I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 92: Performance Evaluation Method Version 2.0! Let the Officials Suffer (Large Chapter)
July 24th, early morning.

With dark circles under his eyes, Shen Nian submitted a memorial to the Ministry of Public Security.

Yesterday he criticized the drawbacks of the performance evaluation system, and today he came up with a solution to the drawbacks.

This speed would definitely put to shame those officials who thought he was just trying to show off yesterday.

Shen Nian expected.

Within an hour, this memorial would be submitted to the cabinet; at the latest, it would be submitted to the Forbidden City by noon; at the latest, the contents of this memorial would be disseminated to various government offices in the capital by dusk.

Shen Nian believed that Zhang Juzheng would understand his good intentions.

……

An hour later, the cabinet was on duty.

The Second Assistant, Lü Diaoyang, was sitting at his desk, reading memorials and writing drafts.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

The hunched old back straightened up involuntarily, and he slowly unfolded a memorial.

"I, Shen Nian, the editor of the Hanlin Academy, hereby present a memorial to the emperor, which aims to reduce the malpractices of the imperial examination system and to propose measures to ensure the people's well-being."

"The Book of Documents says: 'The people are the foundation of the state; if the foundation is solid, the state will be at peace.' I believe that if there is a monthly examination, one should first examine virtue; if there is an annual review, one should first discuss virtue."

"In evaluating the success of a policy, the key is to keep the people safe. To keep the people safe, we must pay more attention to the officials who govern them. We should make being close to the people and strengthening their rule the top priority."

……

"To examine the virtuous, one who treats official affairs as if they were family affairs, and the people as if they were his own children, who does not tolerate the cunning and deceitful rich, who does not oppress the common people, and who does not seek superficial praise, should be evaluated with high praise."

"If one's performance is merely evaluated for exploitation, corruption, wronging the people, neglecting agriculture and sericulture, neglecting education, neglecting refugees, or colluding with powerful people, his performance should be low."

……

"The land of the village is governed by the government and the people together. When evaluating achievements, we prioritize the protection of the people. There may be dangers of floods, droughts, bandits, and foreign aggression from enemies. As long as the people protect their superiors, the country will be assured of long-term peace and stability."

……

in short.

Shen Nian's article "The Policy of Peaceful People Based on the Performance Evaluation System" discusses one sentence.

"The method of evaluating performance must be based on the people, with ensuring their safety and security as the highest evaluation, political achievements as the middle evaluation, and empty words and empty reputations as the lowest evaluation."

present.

The biggest drawback of the performance evaluation system is that it only focuses on the political achievements of officials, such as how much tax they collect, how many unjust cases they handle each month, how many thieves they arrest, etc.

Focus on results rather than means.

In order to complete their tasks, local officials and clerks either falsely reported the area of ​​farmland, or transferred taxes to the people, or created a large number of unjust and wrong cases, etc., causing confrontation between officials and the people and fabricating a lot of false words and reputations.

This way.

Naturally, the people hated Zhang Juzheng, who advocated this policy.

The hatred that Liang Chen and Liang Qing harbored towards Zhang Juzheng was by no means an isolated case. There were countless officials, clerks, and ordinary people in the world who wanted Zhang Juzheng to fall.

Shen Nian advocated that the local government’s efforts to keep the people safe and secure should be the first criterion for assessment.

For example, local customs and education, refugees and beggars, street talk, theft and robbery cases, etc. are all used as assessment indicators for officials and clerks.

The specific considerations and standards will naturally be formulated by officials from the six ministries based on actual conditions.

in this way.

This added a primary criterion to the performance evaluation of local officials: ensuring the safety of the people.

……

After reading the memorial, Lu Diaoyang stroked his graying beard and muttered, "This policy for pacifying the people is not bad, but it's difficult to implement. Wouldn't it be easier to hand it over to the cabinet? Why would he report it at the regular court? Ziheng is definitely not the type to deliberately show off!"

