I Can Control My Ancestors-Chapter 118 - 45: Liu Bao Critically Ill, Earth-Shattering Upheaval

Chapter 118: Chapter 45: Liu Bao Critically Ill, Earth-Shattering Upheaval

The entire Great Han was flourishing and prosperous.

Liu Bao’s actions during the Mount Tai ceremony greatly promoted the moral standards of the entire Great Han.

Scholars from all over the country prided themselves on becoming ministers like Gu Xi.

This was truly what people desired.

Along with the reforms previously implemented, the governance of Great Han indeed reached a state of clarity and purity.

And from that point on, Liu Bao became even more diligent in his duties.

It seemed as if he genuinely wanted to create an era as splendid as that during Emperor Ming’s reign, dedicating himself more fully to governance.

However, all of this had nothing to do with the Gu Clan.

Just like in the era of Gu Xiao in the past, the Gu Clan sat on the sidelines, overlooking the changes in the world.

No one dared to provoke them, and no one could match them.

This was also a good thing for Gu Yi.

When influence was significant enough, the family’s absolute security was the best outcome.

Of course, aside from this, there was more good news.

Gu Xi had a grandson!

Indeed, as time went by, the sixth generation of the Gu family had been successively born.

Gu Yi observed their attributes carefully; most were quite ordinary, but there was one who caught Gu Yi’s attention.

— Gu Wei.

[Internal Affairs: 83; Diplomacy: 70; Politics: 72; Command: 44; Martial Force: 50]

Perhaps it was really because it had been too long since Gu Yi had seen attributes that impressed him.

Although Gu Wei’s attributes were not particularly outstanding,

they far surpassed those of the fifth generation heirs.

This alone made Gu Yi very satisfied.

As long as he could be effectively guided, the difference in attributes could be compensated for.

Of course, better attributes would certainly be beneficial, enabling better execution of Gu Yi’s plans.

But as long as the difference wasn’t too vast, it was sufficient.

Moreover, this was just the beginning; the sixth generation of the Gu family would surely grow in number.

Gu Xi was still quite capable in his current state.

Gu Yi did not know how long he could persist.

But as long as he was still around, there was no need to rush, as more options would eventually appear.

Actually, what Gu Yi looked forward to more was the national policies that Gu Xi had been considering over the years.

The governance over the years had indeed allowed Gu Xi to accumulate a lot of experience.

Even though he had already left the imperial court, Gu Xi could still make certain judgments about the situations across the country.

The results of Liu Bao’s reforms this time.

He kept a close eye on them.

This made Gu Xi even more determined to think about the existing problems.

And what shocked Gu Yi was—

As time passed, during the fourth year of Yonghe, Gu Xi actually devised a system more akin to the imperial examination system.

This was actually related to Gu Yi.

The teaching method Gu Yi implemented during Gu Xiao’s time allowed the Gu family’s descendants to engage in differentiated learning based on their varying potential talents.

This greatly caught Gu Xi’s attention.

Everyone’s talents are different.

One good at literature might not be good at martial arts; one good at martial arts might not be good at literature; and those good at literature can be divided into governance and strategy, while those good at martial arts can be divided into command and direct confrontation.

Gu Xi formulated a more detailed system of examinations as a result.

And integrated this examination into the recommendation process.

Simply put.

After local recommendations, a more detailed examination would be conducted within the prefectures.

The subjects varied.

In addition to fixed subjects, other subjects could be added based on the needs of the court, allowing the recommended candidates to choose for themselves.

Supervising officials were also appointed.

Although this might seem insignificant from a modern perspective,

this was during the feudal period!

Overcoming the constraints of the era was unimaginably difficult.

The theory developed by Gu Xi,

in essence, was more like a further refinement of the current recommendation system.

It detailed the assessment further.

Which enabled the court to select more talented individuals.

And added supervising officials to make the system somewhat fairer.

In the original historical context,

the recommendation system gradually became a plaything in the hands of noble families over time.

The entanglement of interests between noble families, combined with the personal preferences of local officials and other factors,

eventually led to the phenomenon of "recommend a well-versed scholar, unaware of books; assess filial and honest individuals, living separately from their fathers."

Gu Yi did not believe that Gu Xi’s theory could change this phenomenon.

This was an inherent issue of the recommendation system itself.

Gu Xi’s reform might delay the appearance of such phenomena, but completely eradicating them seemed impossible.

However, for Gu Yi,

this was enough.

The formation of a system was definitely not an easy task.

The influence of such matters was enormous.

Since Gu Xi had accomplished this, it would surely bring him substantial achievements!

...

The Gu family.

A group of the Gu family’s descendants were attentively listening to Gu Xi explaining the core of his reform.

Although Gu Xi had been immersed in institutional research, he never neglected the education of his family’s descendants.

It actually became a tradition.

The current descendants of the Gu family almost all held this belief.

That only with outstanding talent,

could one contribute to the everlasting foundation of the family, just like Gu Xiao, Gu Kang, and Gu Cheng in the past.

This was an influence they had been subjected to since childhood.

Gu Kang influenced Gu Liang’s generation.

Gu Liang influenced Gu Xi’s generation.

Gu Xi naturally passed on this ideology today.

Listening to Gu Xi’s explanation, the descendants of the Gu family all fell into deep thought.

The talents of the fifth generation were indeed somewhat ordinary.

Those with any talent were serving as officials in various places, and those remaining within the family were inherently the least talented individuals.