Chapter 144 Illiterate

"My daughter is truly extraordinary, managing to test in as the female top scholar!"

Inside the Lizheng Palace, Li Shimin said with a beaming smile and full of praise. There was not a trace of the dark expression he had worn earlier when Mo Dun tricked his daughter into studying medicine; instead, he looked every bit the proud father.

"Of course! Who do you think my father is?" Princess Changle said proudly.

For this female physician examination, after a period of intensive cramming, Princess Changle had finally outperformed everyone else with her exceptional mastery of both medical and cultural foundations, securing the top admission spot at the Female Medical Academy. As soon as the admission list was released today, she rushed straight to Empress Changsun to share the good news.

"Who was it just yesterday that was full of anxiety and fretting, terrified she wouldn't pass?" Empress Changsun teased with a smile.

"Mother?" Princess Changle pouted and threw herself into Empress Changsun's arms, acting like a spoiled child.

"The Female Medical Academy has recruited a large number of students this time, and there are already more than enough women studying medicine. You are of the most noble birth, there is no need to go and suffer like that!" Empress Changsun advised with a heart full of maternal tenderness.

"Mother, as the eldest princess, I must set an example for all the daughters of the realm. Only by doing so can we ensure that mothers everywhere have access to medical care when they fall ill," Princess Changle said with firm determination.

Li Shimin and Empress Changsun exchanged glances. Knowing they could not change their daughter's mind, they helplessly shifted the topic.

"Come, tell your imperial father properly, how was the examination at the Female Medical Academy conducted? I heard there was quite a commotion this time, with many people claiming there was cheating!" Li Shimin said.

"How could anyone possibly cheat?" Princess Changle pouted and said, "There were only twenty people in each classroom, and everyone sat with their backs to the chalkboard. We were only allowed to bring writing brushes and ink, nothing else was permitted, and there were two physicians invigilating, pacing up and down endlessly from front to back..."

Mo Dun had practically transplanted every single anti-cheating measure from later generations into the exam. Treating them like thieves had left Princess Changle with deep resentment, and she continued to complain incessantly.

Yet Li Shimin listened with rapt attention, nodding from time to time and interjecting with his own questions.

"Imperial Father, Imperial Mother, classes start tomorrow, so I should head back and make some preparations!" After chatting with Empress Changsun a little longer, Princess Changle said somewhat reluctantly.

"Alright, go ahead! When your monthly holiday arrives, your father will send someone to fetch you!" Li Shimin said.

"Your Majesty, was there truly something amiss with this female medical examination?" Watching Princess Changle depart, Empress Changsun asked with a worried expression, noticing how closely Li Shimin had been following the details of the exam.

"Guanyinbi! It wasn't that something was amiss—it was that everything was far too proper!" Li Shimin said with a wry smile.

"Does that mean none of the candidates cheated?" Empress Changsun asked with relief.

Li Shimin handed Empress Changsun a copy of the *Mo Gazette* and said, "Not only did the candidates not cheat, but even the examining physicians had no possibility of cheating!"

Looking at the front-page headline of this special issue, Empress Changsun asked in puzzlement, "The Name-Sealing System?"

"This is a method that brat Mo Dun concocted specifically for this female medical examination. Once the exam papers are collected, the portions containing the candidates' names and hometowns are completely covered over with paper, and they cannot be uncovered until the grading is finished!" Li Shimin sighed.

Not only that, but each physician only graded a single question, and every question was reviewed by two physicians. If their final scores differed too widely, the paper had to be submitted to the Divine Physician Sun for review. If time had permitted, Mo Dun would have even liked to introduce the transcript-copying system of later generations.

"Ah!" Empress Changsun opened her mouth wide in astonishment. "Doesn't that make it even stricter than the imperial civil service examinations?"

Empress Changsun suddenly understood why Li Shimin had questioned Princess Changle so meticulously about the exam's details. Clearly, he had taken a hit; compared to this female medical examination, Li Shimin felt that the procedures of the Great Tang's imperial exams were riddled with loopholes. By now, at least ten ministers had submitted memorials requesting that the name-sealing system be implemented for the imperial exams.

