Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

"Firstly, at the institutional level, the 'self-report' format should be abolished and replaced by a 'performance review' system."

"Officials are required to provide detailed accounts of the specific administrative tasks completed, the practical problems solved, and the results achieved during their tenure, rather than self-evaluations of their conduct. Evaluators will verify these accounts to determine their authenticity."

"Secondly, the 'Performance Evaluation System' was implemented to establish a system for supervising authority. The Cabinet registered the important affairs of the court, clearly defining the responsible persons, completion deadlines, and quality standards. Progress was checked monthly and quarterly through a three-tiered supervision chain of the Cabinet, the Six Ministries, and the Ministry of Personnel."

"The 'reviewing of omissions' system will be further standardized, and the power of officials in the censorate to 'review omissions' will be constrained. Impeachments will be required to be based on specific facts, vague accusations will be strictly prohibited, and those who make false accusations will bear corresponding responsibility."

"Finally, an 'appeal review' mechanism will be established, allowing officials who have been improperly treated to file an appeal within a specified period, which will then be reviewed by a third party to prevent wrongful convictions."

"Furthermore, we will establish more pragmatic assessment standards. We will refine the items in the 'Eight Methods' and make clearer definitions for standards such as 'greed, cruelty, and impetuosity,' providing a basis for qualitative judgments and reducing discretionary space."

"Increase the weighting of 'performance' in the evaluation criteria, making 'completing the tasks stipulated in the Performance Evaluation Law' the core performance indicator, and strengthen the focus on practical results."

"And by differentiating between 'insufficient ability' and 'moral failings,' and by adopting different approaches for each, the assessment can be made more accurate..."

Emperor Jingsheng pondered Jia Jing's words for a long time, and then, realizing their brilliance, nodded in approval:

"Zijie is changing the way he judges people and things, solidifying the evaluation standard into specific 'achievements,' and no longer using the evaluation of superiors as the basis for judgment, but using the amount of work done as the standard of measurement."

"Furthermore, changing the assessment from once every six years to a continuous assessment demonstrates a strong emphasis on pragmatism and has indeed reduced infighting and power struggles. It must be said that this method has its unique advantages!"

Indeed, Zijie was a brilliant and innovative talent with excellent strategies.

I hadn't really noticed it before, but lately I've often found arguments in his memorials about the successes and failures of the previous dynasty's governance, as well as his suggestions for reform and innovation.

It must be because he has been reading diligently these days, and with my daily review of his memorials and teachings, he has made some progress through this exposure!

Emperor Jingsheng was greatly relieved, feeling that Jia Jing's reform of the capital inspection system was quite ingenious!

It should be noted that during past inspections in the capital, officials in the capital, fearing punishment under the "Eight Laws," would engage in a constant stream of attacks, such as writing denunciations, impeachments, throwing dirty water, smearing, and defaming each other.

The evaluations by officials, who held the power of assessment, were mostly based on partisan positions and interests.

Such subjective judgment standards inevitably become political tools for various parties to eliminate dissidents and vie for power.

The reform proposed by Jia Jing was essentially Zhang Juzheng's performance evaluation system, with the addition of some ideas from later systems, changing "subjective evaluation of people" to "objective evaluation of events".

The original Beijing inspection assessed officials based on their "personal qualities," such as their conduct, abilities, and age, which were all subjective judgments.

The reformed Beijing Inspection assessed officials based on their "practical work," including how many performance targets they completed, what backlogged cases they resolved, what results they achieved, and whether the granaries under their jurisdiction were adequately stocked.

Furthermore, whether an official is good or bad is no longer determined solely by their superior; everything is based on facts and effectiveness.

The evaluation system requires the provision of specific facts, the performance evaluation law requires the registration of specific matters, and the evaluation results must be verifiable and accountable.

In this way, it can both stay within the context of the times and avoid internal strife and infighting, thereby improving the governance efficiency of the court.

Hearing Emperor Jingsheng's praise, Jia Jing said:

"I devised this method by studying Your Majesty's replies and teachings every day."

"In truth, these are all strategies summarized and refined from Your Majesty's own thoughts. If there are any unique aspects to them, it is all thanks to Your Majesty!"

Emperor Jingsheng smiled, a rare occurrence, upon hearing this, and said:

"Oh? Then tell me, what insights have you gained from studying my memorials and replies every day?"

This is somewhat reminiscent of the old story of Emperor Wu and Marquis Champion. Could it be that my dream-sent wise minister is actually a disciple I personally trained?

