And that is why, when you play Ming, you never keep the Examination System past 1600. You burn the scrolls. You let the eunuchs return. Because at least they are your eunuchs.
The Emperor chose Option B.
The Empire of the Great Ming was a giant with clay feet. Eu4 Examination System
The Empire’s Administrative Efficiency, once +20%, turned into a curse. The bureaucracy was so efficient that it surrendered in an orderly fashion, province by province, complete with tax ledgers.
But the tooltip did not tell the story of the blood. And that is why, when you play Ming,
The Ming conquered west, absorbing the steppe tribes not with cavalry, but with Confucian schools. The was halved. For the first time, the game’s scorecard showed Ming as the number one Great Power.
The Disappointed Scholars rose. They did not fight with swords. They fought with ink. They published seditious pamphlets. They called the Emperor a tyrant. Stability dropped by 2. The Mandate of Heaven began to decay. The final failure of the Examination System was its own success. It produced brilliant governors, but no loyal soldiers. Because at least they are your eunuchs
A Chronicle from the Forbidden Archives, circa 1620