The Ming Dynasty started with caution

Some people never encounter a major event until they reach official positions.

Yan Chengjin was still warm in his official uniform, but this happened to him once. He had to take an assessment just after he took up his post. It was really difficult for him to be an official.

But of course, his goal is to be the best!

The Ministry of Personnel granted an extension of fifteen days, giving officials from all over the world ample time to rush to the capital.

Yan Chengjin got off duty and came to Zeng Jian's house to learn from him.

I heard that His Majesty is going to carry out the annual assessment plan. Zeng Jian has made a lot of contributions recently. If he counts his achievements in detail, he will definitely get a good grade.

Zeng Jian sighed: "It is very difficult to evaluate the great plans of the year."

Yan Chengjin said: "Please also ask Shibo to explain the evaluation process of the official department in detail."

Two hours later...

Zeng Jian's lips were chapped and he couldn't help but say: "My dear nephew, it's just a rating. There's no need to be so cautious."

Yan Chengjin finally figured out the evaluation process. The official responsible for the evaluation would visit and write down the merits and evaluation results on the interview sheet.

For example, in Yan Chengjin's view of the Ministry of Political Affairs and Work, officials from the Ministry of Personnel would go to the Ministry of Work to inquire about Yan Chengjin's situation.

To know how well Yan Chengjin's Sutra Banquet was taught, the officials would look for other officials who were also lecturers at the Sutra Banquet.

Zeng Jian said: "Don't worry, my dear nephew, if you ask Shibo about it, Shibo will give you a good review."

"There's Rauschenberg."

Yan Chengjin has not even been impeached.

At least he's a top class guy, right?

Everyone in the imperial court is sharpening their knives and preparing to take a hit on their performance in the near future.

In the past few days, Hanlin Sanjian found an unlucky official, collected evidence, and jointly impeached him, and suddenly achieved a new achievement.

Hanlin's three admonitions began to dissatisfy, so the target gradually fell on Wang Yue.

Dabaojian smiled at Yan Chengjin and said, "Master Yan, do you want to impeach me together?"

Hearing that they wanted to impeach Wang Yue, Yan Chengjin was puzzled: "What can Sir Wang Shichang do to impeach?"

Dabao admonished: "Wang Yue held his own military merits, did not listen to the general's command, and left the city alone. This is a crime. His provocation may provoke the Haixi people to kill the prisoners. This is a crime; it disrupts military law and discipline. , this is another crime.”

Yan Chengjin was secretly speechless.

No wonder Wang Yue always scolds Hanyuan officials on weekdays. They can find fault with the same thing from ten directions.

He would naturally not do such a stupid thing as impeaching his own boss.

Many officials appeared in the capital, and the search for officials was carried out one after another.

Deng Qing, an official from the Ministry of Personnel, was looking for the prince in the East Palace: "Your Highness, what do you think of the scriptures taught by Yan Chengjin at the Jingyan?"

Zhu Houzhao blinked: "You mean Lao Gao? Lao Gao didn't speak well..."

"Your Highness, please elaborate." Deng Qing said.

Deng Qing quickly wrote on the paper. Half an hour later, it took three interviews: "Um... Your Highness, is that almost done?"

"By the way, why are you asking?"

"This is a big plan for the year. Master Tu is afraid that Yan Chengjin's lack of knowledge will delay His Highness's studies, so he specially asked his subordinates to come and ask you."

"Erase it, erase it, write it again."

"..." Deng Qing.

Zhu Houzhao's eyebrows were dancing: "Lao Gao's Sutra Banquet is better than Master Li's. What are you doing in a daze? Write it quickly!"

Another hour passed, and Deng Qing filled up the interview form, which was full of good people and good deeds about Yan Chengjin. Compared with the previous one, it was a completely different version.

Deng Qing had a sad face: "Your Highness... is it almost done?"

Zhu Houzhao thought for a while and nodded: "I will tell you when I think of it."

A few days later, after round-the-clock visits by the officials, the evaluation results came out.

In this annual plan, a total of 4,516 people were inspected.

There are 500 people in the upper class, more than 3,500 people in the middle class, and the remaining 400 or so people are all low-class and will be dismissed.

Zeng Jian is the best, Hanyuan Sanjian is the best.

Yan Chengjin is also top-notch.

But Wang Shouren only got an inferior rank.

