What was the daily life of an ancient county magistrate like?
In accordance with the practice established in feudal society for many years, the Pingyao County Government Office must be located on the central axis of the city. The Forbidden City in Beijing is located on the central meridian of the old Beijing city. The Shanxi Governor’s Office (now the site of the Provincial People’s Government) It is also located on the center line of old Taiyuan City. Probably because the emperor is the proud son of heaven and acts for heaven, so he should be in the middle. The officials in various places were "ordered by the emperor" to control the land and water and to shepherd the people. The government was in the middle and they did their duty. Furthermore, the yamen occupies a position of moderation, which is where matters are decided fairly.
There is a screen wall opposite the original gate outside the county government gate. It was built according to folk customs, so the south of the screen wall is called "Zhaobi South Street". There is the "Shenming Pavilion" on the right side outside the county government gate, which was originally built in the 48th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1620). In the fifth year of Hongwu (1372), Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang ordered all states and counties across the country to build Shenming Pavilions. All disputes over civil marriages, land, foundations, fights, etc. must first be mediated by the chief of each district in Shenming Pavilion. If the mediation fails, a lawsuit can be filed. Drumming. In fact, Shenmingting is a civil mediation office. The establishment of Shenming Pavilion was also a reform of litigation procedures in the early Ming Dynasty, which solved the bad habit of county magistrates being trapped in civil disputes for thousands of years and unable to get away to rectify and develop the political, economic, cultural and other major undertakings of a county. The Dengwen Drum was set up under the large porch. It was established in the early years of Hongwu. People could beat the drum to go up to the Dengwen Temple and complain about their grievances. There was originally a "Zhang Heng Pavilion" in the east outside the gate. It was first built in the 48th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1620) and has been restored. It is a place where good and evil are revealed and social morality is corrected.
Inside the gate of the county government office and outside the ceremonial gate, there are tax rooms on both sides. According to the "Pingyao County Chronicle" in the 46th year of Kangxi (1707), it was originally the 19th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1591). The county magistrate He Qizhi built three "Yin Guesthouses" on the east side. In the forty-eighth year of Wanli (1620), the county magistrate Yang Tingmo built seven service rooms on both sides of Yimen, totaling 10 in total. On the "County Map" of the "Pingyao County Chronicle" published in the eighth year of Guangxu's reign (1882), there are also five service rooms on each side. In recent years, when the county department renovated the building, it was mistakenly built into 12 rooms, with 6 rooms on the east and west sides. It neither conforms to the odd-numbered etiquette for house building in the feudal era, nor does it have historical records to support it, so visitors will have doubts as soon as they step into the gate of the government office. This kind of commercial consciousness that does not respect the historical and cultural connotation and simply speeds up the reconstruction of historical sites and scenic spots will only bring disaster to future generations and make people laugh.
The tax office is the office where the county government collects tax money and grain. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, state finance came from land tax and dingyin collected from farmers. Land tax was collected based on the land owned by farmers, and dingyin was collected based on population. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Pingyao city was divided into 10 villages, and the countryside was divided into 30 miles, 224 administrative villages, and 55 natural villages. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the county had 1,016,427 acres of land and a population of 104,822 people. The land tax was 64,177 taels of silver and 7,882 taels of tin silver. Most farmers could only pay grain, but could not exchange silver.
The collection of taxes and grains by the state was concentrated after the autumn harvest. At that time, the amount of collection and payment was large, and the means of transportation were backward and could only be carried on shoulders, horses, and carts. In order to complete it as soon as possible, the county government arranged in advance to arrange the collection of goods in each workshop. The date of payment of taxes and levies is handled here.
To the north of the service room, a small room was built on each side, with a stove in the east and firewood in the west for the government servants to boil water and cook.
Yimen, also known as the Gate of Ceremonies, was built in the 47th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1619). It is a building that strengthens the feudal etiquette system. According to Confucian ethics in feudal society, all behaviors of people must be distinguished from those of superiors and inferiors, nobles and nobles must be equal, and etiquette must not be exceeded. Etiquette must also be followed when entering and exiting the government office. The middle gate is usually closed, and is only opened when the county magistrate goes on tour, returns to the Yamen, greets guests, or holds major celebrations. Usually, you go through the convenience gates on both sides. The east side of the two sides of the convenience gate is the "Human Gate" and the west side is the "Ghost Gate". Ordinary people can enter and exit through both doors, but to interrogate and escort prisoners, they must go through the ghost door.
