Princess Promotion

The first rays of sunlight penetrated the mist and gently shone across the streets of the imperial capital.

In every corner of the imperial capital, an atmosphere of tension and expectation quietly rose.

Students taking part in the imperial examinations gathered from all directions. They walked hurriedly, with varying degrees of anxiety and longing on their faces.

On both sides of the street, shop owners opened their doors early and prepared hot breakfast for the scholars who were about to take the exam.

In the teahouse, the waiters were busy pouring cups of refreshing tea for the candidates, hoping to give them some strength.

Outside the examination room, teams of soldiers stood on guard, strictly checking every student who entered the examination room to ensure that there was no possibility of cheating.

The students passed by one by one, some looked calm, while others looked nervous.

Their eyes showed both desire for the future and awe of the challenges before them.

These two months passed in a flash. For Li Qing, who was writing furiously in the examination room, this period was undoubtedly long and arduous.

His body had become much thinner, but the light in his eyes was even brighter.

When he finally put down his pen and handed in the last page of his answer sheet, the burden in his heart seemed to be lifted.

With the end of the imperial examination, the examination paper review work is also in full swing.

Liu Shu led the examiners to review the mountains of papers day and night. Every one of their comments could change a person's fate.

Finally, the day of announcing the results arrived.

In the central square of the imperial capital, a huge red paper list was slowly unfolded, densely filled with the names of those who passed the imperial examination.

Students flocked to the scene, their eyes eagerly searching for their names on the list.

Some are happy and some are sad. The students whose names appear on the list are overwhelmed with joy, while those who fail to make the list are dejected and can hardly hide their sense of loss.

Li Qing stood in the crowd, his heart beating faster and his fingers trembling slightly.

When he finally found his name on the list, excitement and relief instantly surged in his heart.

He knew that at this moment, a new chapter in his life would begin.

With the successful conclusion of the imperial examination, a subtle atmosphere gradually permeated the streets and alleys of the imperial capital.

Since when, rumors have spread silently like weeds in spring.

Some people say that those aristocratic families who oppose the imperial examination system are nothing but good-for-nothings. How can truly talented people be afraid of an exam?

Such remarks, like a sharp blade, point directly at the weak spot of the aristocratic family - face.

Aristocratic families have always considered dignity and face more important than anything else.

How can they tolerate being labeled as incompetent by the outside world?

Under such pressure from public opinion, even if the aristocratic families still felt dissatisfied with the imperial examination system, they could only choose to remain silent.

At the same time, the results of the imperial examination also became the focus of people's discussion.

On the list, the names of children from aristocratic families occupy most of the positions.

This phenomenon is not surprising, because whether it is the richness of educational resources or the superior learning environment, children from wealthy families have advantages that ordinary people can hardly achieve.

This also made many aristocratic families shut up.

The four family heads sneered in disdain at this rumor. If it wasn't Yao Chuguang who did it, they would have twisted their heads off.

The hall where the morning court was held was magnificent and solemn.

Liu Shu stood among the ministers, his voice trembling and his gratitude evident in his words.

Liu Shu bowed deeply to Yao Chuguang and said, "Your Majesty, the imperial examinations were riddled with errors and turmoil, yet you have always trusted me. I am deeply grateful for this trust and will always remember it."

Yao Chuguang smiled faintly. "Lord Liu, I believe in your ability and loyalty. Although the imperial examination had its ups and downs, it was ultimately a success. My trust in you has never wavered."

The four family heads present were roaring in their hearts, and they just wanted to wake up the idiot Liu Shu and tell him that all those troubles were caused by the crazy woman you are now grateful to.

The four major families could only think about it in their hearts, feeling that everyone else was drunk but they were the only one sober.

Looking at Liu Shu's grateful expression, a trace of sympathy surged in my heart.

In front of the imperial study after the morning court session.

Patriarch Liu's face was filled with smiles as he congratulated Elder Xiao, "Elder Xiao, your grandson Xiao Liang is truly talented and has won the top spot in the imperial examination. This is truly cause for celebration!"

Although Lord Xiao responded modestly, his sincere pride could not be concealed between his brows.

The head of the Wu family swept his gaze across the crowd and fell on the other two officials who were summoned - Minister Wang of the Ministry of Works and Minister Zheng of the Ministry of War.

Patriarch Wu couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Master Xiao, what is the Empress's intention in summoning the ministers of our six ministries individually this time?"