Yan Chengjin never expected that this guy was actually a low-class person?

Wang Shouren rubbed his eyes violently, and when he opened them again, he saw that he was really inferior!

"Does Bo'an know who the officials from the Ministry of Personnel are looking for?"

"I don't know."

Wang Shouren made many meritorious deeds, including his missions to Siam and Annan. He also copied more than ten classics in Hanyuan.

An idea came to Yan Chengjin's mind.

Wang Shouren frequently checked objects on weekdays. This behavior was very strange in the eyes of officials.

Even some are not doing their jobs properly...

Zhu Houzhao came to Hanyuan and said with a smile: "Old Gao, I have something to tell you. Look at your face. Why do I think you already know it? I heard that there will be an annual assessment, so I asked officials from the Ministry of Personnel Write down all your good deeds.”

"Your Highness, please give way. I want to go to Fengtian Palace."

"What are you doing at Fengtian Temple?"

Yan Chengjin had to go to Fengtian Palace quickly, otherwise His Majesty's oral instructions would cause a big mess.

Fengtian Temple,

Emperor Hongzhi looked at the results of the review of this year's plans and found that a total of 4,071 people were rated as inferior.

The three cabinet ministers and officials from the Ministry of Personnel were all there, waiting for Emperor Hongzhi to take a look.

When Emperor Hongzhi saw it, he was shocked to see how much money the court would have to spend in a year to pay these salaries. He no longer hesitated and wrote on the official record, "Accurate!"

"The cabinet has drafted a decree that all these officials who have been sitting idle will be promoted to official positions."

The young eunuch came in and reported: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Yan Chengjin would like to see you."

Yan Chengjin walked into the hall quickly: "Your Majesty, there is injustice in this year's annual plan!"

Growing up in an extremely unfair environment, what Emperor Hongzhi could not tolerate most was injustice.

Emperor Hongzhi frowned: "I also looked at yours specially. Aren't you rated as the best?"

Yan Chengjin shook his head: "It's not me, it's Wang Shouren, who is in the lower class."

Emperor Hongzhi carefully opened it and really saw Wang Shouren's name in the lower class list.

Wang Shouren went to Siam and Annan to lobby, made achievements, and did not commit any mistakes. He was rated as the lower class, which was really not right.

Emperor Hongzhi's face gradually became solemn: "As the government office in charge of the major plan, how should the Ministry of Personnel explain it?"

The Minister of Personnel Tu Yu was so shocked that his back was wet.

His Majesty's voice was deep and he was clearly furious. He knelt down quickly: "I am guilty of negligence. This matter... I really didn't know."

There were more than 4,000 officials to be assessed. Tu Yu only looked at ministers above the third rank. When assessing the nine ministers, Wang Shouren was just a Hanlin. How could he use his eyes?

Emperor Hongzhi's voice shook the rubble: "I raised the annual plan with the intention of investigating and punishing officials who were lazy and derelict in their duties, but you did the opposite."

Tu Yu broke out in a cold sweat again.

The annual plan had to be approved by the cabinet, but Li Dongyang and the other two only looked at the number of people and did not check who was at what level.

"We have failed to supervise."

Yan Chengjin said: "The annual plan was determined entirely by the mistakes on the visit list. It was only based on the visit list, without checking one by one. The visit list was not allowed to be reviewed by the person concerned, let alone to defend himself. It was all based on the assessment of the Ministry of Personnel. There was no evidence, how could it be fair? I beg your Majesty to give justice to those who made the wrong judgment!"

Yan Chengjin did not dare to say that he could live like a ray of light.

But I also hope that there is fairness in the world of Ming Dynasty.

Yan Chengjin added: "Those who are rated as old, sick, greedy, and cruel, are they really too old to govern, are they really too sick to govern, everyone will get sick, if it is not appropriate to judge a lifetime by a temporary illness, a temporary mistake? Besides, people like Wang Shouren have no faults."

"I think what Lao Gao said is reasonable. Even the best officials may make mistakes. If you don't look at what they have done, you will be judged as inferior. It is really too biased to look at a person. The ancients said that the final judgment is made after the coffin. How can you measure a lifetime by a temporary mistake?" Zhu Houzhao said.

This time, Zhu Houzhao did not make Emperor Hongzhi feel like beating him.

Thanks to Jiubai Ershiwu, the book friend, for rewarding again