After passing through the Yimen, you arrive at the lobby courtyard. Here the courtyard is spacious and the lobby with its platform towers over the front. There are 11 rooms in each of the east and west verandas, collectively called "six rooms". It was first built in the 47th year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty (1619). The name Liubufang comes from the "three provinces and six bufang" system in my country's feudal society. That is to say, since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, within the central government agencies under the emperor's autocratic rule, there were Zhongshu Province, Shangshu Province, and Menxia Province. Zhongshu Province was responsible for legislation, Shangshu Province was responsible for administration, and Menxia Province was responsible for supervision. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the functions of the Shangshu Province were highlighted, and six departments were established: official, household, ritual, military, criminal, and industrial. Each department has clear divisions of labor and clear responsibilities, and controls different aspects of governance for the emperor. Keep the ruling order of feudal society in order. In order to adapt to this complete and strict administrative procedure, the provincial governor's office, prefecture, prefecture, and county offices all set up corresponding offices in the form of six departments, namely "liubufang", also known as "liufang". This system made feudal rule more detailed, improved the degree of specialization of state machinery, enhanced the efficiency of the emperor's control over the ruling institutions, and brought the feudal system and form to its peak.
The "Liubufang" follows the etiquette system of "Left with civility and right with military power". To the east are the official, household, and ceremonial rooms, which are generally managed by the county magistrate. To the west are the military, criminal, and workrooms, which are managed by Dianshi. After the mid-Qing Dynasty, the county-level "Liufang" no longer had a separate agency. Although it was not an organized system, the officials still had their own specialties in the affairs of the Liufang. Various documents, files, account books, etc. in the government office were Utensils, etc., are still stored separately according to parts.
Each of the six departments had its own affairs during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The Civil Service Department of the Ming and Qing dynasties was responsible for the assessment of officials and handling the appointment, removal, promotion, and transfer of officials. The official office of the county government is different. It has four main responsibilities:
The first is to organize and record the achievements of previous officials in the county and major events in the county, and report them to the top in a timely manner. Of course, it is a blessing from God. At the same time, he assisted the county magistrate in assessing the government's miscellaneous personnel and selling labor and food banknotes, etc.
The second is to investigate the family background, moral character, academic attainments, etc. of registered Jinshi, Juren, Gongsheng, etc., and report them to the government office. Some may also be transferred to the governor's yamen, the official yamen, etc. for submission. It can be used as a reference for Xu Yong, Hou Quan, or when filling officials, so that various talents can attract the attention of the court.
The third is to investigate the situation of people in the county serving as officials abroad, so as to record them in the annals of history, and issue certification documents such as leave, Dingyou, and reinstatement after serving as officials in the county. At the same time, it is also convenient to coordinate the relationship with their close relatives in the hometown and take care of each other.
The fourth is to undertake matters such as donations for official titles and titles.
Hufang has four responsibilities.
The first step is to audit the land and population of every Lijia in the county, distribute and collect land tax and dingyin. Most of the money and grain collected were handed over to designated places in accordance with the instructions of the chief envoy or the government station. The remaining part of the county will be transferred to the "Qianliangku" (left side of the lobby), which will be managed by the county magistrate and controlled by the county magistrate.
Secondly, he is responsible for the storage and deployment of county-directed granaries such as Changpingcang and Fengbeicang. Organize police departments in each township to inspect the social warehouses and charity warehouses in each village, manage the market, and detect smuggled salt.
