Chapter 5

Lord Li's residence.

Three rounds of wine in, I lifted my cup, slung an arm over Lord Li's shoulder, and put on a little drunk.

"Lord Li. I hear you're well-versed in past and present. Allow this prince to test you with a question."

Lord Li set his cup down at once. "Please ask, Your Highness."

I narrowed my eyes and said, slow, "If a man wanted to become the most dashing person under heaven, what should he rely on?"

Lord Li's face went grave in an instant.

He thought for a beat. Then his color changed.

Next second.

"Thud!"

He dropped straight to his knees.

"Your Highness! This official has no thought of overreaching!"

I stared.

"No. I was just asking a question."

Cold sweat beaded on Lord Li's forehead. His voice had started to shake. "The most dashing men under heaven are naturally His Majesty and Your Highness! His Majesty is a hero of vast talent. Your Highness is a prodigy in your youth. Father and son of one heart—a tale for all the realm!"

I was silent for a few seconds.

Then I quietly took a sip of tea.

Fail.

Not him.

Finding the person who'd transmigrated the same way I had was turning out harder than I'd thought.

The next day, I set my sights on Lord Zhang.

Lord Zhang oversaw geography and astronomy, and he loved studying strange tales and curiosities. I figured his mind might run closer to a modern person's.

So I asked:

"Lord Zhang. Do you know what the most important thing is for a nation?"

Lord Zhang thought a little.

"Land?"

I shook my head.

"Population?"

I kept shaking my head.

"Grain?"

I shook my head again.

Lord Zhang's face got tighter and tighter.

At last, as if he'd finally landed on the answer, he said, very seriously:

"This official understands."

"What Your Highness speaks of must be His Majesty."

Me: "?"

"With a wise ruler like His Majesty, the realm naturally flourishes."

I looked at the conviction in his eyes and sank into silence.

Great.

Another man whose brain had been rewritten by palace survival rules.

Fail.

It wasn't until I went to the Minister of Rites' residence that I felt a thread of something different.

That day I only said, offhand:

"If a person suddenly arrived in a completely unfamiliar world, what's the first thing they should do?"

The Minister of Rites' hand, lifting his tea, paused.

He didn't jump to a flattering answer. He actually thought about it.

"An unfamiliar world…"

He repeated it under his breath.

"The first thing should be to confirm one's identity and situation."

My hand stilled a little.

That sentence was too close to a modern way of thinking.

I was about to probe further when he added:

"Then find a way to stay alive."

Me: "..."

Close.

Still a little off.

At least his first reflex wasn't licking the Emperor's boots, unlike everyone else.

So I switched questions.

"If I put you in charge of a very large organization, how would you raise efficiency?"

The Minister of Rites frowned.

"Add more people?"

"No."

I shook my head.

"Clear goals. Divide responsibility. Inspect on a schedule."

The Minister of Rites froze.

That night he wrote those words down on paper and studied them until dawn.

The more he thought, the more meaning he was sure was buried in them.

The Crown Prince would never say that for no reason.

There had to be a principle of governance hidden inside.

Half a month later.

A new memorial appeared at court.

Official Performance and Accountability System.

Every official was to set goals, define duties, and report results on a schedule.

Major failures would be traced to the person responsible.

The Emperor finished reading it and decided on the spot.

"Approved."

The news got out. The whole court shook.

I held that memorial and sank into total silence.

I just wanted to find a modern person.

Why had I accidentally rolled out performance management for ancient officials?

Were these ancient people's learning skills… a little too extra?