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From the Ming Dynasty officials, the Wenxuan Silang
How to spend his day
When: Autumn of 1575
Location: Kyoshi
Character: Shōryō Shōnen Shōnen (first person)
Other characters: Fu Xiang (Shou Fu Zhang Juzheng), Dazai (Official Shangshu Zhang Han)
On the way to work
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Yin Zheng (4 a.m.), the sky is still sinking in the dark night, if you don't hold the lamp, you can't see your five fingers. It was time to get up, the maid had prepared toiletries and breakfast for me, and the servants had prepared the clothes of the upper court. After everything was packed, I took a bronze mirror in my official uniform.
It is reasonable to say that officials of my sample level did not participate in the early dynasty, and it was not a matter of taking a leave of absence, but unfortunately, the Wenxuan Division was always concerned, and the auxiliary ministers (Zhang Juzheng) and Dazai (the official Shangshu Zhang Han) always looked after him in real time.
Zhang Juzheng film and television image. Source/Screenshot of the TV series "Daming Dynasty 1566"
It is said that during the Yan Song period, officials referred to the officials Wenxuan Silang Zhongwanjia and the Bingbu Zhifang Lang Fangxiang as the "Wenwu Butlers" of Yan Song's father and son. This is obviously exaggerated, how can Wen Xuanlang directly dock with the first assistant?
At the beginning of the day (5 o'clock), the sedan was already waiting in the courtyard. I went out the door, and the group walked toward the vast night. Everything was silent, except for the dim light of the servants in front of them carrying lanterns, it was pitch black.
Dark night, walking slowly.
The roads of Kyoshi are always potholed and dusty. When I was in langzhong, Dazai told me his story. At that time, Dazai was a new branch of the jinshi, interning at the Duchayuan, and the duchayuan at that time, the royal court of the duchayuan, said to him: "Yesterday it rained, I went to the street to walk around, and saw a palanquin wearing new shoes, he was very careful to choose the foothold every step from the ash factory to Chang'an Avenue, afraid that the shoes would be stained, and when he got to the city, the mud was more and more, and if he accidentally got on it, he didn't care, and he didn't cherish the shoes." The same is true for officials and people, and if you lose your footing, there is no turning back. Dazai kept in mind the words of his predecessors and often reminded them. For me, there is indeed too much dust and mud, and there are many bumps and downs. But who isn't? The mud and lack of sewage capacity along the way are really uncomfortable.
Ōsho (6 o'clock), outside Miyagi Castle. I got out of the car here and walked toward the house. Colleagues have arrived, and not many university scholars and officials from the ministry have come, and the waiter of the Ministry of Works has taken the initiative to come and chat with me. Such a situation is commonplace, and the personnel information of officials is always so attractive. In small talk, the waiter talked about Hai Gangfeng's work in Nandu. When Haigong saw the people who had sued on the road, he would accept the complaint, return to the yamen and assign it to the subordinate agency to be responsible, and the people below would not accept it on the grounds that it was not within the scope of their duties; then to the three law divisions in charge of the judiciary, and the three law divisions would not accept it because they were not distributed by the Department of Communications and Politics; in the end, they could only burn it themselves. Shi Lang sighed, HaiGong was so rigid that he couldn't push it, not to mention ordinary people, now fortunately, there were auxiliary ministers. It was only then that I reacted to what he was trying to say.
Harry film and television image. Source/Screenshot of the TV series "Daming Dynasty 1566"
Fortunately, the auxiliary minister arrived, and the crowd began to fight. After greeting everyone, the assistant minister exchanged views with Dazai, and according to experience, the auxiliary had a new personnel plan. It is said that when Lu Guangzu was the secretary of the Dali Temple, he directly said to the assistant in the courtroom: "Today there are official affairs, when discussing in detail, you must sit in a seat to do your best, otherwise you will retreat, and you will never dare to look forward to Qingguang again." In the end, he actually sat in the court room and discussed things with the auxiliary.
Subsequently, the early dynasty was mostly a common practice. Under the guidance of the chief of the Wenxuan Department, more than 80 newly selected county officials were collectively met.
Work discussion
Tatsumi (8 o'clock), Scattered Dynasty.
