Chapter 390

Inside Qian Qing Gong,

After Jia Jing finished stating his five points of reflection, Jing Sheng Di was silent for a moment.

Outside the window, the night had already thickened like ink, and the candlelight cast flickering shadows on his face.

When he spoke, looking at Jia Jing, his gaze held a rare, unfeigned admiration.

"Since I ascended the throne, ten years have passed; I have personally annotated over ten million characters, and on average I review at least ten memorials a day, annotating no fewer than two thousand characters."

"This was a rigid task I set for myself before my accession, to be carried out rain or shine, to demonstrate that I will never be lazy or negligent in governance."

"Yet despite writing so many annotations, no one has, like you Zi Jie, examined my comments so earnestly, understood them so deeply and thoroughly, and now summarized them into five points for me to hear."

"You truly understand me, and my efforts have not been in vain! My discernment… is indeed adequate!"

Jing Sheng Di's tone was light, as if stating a fact.

Yet for an emperor to utter phrases like "understand me" and "discernment is adequate" undeniably signals full approval of Jia Jing.

Moreover, this is far more intimate than previous terms such as "minister of the state" or "good minister."

A few words carry more weight than any lengthy commendation!

Jia Jing clasped his hands and said:

"I dare not claim to understand Your Majesty! I only think that a sovereign as talented, far‑sighted, and wise as you is a rarity throughout the ages."

"I am fortunate to receive Your Majesty's calligraphy; I must study it earnestly, and if I can learn even a fraction of the governance principles within, I shall benefit for a lifetime!"

"Moreover, the deeper I study, the more I perceive Your Majesty's grandeur. When I first entered office, I did not understand state affairs and saw you as a frog in a well gazing at the moon; now, looking back, it is like a mayfly seeing the blue sky!"

"The path Your Majesty wishes to tread, the method Your Majesty wishes to follow, are truly unparalleled in antiquity; I now only wish to follow closely and help achieve feats no predecessor has attained!"

These words contain both a minister's propriety and the warmth of a confidant or disciple, and also…

Jing Sheng Di smiled appreciatively as he examined the young man before him, and a thought suddenly arose in his mind:

A son should be like Jia Zi Jie; if Zi Jie were my… son, there would be no worry of "the state perishing with its ruler" thereafter!

A model is good, but it is a bit too benevolent.

Jing Sheng Di steadied his mind, said no more on the matter, gazed at the heavy darkness outside the hall, and then addressed the ministers in a low voice:

"All ministers, what do you think of Zi Jie's proposed reforms to the capital inspection system?"

Zhang Tingyu's expression brightened upon hearing Jing Sheng Di's inquiry.

He had become somewhat numb from being repeatedly stunned by the mutual praise of "the enlightened ruler and worthy minister" between Jing Sheng Di and Jia Jing!

Although Jing Sheng Di is a man of feeling, he never withholds flowery compliments when praising his ministers!

"For instance, he once wrote annotations or praises like 'Minister, you know me!', 'Minister, you truly are my pillar!', 'Minister, I also miss you greatly!', 'I not only use you, I also trust you and think of you', 'My confidence is not as great as yours, Minister', among others!"

But such praise for Jia Zi Jie is perhaps too frequent?!

In just one night, they have exchanged words four or five times, nearly more than the imperial commendations he received in the past year!

What was supposed to be a solemn council of seven has almost become a private heart‑to‑heart between two!

In the end, Jia Zi Jie lacks any bottom line; he can utter any flattering words and still sees himself as a mayfly seeing the blue sky…

The most absurd thing is that he can show such genuine feeling without any change of expression.

The Son of Heaven, being extremely emotional and sincere, could not endure such a test!

Fortunately, the discussion finally returned to the capital inspection matter, and it is now my turn to speak!

Recalling this, Zhang Tingyu composed himself, and was the first to submit a memorial:

"Your Majesty, I think the regulations drafted by the Duke of Jing have the core idea of 'evaluating people by deeds, promoting or demoting by performance'; this indeed addresses the current problems."

"The old capital inspection, held once every six years, was conducted only at term's end; in the haste, carelessness was inevitable."

"The new regulations take the method of performance assessment as the main thread, with monthly registration, seasonal verification, and an annual comprehensive review, integrating evaluation into daily administration; at least it can remedy the chronic problems of officials idling during ordinary days and scrambling only when examinations approach."

"I recall Your Majesty once said, 'All falsehood must not be embellished; the political system must be strict. Edicts must be thorough!' The reform of the capital inspection aligns perfectly with this principle!"

Zhang Tingyu, on one hand, expressed support for the reform of the capital inspection.

On the other hand, he also cited words previously spoken by Jing Sheng Di, subtly indicating that he is a "confidant" who keeps the emperor's words close to his heart.

In fact, those who study Jing Sheng Di's words and deeds in secret and speculate on his thoughts are far from few!

Only, most officials in their whole lives rarely have the chance to appear before the emperor, and even when they do, they lack the right to speak more than a few words.

As for senior court officials who can speak, most are concerned about their reputation and avoid overly blunt flattery of the emperor, lest they be impeached by the censorate as sycophants!

Only someone like Jia Jing, young, highly meritorious, and eloquent, can express his thoughts so unabashedly!

In this sense, Jia Jing does benefit somewhat from his youth.

As Zhang Tingyu finished, Li Guangdi's eyes flickered, and he submitted his memorial:

"Elder Minister Zhang speaks wisely. I think the greatest advantage of the Duke of Jing's proposed reforms is not the added procedures, but the extra pairs of eyes watching officials at every level."

"The old capital inspection only considered what the departmental officials said and how the Ministry of Personnel's evaluation office decided."

"The new capital inspection expands the distribution of 'inspection forms', allowing subordinates, peers, and even local gentry to voice opinions; relying solely on currying favor with superiors to slip through is no longer easy—this is indeed a good law."

In the Da Han Empire's earlier capital inspections, the Ministry of Personnel distributed a document called 'inspection form' to relevant officials to solicit evaluations of preselected or assessed personnel.

The inspection forms were issued directly by the Ministry of Personnel to the Deputy Director of the Examination Department and the Inspector of the Henan Circuit, and only these two were responsible for their collection.

Essentially, it is a 'third‑party assessment' independent of the examinee and his direct superior, maintaining fairness through extensive consultation.

Jia Jing made three improvements to the 'inspection form' system.

First, he broadened the distribution scope: henceforth not only to direct superiors but also to the examinee's peers, subordinates, and even gentry with whom they interact.

After all, assessing an official cannot rely solely on his own and his immediate superior's accounts.

Second, he standardized the content, replacing the previously abstract 'assessment language' with concrete questions.

Such as "How many pending cases did the officer handle this year?", "Is the jurisdiction stable?", "Do subordinates harbor grievances?", and so on.

Third, he established a 'private form' accountability mechanism, addressing the previous abuse of private forms in the Da Han Empire.

Jia Jing suggested that anonymous or unidentified inspection forms be disregarded, and that false accusers be held liable.

It both blocked the route for factions to smear each other, preventing factional strife, and let those who truly wanted to speak speak boldly.