Elder Xiao pondered for a moment, a trace of deep thought flashing in his eyes, but he did not answer directly. He just said lightly: "I don't quite understand this matter. Perhaps the Empress has her own plans."

Although Lord Xiao verbally claimed he was unaware of the situation, everyone present had their own guesses.

The dust has settled on the imperial examination system, and the empress's move may be to appease them and give them some substantial benefits to quell previous disputes.

Some people also think that the Empress may have new ideas.

The door of the imperial study slowly opened, and a palace maid softly invited everyone in.

The six ministers looked at each other, each with their own thoughts, and walked into the imperial study.

As the door closed, the outside world was shut out.

Right in front of the desk where Yao Chuguang was sitting, a simple little stool and a table were quietly placed, and on the side, six exquisite chairs were neatly arranged, forming a semicircular layout.

This seating arrangement was undoubtedly a novel and unique experience for Xiao Ge Lao and others.

They exchanged puzzled glances, having never seen such an unusual seating arrangement.

However, for Yao Chuguang, this is just a standard configuration of the monthly reporting meeting that is common in the modern workplace.

Although she has no experience as an emperor, she has experience as a modern supervisor!

She decided to extract the essence of modern management experience and discard the dross.

The first step in the modern workplace: monthly summary!

Damn, I remember when Yao Chuguang just entered the workplace, she was tortured by daily, weekly and monthly reports. At that time, she had to write even the most trivial things.

Now she wants to let these old bitches who have nothing better to do than to engage in intrigue and scheme against each other to see the world.

The first sentence of the monthly summary: "Let's draw lots one by one."

The head of the Wu family was not lucky and drew the first one.

Yao Chuguang said directly to Patriarch Wu, "Patriarch Wu, the imperial examinations have been very busy lately, and I'm sure the Ministry of Justice has neglected a lot of government affairs."

The head of the Wu family hurriedly stood up and repeatedly denied it: "Your Majesty, the colleagues in the Ministry of Justice have always been diligent and responsible, and have never slacked off."

Yao Chuguang did not continue to dwell on this issue. She waved her hand lightly, and several palace servants pushed an exquisite screen into the hall.

A clear bar graph was drawn on the screen, detailing the number of cases handled by the Ministry of Justice in the past few months and the average number of cases handled by each official.

These data intuitively demonstrate the work efficiency and results of the Ministry of Justice.

In the past, if someone questioned the efficiency of the Ministry of Justice, the head of the Wu family would always use the excuse of insufficient staff as an excuse. Outsiders did not understand this and often could not delve into the matter.

The emperor usually only cares about whether the Ministry of Justice can respond quickly when major cases occur, and does not care too much about the volume of daily cases handled, as long as no major mistakes are made.

But now, facing the data shown by Yao Chuguang, the face of the head of the Wu family turned pale in an instant, and fine beads of sweat oozed out of his forehead.

He realized that Yao Chuguang had no moral principles at all, and what annoyed him the most was that he had no way to shirk responsibility.

Yao Chuguang looked at the head of the Wu family and admonished him in a serious tone, "Minister Wu, the efficiency of your Ministry of Justice clearly has a lot of room for improvement. I hope you can seriously reflect on this, improve your work processes, and increase the speed and quality of your case handling. Otherwise, I will be forced to consider reorganizing the Ministry of Justice to ensure the effective enforcement of the court's laws and regulations."

The head of the Wu family nodded in agreement, but his heart was surging.

He knew that Yao Chuguang's words were not only a warning to him personally, but also a warning to the entire Ministry of Justice and even all officials.

The head of the Liu family and others sat quietly on the side, witnessing the whole process, and cold sweat could not help but seep out of their foreheads.

Even the usually calm and composed Elder Xiao was no exception. He frowned, obviously feeling unprecedented pressure.

In the next few hours, Yao Chuguang, like a strict teacher, reviewed and commented on the work of the six ministers one by one.

At this moment, Xiao Ge Lao felt like he was back in his childhood school, unable to answer questions from the strict teacher. The shame and fear he felt then were no different from now.

This afternoon seemed like a long ordeal for the four family heads.

Yao Chuguang criticized the six Shangshu, whose combined age was nearly three hundred years old, so much that they could not even raise their heads.

After serving as an official in the court for many years, it is inevitable that one will be reprimanded by the emperor, but those reprimands mostly come from the family interests behind them rather than the work itself.

