On the third day after the first "soul link", Todd was in Todd between the kings, summoned Mary, who was sitting at home two kilometers away, and the two entered the soul space together.

With the help of the "Memory" ability, Mary began to gradually help Todd eliminate Lawrence's useless memories, and the original tens of thousands of fragments were reduced to about 7,000 pieces.

Todd was delighted, but he also discovered a problem - Mary really loved coffee, and once she drank it, it was really cup after cup...... Fortunately, this is a virtual world, so you don't have to worry about caffeine addiction as well as obesity.

On the other hand, he also slowly grasped that as long as the opening time of the soul space is controlled within six hours (the actual time is about 30 seconds), the fatigue level can be effectively reduced.

After the second meeting in the soul space, Todd opened his eyes, asked for a cup of wormwood tea, and took a nap.

Just after lunch, the guards reported that Emerson had arrived.

The old man, who was nearly fifty years old, began to adjust and improve the administrative system in the Dusk Kingdom with an almost insane enthusiasm.

Originally, Todd borrowed from the commissioner jurisdiction system under the Taylor Republican system, whether it was dealing with the growing number of people or the many trivialities of the kingdom, it seemed a bit backward and out of touch.

Emerson used centralization as the basis of his political framework, and intended to discuss the way forward with the king.

Rubbing his forehead with his hand, Todd motioned for Emerson to take a seat.

The old man fell backwards into the couch, his body sinking into a fluffy cloud. Surprised, he turned and touched the cushion beneath him.

"There was a professor of mechanics at the Twilight West College who, based on the process of the printing press, hired several "metal twisted" xenomorphs to invent a coiling machine. Todd patted the armrest of his chair and said with a smile, "The Twilight Bank gave him a low-interest loan to produce spring furniture." ”

Emerson nodded, put the report in his arms on the desk, and went straight to the point: "In terms of the independence of the polity, the Twilight Kingdom has a unique advantage. First, there is no check and balance of the aristocracy, and second, there is no need to consider the interference of ecclesiastical forces. However, in the future, the demarcation of royal power and civil power is a great problem. ”

Todd propped his arms on the table and looked at Emerson's report, which read "Suggested Positions: XX Minister, XX Governor, XX Advisor......".

"Your Majesty, if the royal power is too big and the civil power is too small, it will still cause a crisis because of dictatorship in essence. Emerson pointed to the handwriting on the paper with a pen: "But if the power of the people is too large and the power of the king is too small, it will lead to the rise of factional power, lead to the emergence of a privileged class, and eventually lead to a situation of separation of power." ”

Todd said thoughtfully, "So the key question is to find a way to rationally decentralize power?"

"In fact, in the final analysis, the crux of the problem lies in the way officials are selected, so to speak. Most of the appointments of ordinary officials were conducted by recruitment and nomination, the former being directly appointed by the king, and the latter being recommended by the faction or family for internal members or the children of nobles. Emerson looked at the position on the paper and frowned, "It is not feasible for the Twilight Kingdom to promote this path, it will only provide an excuse for the faction to grow, but it will not benefit the people. The only thing left is the king's recruitment, which is to send invitations to those who are talented in your name. ”

After pondering for a moment, Todd voiced his concerns: "There are two questions, first, how can I know that the people invited are talented and learned? Now that there are so many people who are selling their fame and reputation, wouldn't it be chaotic if they let the generalists be in high positions? In this way, the method of recruitment is not very good. ”

Emerson sighed, and for a moment was speechless.

"Is there any way to select talents and balance the power of the king and the people?"

Todd tapped the desktop with the knuckles of his fingers, thought quietly, and a flash of inspiration flashed in his mind: "Why don't we take the exam?"

"Exam?!"

Emerson froze.

Later, in an uncertain tone, he said to Todd, "Your Majesty, are you talking about exams like those in the academy?

Todd checked it in his mind and nodded in agreement with the other party's statement.

Emerson shook his head desperately: "This is unreasonable, this is unreasonable! Actually using a piece of paper to decide the trade-offs of officials is simply joking with the fate of the kingdom! How can there be such a crazy idea in the world?!"

Todd didn't rush to refute the other party, and recalled a popular science article about the "imperial examination system" that he saw in his previous life.

The imperial examination system in ancient China began in the Tang Dynasty and ended in the Qing Dynasty, with a history of more than 1,300 years.

In the previous West, in the middle of the 16th century, only monks introduced the imperial examination system to Europe through travelogues.

The discovery of the imperial examination system was a great shock to the feudal hierarchical society of the West at the end of the 16th century, and it also played a decisive role in promoting the civil service system in the West for the next three hundred years.

"Emerson, think about it. Only those who are well-informed can pass the examinations of the kingdom and become officials and participate in the administration of government affairs. Doesn't the fact that any person, no matter whether his family background is illustrious or not, whether he is rich in wealth or not, make him enter the upper echelons of society, and this in itself means a healthy mechanism of equality and competition? Isn't this the best way to divide power among the people and avoid factional contradictions?

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

Todd goes on to analyze the feasibility of conducting official selection examinations in Twiwest: "First, the literacy rate in the city was not low because of the popularity of theater, secondly, the concentration of scholars provided the best candidates for the examination, thirdly, the invention of the printing press made the cost of examination papers lower and made mass examinations a reality, and finally, most of the positions in the kingdom were largely vacant. ”

Emerson raised his head and asked, "There is another question, who will produce the test papers?"

Todd touched the bridge of his nose: "I'll do it myself, it's still not appropriate to let someone else ghostwrite this kind of thing." ”

Emerson nodded.

Indeed, anyone other than the king who took on the burden of producing the exam questions would be questioned and opposed by the other factions.

"There is another thing, there are so many positions that lack people, and different kinds of test papers are needed for official selection, and so many test papers are produced at the same time, will it put too much pressure on Your Majesty?"

Todd waved his hand and explained with a smile: "At the beginning of the official examination, you can start with a position, and if you find it feasible, you can then promote it, this method is also called a pilot." ”

Emerson looked at the king and sighed, "Your Majesty, sometimes I really can't see you clearly. Call you stupid, your wisdom is unmatched sometimes, and say you're wise, I've heard people talk about some of your past behaviors, it's really ...... It's ...... wild."

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