I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 82 Don’t mess with me! Hanlin Editor Shen Duidui

June 24th, near dusk.

The weather is hot and dry.

Shen Nian, an editor of the Hanlin Academy, dressed in the blue official uniform, pulled a cart out of the Hanlin Academy and headed towards the imperial palace.

There were five bamboo baskets on the Taiping cart, filled with various documents.

The setting sun stretched Shen Nian's figure very long.

Not long after.

A patrolling soldier saw Shen Nian and hurried over to say, "Sir Shen, how can you do such physical work? Let me do it, let me do it!"

"No need." Shen Nian said expressionlessly.

Seeing Shen Nian's gloomy face, the soldiers dared not step forward to help.

Shen Nian pulled the cart, passed Chengtian Gate, Duanmen Gate, and finally entered the duty room of the Sixth Department.

In the Sixth Department Duty Room.

Just when the officials were busy, Shen Nian's high and loud voice suddenly came from the courtyard.

"Where is Yao Bin, the Imperial Censor of the Ministry of Personnel? Please come out and talk!"

Suddenly.

A group of officials came out of the house. They all knew that Yao Bin had impeached Shen Nian.

Yao Bin is of medium height, average looks, and about thirty-five years old.

He walked through the crowd and came to Shen Nian. Seeing Shen Nian pulling a cart loaded with documents into the Sixth Department's duty room, he couldn't help but wonder, "Editor Shen, what are you doing?"

"Send evidence!"

Shen Nian paused, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, "Everyone, these documents in the bamboo basket are all my official duties for this month. They involve notes before the emperor, daily lectures at the imperial banquet, editing memorials and historical records, transcribing court reports, and writing textbooks."

"Please ask Yao Jieshizhong to check how much I have done this month!"

"I, Shen Nian, have not violated any official regulations. Going to and from the office on time, without using candles, does that mean I'm lazy and returning home before sunset? Does that mean I treat official duties like a nuisance and am wasting my salary? What kind of logic is that!"

Yao Bin glanced at the five bamboo baskets of documents.

"Reviewer Shen, it is the duty of the Ministry of Personnel to monitor all officials. If you are dissatisfied, you can report it to the court. The evidence should also be handed over to the Ministry of Public Administration. You are so rude, which is unbecoming of a Hanlin official!"

"Submit a memorial? Are you going to ask the three ministers to personally compile the evidence, or have His Majesty review it one by one? As an official, you have the power of impeachment, but you can't use the length of time an official spends in and out of the court as a criterion for determining whether he or she is derelict in duty. The performance evaluation system emphasizes efficiency, not time spent in office!"

"If it is your way, does it mean that if I burn fifty candles at night, I am diligent, and if I stay up late every day and never write a single article, I have fulfilled my duty as a minister?"

Yao Bin glared and said, "I am a censor and have the right to report rumors. This is a common practice in our dynasty!"

Yao Bin spoke out his greatest reliance: censors report things based on hearsay and do not need to find evidence.

Shen Nian smiled faintly.

"I have never been against reporting rumors, but our ancestors also said: to allow rumors to be reported is a sign of the ruler's willingness to speak out; to forbid rumors that slander others is a sign of the minister's proper conduct!"

"You can report something based on hearsay, but I've placed the evidence before you. I can clearly point to the facts and report them. Why are you still making empty statements?"

"Snapped!"

Shen Nian patted the Taiping cart.

"Today, you must check these documents and submit them to the cabinet. Let the elders judge whether I am innocent. Otherwise, I will stay in the Sixth Department's duty room today!"

When it comes to quarreling, Shen Nian is not afraid of anyone.

At this time.

An official in the crowd said, "Yao, please investigate. It seems that this editor Shen thinks he's doing a lot of official work. It's incredible! Let's see if there's anyone in the entire Hanlin Academy who can compare to him. Have we wronged one of our most diligent colleagues?"

