I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 64: The Emperor's Performance Evaluation Method? I Want to Jump into the Jinshui River (Long Chapter)
Inside the torture cell.

Shen Nian glanced at the dagger Liu Tai threw on the ground, and his tone became sharp.

"Why, are you scared to death?"

Liu Tai slowly raised his head, looked at Shen Nian angrily, and said, "You...you...are you trying to trick me into making a posthumous remonstration? I...I...I want to see His Majesty, I...I want the three judicial officials to come and try me!"

Liu Tai saw through Shen Nian's strategy of flattery and killing, but it was too late.

The moment the dagger fell, all his bold words turned into nonsense.

All of this has been recorded.

If the young emperor and the ministers saw this, they would never think that Shen Nian forced him to make a confession after his death. Instead, they would think that he shouted that he was not afraid of death for the emperor but did not even have the courage to write a blood oath.

False loyalty is more despicable than infidelity!

Shen Nian shook his head slightly.

"People like you are not worthy of being personally judged by His Majesty and the Three Courts."

"They don't care about right or wrong, they only seek unusual sounds, they don't care about justice, they nitpick and are selfish, they have no country and no king!"

"I have no country and no king? Isn't it true that Zhang Juzheng was a dictator? Why did he promote Zhang Siwei to the cabinet? Wasn't it because he was obedient to him? Why did he promote Zhang Han to the position of Minister of Personnel? Wasn't it so that he could select his trusted disciples for promotion and occupy important positions?"

"And you, Shen Nian! You are just a lackey of Zhang's party. I, Liu Tai, do not want to die in remonstration so that I can make greater contributions to the court and the emperor in the future. It is you who should die, those who formed cliques and monopolized power, and you who spread misleading remarks in front of His Majesty!"

Liu Tai roared, almost madly.

He was still thinking about making up for his previous inconsistency.

Shen Nian's expression was calm and his tone was gentle.

"In your eyes, those who hold important positions and work hard for the people are considered to be absolutists; those who can actually get things done, when they gather together, are considered to be forming a clique. Do you know the tremendous changes that have taken place in our administration, grain transport, border troops, land taxes, and postal services since the implementation of the New Deal?"

"This is not my job. Abusing power and forming a clique is harmful to the country. As the Imperial Censor, I should impeach them!"

Liu Tai stared with his eyes wide open and shouted loudly.

Anyone who frequently debates knows that the louder the voice and the more out-of-control the emotions, the less reasonable it is.

This sarcastic remark, "This is not my job," is very irritating to hear.

"Isn't this your job? People like you are the cancer of our Ming Dynasty. No, you are not even a cancer, you are just a maggot. If I continue to argue with you, it will be an insult to this official robe!"

After saying that, Shen Nian flicked his sleeves and returned to the jury seat.

Cao Wei, Zhou Hai, the criminal clerks, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards all showed expressions of contempt.

If a censor is morally untenable, nothing he says will be credible.

this moment.

Liu Tai realized that his previous behavior had made him guilty of "hypocritically loyal to the emperor and selling his integrity for the sake of fame."

The court could have used him as a negative example of a censor and killed him.

Liu Tai suddenly panicked.

When it comes to life, dignity and integrity are of equal importance.

"Pfft!"

He knelt on the ground, crying bitterly.

"I...I...I won't impeach him! I...will admit my mistakes. If you can spare my life, I can speak up for the Lord and clear his name!"

Liu Tai, a man of steel who devoted himself to his country, became a spineless person in the blink of an eye.

He is afraid of death, very afraid of death.

Shen Nian said with a cold expression: "Don't worry, the court won't kill you, but it will make you suffer worse than death!"

Say it.

Cao Wei, Zhou Hai, Shen Nian and the others left the interrogation cell.

……

In the next room, little Wanli let out a long sigh.

Today he watched a good show and also understood a truth: Don’t look at what an official says, but look at what an official does.

Wang Jiaping, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, witnessed Shen Nian's uniqueness up close for the first time.

This young man, who had just been in the officialdom for three years and was only 26 years old, was eloquent, resourceful, and his intelligence and strategy were comparable to those of a group of scholars in the ministry.

Even if he knew this strategy, it would be difficult for him to be as flexible as Shen Nian when facing Liu Tai in this cold imperial prison.

On the day.

The confessions from this interrogation were sent to the Three Courts of Justice. As long as the Three Courts of Justice approved them, the young Wanli could immediately issue a decree.

As for the cabinet and other officials.

Perhaps he could also learn from the people in the imperial prison how the young emperor distinguished between loyalty and treachery, but he would definitely not express his opinion.

because--

The emperor personally examined the case, recorded it in his daily notes, and it was confirmed by the three judicial officials. That is an ironclad fact.

……

The next day in the afternoon.

Liu Tai, a commoner who was labeled as "selling fame and integrity, and harming the government" by the young emperor and the three judicial officials and was never to be employed again, was driven out of the capital.