The third is to keep the standard parts of measures (rulers, step bows), quantities (liters, buckets), and scales (scales, 戥) designated by the imperial court to manage the social and economic trade order. The scales at that time were sixteen taels per catty. In the early years, the calculation formula was "One retreat six two five, two one two five..." etc., which were used for transactions with sixteen taels, that is, if something was weighed per catty, The price is one yuan, so every two liang is six cents two cents and a half cents, and two taels is one dime, two cents and a half cents. According to popular legend, the sixteen taels per catty of the old scale symbolizes the sixteen constellations, namely "Nandou Liulang, Big Dipper seven stars, plus the three stars of fortune, wealth and longevity". If a businessman is short of money, he will lose his life, his salary, and his fortune. This serves as a warning to the world, advocates good business ethics, and also shows the wisdom of the ancients. These regulations are very cumbersome. After liberation, the scale was changed to the 10-liang scale, and now it is changed to the kilogram scale. However, the dosage used in ancient books and traditional Chinese medicine classics is still sixteen liang, so do not confuse them. The scattered silver taels recovered by the household must be melted into official silver ingots before they are handed over. They are generally divided into fifty taels and twelve taels. The casting molds are kept by the household, and the fineness is also supervised by the household. However, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, copper coins were not allowed to be minted in county offices. They were uniformly minted by the "Baoquan Bureau" of the central Ministry of Household Affairs. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, provinces were specifically allowed to set up bureaus for minting.
The fourth is to handle disaster relief and poverty relief matters according to the instructions of the county magistrate.
The Ritual Room is in charge of etiquette, celebrations, scientific examinations and other matters.
The first is to host and organize major celebrations in the county, edict and guest ceremonies, and organize official sacrifice ceremonies such as the Confucian Temple, the Martial Temple, the City God Temple, the Yili Altar, and the Sheji Altar. Regular rituals such as the village drinking ceremony and the Spring Festival sacred cow banquet are organized.
The second is to arrange the logistics work of the "county examination". The county examination is an examination for children to become scholars. The imperial court assigned officials such as Jiaoyu (zhengbapin) and admonishment (congruentbapin) to each county to specialize in education for the imperial examination. They are in charge of the proposition, marking and admission of county examinations. He is also in charge of the county school and the county's social studies and voluntary studies, supervises the teaching situation, and corrects the etiquette of the students. The subordinate officials in the ceremonial room only obey their dispatch here. However, the academic property of Xuedian was under the control of the ceremony room.
The third is to contact the students to participate in the prefectural and Taiwan re-examinations and the provincial urban and rural examinations, and arrange the food and examination expenses for the students in the dining room. Send people to deliver the good news to the Chinese students' homes, organize a farewell ceremony for the students taking exams on the bus, etc.
The fourth is to put up bulletins at Zhanghe Pavilion at any time to denounce evil and promote good, strengthen Confucian etiquette, guide social trends, and formulate rural regulations and conventions. Reporting, erecting flagpoles, building archways, carving inscriptions, etc. for Jinshi, Juren, righteous, filial and honest, martyred women, chaste wives, etc., to highlight the good and punish the bad. Undertake the donation procedures.
In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were no permanent barracks in Pingyao. There was only an inspection department (later changed to the Pubing Department) at Putongguan, 40 miles southwest of the city. ) commander, there are 49 soldiers, all of whom are young adults in the city. They guard checkpoints, check pedestrians, and maintain social order. The subordinate staff of the military department should contact them. Occasionally, troops would pass by, and they would be contacted by the military depot. The barracks is also responsible for supervising the manufacture of weapons and the security of the "Arms Depot" (west side of the lobby). Once the political situation becomes unstable, the county government is ordered to organize group training, and the military office is also responsible for the specific affairs. The management and training of the "three shifts of Yamen" and the selection and delivery of military examination personnel are also the responsibility of the military department.
The execution room is not the room where prisoners are executed. Its main responsibilities are:
First, it is responsible for recording the trial documents, organizing and filing them, and searching for the county criminal code in the national criminal code. Terms apply. According to the instructions of the county magistrate, write documents related to the arrest of relevant criminals, seizures, seizure of stolen goods, summons of witnesses, closure of property, judgments, etc., as well as the reported cases of the preliminary trial of major cases.
Second, manage prisons (heavy prisons, light prisons, female prisons), supervise the manufacture and storage of torture instruments and restraints.
Third, transcribe the newly issued decrees, prohibitions and arrest warrants issued by the superiors, etc., and post them at city gates, marketplaces, and traffic signs to inform the people.