"That brat had such a brilliant method and yet didn't present it to us sooner!" Li Shimin said with a dark expression.

"You're always picking on Mo Dun. If you keep this up, I won't stand for it!" Empress Changsun feigned anger.

The initial reason Mo Dun had gone to such great lengths to establish the Female Medical Academy was to help with Empress Changsun's illness. But by this point, it was no longer just a personal matter—it had become a blessing for women across the entire realm.

Whether it was retaining Sun Simiao or founding the Female Medical Academy, both would provide immense assistance to the women of the Great Tang. As the exemplar of all women in the realm, Empress Changsun naturally held a favorable view of Mo Dun, who had been running around busy with all these endeavors.

"Very well! It's rare for Guanyinbi to plead on behalf of that little catfish. I'll let the rascal off the hook for bewitching my precious daughter," Li Shimin said with a feigned grumble.

Empress Changsun covered her mouth and smiled, knowing her husband was only joking. Although Li Shimin usually acted fierce toward Mo Dun, whenever the two of them were alone, Li Shimin mentioned Mo Dun more often than anyone else.

He had even remarked more than once about his brilliant decision to keep the young Mo family scion in Chang'an City to act as a catalyst—the "catfish effect" in motion. Over the past half year, Mo Dun had given him more than enough pleasant surprises! Knowing her husband so well, how could Empress Changsun fail to understand his true thoughts?

"Your Majesty, since the name-sealing system is beneficial to the state of the Great Tang, Your Majesty must not harbor sectarian prejudices and discard it. It would be of immense help to Your Majesty in selecting talents!" Empress Changsun advised persuasively.

"Rest assured, Guanyinbi, I naturally understand this! However, there's no need to rush. I plan to first test the name-sealing system in the Directorate of Education to weigh its pros and cons before deciding whether to promote it widely," Li Shimin said.

"Very well! Since it's confirmed there was no malpractice whatsoever in the female medical examination, why were so many women from Mo Family Village admitted?" Empress Changsun suddenly recalled the reason for the initial controversy and asked out of curiosity.

"Guanyinbi, just look at the back of the *Mo Gazette* and you will understand!" Li Shimin said with a solemn expression.

"The back?" Empress Changsun perplexedly flipped the *Mo Gazette* over, and immediately caught sight of a massive headline: *Do Not Let Your Children Become Illiterates.*

"Illiterates?"

Empress Changsun's face was full of bewilderment; she had never heard this term before.

The corner of Li Shimin's mouth twitched as he said, "The Mo family compares people who cannot read to blind people, abbreviated as 'illiterates'!"

"Why is Mo Dun so harsh and scathing?" Empress Changsun frowned and said.

"Take a look at who the author is," Li Shimin said helplessly.

"Li Duo! The eccentric scholar Li Duo!" Empress Changsun said in surprise.

Li Shimin nodded.

"That explains it!" Empress Changsun nodded. The eccentric scholar Li Duo had been quite famous in Chang'an City back in the day, known for his extremely eccentric behavior and temperament. Having vanished from Chang'an over the past few years, she had never expected him to be living in seclusion in Mo Family Village.

"Li Duo never got along with Kong Yingda in the past. He consistently opposed the educational model of the Directorate of Education and repeatedly submitted memorials requesting educational reforms. Back then, however, the Great Tang was recovering from ruin, and seeing that his proposals were impractical, I paid him no heed. I never imagined he would hit it off so well with Mo Family Village," Li Shimin said.

*"The blind cannot see the road, the illiterate cannot recognize a single character. The blind are born thus, evoking deep pity; the illiterate are made so by circumstance, lamentable and tragic..."*

As Empress Changsun read the *Mo Gazette*, she felt as though someone unwilling to yield to fate was shouting with all their might, every single word as sharp as a blade.