He knelt outside Yongding Gate, covered in feces and urine, and kept shouting, "I will not remonstrate anymore! I will not remonstrate anymore!"

His reputation has been ruined.

If he wants to return to his official career, he must single-handedly wipe out all the enemies in the north.

This incident was a wake-up call to all officials in the court.

Anyone who wants to seek a direct reputation or take shortcuts in their careers in the future will most likely end up like this.

……

Young Wanli and Zhang Juzheng were particularly satisfied with Shen Nian's performance.

The former was awarded 20 taels of silver and four bowls with white plum petal patterns for Shen Nian's contribution to teaching.

The latter said bluntly in front of the six ministers in the cabinet: "Shen Ziheng is a role model for young officials in the current dynasty."

This praise can spread throughout the Ming Dynasty.

The current Zhang Juzheng.

What I dislike most is the attitude in official circles of "keeping in touch with the world, being prudent and protecting oneself, and preferring to do nothing rather than make mistakes."

Shen Nian's drive really pleased him.

After the Liu Tai incident ended.

The focus of Ming Dynasty officials once again fell on the new policies and the young emperor's studies.

……

On February 12, the spring lecture of the Imperial Lectures began again.

There were more than a hundred people including the three cabinet ministers, officials from the six ministries, lecturers from various days, exhibition officials, and etiquette officials from the Honglu Temple.

of course.

The task of 80% of the officials was to enjoy the banquet given by the young Wanli after the imperial lecturer finished his lecture.

The day of the imperial lecture is also known as the day of eating the imperial lecture, and this is the reason.

……

February 15th, during the break between lectures.

Young Wanli reviewed memorials in a side hall, and Empress Dowager Li did not appear behind the curtain due to illness.

Feng Bao stood aside, ready to listen to the young Wanli's words and make comments at any time.

Shen Nian, who was in charge of taking care of daily life, stayed a little further away.

Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Siwei, Shen Shixing and others were resting outside, waiting to be summoned by the young Wanli.

At present, the young Wanli became more and more dependent on Shen Nian. On the one hand, Shen Nian was well-informed and knowledgeable about political affairs; on the other hand, Shen Nian answered questions without being bookish, which made the young Wanli understand quickly.

Therefore, Shen Nian was either the imperial lecturer, the daily lecturer, or the note-taking officer, and was by the side of the young Wanli almost every day.

At this time.

After reading a memorial, the young Wanli's face suddenly became angry.

Shen Nian could sense that he was gritting his back teeth, almost wanting to tear the memorial into pieces.

This expression is very rare.

This state lasted for about ten breaths. After he finished reading the memorial and took out the last cabinet minister's draft, his expression gradually eased.

Feng Bao hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, are you okay?"

Little Wanli shook his head and said, "Nothing... nothing."

Then, the young Wanli put the memorial aside and did not instruct Feng Bao to approve it.

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Young Wanli continued to review the memorials, and soon frowned again.

After reading the memorial in his hand, he thought for a moment and said, "Daban, Shen Jiantao, come over and take a look at this memorial."

Immediately, the young Wanli handed the memorial to Feng Bao.

After Feng Bao quickly read through it, he handed the memorial to Shen Nian.

Shen Nian took a closer look and almost laughed out loud. He finally understood why the young Wanli was so angry that his back teeth were almost broken.

This is a joint memorial by Shen Shixing, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, and Wang Xijue, the chief academician of the Imperial College.

The two believed that the performance evaluation method could also be used on the young emperor.

They suggested that the little emperor's schoolwork could be conducted with small tests every month and a major test every six months, with the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial College jointly setting the questions and the cabinet reviewing them. The curriculum would be set up based on the little Wanli's performance. The two also used the format of the Ming Dynasty imperial examinations, and wrote in great detail what kind of test papers were equivalent to the academy examination, the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, etc., with the intention of training the little Wanli into a ruler like Yao and Shun.

This is like making the little emperor suffer the same torture as the imperial examination every month.

The angle is tricky and the intentions are good, but the courage is commendable.

Zhang Juzheng's reply was: The workload is too heavy and it is not feasible for the time being.

After seeing Zhang Juzheng's reply, Shen Nian couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

As expected of the Prime Minister, he still knows his limits.

If the performance evaluation system is really to be applied to the young emperor, with monthly tests for him and punishments for failure to complete tasks, then when the young Wanli takes power, the first thing he will abolish will be the performance evaluation system, and then he will most likely turn the court upside down.

The loyalty of the two men was evident to all, but they overlooked the fact that little Wanli was only a child under fourteen years old.

Seeing Little Wanli looking at him, Shen Nian quickly said, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister's approval is correct!"

Little Wanli curled his lips slightly.

"Take another look at this memorial!"

Young Wanli picked up another memorial from the imperial desk and handed it to Feng Bao. After reading it, Feng Bao immediately handed it to Shen Nian.

This memorial was a resignation memorial from Wang Guoguang, the Minister of Revenue. He had just resigned on the ninth day of this month, but the young Emperor Wanli did not agree.