Fourth, organize personnel from the Medical Duty Department to diagnose prisoners and verify their injuries and conditions. Lead the coroner (forensic doctor) to conduct autopsy and collect evidence.
The main responsibilities of the workshop are to organize the maintenance of government offices, cities, temples and altars for official worship, build official archways, and supervise major water conservancy, bridge, and pass projects. Undertaken the casting of official silver ingots to create weapons and torture instruments. Send personnel to lead migrant workers to complete labor services at major project sites designated by superiors.
The functions of Liufang basically summarized the main responsibilities of the county magistrate during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In the past, many people often had the misconception that the duties of a county magistrate in feudal society were only to hear cases and resolve prison cases. In fact, the duties of a county magistrate can be roughly summarized into 10 items: managing fields, collecting taxes, persuading farmers to grow mulberry trees, constructing water conservancy projects, and maintaining etiquette. Promote schools and educate people, judge cases and resolve prisons, provide relief to the poor, maintain law and order, and suppress rebellion. "Manuscripts of the History of the Qing Dynasty: Officials Three: Counties" states that the responsibilities of the county magistrate are: "The magistrate is in charge of the governance of a county, decides on lawsuits, persuades farmers to relieve the poor, eliminates cunning and evil, and promotes and establishes education. He is responsible for paying tribute to scholars, reading law, providing care for the elderly, Sacrifice to the gods, and do everything you don’t want to do.” It seems that it is not an easy task to benefit one party and be a good parent and official who is loyal to the emperor and loves the people.
The lobby is the main place where the county magistrate handles official business. It is the largest and has the highest ceiling among the entire county government buildings. It is the center and theme building of the government office. There is a platform in front of the hall, which symbolizes the nobility and majesty of the imperial power.
The lobby of Pingyao County Government is a five-coupled hall, with the three columns in the middle being the public hall. The screen in the middle and rear is painted with a landscape and rising sun. There is a plaque hanging above the pavilion, which reads "The mirror hangs high". The language of this plaque seems to be the common language used by officials in the past dynasties. The allusion of "a bright mirror hanging high" was first seen in the third volume of "Miscellaneous Notes of Xijing" (written by Liu Xin of the Han Dynasty): "Gaozu first entered Xianyang Palace, visited the treasury, and found gold, jade and treasures beyond words. What is especially surprising... is a square mirror. It is four feet wide and five feet nine inches high. There is light on the outside and inside. If you look directly at it, you will see the shadow. , then you will know where the pain is. If a woman is evil, she will be bold. Qin Shihuang often uses it to protect people in the palace, and those who are bold will be killed." Later generations used the metaphor of "a clear mirror hanging high" to describe the officials' strict enforcement of the law and fair judgment. , or act with clear eyesight, fairness and selflessness. The official platform is a symbol of authority. The rostrum set up during meetings that continues to this day seems to have this connotation. There is no rostrum in the symposium to show that everyone is equal and can speak freely. Similar customs stem from this.
There is a case on the official platform, with the "Four Treasures of the Study", the fire stick tube and the gavel wood on it, and the official seal box is placed on the right side. On that day, the magistrate was sitting in the hall, which happened to be the position where the rising sun was rising, which meant that the sun was shining brightly in the sky and the king's law was fair. Viewers can't help but feel admiration for the design concepts of the ancients.
Some of the ceremonial guards of the Seventh Grade Main Hall, also known as "deacons", are displayed in the lobby. According to the regulations of the Qing Dynasty, "to magistrate a county, there are four green flags, one blue umbrella, one green fan, two tung sticks and two leather sticks, and two silence tiles." ("Manuscripts of the History of the Qing Dynasty·Yu Fu Zhi IV") There is no "avoidance" sign in the county magistrate's ceremonial guard, because the county government in feudal society is the most basic political authority. The county magistrate's duty is to handle various affairs of the city, and there is no reason to avoid the people. , The county magistrate should "get along with the common people day and night, and not be isolated and blocked." (Volume 7 of "Mu Ling Ji Yao" by Ding Richang) Officials above the prefect level generally do not accept civil matters directly and are only eligible to use the "avoidance" card when going on patrol.
The east and west sides of the lobby are the "Qianliang Depot" and the "Weaponry Depot" respectively.
