The phrase with steam effects, "So close to my wife, so fragrant.jpg," completely threw Lin Wanwan's heart into a frenzy.
She felt her ears burning, and quickly lowered her head, pretending to be engrossed in studying the map, not daring to look at the taciturn, secretly passionate emperor beside her.
Xiao Che seemed oblivious to her unusual behavior, or perhaps he himself was immersed in a subtle atmosphere, his voice unconsciously softening as he lectured. He patiently explained to her the complex political games of the previous dynasty, peeling back the layers of those dry historical events to reveal their true core of power.
A private lesson was slowly taking place in this wonderful atmosphere.
After recounting Empress Xiaociren's life story, Xiao Che straightened up and returned to his seat in the main seat. The cool ambergris scent and scorching heat that had surrounded Lin Wanwan dissipated, making her secretly relieved, yet also inexplicably feeling a sense of loss.
"That's all for today." Xiao Che picked up his teacup, took a sip, and regained his imperial majesty, as if the flushed, steaming little man from just moments before had never existed. "Do you have any insights?"
This is both a test and a way to give her time to process what she's learned.
Lin Wanwan composed herself, suppressing the chaotic emotions in her mind. After pondering for a moment, she spoke, "Your Majesty, I am foolish and can only come to a shallow conclusion: water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Whether it is the Empress's family or the imperial clan, their power all comes from Your Majesty. If Your Majesty uses them, they will prosper; if Your Majesty abandons them, they will perish. The key lies entirely in Your Majesty's art of checks and balances."
"Well said." A hint of approval flashed in Xiao Che's eyes, clearly quite satisfied with her answer.
He put down his teacup, but did not end the lesson there. Instead, he seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, his expression showing a hint of weariness and irritability befitting an emperor.
"The art of checks and balances is easier said than done." He sighed, picked up a memorial from his desk, and handed it to the eunuch beside him, indicating that he should pass it on to Lin Wanwan. "Take a look at this."
Lin Wanwan took it, opened it, and found it was the Minister of Works' year-end performance report. It was several thousand words long, full of classical allusions and ornate language, praising the Ministry of Works for its brilliant achievements under His Majesty's wise leadership and its bright prospects for the future.
"Well written... with excellent literary talent." Lin Wanwan carefully considered the words and gave a fair evaluation.
"A brilliant writer?" Xiao Che sneered, his tone full of disdain. "Full of empty words and platitudes, all show and no substance! I asked him to talk about how many miles of river embankment he repaired this year, how many bridges he built, and how many disaster victims he resettled, but he talked to me about 'educating all under heaven and spreading virtue throughout the world'! What I want are concrete achievements, not for him to come here and write articles!"
He grew increasingly agitated as he spoke, then pointed to the mountain of memorials piled up: "It's not just him, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel... they're all like this! When it comes to year-end evaluations, their performance reports are more impressive than anyone else's. When asked about specific tasks, they say 'acceptable,' 'some progress,' or 'quite effective.' Who's good and who's bad, who's diligent and who's lazy, it's all up to their own words. For me to distinguish the truth from the falsehood is more troublesome than reviewing ten times the number of memorials!"
Hearing Xiao Che's complaints, which were full of familiarity, four letters that made her DNA tremble instantly flashed into Lin Wanwan's mind—KpI.
Isn't this just like those "old hands" in my previous company who only knew how to write PPTs and make grandiose year-end summaries, but were actually terrible at their jobs?
Unexpectedly, this "workplace ailment" that everyone hates is actually a universal problem that transcends time and space, even causing headaches for emperors.
A thought flashed through her mind like lightning.
Looking at Xiao Che's irritated handsome face, she casually mentioned in a tone tinged with innocence and doubt:
"Your Majesty, I have a question. Since it is difficult to judge the merits and demerits of their performance reports, why not have them set up a 'merit and demerit chart' at the beginning of the year, and then check it against the merits and demerits listed at the end of the year?"
"Merit and Demerit Record?"
Xiao Che's complaints stopped abruptly. He suddenly raised his head, his sharp gaze instantly locking onto Lin Wanwan, his eyes filled with surprise and curiosity.
"What does this mean? Explain in detail!"
It's here!
Lin Wanwan was secretly delighted, but on the surface she still maintained that innocent look of "I was just saying it casually".
"This...this is also an immature idea that I came across while reading miscellaneous books." She began to explain the management concept that was ahead of its time in language that people in this era could understand.
“For example, Your Majesty, you were just annoyed by the Minister of Works’ report,” Lin Wanwan said clearly. “You could have summoned the Minister of Works at the beginning of the year and made him sign a pledge. For example, this year the Ministry of Works would be responsible for repairing 500 li of river embankments, building 20 new bridges, and resettling 30,000 disaster victims. These would be his achievements for this year.”
"By the end of the year, you don't need to listen to his long-winded explanations. Just send someone to check whether the 500-mile-long river embankment has been completed, whether the 20 bridges have been built, and whether the 30,000 disaster victims have been properly settled. If it's completed, it's a 'merit'; if it's not completed, it's a 'fault'. Merit is rewarded, and fault is punished. In this way, who is superior and who is inferior will be obvious at a glance."
She paused, then gave another example to further support the theory.
"For example, the Ministry of Revenue shouldn't be satisfied with just collecting taxes. They can be asked to set targets: this year's national tax revenue should increase by 10% compared to last year. The Ministry of Justice should achieve a case-solving rate of over 80% this year. The Ministry of Personnel should recommend at least ten pillars of the state who can pass His Majesty's assessment..."
“List all these quantifiable and key performance indicators in black and white, for the emperor and his officials to review. In this way, by the end of the year, the data will speak for itself, and merits and demerits will be clearly distinguished. Those mediocre officials who only know how to talk big will naturally have nowhere to hide!”
Lin Wanwan's clear and melodious voice echoed slowly in the quiet Imperial Study.
Every word she spoke was like a heavy hammer, striking Xiao Che's heart hard!
He...he was completely stunned!
He was as if struck by lightning, and was completely shocked like never before!
The data speaks for itself!
Merits and demerits are clearly distinguished!
The words are written in black and white, witnessed by both the emperor and his subjects!
What a brilliant idea!
He had followed the subjective, vague evaluation system used for thousands of years by every dynasty, a system entirely dependent on the monarch's personal judgment and the opinions of his ministers. He had never imagined that the evaluation of officials could be so objective, so clear, so…data-driven!
This idea was like opening a door to a new world, allowing him to see a completely new management model that was unprecedented yet incredibly efficient and promising!
If this law is implemented, those mediocre officials who only know how to flatter and form cliques will have no place in the court! And those truly hardworking and capable ministers will stand out! The administrative efficiency of the entire empire will be enhanced in an astonishing way!
Xiao Che looked at Lin Wanwan, who was speaking eloquently in front of him, and his eyes were filled with unprecedented surprise, shock and fervent admiration!
His empress, his little empress, just how many more treasures like these, capable of overturning an era, are still hidden in her head?!
He thought he had married a medicine to bring him good luck, but later he discovered it was a suit of armor to fight a common enemy. Now he understands that what he married was clearly an endless treasure trove that could help him create a prosperous era for all time!
Behind the screen, Lin Wanwan secretly glanced at the emoji above Xiao Che's head.
There, the smug little man who had been giving his wife a lesson had vanished without a trace.
Instead, there was a cartoon animation where the brain exploded with a "boom," blasting out countless stars and formulas, and the eyes of the cartoon character shone with a golden light, as if they had discovered a new continent!
Beside it, a line of shimmering text, carrying an unparalleled sense of awe, slowly emerged—
[My wife is a genius? .gif]!
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