"That's hilarious! It's as if officials have always cared about people's livelihood."

Wang Zhi said, "At least now that the performance evaluation system has been implemented, officials can actually do something. They won't be sitting idle and doing nothing like before."

Qian Xibai, the Imperial Secretary, said, "I personally believe that the performance evaluation system will leave many unresolved problems. Officials should be flexible in handling government affairs. If one pursues dogma, he will inevitably become rigid and may harm the people."

"Do today's work today, and tomorrow's work tomorrow. This performance evaluation system is meant to strictly enforce the performance evaluation system. In the past, performance evaluations were practically meaningless, but now that they've become more stringent, you can't accept it."

Wang Su refuted it.

"No, the Emperor is wise and open to advice. It's not that the ministers aren't doing their best, but if there's even the slightest oversight, they'll rise up and denounce us, completely destroying our reputations. Why has it come to this?"

"As the saying goes, punishments for wrongdoings do not spare high officials, and rewards for good deeds do not exclude ordinary people. Merits should be rewarded, and faults should be punished. This is the law of the court. Do you want to disregard the laws of our ancestors?"

"If tension is not relaxed, civil and military officials cannot succeed; if relaxation is not tension, civil and military officials cannot succeed. Alternating between tension and relaxation is the way of civil and military officials. If tension is maintained day after day, wouldn't officials all over the country go hysterical? Moreover, mistakes made in the midst of chaos are not a good thing."

“I don’t think so.”

The opposition then debated with the Censorate and a small number of Fan Zhongyan supporters.

Up to this point it's actually pretty good.

Because they were only discussing the abolition of the performance evaluation system, and it had not escalated to a life-and-death struggle.

In this respect, the Song Dynasty was slightly stronger than the Ming Dynasty.

Even during the period of Wang Anshi's radical reforms, both sides had their own reasons.

Sima Guang simply scolded Wang Anshi for being "ignorant and stubborn." At most, the two sides argued until their faces turned red, but they did not engage in shouting abuse.

The Ming Dynasty was much more interesting. Insults were a small matter. They would break out into physical fights if they disagreed with each other. The intensity of the fights was much higher than that of the Song Dynasty.

But as the debate deepened, tensions inevitably escalated on both sides.

Someone said, "I'm impeaching Fan Zhongyan for nepotism. The Censorate is his eyes and ears. I've heard that those who offer advice to Your Majesty want to emulate Yao and Shun, but don't realize they want ministers like Gao and Kui. Your Majesty is wise enough to accept criticism, but your ministers are blocking the channels of communication. How can the country remain peaceful in the long run?"

"snort!"

The reformist censor immediately refuted the claim, saying, "The Censorate is worthy of the Emperor, and the people. It has never blocked the Emperor's hearing. This accusation of suppression is completely false. Are you trying to frame me?"

"Emperor Taizu, learning from the mistakes of previous dynasties, did not appoint a prime minister. Instead, affairs fell under the jurisdiction of the ministries and government departments, leading to a lack of coordination and a change in titles. At that time, official ranks were not yet rigid, and there was no room for arbitrary power. Over the past century, even those who have abused their power have been wary of the title of prime minister and have not dared to take it, owing to the laws of our ancestors."

Another person said, "Now that the Political System Council has been established, Fan Zhongyan is comfortably sitting as prime minister. He has also established a strong reputation within the military, so it's not appropriate for him to be in charge of government affairs at this time. Whenever the censors bring him up, they will invariably say, 'I abide by the laws of our ancestors.' I urge you to correct him according to the laws of our ancestors."

"During our ancestors' reign, all government affairs were reported to the court, responded to by the ministries and commissions, and carried out by the supervisory departments. I have never heard of the prime minister impeaching anyone. Under the new law, no one can escape prosecution, and the pros and cons of each matter can be distinguished."

The reformists refuted this, saying, "Whether it's the powerful officials of the court or the princes and ministers, everyone should be assigned their duties and any mistakes should be promptly investigated. Isn't this the wish of our ancestors and the wish of the world?"

"When the decrees are reviewed and the imperial censors review the memorials, two volumes are prepared for each, one to be sent to the Civil Service Bureau and the other to the Legal Review Bureau. If the government offices are delayed, the ministers will correct them. If the ministries conceal information, the remonstrators will correct it. If the imperial censors conceal information, the cabinet will correct it."

The opposition continued, "Ministries and agencies are responsible for handling state affairs. Censors are responsible for refuting memorials and impeaching officials. The prime ministers are listed as Hanlin scholars, and their only function is to provide advice and to discuss matters calmly. Zhongyan came up with this idea, hoping to coerce officials into obeying his orders. Is this the way our ancestors used it?"

"No one is coercing you; you are all serving the country. Furthermore, our ancestors' laws require all officials to perform their duties. If any officials are slacking off, the Censorate has the responsibility to urge them to act. This has been the law that has remained unchanged for thousands of years since the establishment of the Censorate!"

The reformists also continued to refute.

"Under the new law, officials at home and abroad have recently been attacking each other, or censors have been accusing each other. This started with selfishness and ended with a habit of winning. Constant winning will inevitably lead to quarrels, and constant quarrels will inevitably lead to factions. Wasn't it the case that Niu and Li in the Tang Dynasty initially lost their way because of a single word? This is the result of a competition for victory."

The opposition added, "Flattery has become a common practice, growing worse by the day. When speaking of ministers, they equate them with Yi and Fu; when speaking of border commanders, they compare them to Fang and Zhao; when speaking of eunuchs, they praise the return of Lü and Zhang; when speaking of foreign officials, they praise the resurgence of Zhuo and Lu. This is either to curry favor or to solicit bribes; it is flattery. How can this last?"

"Oh, you have the nerve to mention Yi, Fu, Fang, Zhao, Zhuo Mao, and Lu Gong? How many corrupt officials were punished under the new law? Lü Yijian's son leaked information and was dismissed to buy favors. People at the time compared him to Dou Shen. In my opinion, he is not Dou Shen. He is the Minister of Personnel."

"Don't be so eloquent. What we worry about is the state's failure. When we receive a strict decree, Fan Xiwen always says, 'I managed to adjust it, so it's all right.' When we receive a mild decree, Fan Xiwen always says, 'I petitioned hard and got it.' Therefore, we fear Fan Xiwen more than we fear Your Majesty, and we are more grateful to Fan Xiwen than to Your Majesty. He is so self-centered and has no regard for the court. Is this the law of our ancestors?"

"It is you who are ultimately responsible for the ruin of this country. You have caused chaos, deceived Your Majesty, and oppressed the people. Now that the court has cleaned up its administration and restored order, you are embracing corruption. How outrageous! I beg your shortsightedness. How could you possibly imagine how clean and honest politics would be under these new laws and decrees?"

As the situation became more serious, Zhao Zhen, sitting on the stage, did not interrupt the debate between the two sides in time. In a short while, the originally orderly court turned into a vegetable market, and the reformists and the opposition were clearly divided.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!