Seeing this, Zhang Tingyu's eyes flickered, his expression complicated. He had been eagerly wondering who would take the blame for the heavy responsibility of the capital inspection!

Based on Jia Jing's reform methods, he was quite certain that although the Capital Inspection method, which made "officials at all levels chased by strict paperwork and whose careers were closely linked to 'tax and corvée payment', was a good method, it was also an extremely difficult and dirty job that would offend people!

This law is likely to make officials feel insecure, with constant opposition and even being smeared as a "harsh law".

In other words, whoever implements this decree will likely face impeachment and public criticism.

In this way, I can at least have some company!

As a result, instead of consulting the cabinet ministers, the emperor resumed his close interactions with Jia Zijie, a practice that was supposed to be a good arrangement.

Still pondering it every day? Still summarizing and refining it?

How could Jia Zijie say such things? It's utterly shameful!

He's clearly a brave and resourceful military hero, so why does he have such a fondness for flattery?

Before, they were concerned about the emperor's health; now they're praising his ideology! This is all so convoluted…

Zhang Tingyu is now quite certain that Jia Zijie may not be a treacherous minister, a powerful minister, or a rebellious minister, but he is definitely a flatterer, a sycophant, and a treacherous minister!

Jia Jing paused for a moment, then said:

"In my opinion, Your Majesty's core governing principles are 'pragmatism' and 'orderliness.' Your Majesty seems to regard all empty fame, hollow talk, and inefficiency as the greatest enemies of the nation."

"Everything is aimed at 'practical governance' and 'effectiveness' as the ultimate goal, which is in line with the reform methods I just proposed."

The emperor's mind and intentions must not be mentioned, as that would be trying to guess the emperor's will!

However, the principles of governance must be deeply understood, in order to better serve His Majesty and the court!

Emperor Jingsheng became interested. It seemed that Zijie was not just talking nonsense, but had really read the emperor's reply carefully.

Such a loyal and respectful subject to the emperor is truly rare throughout history. All the hard work I put into reviewing his memorials day and night has not been in vain!

Emperor Jingsheng's expression softened slightly, and he said gently:

"Zijie, please explain in detail!"

Jia Jing glanced at Zhang Tingyu, whose face was frozen, and said in a deep voice:

"From the replies to the memorials and the past teachings, I have summarized and refined about five principles for dealing with people, governing the country, and managing affairs."

"The first principle is to 'not pursue empty fame' and to value 'pragmatism.' His Majesty often admonishes his officials that 'the way to govern lies in pragmatism, not in pursuing empty fame,' and he personally engraved the seal 'Upholding Practical Governance' to express his aspirations."

"His Majesty's reply also contains the statement that 'promoting what is beneficial and eliminating what is harmful, acting with sincerity and implementing practical policies' is the way of a minister. At the same time, His Majesty once said that he deeply abhorred the practice in officialdom of 'fishing for fame and enriching one's family,' which shows this point."

"Secondly, we must govern the country with 'strictness and ruthlessness,' and act swiftly and decisively. His Majesty once said that governance must be strict and ruthless, and opposed officials who were complacent and conservative. He also bluntly stated, 'If the administration is corrupt, how can the people live in peace?' He demanded that officials at all levels be strict and impartial."

"The third point is to 'use people as the foundation' and make good use of 'capable officials'. His Majesty has said many times that 'governing the country is based on using people as the foundation, and everything else is just a trivial matter'."

"He also said that it is better to use officials with average integrity but good ability than mediocre and incompetent 'clean officials.' As long as their performance is outstanding, they will be taught even if they make mistakes. On the contrary, even if they are not corrupt, they will be severely punished if they only know how to 'neglect their duties.' It was from this point that I came up with the strategy of evaluating people based on their performance."

"Fourthly, we must uphold the principle of prioritizing the nation and its people, and strictly guard against 'factions.' Your Majesty has previously criticized factions for 'undermining the political unity of the court' and damaging the authority of the emperor and the state,' clearly opposing them. This is also the reason why I propose a major purge today!"

"Fifthly, we must uphold the principle of 'Great Unification' and maintain national unity. Your Majesty once approved my new theory of 'uniting China and foreign lands into one family,' which is different from the traditional 'distinction between Chinese and barbarians.' I am deeply impressed by the breadth of vision of Your Majesty and will remember it forever!"

Jia Jing carefully considered his words, and finished speaking with a calm expression, but a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart.

In the past, he was the one who asked others for their thoughts on reading and then offered his comments. Now, unexpectedly, the boomerang has struck him, and he's the one giving his own post-reading reflections...

The feeling was truly indescribable!