Chapter 202: Water and Soil Discomfort: Reforming Customs and Mores

For over two hundred years since the founding of the Great Ming, its institutions had inevitably grown bloated and unwieldy, especially the bureaucracy.

Yet correspondingly, the court's evaluation of officials had also become increasingly strict—at least on paper.

In the early Ming, the system stipulated that capital officials were assessed and promoted or demoted at the end of their term.

That is, evaluations were irregular.

When the Emperor had a thought, he would check on things, to see how deeply his subordinates were deceiving him.

By the eighth year of Tian Shun, nearly a century after the founding, the capital evaluation finally became formalized—"held once every ten years, covering all officials regardless of whether they were currently serving, on salary, in mourning, on official duty, on sick leave, or on ancestral rites, all jointly assessed by their respective department heads."

Then, in the seventeenth year of Hongzhi,

after repeated memorials from Huang Bao, Minister of Personnel Lin Han, and Censor Xu Tianci, the capital evaluation was changed to every six years—"Let the Ministries of Personnel in both capitals, together with the Censorate and all department heads, conduct fair assessments; from now on, this shall be held every six years, established as law."

But after Zhengde, even six years seemed too long.

A new practice emerged: the leap-year evaluation—additional, ad hoc assessments held outside the regular six-year cycle, depending on circumstances.

For instance, after Gao Gong took control of the Grand Secretariat, when it wasn't a major assessment year, he still wanted to sweep through the bureaucracy, so he used the pretext of sandstorms to conduct a leap-year evaluation.

Besides the annual capital evaluation, the Ministry of Personnel also assessed officials based on their years of service.

Every three years, each department compiled reports on the merits and faults of its subordinates over the past three years, then submitted them for review to determine promotion or demotion.

Both methods were largely similar: for officials of rank five and below, the Ministry of Personnel, together with the Censorate and department heads, conducted joint evaluations; for officials above rank four, the Emperor personally decided their fate.

In short, these two large and small assessments, in theory, covered all officials inside and outside the capital.

By the present Emperor Wanli reign, Zhang Zhang Juzheng proposed the Performance Evaluation System, taking this a step further by merging both systems into a nationwide, annualized evaluation.

Though it was a major leap, it was still a natural evolution, gradually developing to this point.

Since it was a continuous lineage, the same personnel could handle it more adeptly.

Especially the Ministry of Personnel's Office of Performance Evaluation, which had long overseen official assessments and promotions/demotions, was unquestionably the main force in every purge—truly battle-hardened.

Today, even with the Emperor's surprise inspection, the Office of Performance Evaluation did not lose composure; instead, it swiftly prepared the case files and documents as ordered.

Zhu Zhu Yijun took full possession of the Ministry of Personnel's Office of Performance Evaluation, seated on the dais, reviewing the compiled case files.

He occasionally turned to the two Vice Ministers beside him and asked: "Shen Qing, Wen Qing, how many officials are included in this evaluation across the two capitals and one province?"

Shen Shen Shixing and Wen Chun had been specially granted seats, sitting to the left and right of the dais in the Office of Performance Evaluation.

When the Emperor spoke, the Left Vice Minister answered first.

Shen Shen Shixing paused to recall, then replied: "Your Majesty, for this evaluation, there are 1,996 capital officials, of whom 580 are in Nanjing."

"In the two direct provinces and Fujian Province, the officials of all prefectures, departments, and counties total 5,240."

"Together, the two capitals and one province amount to over seven thousand officials."

Zhu Zhu Yijun flipped through the files, listening to Shen Shen Shixing, and nodded.

The total number of registered officials was 28,963.

Seven thousand, though only a fraction, was still no small number.

No wonder it had taken two months and was still unfinished.

Zhu Zhu Yijun asked again: "To date, how many are rated excellent or poor?"

Shen Shen Shixing and Wen Chun exchanged glances, then both looked toward Liu Zhu Dashou, the Director of the Office of Performance Evaluation, who was interpreting the files beside the Emperor.

Liu Zhu Dashou, quick to read the situation, promptly took over: "Your Majesty, so far, our office has evaluated over five thousand officials, of whom two hundred eleven are excellent, six hundred seventy-two are poor, and the rest are qualified."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhu Yijun couldn't help shaking his head.

This was terrible.

One in ten unqualified, and we haven't even started land surveying yet!

This is the first year of the Performance Evaluation; the focus is mostly on refining the system.