On the east side outside the lobby is the "Zanzheng Pavilion". Those who praise participate in politics, and the Zanzheng Pavilion is also the place where people participate in politics. The county magistrate often receives here the elders, squires and other well-known local people as well as officials who retire and return to their hometowns to show "sympathy for the people". In fact, it is a place where officials form alliances with local forces. However, the Qing Dynasty did not allow those who were not yet in official positions to interfere in political affairs. In the ninth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1652), an edict was issued: "Any benefit to the military and civilians is not allowed to be reported in writing. If there is any suggestion, it will be considered as violating the system and will be deposed and punished."
On the west side of the lobby is the "Luang Jia Ku". Luanjia is another name for the emperor's guard of honor. How can Luanjia come from a mere district or county government? It was found out that during the Hongwu period, the "ceremony of welcoming the imperial edict and amnesty" stipulated: "Whenever an envoy is sent to read the imperial edict of amnesty, the officials of this department will come out of Guo with dragon pavilions, ceremonial guards, and drum music to welcome them." ("History of the Ming Dynasty, Volume 56") Therefore, various prefectures, All states and counties must prepare dragon pavilions and ceremonial guards to welcome and guide the "holy edict". This kind of ceremonial guard is an imitation of the imperial palace. When not in use at ordinary times, it is stored in Luanjia's warehouse. This ritual system was still used in the Qing Dynasty. The establishment of "Luan Jia Ku" should originate from this.
The second hall behind the lobby forms a quadrangle of its own and is connected to the inner house behind it, so the gate of the second hall is also called the house gate. The gatekeeper is called "gatekeeper" or "menzi". The gate is on duty day and night, and no idlers are allowed in. If you want to see the master, you must inform the gate. In the Qing Dynasty, the annual salary of a disciple was six taels of silver, but many visitors often rewarded him with tips for convenience. This position was certainly a lucrative one. This is probably why modern people use the word "walk through the door".
In addition to handling official duties in the first hall every morning (around nine o'clock), the county magistrate mainly works in the second hall during the rest of the time, handling daily official duties, summoning subordinates individually, secretly asking about cases, meeting with guests, etc., so here There is no serious atmosphere like the lobby. What is eye-catching is a plaque on the east side of the back wall of the second hall that reads "Eliminate Violence and Peace", which was given to Xiliang, the then magistrate, by Wang Ximin, a native of the city, in 1882. This plaque is the original and has been hidden in the ceiling of the second hall. It was discovered when the roof of the second hall was renovated in recent years. There is a story here: Xiliang, also known as Qingbi, was a Jinshi of Xianglan Banner in Mongolia. He was appointed magistrate of Pingyao County in the sixth year of Guangxu (1880), and was transferred to the magistrate of Yangqu County in the eighth year of Guangxu (1882), with the same magistrate title.
Later, due to his repeated political achievements, he was promoted to a Beijing official. In the leap August of the 26th year of Guangxu (1900), he was promoted from the chief envoy of Hunan to the governor of Shanxi. In the winter of the seventh year of Guangxu (1881), Wang Ximin, an antique dealer in Luoyi Village, Pingyao County, received a "copper" chess set when he went from house to house to buy antiques. It was actually made of pure gold. He became rich overnight. Several scoundrels in the village heard the news and entered the prince's house at night, masked and robbed him, but failed. Leave an anonymous letter, threatening him to hand over the chess, otherwise he will be destroyed.
After Wang Ximin rushed to the county government to file a complaint, Xiliang sent people to conduct private interviews incognito, repeatedly verified and analyzed, and sent people to stay on guard. Finally, they captured this gang of villains and found out the numerous crimes they had committed in the past. They were sentenced to severe punishments, and the people all applauded. Wang Ximin was so moved that he presented this plaque to the county government in the first month of the eighth year of Guangxu's reign (1882) after the county government opened the seal.
The plaque "Zhang Zhong's legacy" hanging on the east wall is also original. It was given to the county governor (county head) Wu Jieji by the people in the early years of the Republic of China.
The east and west wing rooms in the second hall are respectively "Jian Room" and "Zhao Room".