However, Yao Chuguang's criticism was based on the lack of work ability. She not only had reasons and evidence, but also had charts and diagrams to prove it, which made it impossible for every minister present to refute it.

Under this kind of direct criticism, Zheng Shangshu, who had a weak psychological endurance, began to wipe away his tears secretly. His self-esteem suffered an unprecedented blow.

After the ceremony, the atmosphere in the hall was extremely heavy. The six ministers walked out of the imperial study, looking pale and dazed.

In the past, after the morning court session, the emperor would leave behind the ministers of the six ministries to discuss important state affairs or border military secrets.

After the six ministers come out, they will more or less reveal some information about the secret talks.

After all, if they really wanted to keep it secret, they would talk to a certain Shangshu alone, rather than all six of them together.

But the strange thing is that after the six ministers came out, they became more silent than each other and never mentioned what happened in the Imperial Study.

The first thing everyone does when they get home is to lock themselves in the study.

Xiao Liang stood at the door of the study with the food in his hand, but Lord Xiao told him to just leave it at the door.

Xiao Liang secretly guessed that something big must have happened to make his grandfather so worried that he couldn't even eat.

The fact is that Lord Xiao was sorting out his own official affairs.

Recently, Lord Xiao has been so busy with the imperial examinations and government affairs that he has neglected many of his daily duties.

The next morning, in the court, Yao Chuguang's anger was like frost in the morning mist, making people shudder.

The memorial in her hand was like a flash of lightning, and she angrily threw it to the floor of the hall, making a dull thud.

Yao Chuguang: "Do you think I'm a fool?"

After the imperial examination, new officials took office and old officials were promoted according to their performance.

Yao Chuguang pointed at the memorial on the ground and said sternly, "Same here. Wu Yue was in charge of the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony, yet he was also able to receive envoys from other states. Could this official have the ability to clone himself?"

Her words were like a sharp sword, piercing the heart of the Minister of Rites.

Cold sweat suddenly broke out on the Minister of Rites' forehead. He knew in his heart that he had hit an iron wall this time.

Historically, in order to ensure the promotion of certain officials, it has been common to falsify political achievements or embezzle the credit of others.

They did not fabricate the information out of thin air, but cleverly transferred the achievements of some minor officials with no background to those who were about to be promoted.

This method is covert and difficult for outsiders to detect unless they are insiders.

After all, no one can remember the contents of all the memorials from the six ministries and the specific dates of their political achievements word for word.

However, Yao Chuguang broke all this.

Not only does she have an amazing memory, she can also pinpoint the problem accurately.

Her ability shocked everyone. No one had expected that the newly crowned empress would have such a terrible memory.

The Minister of Rites was on pins and needles at this moment. He knew that Yao Chuguang's action was not only a warning to him personally, but also a warning to all officials.

From now on, any attempt to tamper with political achievements will have nowhere to hide.

Yao Chuguang's way of governance is to make everything transparent, so that real achievements can receive due recognition, rather than being tainted by power struggles and selfish desires.

The atmosphere in the court became solemn, and all officials realized a fact: under the nose of the empress, if you don't have the ability to get away with it, you will die.

Yao Chuguang directly announced the dismissal of the official from the Ministry of Rites who had falsified his political achievements. This decision made every official present tremble in their hearts.

Then she ordered the palace servants to bring out the intimidating screen again, with the bar chart clearly drawn on it.

Xiao Ge Lao and his companions, who had been devastated by the monthly summary yesterday, began to tremble with fear when they saw the familiar bar chart.

Now the bar chart is simply a nightmare for Lord Xiao and others.

The second step in the modern workplace is the performance appraisal form!

Yao Chuguang stood in front of the screen, pointed at the bar chart, and explained in detail how to fill in and record political achievements.

Yao Chuguang: "From now on, every time an official completes a political achievement, it must be immediately recorded on this performance ranking list. All six ministries and offices will be equipped with such a ranking list. Every official's political achievements will be made public, and no one will be allowed to falsely claim credit for others."

Yao Chuguang's move was undoubtedly a huge blow to the traditional bureaucratic system.

Through open and transparent performance registration, Yao Chuguang aims to eliminate any form of performance fraud and false reporting.

Any attempt to take shortcuts or use power for personal gain will not work with Yao Chuguang.