This statement is obviously thorny.

If the amount of official duties Shen Nian performed only met the threshold of fulfilling his duties, the officials could still impeach Shen Nian for being arrogant and disrespectful to his colleagues.

"Okay, I'll check and see how much Shen Bianxiu has done for the court this month to be so arrogant!"

Yao Bin immediately took the bamboo basket down.

Three officers brought pens and ink to help Yao Bin look through the records.

Shen Nian sat on a stone bench nearby, feeling the breeze coming in from the door, feeling very comfortable.

He has such confidence.

On the one hand, he knew how much work the officials of the Hanlin Academy and the six departments could do on a daily basis.

On the other hand, as a lecturer in two lifetimes, he is best at summarizing, copying and compiling, and his efficiency is far higher than others.

Shen Nian felt that in the Hanlin Academy, except for Zhao Yongxian who could compete with him, no one else was qualified enough.

Many of these officials were simply killing time and did not do much actual work.

Shen Nian behaved so domineeringly and arrogantly today.

In addition to the fact that the officials have been trying to make a name for themselves by biting around lately, they also want to tell the censors that they are not easy to mess with and will not be bullied for no reason.

……

Half an hour later.

After Yao Bin and others finished the inventory, they listed the things Shen Nian had done this month on a list.

When Yao Bin was writing, he had not yet realized how much Shen Nian had done, but when he looked at the list again, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Yao Bin had a clear idea of ​​how much the Hanlin Academy officials could do each month.

Because Shen Nian works part-time as a daily lecturer, and Ma Ziqiang and Shen Shixing also assign him some tasks individually, it is not clear how much Shen Nian has done.

Now take a closer look.

If Shen Nian was called lazy and indolent, other officials would probably have to work all night long.

Yao Bin looked at Shen Nian.

He originally wanted to say, "Editor Shen is smart and capable, but he is still not diligent enough. If he could stay in the office for one more hour every day, he might be able to do more for the court and His Majesty." But after thinking about it, he swallowed the words back.

If he dared to say this and really made Shen Nian stay up late to work, it would force many officials to be more diligent and work all night long to catch up with Shen Nian.

By then, there will be a group of officials cursing him.

"Editor Shen, the evidence has been checked and I will present it to the cabinet later!" Yao Bin said with some lack of confidence.

Shen Nian stood up, turned around and walked away. After taking two steps, he turned back and said, "Please send someone to take these documents to the Hanlin Academy."

The officials looked at him, their faces full of anger but they did not dare to lash out. The other party was arrogant and had the capital to be arrogant.

……

Half an hour later.

The news that Shen Nian pulled a cart to the Sixth Department's duty room to hand in evidence reached the ears of the three cabinet elders.

Zhang Siwei said angrily, "Shen Nian is too arrogant!"

"If you are not angry, can you still be called a young man? This is the case of a person with a clear conscience fearing no slander. Some officials work all night long and seem to be diligent, but in fact they have not done anything. This is a good opportunity to warn them, and the performance evaluation rules also need to be adjusted. In addition, it is time for the department officials to change their recent way of speaking. In the past two years, too many officials have been accidentally injured!" Lu Diaoyang said.

Among the officials, there were Zhang Juzheng's confidants, Feng Bao's confidants, and Zhang Siwei's confidants.

The composition is much more complicated than that of the group of censors in the Censorate.

However, everyone turned a blind eye.

Zhang Juzheng naturally understood what Lu Diaoyang meant and said with a smile, "Master Lu is right, but Shen Nian was too reckless and disrespectful to his colleagues. He must be punished. At least he should be fined one month's salary!"

……

Soon, this matter reached the ears of Yin Zhengmao, the Minister of Revenue.

He had never had a good impression of the censors, and he was very happy to know that they were being criticized.

"Haha..., among the young officials in the court, only Hanlin Academy Editor Shen Nian is the most like me!"

(End of this chapter)