Local prefectural and county evaluations mostly require only tax collection, transport, and stability metrics; as for capital officials, simply maintaining normal departmental operations and completing tasks assigned by the Emperor and the Grand Secretariat is enough to avoid being rated poor.

For minor issues, the Ministry of Personnel often turns a blind eye—if an official promises to rectify within a deadline, it won't be recorded in the files.

Yet even so, the number of unqualified officials far exceeded Zhu Zhu Yijun's expectations.

This could only mean these men either did no work at all, or were deliberately sabotaging progress.

Zhu Zhu Yijun randomly pulled out a file and studied it closely—he wanted to see exactly how someone could be rated unqualified.

"... In December of Emperor Longqing Sixth Year, the crown prince of the Ryukyu Kingdom's Zhongshan state, Shang Yong, sent envoys with tribute documents requesting succession to the title of King. The matter was referred to the Ministry of Rites, which ordered officials of Fujian's military and civil administration to investigate and report. The Fujian officials did not report. In the following May, they accepted a bribe of 1,600 taels of silver from Prince Shang Yong and then submitted their report."

Below were attached the impeachment memorials from censors and the complaint from Prince Shang Yong.

Fine. Extortion and bribery—very spirited.

To be fair, such maneuvers were expected; Zhu Zhu Yijun had seen them often. But delaying the Ministry of Rites' official duties was truly absurd.

He continued flipping through the files.

"Tax arrears in Changzhou, Yangzhou, and Suzhou prefectures reached over 170,000 taels in a single year, due to the deliberate negligence of prefects and other officials; despite urgent collection efforts, taxes remain unpaid by the deadline."

Attached were the Ministry of Revenue's ledgers and the Ministry of Personnel's records identifying which officials in the prefectural offices were responsible—clearly documented in black and white.

Tax arrears... Zhu Zhu Yijun shook his head.

Last year, Minister of Revenue Wang Guoguang had bitterly complained in court that tax collection was difficult—local officials always cited natural disasters or rebellious commoners, always delaying payment and incessantly petitioning for tax exemptions.

After censors were sent to pressure them, they summarized four reasons: one, powerful gentry obstructed; two, officials were negligent; three, wealthy families embezzled; four, rogue intermediaries monopolized.

Euphemistic, but plainly stating collusion between officials and gentry.

Zhu Zhu Yijun now saw the names of the corresponding prefectural and county officials.

Zhu Zhu Yijun silently noted them down, then handed the file to the Hanlin Compiler Wu Wu Zhonghang: "All of you, take a look. Later, tell me whether such officials rightly deserve to be rated unqualified."

Wu Wu Zhonghang bowed low, clasping his hands respectfully as he received the file from the Emperor.

Alongside the junior Hanlin scholars, he examined it.

Zhu Zhu Yijun let them study it themselves and turned back to the files.

Corruption, cruelty, recklessness, incompetence, old age, illness—every failing imaginable.

Zhu Zhu Yijun alternated between fury, gloom, and morbid fascination.

Unconsciously,

two unexpected visitors entered the Office of Performance Evaluation's main hall.

The young Emperor, absorbed in the files, noticed nothing; Shen Shen Shixing, Wen Chun, and others saw them and hurried to rise and bow.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng raised a hand slightly, signaling Shen Shen Shixing not to rise, then stood quietly beside the Emperor with Gao Yi, waiting for him to finish reading.

The young Emperor remained oblivious, still looking down at the files as he asked Director Liu Zhu Dashou: "Director Liu, among these unqualified officials, what does 'incompetent' specifically mean?"

Zhu Zhu Yijun had glanced through the files; corruption and tax resistance were rare.

Most were simply marked "incompetent."

He found this puzzling.

Liu Zhu Dashou glanced at the two senior officials and the two Grand Secretaries; seeing none would speak, he answered the Emperor: "Your Majesty, 'incompetent' refers to magistrates, prefects, and other department heads and officers who do not attend office, do not sign documents, and do not perform duties."

"Though they commit no crime, their absence prevents departments from functioning properly—that is incompetence."

Zhu Zhu Yijun's hand froze mid-page. He silently pointed to two names in the file and ordered: "Summon Director Tu Tu Yiying of the Court of Imperial Entertainments and Compiler Zhao Wang Zhigao of the Hanlin Academy to the Ministry of Personnel to see me."

He sighed: "Idle officeholders... They don't even show up for work. What are they doing all day?"

It was a mutter, not meant for an answer.

Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke: "Your Majesty, most are traveling, sightseeing, and lecturing."

Zhu Zhu Yijun, lost in thought, was startled so badly he flinched.

As expected, he looked up to see Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Gao Yi standing beside him, bowing respectfully.

After bowing, they stood straight, eyes forward.

Zhao Zhao Yongxian beside them looked uneasy, head down, avoiding his master's gaze; Wu Wu Zhonghang, however, bowed respectfully to Zhang Zhang Juzheng, calm and composed.

Only then did Zhu Zhu Yijun come to his senses.

After calming himself, he smiled: "Why aren't you two gentlemen properly seated in the Grand Secretariat? Why sneak in to startle me?"

Zhang Zhang Juzheng's face was expressionless: "We heard Your Majesty was taken out of the palace by a group of junior scholars. We were deeply alarmed and could not neglect Your Majesty's safety, so we abandoned our duties in the Grand Secretariat."

Zhu Zhu Yijun smiled awkwardly.

Pretending not to hear the rebuke in his tone, he turned to Gao Yi and changed the subject: "You mentioned traveling and lecturing—do you mean Tu Tu Yiying and Zhao Wang Zhigao?"

Gao Yi had also intended to admonish the Emperor, but seeing his expression, he held back.

After a moment's thought, he chose to let the Emperor off the hook: "Your Majesty, I am not familiar with Tu Tu Yiying's affairs."

"But Zhao Wang Zhigao never attends the Hanlin Academy. Instead, he holds lectures in the capital."

"Yesterday, he and Geng Xiangding, Zeng Tongheng, Zou Zou Dehan, and other Wang Yangming scholars held a grand lecture gathering at a Daoist temple."

Zhu Zhu Yijun frowned.

He looked at Zhang Zhang Juzheng: "Master, I recall my late father issued an edict forbidding serving officials from holding public lectures."

That edict had been pushed by Gao Gong and Zhang Zhang Juzheng.

Now it seemed to exist only in name.

At this point, Zhang Zhang Juzheng's expression softened slightly as he explained: "The late Emperor did issue that edict, but violators were only punished by censors' memorials—there was no fixed penalty."

Zhu Zhu Yijun nodded.

The meaning was clear: the Emperor Longqing Emperor had merely forbidden officials from lecturing, but never specified consequences.

Back then, Gao Gong controlled the censorial apparatus and had them impeach anyone who broke the rule, suppressing it for a time.

Now Zhang Zhang Juzheng lacks such control over the censors—otherwise, his own students wouldn't have been repeatedly impeaching him.

So this edict has become largely ineffective.

"Your Majesty, Director Tu and Compiler Zhao are waiting outside."

During their brief conversation, the Secretary Deng Deng Yizan, sent to summon them, had already returned—whether from the Court of Imperial Entertainments or the Hanlin Academy, both were only two courtyards away from the Ministry of Personnel.

Zhu Zhu Yijun set aside his amiable expression from chatting with the two ministers and said solemnly: "Bring in Tu Tu Xiying."

Not long after.

A fifty-year-old official in crimson robes walked in slowly behind Deng Deng Yizan.

Tu Tu Xiying had been in officialdom for over a decade and held the rank of fourth-rank positive; he knew full well that the emperor's sudden summons meant no good.

Yet he remained calm and composed, bowing with precise formality: "Your servant, Tu Tu Xiying, Minister of the Honglu Temple, pays homage to Your Majesty."

Zhu Zhu Yijun studied the man closely.

He appeared dignified and imposing, a man of fine bearing.

Zhu Zhu Yijun did not immediately accuse him, nor did he mention the matter at hand; instead, he began chatting casually: "I recall, Minister Tu, you passed the imperial examination in the thirty-fifth year of Emperor Jiajing?"

Tu Tu Xiying replied calmly: "It is an honor for Your Majesty to remember. I indeed passed the imperial examination in the thirty-fifth year of Emperor Jiajing, a native of the Southern Nan Zhili region."

Bringing up his native region out of nowhere was not out of pride.

Rather, the emperor's sudden arrival at the Ministry of Personnel, seated in the Office of Merit Assessment, could only mean one thing: the Examination of Performance.

Such evaluations of officials have always been a convenient opportunity to eliminate rivals.

He reasoned that, given the emperor's prejudice against officials from the Southern Nan Zhili region, he was likely about to seize on this pretext—and so he had prepared himself mentally, ready to accept whatever came.

