Chapter 161 "Performance Evaluation Method" from Another World
Xiuwenguan is located outside the north gate of the palace and is included in the imperial city.
To ensure that the imperial guards are guarding the palace, outsiders cannot get close, and confidential matters in the palace will not be leaked.
After the carriage stopped, Zhao Duan stepped out and instantly felt dozens of eyes, both open and covert, sweeping towards him.
This is a huge improvement in perception after upgrading to a higher grade.
"Remember not to talk nonsense after you go in." Mo Chou stepped out of the car. The heat on her face had subsided and she switched to the state of a female official.
Don't forget to remind.
"I know." Zhao Duan was helpless. This unexpected "rival in love" must be very worried about him...
With Mo Chou leading the way, the guards at the entrance of Xiuwen Hall did not check their identities. They stepped aside and let the two of them in.
After entering the yard and walking around the screen wall, I could faintly hear the sound of heated conversation coming from the largest house in front.
The sound insulation was very good, so even though Zhao Duan had sharp ears and eyes, he couldn't hear the specific content.
Until the two of them arrived at the door, Mo Chou knocked twice gently and slowly pushed it open.
The "big office" of Xiuwenguan comes into view.
An old voice became clear:
"Governance is the most important thing!"
Then, there is the "book fragrance" composed of fresh pens, ink, paper and inkstone, and the serious and intense atmosphere in the air when everyone is discussing.
Zhao Duan felt nostalgic, remembering the mountains of materials in the archives of his previous life, as well as the strong tea and cigarettes he drank while staying up late in meetings.
Well, but he prefers to call it "class flavor"...
In the huge and spacious space, there were scattered tables and desks, on which were placed all the four treasures of the study and lamps that had not yet been lit.
At this moment, about ten people were sitting around the big table in the middle, seemingly discussing something.
Zhao Duan realized instantly that he was late.
"Therefore, if the problem of official administration cannot be resolved, subsequent new policies cannot be implemented! The imperial court's orders cannot be transmitted to the lower levels and effectively implemented."
First seat at the big table.
An octogenarian, dressed in a crimson university scholar's robe and with white hair and beard, sat upright. His square face and sharp eyes set the tone for the controversy.
Grand Tutor Dong!
Zhao Duan recognized him at a glance.
Then, he saw the Empress of Dayu sitting next to Grand Tutor Dong, in the upper seat, wearing a white dress and a crown on her head, with a majestic and cold expression.
Xu Zhenguan had his long black hair tied up today, looking particularly dignified and solemn.
At this moment, he sat there silently. When he saw the two people enter the room, he just glanced at them without any other expression.
Today is the serious empress...
"Let's go." Mo Chou nudged him lightly with her elbow, signaling him not to make a sound.
Zhao Duanxin said, "I understand. If you are late for the meeting and your leader doesn't call on you, then just sit quietly in a corner."
He glanced around and found that at the end of the desk, in the corner, there was an unfamiliar official holding a pen, concentrating on copying Master Dong's words.
"The meeting recorder..."
Seeing this, Zhao Duan simply pulled a chair and sat next to him.
I put down the basket of pears in my hand so that I could sneak a peek at the recorded text and make up for the content at the beginning of the meeting.
The registrar glanced at him, seeming quite surprised.
But when he saw Mo Chou nodded, he continued to concentrate on typing without distraction, as if the two people who came over didn't exist.
Seeing this, Zhao Duan blinked, feeling as if something was missing and feeling uncomfortable all over.
He slapped his head, and under Mochou's confused gaze, he took a stack of white paper from the thick pile next to the registrar, and picked up a slender brush.
I put on a posture of listening to the leader's speech and taking notes, and I felt relaxed all over.
——It feels right!
Only then did he have the leisure to look at the eight "scholars".
As expected, they are all quite young.
Although there was no ID card on the table, he still matched people with names according to the "distance of their seats from the empress."
The "first talent" Han Zhou is closest to Grand Tutor Dong and is a scholar in his thirties.
He was wearing a bachelor's gown, looking a little frail, with his hair neatly combed behind his head, his eyes clear, and he had a very literary air.
He is a scholar who looks gentle and elegant, which fits people's stereotype of the word "gentleman".
Wang You, who came from a prominent family, was about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old and wore the same bachelor's gown.
A fair-skinned, well-proportioned hand of a noble family was placed on the table, tapping gently.
His other elbow was resting on the armrest of the chair, as if he was lost in thought. His posture was the most casual and relaxed among the young scholars present.
"Guo Jieyuan", who ranks third, is the oldest, about thirty-five years old, with ordinary looks, the kind that is hard to find among a group of shameful people.
He had the most vulgar temperament and was the only one among the three who looked at Zhao Duan.
At this moment, the two sides' eyes met. Guo Jieyuan smiled, nodded slightly, then turned his head and continued to focus on the meeting.
