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Why did Taizu establish a final examination in the imperial palace?
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Taizu
The Taizu emperor, founder of the Song dynasty, detail of a portrait; in the National Palace Museum, Taipei
The Taizu emperor established the final examination in the imperial palace in 973 as part of his broader efforts to build a bureaucracy based on demonstrated merit rather than birth or favor.
By instituting this final palace-based stage, Taizu aimed to personally verify the rankings of successful candidates and ensure the integrity of the selection process. This reform was one of several measures he took to strengthen the civil service system, which also included forbidding officials from recommending candidates, prohibiting graduates from viewing examiners as their patrons, and ordering public announcements of successful competitors to maintain transparency and fairness.1