Zhu Zhu Yijun nodded, then asked offhandedly: "Back then, you traveled thousands of miles to the capital to sit for the examination and earn your degree—what was your original motive?"

There must be some reason for becoming an official.

Whether to reform the world, bring glory to one's family, or simply rise above others—these were the prevailing values of the time.

On an individual level, one could even find multiple reasons.

It should have been an easy question to answer—but when Tu Tu Xiying heard the emperor's question, he froze.

Then he fell into a long silence.

After a long while, he bowed respectfully and replied in a stiff, rehearsed tone: "Your Majesty, when I passed the imperial examination, my purpose was to apply my learning—to serve the state and shepherd the people."

Upon hearing this, several junior Ministry of Revenue assistant ministers, lacking experience in central governance and holding lower ranks, could not suppress their amusement; they buried their heads low, gritting their teeth to keep from laughing.

But the senior ministers, vice ministers, and Hanlin academicians maintained their composure.

Zhu Zhu Yijun was accustomed to such official rhetoric; he nodded as if convinced.

Just as Tu Tu Xiying was baffled, the emperor's voice came again.

"If you once held such ideals, then why do you now say, 'An official post may be abandoned in a day, but learning must never be neglected for a single day'?"

"Have you ceased to wish to serve the state and shepherd the people?"

At these words, Tu Tu Xiying turned pale.

Not only Tu Tu Xiying—Wen Chun and Shen Shen Shixing exchanged a glance, their eyes flickering with surprise.

This was clearly premeditated!

Tu Tu Xiying held a fourth-rank post; the Ministry of Personnel could not directly declare him unfit—only issue a "unfit for office" assessment, leaving final judgment to the emperor.

But that assessment only covered his absenteeism, failure to perform duties, and refusal to sign documents.

The phrase "an official post may be abandoned in a day, but learning must never be neglected for a single day" was not mentioned anywhere in the report.

Moreover, who would ever publicly utter such a thing, unless to curry favor and build reputation in private?

This could only have come from the Embroidered Uniform Guard eavesdropping.

Wen Chun and Shen Shen Shixing could deduce it—and so could many of the Hanlin academicians.

Wu Wu Zhonghang looked at the emperor's back with growing fear.

Zhao Zhao Yongxian glanced around, then looked up to check the rafters for hidden figures.

Zhu Zhu Yijun ignored all these movements.

Seeing Tu Tu Xiying remained silent, he pressed: "Minister Tu, if you merely spoke of abandoning your post in a day, that might be excusable."

"But as a senior official of the Honglu Temple, you have spent less than half the year on duty this year, spending your days wandering between temples and Daoist abbeys, lecturing and spreading teachings."

"Minister Tu, I am truly curious—if you have no desire to be an official, why did you take the imperial examination in the first place?"

He gazed steadily at Tu Tu Xiying.

Among those failing this round of performance evaluations, such men were the most numerous.

They committed no crimes, did not embezzle, even maintained a reputation for integrity, and often criticized those in power or those who gained favor through flattery—presenting themselves as upright officials.

But ask them about their actual duties?

They would politely reply: "I am not ambitious for office; I have no interest in performing these duties."

By doing nothing, they committed no errors.

They held office without contributing—commonly called "occupying a latrine without defecating."

This disrupted the daily operations of the ministries.

Take the recent birthday celebration: the envoys who came to pay tribute were not only from Korea, the dutiful son, but from other vassal states as well.

But Tu Tu Xiying was lecturing during those days—he only arranged for the vassal envoys to attend the Ministry of Rites banquet on the day of the celebration, by which time the Koreans had already finished eating and left!

Worse still, these so-called "unambitious" men often received praise from the literati and rose rapidly in rank.

Tu Tu Xiying's calm demeanor vanished; in its place came lowered eyes and silence.

After a long pause, he finally spoke slowly: "Your Majesty, I do not wish to abandon office—I am simply unaccustomed to the climate. Whenever I report for duty at the Honglu Temple, I fall ill."

"I beg to be transferred back to the Southern Nan Zhili region."

Zhu Zhu Yijun nearly laughed in disbelief.

So you're the type who doesn't care if you're boiled alive?

After all this, you took the examination just to return home in glory and wait for retirement?

Historically, this very man slipped back to Southern Nan Zhili this month—"Minister of the Honglu Temple Tu Tu Xiying, due to unsuitability to the climate, was reassigned to a Nanjing office."

And how did he perform after returning?

Opinions varied.

His colleagues in Southern Nan Zhili praised him as a model of the literati, the first since Chen Jing Sect.