"Jianfang" is the office of the county magistrate. The county magistrate is the assistant to the county magistrate and is of the eighth rank. The indoor work and rest system of the county government in the Qing Dynasty, as well as the county magistrate's Dingyou, salary and seal system are now displayed. In the old days, when parents died, their children had to go home and observe mourning for three years (actually twenty-seven months), which was called "Ding You". If an official encounters the death of his parents, he must apply for a vacancy in the Ministry of Personnel. After the mourning period expires, the Ministry of Personnel will rearrange work according to the situation. The Confucian etiquette of the Han nation is based on filial piety (filial piety comes first among all virtues), so during Ding You's period, he was not even allowed to participate in the scientific examination, otherwise he would be punished. If a child is in a military position and encounters an emergency military situation, a national crisis, or an imperial edict, only then can he pay tribute at a distance because "loyalty and filial piety cannot be balanced". This fully reflects the Confucian etiquette of the Han nationality in the feudal society, which regulates people's moral behavior.
"Salary full" refers to the system in the Qing Dynasty that when officials served for a certain period of time, they would be promoted according to regulations. "Qing Huidian·Li Bu 7·Wen Xuan Qing Li Si 4": "For Beijing officials, the salary is full after two years, and for foreign officials, it is three years after the salary is full. Those whose salary is not full will not be promoted to the deep class. ."
"Sealing" means that the county magistrate has a month's vacation before and after the Spring Festival every year. At that time, he needs to stop working and seal, and the sealing date is determined by the imperial court. "Qing Bai Lei Chao·December Seal": "In the capital's large and small government offices, within three days of the 19th, 20th, and 21st of December every year, the Qintian Supervisor will choose auspicious dates and auspicious times, as usual The seal is issued to the world, and everyone will abide by it. "
The west wing of the second hall is the "recruiting room", which was the office of Dianshi in the past. The classics and histories of the Ming and Qing dynasties have no official status, that is, they are "not in the mainstream". "He is in charge of inspecting and inspecting prisoners. He has no prime minister or secretary, and he also takes charge of his affairs." ("Manuscript of the History of the Qing Dynasty, Official Officials Three") Although the official position of the official historian is small, it is usually filled by local "informed people". Commonly known as the "fourth master" in the yamen (ranked after the magistrate, the prime minister, and the chief clerk). Sometimes the magistrate is away from home or during the sealing period, and Dian Shi will act on his behalf. In the Qing Dynasty, there was no longer a master register, which further expanded the power of the Dianshi. There is a poem "Cross Order", which specifically describes the power of the tiger in Dianshi:
One life can be honored, and two boards can be dragged.
Received thirty silver stipends, passed on to the four rural landowners.
Five smacks in the mouth are enough, and a hexagonal letter is enough.
The seventh-grade official can be trusted, and the eight-character yamen can be opened.
I was very happy to borrow Jiupin Tongfu.
Dian Shi came from a mixed background and was prone to monopolizing power. County magistrates who came from imperial examinations in the Qing Dynasty were very wary of them. They would rather trust their masters and scribes than dare to rely on Dian Shi.
"Zhao Fang" now shows and introduces the Qing Dynasty's "Integrity Bank" system to people. In the early Qing Dynasty, official salaries were low and it was difficult to make ends meet. The annual salary of a first-grade official is 180 taels of silver, while the annual salary of a seventh-grade county magistrate is only 45 taels of silver. The abuse of power for personal gain and misappropriation of public funds are difficult to eradicate. In the second year of Yongzheng (1724), Emperor Yongzheng approved the petition of Nuo Min, the governor of Shanxi, and collected all the "silver money spent by officials" across the country into the national treasury and issued it as official subsidies to support integrity, so it was called "Integrity-raising Silver". . If you are no longer in office, it will be gone, which is equivalent to today’s “job subsidy”. Zheng Qipin County Magistrate's Lian Yin is 400 to 2,000 taels per year. The levels are divided according to the size of the county, total tax amount, etc. Those who are official and live in frontier fortresses or uncivilized areas (minority residential areas) are given preferential treatment. This can be regarded as an incentive mechanism.
On both sides of the second hall are the "Master Qiangu" room and the "Master Xingming" room.