Lu Diaoyang was talking to himself when suddenly his expression froze and he couldn't help laughing out loud.

"Haha... this kid is such a thief! Funny! Really funny!"

Lu Diaoyang stood up and walked towards Zhang Juzheng's duty room next door.

He knows.

Shen Nian's memorial was to be approved personally by Zhang Juzheng.

……

A moment later, Zhang Juzheng was on duty in the room.

Zhang Juzheng read Shen Nian's memorial.

He was stunned at first, then a look of relief appeared on his face.

He instantly understood why Shen Nian attacked the Kaocheng Law in Changchao yesterday and why he did not present the "Plan for pacifying the People" directly to him.

This "Plan for Peaceful People" is beneficial to the people, but it is greatly disadvantageous to local officials and clerks.

Local officials were required to collect taxes from the people while maintaining good relations with them.

She is simply being a whore and pretending to be a saint, and is caught in the middle every day.

This will cause local officials to complain bitterly, make local government affairs increasingly difficult to handle, and reduce the benefits they earn...

to be honest.

This is a helpless measure that "for the sake of people's livelihood, we can only make officials suffer more."

Once it is announced to the world, it will surely be met with hostility from officials all over the world.

This policy is just like the original performance evaluation system and post regulations. It will inevitably lead to a situation where "the words are earnest but the ears are dismissive, and there are policies from the top but countermeasures from the bottom."

Very difficult to execute.

Shen Nianruo chose to report to Zhang Juzheng privately.

Zhang Juzheng agreed to implement this policy.

He will undoubtedly become the public enemy of officials again, and more officials will make a fuss about Zhang Juzheng's dictatorship and carry out anti-Zhang activities to undermine this policy.

Shen Nian chose to make direct remonstrations to the emperor.

The purpose was to transfer the pressure of implementing this policy to the court, thereby reducing the burden on Zhang Juzheng and enabling the policy to be implemented more effectively.

"Ziheng is doing this because he wants to turn Zhang Juzheng's New Deal into Wanli's New Deal!" Zhang Juzheng said, stroking his beard.

If Shen Nian heard this, he would definitely be very excited.

That was exactly his purpose.

Zhang Juzheng's New Deal became Wanli's New Deal. It seemed that it was just a change of name, but in fact it was controlled by the imperial power instead of the cabinet.

Shang Yang's Reforms in the Qin Dynasty were successful because of Shang Yang, and even more so because of the support of Qin Xiaogong. However, after Qin Xiaogong's death, Shang Yang was soon torn to pieces by chariots, and the reforms failed.

There were also two famous reforms in the Song Dynasty: Fan Fu's New Deal and Wang Anshi's Reform.

The policies of Fan Zhongyan and Fu Bi were very good, but Song Renzong was too weak and did not provide enough support, so they came to an abrupt end less than two years after implementation.

Wang Anshi's reforms were initially supported by Emperor Shenzong of Song and were implemented normally for several years. However, after Emperor Shenzong became suspicious of them, the reformists were quickly defeated by the conservatives and ended in failure.

Historical experience tells us that the best way to carry out new political reforms is to take imperial power as the main driver.

Zhang Juzheng faced less resistance than Shang Yang, Fan Zhongyan, Wang Anshi and others because he had the power to rule the world.

But no matter how great the power of ministers is, it cannot compare to the imperial power, even though the current imperial power is still very weak.

Shen Nian thought that it would be more appropriate for this policy to be controlled and implemented by the young Wanli.

This idea still requires Zhang Juzheng's understanding and help.

Zhang Juzheng picked up his brush and wrote on the memorial, "I have no objection. Your Majesty, please make the final decision!"

This sentence is exactly what Shen Nian wanted.

It would be right to give the decision-making power to the young Wanli.

The current young Wanli needs to experience the joy of being in power and needs the praise and eulogy of the people.

Therefore, he will definitely agree with this strategy.

Even though the officials were dissatisfied with the policy, they dared to scold Shen Nian who wrote it, but they did not dare to openly oppose the imperial power.