At this time, as Master Dong reiterated the keynote, everyone started talking again:
"The Grand Tutor is absolutely right, but the administration has been corrupt for a long time. In my opinion, if we want to rectify it, we should focus on the two words 'corruption' and 'redundancy'."
“How about cutting and streamlining?”
"That's inappropriate. The redundant officials were created by the previous emperor to disperse the power of local officials. He split one official and created two... Now, it seems redundant, but in reality, there is a shortage of capable officials. If we abolish them, wouldn't that be cutting off our own strength? Perhaps we can raise their salaries to maintain integrity?"
"The national treasury is in a huge deficit, and we're desperate to fill it. Where can we get the money? Why not restore our ancestral system and impose strict laws? While this may not work in the long run, it might be feasible in the short term..."
"...The accumulated problems are all caused by the Ministry of Personnel, and they should be solved there. Humph, isn't this the legacy of Li Yanfu?"
A group of young scholars expressed their opinions in a lively atmosphere.
When talking about the prime minister, he called him by his name.
This surprised Zhao Duan a little.
What was even more surprising was that in the face of this discussion, which was almost as heated as a vegetable market, neither Grand Tutor Dong nor the Empress had any intention of stopping it. Instead, they were happy to see it happen.
This is quite interesting.
On the first day of discussing state affairs, we were already in the zone... This was the atmosphere of discussing real issues, not just rigid, one-on-one reports, with every word being read and considered by the leader...
Putting aside other things, Zhao Duan had a good first impression of Xiuwenguan.
Of course, perhaps it is also because these young scholars are too eager to realize their ambitions and have been holding back for too long.
Today the Empress is here in person, allowing them to speak freely, and they all have a strong desire to express themselves.
"Is the administration of the imperial court very bad?" Zhao Duan lowered his voice and asked Mo Zhaorong who was sitting next to him.
Mo Chou had just finished reading the "Minutes of the Meeting" and glared at him when she heard this, but still sighed, nodded, and whispered:
"Dayu's capital officials were inspected every six years, and local officials were inspected every three years.
According to this ancestral system, although it is difficult to eliminate corruption, if it is strictly implemented, it will not lead to major mistakes. However, the previous emperor has delegated power for too long, and the evaluation is in the hands of Li Yanfu. Over time, the system has become increasingly lax, and the evaluation has become superficial...
The problems are already numerous. It's extremely difficult to resolve this issue, but the treasury is empty, and it's a matter of paramount importance. Without money, nothing can be done. Hence the idea of replacing rice with mulberry trees... a desperate attempt at a cure.
But if you want to fill the treasury, you can’t avoid bureaucracy…”
With Mo Chou's explanation and combined with the information provided by many scholars during their arguments and discussions, Zhao Duan finally had a clear understanding of the corrupt administration in Dayu.
This is not surprising, it is easy to deduce.
Whenever it involves people, if there is a lack of effective supervision, chaos will inevitably arise.
Judging from the results of the Li Party and the Eight Princes becoming powerful, we can see that the old emperor was absolutely indifferent and did not hold on to the power in his hands.
It's not like we haven't tried to solve it.
According to Mo Chou, the old emperor once transferred the assessment matters from the Ministry of Rites to the Cabinet.
This is equivalent to taking this work from the lower-level departments to oneself, which can also be regarded as an attempt at "centralization".
But the cabinet prime minister, Li Yanfu, was also the Minister of Personnel. As a result, the assessment seemed to be handed over, but in fact, it remained unchanged and became a formality...
Like moving.
"Six years of imperial inspection? Three years of major plans?"
Zhao Duan frowned, feeling that this method was somewhat familiar:
"Is that all?"
This time it was Mo Chou's turn to be speechless: "What else?"
Zhao Duan didn't say anything. He just habitually compared this assessment method with the one he was familiar with in his previous life.
Obviously different, where are the KPIs? Where are the evil performance indicators?
It's not that Dayu's assessment method doesn't involve this, but...
Something is wrong.
It's familiar... seems... I've seen it somewhere...
The discussion in the room continued.
No one noticed that Zhao Duan in the corner closed his eyes and began to search for memories of his past life in his mind.
As my brain was strained, some of the knowledge I had memorized while reading books in my previous life began to emerge.
Six years of imperial examinations...
Yes, there was a record of the assessment method of the Ming Dynasty in the books on Ming history that my leader liked in my previous life.
Later, because it lasted too long and became a formality, the assessment mechanism became paralyzed, and the Ministry of Personnel was also responsible.
Later, how was it resolved?
As his memories deepened, a name suddenly popped up in Zhao Duan's mind:
Zhang Juzheng.
The next entry spread smoothly: Zhang Juzheng's reforms, Wanli's restoration...
What method did Zhang Juzheng use to solve it?
It seems that I remember that a very well-known assessment method was invented.
Zhao Duan opened his eyes and subconsciously wrote three words on the paper in front of him with the brush in his hand:
Performance Evaluation Method
(End of this chapter)
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