"Master" is neither an official nor a clerk. It is a special name created by the bureaucracy of the Qing Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, they were everywhere from governor's offices to state and county offices. They have a more prominent reputation and status than officials. They have no formal administrative positions, but are actually in charge of the trial of cases in the yamen. The county grandpa called them "Xibin", and they respected the county grandpa as "Dong Weng" and "Dongjia". Officials and common people respected the county magistrate as Lao Ye, and respectfully addressed these secretaries as "Master Shi Ye".
Going through the second hall is the inner house, which was the living area of the county magistrate during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The main room has five couplets, the three couplets in the middle are the living room, and the suites on both sides have one couplet each for the study and bedroom. There is a plaque hanging on the front of the living room, which reads "Shenmian Hall" and is signed by Yang Tingmo, the county magistrate in the 47th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1619). In fact, the name of the hall was fabricated by the exhibitor who ignored history.
The "Pingyao County Chronicle" in the eighth year of Guangxu's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1882) contains the "Preface to the Revision of Pingyao County Chronicle" written by Yang Tingmo in the forty-eighth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1620). The end of the article is "In the forty-eighth year of Wanli (1620), Meng Qiuji was born in Gengshen On the same day, the imperial edict was given to Wen Linlang, who knew the affairs of Pingyao County, and Yang Tingmo, who wrote in his hand, wrote it in the Zhongai Hall. Yang Tingmo's study at that time was called "Zhongaitang", which means loyalty to the emperor and love for the people, which is in line with the motto of an official in feudal society. In fact, if the exhibitors had paid a little attention to historical research at the time, this joke would not have happened.
According to "Qing Bailei Chao", during the Ming and Qing dynasties, all county magistrates moved to other places to serve as officials and were not allowed to bring their family members with them. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the emperor issued an edict that this rule could be broken. Therefore, in the past, the county magistrate moved to another place five hundred miles away to serve as an official, and the magistrate and above had to travel thousands of miles away. Even the edicts and instructions were not allowed to serve within the territory of the "prefecture". Family members are generally not allowed to visit anywhere, and the social concept is closed. After handling official duties, the county magistrate can only read, compose, recite poems, and play the piano in this small world. The life is monotonous and boring, and it is difficult to enjoy family happiness. Unlike today's officials who move to another place, they return home every Friday and take office on Monday, and even drive home every day, leaving early and returning late. They take full advantage of modern transportation and do not understand the difficulties of those who moved to become officials in the feudal era. .
The east and west rooms of the inner house are guest rooms. They can be used as places to stay when visiting officials or classmates or friends from the same department come to visit. However, messengers delivering official documents from superiors could only be sent to the second hall. They were not allowed to enter the inner house, let alone stay in the inner house. They could only stay and eat in the "Yin Hotel" or "Gongguan". This was probably a hierarchical system.
The last building on the central axis of Pingyao County Government Office is the "Daxian Tower", which enshrines the Great Immortal Keeping Seal, the Fox Immortal. In the Qing Dynasty, the government officials regarded the Fox Immortal as the Immortal Protector of the Seal. I don’t know why. The main seal-keeping fairy tree is decorated with gold characters on a red background and clouds, with a Xumi base and an external shrine.
Daxian Tower is the only remaining original building in Pingyao County Government Office, so its terrain is low. Formerly known as Guanyun Tower, it was the place where the county magistrate observed the weather in the four townships after tea and meals every day. This reflects the status of ancient Pingyao agriculture in the feudal economy. In the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed Daxian Tower.
Except for the stone archway from Yimen to the lobby, the buildings on the central axis of the county government office have basically been rebuilt, although there were some mistakes that were contrary to history during the reconstruction. The reconstruction of historical sites is It's hard not to make mistakes. According to the illustration in the old county annals, there are still prisons, the Supervisory Hall, Hongshan Station, and Mawang Temple on the west side that have not yet been renovated. The Tutu Temple, Fouhou Temple, Grain Hall, Flower Hall, Zhuangban Room, etc. on the east side have been renovated and open to tourists.
