I traveled back to the Qin Dynasty, and the First Emperor begged me to become his empress.

Chapter 298 Problems and Solutions

In this tense and oppressive moment, the King of Qin, who had remained silent on his high throne as steady as a towering mountain, finally broke the suffocating silence. He slightly narrowed his deep, abyss-like eyes, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present, and then spoke in a voice that was authoritative yet composed and decisive: "Enough! Regarding the imperial examination, my beloved ministers may return to their residences first, calmly consider it carefully. Let's set this aside for now and discuss it together when the time is right. Jiayang, now you will continue to describe what thorny problems remain, and the corresponding solutions."

Upon hearing King Qin's words, Ying Wuyou, standing below, dared not be negligent in the slightest and hurriedly nodded respectfully in response, "Yes, Father." After saying this, he took a deep breath and composed himself.

Then, Ying Wuyou cleared his throat lightly and spoke again, his voice clear: "To truly achieve long-term stability, prosperity, and strength for the country, establishing an effective and comprehensive system of supervision and checks and balances is of paramount importance. This system must comprehensively cover all levels from top to bottom, leaving no one out, whether it be high-ranking officials in the court or grassroots officials in the localities. Only in this way can we effectively curb the occurrence of a series of abhorrent phenomena such as officials acting recklessly, abusing their power, embezzling public funds, and breeding corruption."

As soon as Ying Wuyou finished speaking, the King of Qin, sitting above, nodded slightly in agreement and replied, "Hmm, not bad."

Deep down, the King of Qin was increasingly satisfied with Ying Wuyou. After all, he had personally experienced the arduous journey from initially having his power usurped by others and being controlled at every turn, to gradually regaining power and taking sole control of the realm. Therefore, he understood better than anyone how crucial it was to maintain a balance of power among the officials in the court.

Ying Wuyou did not stop speaking because of the King of Qin's praise, but immediately added: "Moreover, there is another crucial point that cannot be ignored, and that is to make every effort to improve the work efficiency and execution of officials at all levels. If local officials always intentionally or unintentionally delay the progress of affairs, then no matter how capable or resourceful the superior officials are, they will find it difficult to smoothly advance subsequent government affairs due to the lack of necessary support and cooperation. If this continues, it will inevitably lead to a significant reduction in the administrative efficiency of the entire court, seriously affecting the normal operation and development of the Qin government."

Just then, Wang Wan, who had been standing quietly listening, suddenly interjected and asked, "In that case, Princess Jiayang, have you already come up with a good solution to improve the efficiency of officials at all levels?"

Ying Wuyou looked at the King of Qin with unwavering determination and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, I believe that a clear, concise, and effective performance evaluation system should be established. Specifically, a comprehensive and in-depth evaluation of officials at all levels should be conducted every quarter. This evaluation should cover multiple aspects, such as the quantity and quality of their administrative tasks, and the level of public satisfaction with their work within their jurisdiction. Officials who fail to meet the evaluation standards for two consecutive quarters should be punished accordingly, either by demotion to observe their future performance or by temporarily suspending their salaries as a form of discipline. Conversely, officials who perform exceptionally well and achieve outstanding results should be generously granted promotion opportunities or substantial rewards as incentives."

At this moment, Feng Jie, who was standing to the side, looked worried and interjected, "This method is good, but if some officials engage in favoritism and corruption, it will probably be difficult to detect, won't it?"

Upon hearing this, Ying Wuyou immediately continued, "That's precisely why we can simultaneously establish a dedicated inspection team. This team should conduct surprise inspections and covert investigations of the offices of officials across the country from time to time. If any official is found to be passively shirking their duties, neglecting their responsibilities, or even committing malfeasance or illegal acts, they must be severely punished without exception! Moreover, in order to improve administrative efficiency and reduce unnecessary waste of time and resources, we also need to drastically simplify some overly cumbersome and ineffective official procedures, so that officials can be freed from red tape and devote more energy and attention to practical government affairs."

After a pause, Ying Wuyou continued, "Furthermore, we could set up suggestion boxes in prominent locations and actively encourage the public to boldly offer their valuable opinions and reasonable suggestions regarding the policies of local officials. If a suggestion is ultimately adopted and achieves good results, the person who made the suggestion can be given a certain amount of material reward. In this way, we can fully mobilize the public's enthusiasm and initiative in participating in the supervision of officials, forming a positive situation where officials and the people are of one mind and jointly govern the country."

Ying Wuyou articulated her ideas methodically and fluently, each word perfectly chosen. The King of Qin, seated on his high throne, listened attentively, occasionally nodding slightly in agreement. After Ying Wuyou finished speaking, the King of Qin pondered briefly, then nodded with delight, praising, "Jiayang's plan is truly ingenious; I believe it is feasible. What are the opinions of my ministers?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the ministers below the court fell silent, their faces grim. Surprisingly, not a single one dared to stand up and utter a word in rebuttal.

These ministers, of course, understood perfectly well. After so many years of dealing with the King of Qin, they had long since grasped his temperament and character. Now that the King of Qin was so clearly expressing his full support for Ying Wuyou, it meant he was determined to protect her. If anyone were to be so tactless as to jump out and oppose him at this critical juncture, it would undoubtedly be a blatant challenge to the King of Qin's authority, and would surely incur his wrath.

It's important to understand that while some ministers might occasionally express extreme views due to differing political opinions, very few dared to confront the King of Qin's wrath directly. After all, the consequences of the King of Qin's anger were far beyond what ordinary people could bear.

Therefore, faced with this situation, the ministers, despite their deep dissatisfaction and doubts, had no choice but to suppress their displeasure and force out smiles that were more like cries, to show the King of Qin that they had no objections. A strange and oppressive atmosphere permeated the entire court, like the calm before a storm.