Shen Nian thought about this "Plan to Peace the People".

It was for the stability of the Ming Dynasty, for the people of the world to suffer less, and for the performance evaluation system to be implemented more steadily.

Shen Nian chose this way to present this plan.

It was to help Zhang Juzheng reduce his burden and ease the pressure of being accused of being a dictator; it was for the young emperor to enjoy the praise and eulogy of the people, and it was to ensure that the new policies could be implemented for a longer period of time and in a healthier way.

It can be said that he has good intentions. Shen Nian believes that Zhang Juzheng is selfless and that he will not resent him because Shen Nian's move may make him give up power. He believes that Zhang Juzheng understands his intentions and will hand over the decision-making power of this policy to the young Wanli.

to this end.

Shen Nian did not mind being misunderstood by officials as a shallow person pursuing fame, nor did he mind arousing the hatred of local officials all over the world because of writing "Plan for An Min".

In order to stabilize the Ming Dynasty and for the sake of the people of the world, Zhang Juzheng was not the only one who was not afraid to make enemies with officials all over the world.

Shen Nian was not afraid either.

He chose a way of submitting a memorial that would cause the most harm to himself, but would be the most beneficial to the young Wanli, Zhang Juzheng, and the common people of the world.

this moment.

Zhang Juzheng suddenly felt that he was not alone, and suddenly felt that there was someone who understood him and could protect him from the wind and rain.

this moment.

In Zhang Juzheng's heart, Shen Nian was not only his favorite student, but also a colleague who shared the same ideals and could fight side by side with him.

……

Near noon, Wenhua Hall.

After the young Wanli turned over Shen Nian's memorial and saw Zhang Juzheng's draft, he couldn't help but be overjoyed and handed the memorial to Feng Bao beside him.

After seeing this, Feng Bao immediately smiled.

"Your Majesty, Shen Nian spoke of the shortcomings of the performance appraisal system during the regular court session, and then submitted the 'Plan for Reassurance of the People' to address these shortcomings. Although Elder Zhang was dissatisfied with his boastful behavior, he could see that this policy was indeed the right remedy. The performance appraisal system was Elder Zhang's masterpiece, and he was too proud to admit his mistakes and correct them, so he handed it over to Your Majesty for final decision."

"This old minister believes this policy is feasible. The performance appraisal system has indeed caused much public resentment. If Your Majesty steps forward and personally manages this policy to pacify the people, it will undoubtedly win the praise of the people and further stabilize the Ming Dynasty."

Feng Bao agreed to everything that was conducive to consolidating and enhancing imperial power, because all his power came from the extension of imperial power.

Little Wanli nodded.

……

afternoon.

Shen Nian's "Plan for Peaceful People" was copied many times by clerks from the Ministry of Public Administration and distributed to various government offices.

Young Wanli said: This policy is very good, he and the cabinet have no objection, and ordered the officials of the six ministries to immediately draft detailed rules that combine performance evaluation with public safety.

at the same time.

The young Wanli summoned three cabinet ministers, Zhang Juzheng, Lu Diaoyang, and Zhang Siwei, as well as the Minister of Personnel Zhang Han and the Minister of Revenue Yin Zhengmao, into the palace.

The performance evaluation system was the main responsibility of the Ministry of Personnel, while matters concerning people's livelihood were the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue.

Young Wanli emphasized that this matter should be treated as the top priority at the moment and put forward a new idea.

"We took the one prefecture and eleven counties under the jurisdiction of Henan Prefecture as our inspection points, visited the counties and villages, and extracted detailed rules for integrating official performance evaluation with people's livelihood from specific cases."

This strategy was thought up by the young Wanli himself.

After hearing this, Zhang Juzheng agreed very much.

This surprised the young Wanli greatly, and he once again felt that he had the potential to become a ruler like Yao and Shun.

When Shen Nian learned about this, he was also very excited.