Zhang Juzheng's proposal was: The Ministry of Revenue has heavy responsibilities and the ministers have made great contributions, so we will not approve it for now.

Although Wang Guoguang is already 64 years old, he is in very good mental state.

When it comes to drinking, eating, and taking concubines, he is no less capable than a middle-aged man in his fifties.

In addition, high-ranking officials in the Ming Dynasty always worked until they could no longer do anything.

For example, Yan Song was still serving as the Prime Minister at the age of eighty; Xu Jie was still busy writing the enthronement edict for Emperor Longqing at the age of sixty-five; Gao Gong, who was one year younger than Wang Guoguang, might still be standing in the cabinet with his hands on his hips and cursing if he had not been forced to retire!

According to Wang Guoguang's age, mental state, and the fact that he is currently being valued, it is a foregone conclusion that he will work for another five years, enter the cabinet, and then be conferred the title of Prince Taibao.

The reason he resigned was not because he was not attached to power or did not want to go further.

But the job of Minister of Revenue is really too tiring.

The Ministry of Revenue, the purse of the Ming Dynasty.

The Ministry of Revenue was responsible for all expenses including official salaries, border military expenses, tax revenue from military farms, grain storage for disaster relief, printing of banknotes and mineral reserves, local salt taxes, transportation and payment, etc.

Since the implementation of the Self-Examination Law, the workload of the Ministry of Revenue has doubled because the collection of land tax has been given top priority. Wang Guoguang has been in charge of the Ministry of Revenue for more than five years, so he wants to take a break.

Shen Nian didn't know what the connection was between Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue's joint memorial and Wang Guoguang's resignation memorial.

"Do you understand?" asked little Wanli.

Feng Bao first glanced outside the door, then said, "Your Majesty, you...you mean, this is...this is..."

"Yes! Yes!" Little Wanli nodded solemnly.

There was no real content in the conversation between the two. Shen Nian was confused at first, but when he looked outside, he immediately understood.

Young Wanli felt that Zhang Juzheng was testing him.

These two memorials together constituted a lesson on memorial reviewing that Zhang Juzheng taught him.

Little Wanli's conjecture.

What Zhang Juzheng meant was—

If the young emperor is a wise ruler and wants to keep Wang Guoguang, he must set an example and approve the joint memorial of Wang Xijue and Shen Shixing.

on the contrary.

If the young Wanli felt that he was very tired and it was not appropriate to add academic assessments, then it would be a bit forced to refute Wang Guoguang's resignation memorial.

The emperor must lead by example.

The correct approach is to reject Zhang Juzheng's proposal on the memorials of Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue, and agree with Zhang Juzheng's proposal on the resignation memorial of Wang Guoguang.

Shen Nian felt that little Wanli had developed paranoia.

But if you think about it carefully, Zhang Juzheng tested the young Wanli more than once in drafting memorials.

For example, if the young Wanli blindly agreed with the cabinet ministers' proposal, Zhang Juzheng would indirectly warn him to have his own opinions or to review memorials carefully; if the young Wanli wanted to refute the cabinet ministers' proposal, but his rebuttal was unreasonable, Zhang Juzheng would also indirectly criticize him for not studying hard.

In order to prevent the young Wanli from being bullied by the civil servants after he takes power, these old men in the cabinet are now finding various ways and means to bully him.

This way of interpreting memorials, which is difficult to distinguish between true and false, was learned from little Wanli's grandfather.

Thinking one step ahead is wrong, thinking two steps ahead is wrong, and thinking three steps ahead may also be wrong, but at least it proves that you have brains.

The painful lessons of the past three years.

Let the young Wanli always be alert to the traps in the draft to avoid being taught a lesson again due to carelessness.

Seeing that Shen Nian also understood his guess, the young Wanli lowered his voice and asked, "You two, how should we interpret this? If... if the Kaocheng method is used on me, I... I... will jump into the Jinshui River immediately!"

In front of Feng Bao and Shen Nian, the young Wanli was still quite domineering.

But if either Empress Dowager Li or Zhang Juzheng were standing here, he would not dare to speak like that.

Shen Nian's head started spinning rapidly.

He was not protecting the young Wanli for personal reasons, but he felt that this "Emperor's Performance Evaluation Method" should never be used.

After use.

The young Wanli either died young or completely let himself go after taking power.

This group of academic masters have no idea how to teach. They just want to stuff all the good stuff into little Wanli's stomach.

aside.

Feng Bao's eyes rolled, and he looked at Shen Nian and said, "Reviewer Shen, you have always been quick-witted. I believe you can come up with a perfect plan for His Majesty."

Hear this.

Little Wanli looked at Shen Nian with anticipation, and Shen Nian wanted to throw Feng Bao into the Jinshui River immediately.

This old guy has mastered the art of passing the buck.

Shen Nian slowed down and came up with a feasible countermeasure to prevent the little Wanli from being taught a fool or a madman by these smart people.

He approached the imperial desk and whispered to the young Wanli and Feng Bao.

(End of this chapter)