, indicating that everyone could leave. Fu De, standing to the side, shouted loudly, "Dismiss the court!" With this shout, all the civil and military officials filed out and left the court.