But the students of Southern Nan Zhili denounced him for corrupting teacherly virtue and acting eccentrically.

A bureaucrat praised by his peers yet shunned by the entire Imperial Academy—what kind of man was that?

Eventually, Wang Wei, a censor of the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue, could no longer tolerate it and submitted a memorial accusing Tu Tu Xiying of erratic conduct, undermining moral example, and provoking widespread student resentment.

The true value of "unambitious."

Zhu Zhu Yijun did not even bother to respond to Tu Tu Xiying's request; he waved his hand and dismissed him.

After Tu Tu Xiying stepped past the threshold of the Office of Merit Assessment.

Zhu Zhu Yijun turned to the Hanlin academicians: "Among you, is there anyone who claims to be unambitious for office?"

"Speak now, and I will grant your wish at once."

Li Li Deyou stepped forward immediately: "Your Majesty, this man is a pretender—his hypocrisy is obvious!"

"He has no concern for state or people, nor is he truly unambitious."

"He merely imitates Minister Lu Lu Shusheng, seeking fame through empty posturing—like Dong Shi imitating Xi Shi!"

"How could we follow in his footsteps?"

Zhu Zhu Yijun smiled.

You, who once petitioned at the palace gates, now criticize others for seeking fame?

At this moment, Wu Wu Zhonghang also stepped forward and sighed: "Your Majesty, today, witnessing these men's idleness and shamelessness, I finally understand the necessity of the Examination of Performance."

"Such men, who seek reputation while neglecting duty, are not even worth a fraction of my fellow Hanlin scholars."

He might as well have said, "I could do better."

After speaking, Wu Wu Zhonghang cast a glance at Zhang Zhang Juzheng—filled with understanding, regret, apology, and profound complexity.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng had been staring straight ahead, but as he thought more, his anger grew; he scowled fiercely at Wu Wu Zhonghang.

The young emperor noticed none of these subtle gestures.

He handed Tu Tu Xiying's dossier to Li Li Deyou for circulation among the group.

At this moment, Shen Shen Shixing, seated in the main hall, could no longer hold back; he rose and reminded: "Your Majesty, according to the Examination of Performance, an official is dismissed only after three years of failure."

"This system is meant to correct before punishing, to heal rather than destroy. I humbly beg Your Majesty to consider the appropriate disposition."

Though Tu Tu Xiying was infuriating,

the Examination of Performance had been publicly announced in writing, and initial failures still offered a chance for correction.

The emperor's word was final, but the credibility of the Grand Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel was another matter.

Immediately, Wen Chun spoke up: "Your Majesty, I believe dismissal is not warranted, but some mild punishment is necessary to warn other officials—otherwise, seeing Tu Tu Xiying escape unscathed, they will rush to emulate him. I fear that in time, the law will be unable to punish all."

Gao Yi glanced at the two Ministry of Personnel officials, then exchanged a silent look with Zhang Zhang Juzheng; neither spoke.

Ordinarily, the Examination of Performance was handled entirely by the Grand Secretariat; the emperor never intervened.

Now, Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Gao Yi should at least assert their presence.

But the central bureaucracy had its conventions.

To balance regional factions, appointments were always mixed between north and south.

For example, when the chief grand secretary was from the south, the Censor-in-Chief was often from the north.

Likewise, Shen Shen Shixing, a southern man, headed the Ministry of Personnel; the emperor, distrustful, had specifically asked Gao Yi to recommend Wen Chun, the old Qin official.

Now, because Tu Tu Xiying—a southern Nan Zhili man—had caused division, the Grand Secretariat dared not speak further, lest the emperor suspect the Examination of Performance had ignited factional strife.

Fortunately, the young emperor was still reasonable.

Zhu Zhu Yijun shook his head: "I am not versed in state affairs; I merely brought the Hanlin academicians to observe. How to handle this matter follows established procedure—report your decision to the Grand Secretariat."

He looked at Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Gao Yi: "I rely on you two, gentlemen."

The two quickly returned the bow.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng secretly exhaled a breath of relief, his old heart filled with comfort; it seemed the Emperor had merely acted on a passing whim, not eager to seize power from the Grand Secretariat.

Zhu Zhu Yijun withdrew his gaze and spoke casually: "Wu Qing says the Hanlin Academy's peers far surpass these men; let me finish reading before I decide."

He then nodded to Deng Deng Yizan: "Let Zhao Wang Zhigao enter."