Young Wanli was gifted and intelligent. If he had really focused on state affairs, there would have been no problem for him to surpass his grandfather (who was in power for the first twenty years) in the future.

……

After seeing Shen Nian's "Plan to Calm the People", officials from various government offices in the capital had different opinions.

Some officials felt that this policy was very good for the people, but it was very harsh on local officials and clerks, making it very difficult to implement.

Some officials despised Shen Nian's ostentatious way of making suggestions, which was to "raise questions first and then present answers". They believed that Shen Nian's move was too ostentatious and was actually an attempt to curry favor.

Some officials also believed that Shen Nian was eager for promotion and thought he had gained the emperor's trust, so he wanted to transform himself from Zhang Juzheng's student to someone close to the emperor.

……

There are a thousand Shen Nian in the hearts of a thousand people.

But few people could guess that Shen Nian's move was to reduce the burden on Zhang Juzheng, to make the policy easier to implement, and for the happiness of the people of the world.

to this end.

He completely disregarded his reputation and was not afraid of being cursed by local officials.

The fact that some officials fail to think of these things is not because they are not smart.

But in their eyes.

Only a fool or a saint can do things like Shen Nian, who sacrifices himself for the benefit of others.

at the same time.

After hearing this "Plan to Calm the People", some local officials and clerks in the counties and towns outside the capital began to curse Shen Nian.

The performance evaluation system forces them to be busy every day and they dare not slack off.

Now the imperial court has included the most difficult task of ensuring the people's safety and being close to the people into the performance evaluation system, making it even more difficult for them to do so.

When this news reached the streets, not all the people cheered.

Some failed scholars believed that Shen Nianchang's direct criticism of the court was an act that violated the rules and was despised.

Some wealthy businessmen said that this policy would undermine official rules and make their business more difficult.

Of course, there are also people who praise this policy.

Some people believe that this policy can limit officials' bullying and exploitation of the lower-class people, and is indeed a policy that loves the people.

……

Shen Nian doesn't care about these comments at all.

He came to the Ming Dynasty.

It is not about being a useless upright official who seeks fame and reputation; it is not about being a treacherous minister who obeys the emperor's wishes and curries favor with the powerful; and it is even less about being a mediocre minister who obeys orders from his superiors and puts pleasure above all else.

He has faith.

The belief is the same as Zhang Juzheng's, or even purer.

As for why he chose to make things difficult for officials.

This is because the current Ming Dynasty officials are too self-indulgent and indulge in pleasure too much. Even if they suffer a little, they will not suffer much.

……

Another day, at nightfall.

In a private room on the second floor of a pub on Zhengyangmen Street, east of Zhushikou.

Shen Nian hosted a ceremony for Liang Chen and Liang Qing, brother and sister.

Early tomorrow morning, the two will return home with a team of officials from the Ministry of Revenue who are inspecting the people's livelihood in Henan Prefecture.

And as the guide of the inspection team, he can inform the officials of the Ministry of Revenue of all the injustices he knows about.

This was introduced by Shen Nian.

The two of them were very reserved at this moment and didn't dare to look up at Shen Nian.

Shen Nian smiled and said, "Why are you suddenly so reserved? I still like the way you were when you kidnapped me!"

Liang Qing's pretty face turned red.

"Master Shen, we were wrong. From now on... we will never do such stupid things again!"

Liang Chen suddenly stood up and knelt on the ground.

"Sir Shen, I kowtow to you on behalf of the people of Henan Prefecture. You are a good official. The Ming Dynasty needs officials like you!"

……

Half an hour later.

After Shen Nian said goodbye to Liang Chen and Liang Qing, he walked towards the carriage in front.

Aji hurried over.

Next to the carriage stood two burly young men.

This is the guard hired by Shen's mother.

Ask them to protect Shen Nian to prevent her from being kidnapped again.

Shen Nian sat in the carriage, looking out the window at the bustling streets on both sides, muttering to himself: "Da Ming will get better and better!"

(End of this chapter)