The "Zhuangban Room" and the original "Servant Room" under the lobby platform (symmetrical from east to west, not yet rebuilt) are the residences of the "Three Class Yamen Servers" of the county government. The so-called "three classes" are soap class, fast class and strong class. Although they are all servants of the government office, their division of labor is different. Zaoban is Zaoli, who is in charge of internal duties such as standing in the hall, announcing events, and walking with the staff. In the Qing Dynasty, Pingyao County Yazaoli included 16 magistrates, four county magistrates, four subordinates of Dianshi, two Hongshanyi Zaoli, and 20 magistrates. Each Zaoli's annual salary for work and food is 6 taels. The fast class is an arresting team, also divided into step and horse teams, responsible for apprehending criminals. In the Qing Dynasty, the Pingyao County Office had 8 agents, and the annual labor, food and fodder silver was 134.4 taels. The Zhuang class is the Minzhuang class, which is filled by young men from the local people in rotation every year. Their main responsibilities are to maintain local security and provide labor services in the government offices. Each person has 6 taels of wages and food per year.
In addition, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, Pingyao County Government also had jailers, sedan bearers, lamp bearers, jailers, umbrella and fan bearers, kuzi, douci, wuzuo (forensic doctors) and other miscellaneous servants. Industrial silver is also 6 taels per person per year.
The status of the "three-class yamen servants" and miscellaneous servants is lower than that of subordinate officials. Except for the strong class, who send their children to serve in turns for good people and common people, they are all regarded as *servants by the society, and most of those who surrender are from the local area. A scoundrel in the market. The Qing Dynasty stipulated that police officers were not allowed to marry good citizens, and their descendants were not allowed to take the imperial examinations for three generations, let alone be officials. Therefore, many families stipulate that their descendants are not allowed to serve as servants, otherwise their family status will be reduced and they will not be allowed to enter the ancestral hall and enter the genealogy.
The wages of the servants are low, the treatment is poor, and there is no such thing as "raising an honest bank". However, with the "summons" and "iron chains" in their hands as capital, they can extort money and blackmail people everywhere when performing official duties such as arresting criminals, walking sticks in court, escorting prisoners, investigating stolen goods, urging criminals, and performing autopsies. It’s true that “the power lies in the power, regardless of the size.” Ji Xiaolan of the Qing Dynasty said: "In the eyes of the people, the servants are only one level lower than the emperor." Dashu of the Qing Dynasty listed the eight major harms of the captives in "Ping Ping Yan": "Boating thieves to share their wealth, allowing thieves to harm the people, and extorting victims , arbitrarily seize civilians, lynch and hang them, steal stolen goods, and exploit thieves. "The arresters often use the "thief blooming" tactic, that is, when a robbery occurs, they falsely accuse some well-off people as the owners of the nest, and then detain them. They were forced to pay to "launder their names." There are also people who use the pretext of "taking stolen goods" to rummage through boxes and cabinets and steal sheep, which is worse than thieves. What's more, they take thieves as disciples and divide them into 30-70.
Through the research on the development of old county government offices in Ming and Qing dynasties in Pingyao County, we can see that in feudal society, county-level government agencies were in direct contact with the people, and whether they ruled effectively or not was related to the entire world. Stablize. The Ming and Qing dynasties already had a complete set of experience in county-level administrative governance. The first is to strengthen the power of the Zhengyin officials. Although there are assistant and secondary officials below, such as county magistrates, jiaoyu, etc., each with their own responsibilities, the political power will ultimately be unified under the county magistrate. The hierarchy of officials, officials, servants, etc. is very strict and no confusion is allowed. Secondly, a complete set of service agencies has been formed from thousands of years of practice. The "three classes and six rooms" each perform their own duties, and can also hire secretaries to ensure the effective use of the county magistrate's ruling power.
There are clear regulations on the responsibilities, recruitment, tenure, and career paths of officials in the office. The third is to formulate complete laws and regulations for grassroots political power. In addition to the relevant provisions in the Huidian and the Rules, the Qing government also specially compiled the "Prefecture and County Matters", "Pastoral Orders", etc., which were political documents specifically targeted at state officials and county officials. The county chief seal officer carries out restrictions and regulations so that there are laws and regulations to follow. The county-level administrative organization in the Qing Dynasty was the most complete stage of Chinese feudal society.