At the second moment of Chenzheng (8:30), back to the Anthology Department, the book office had prepared tea and snacks. According to the usual practice, it is enough to deploy the various sections of seeking meritocracy, opening, promoting, returning to work, vacancies, and exposing posts, and it is enough to improve several important documents for selecting officials in the morning.
But today there may be a slight change.
Tea refreshments. Photography / Lazy Owner, Source / Figureworm Creative
At the beginning of the day (9 o'clock), Dazai returned to the lobby, and the attendants and the officials were waiting outside the hall. Dazai had no intention of anything else, but only called me to the inner hall. After entering the inner hall, I then closed the inner door. For everyone, this is no longer strange. From the physical appearance of the hall, the six parts are similar, but in the actual operation, there is a big difference. The major affairs of the various ministries and subordinates are generally known to the tang officials (Shangshu Shilang) and are often consulted with the subordinates. However, the officials were different, and in the matters involving the selection of literature, most of them were directly communicated with The Literary Selection Lang by Shangshu.
Dazai did not emphasize what the assistant had told him, but showed me his examination language (recommendation, assessment evaluation). In front of Dazai, it is natural to open where to see.
When Dazai served as prefect, Jia Touring was very appreciative of him, and the recommended words were:
"Gentle temperament, excellent ambition. Innocent Fan Xu officials, those who covet ink are not punished; those who are humble and clear-hearted hear judgments, and those who are able to sue lose their hearts and obey. Because of the prohibition of the time, the price of rice is flat and the people eat it; if the school is taught with etiquette, the school will be reorganized and the people will be prosperous. The ancients are virtuous, and the present is virtuous. ”
Liu Tour's recommendation is:
"Raise up the education, and the service is simple and the punishment is clear." The heart is not working for the people, and everything is meticulous and unreasonable. There is a way to live in the body, and the subordinates are prosperous for it; the subordinates do not deceive, and the military and the people are revolutionary for it. There is the reality of saving the wilderness, but it is not harmful to the top; there is the government of thrift, and it is especially frugal. The royal road is found in the county, and the literary practice should be sought by the ancients. ”
The governor and the inspector of Caojiang also had assessment and evaluation.
Just after reading this, Dazai said: "Assessment and evaluation are extremely important for officials, and without the recommendation and objective evaluation of these senior ministers, I would not be here today." The conversation turned sharply and continued, "The assistant minister said that there is a big problem in the assessment and evaluation now. 'The body of a man, the matter of the moment, is full of virtue and full of good words; the thorn is full of evil and extremely ugly'. This situation 'not only blows people's hearts, but also hurts the country'. And we mainly rely on the examination language for the selection of officials. ”
According to the general procedure, this is the responsibility of the Kao gong division, but in recommending officials, the selection of texts depends on the evaluation of the examination, so Dazai mentioned this matter. After all, "talents are not very far apart", "if they are too indiscriminate, they will open the door and people will have a heart; if they are too harsh, they will be easy to do and people will have no fixed will." Substitutes may not all be virtuous, but they will be more troublesome." The only thing that can be done is to adhere to the rules, and can only be changed as much as possible through the upward and downward effects and the consistency of words and deeds. It seems that Dazai should have accepted my point of view, and his front-line experience in Nanzhili, Fujian, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Liangguang was more aware of these.
Subsequently, Dazai mentioned the relationship between the evaluation of prefectural officials and the effectiveness of governance, which is also a matter of support. In the two capitals and thirteen provinces of Daming, the size of the provinces and counties is complicated and simple, the difficulty of rushing is different, and the difficulty of governance is very different, and then there will be some people who can easily get the reputation, and some who are tired and tired can only attract slander and so on. The lack of incentive mechanisms will lead to a stage of reverse elimination, resulting in "a tendency to avoid cleverness, a shortage of people to sort out in areas that are urgently difficult to treat, a deteriorating morale, and a failure to repair the rule of officials." It was easy for the auxiliary minister and Dazai to reach a consensus on this issue, and Dazai demanded that a plan be formulated as soon as possible, that all prefectures and counties should be evaluated one by one, positioned as upper, middle, and lower, and that the future assessment and promotion be based on this. In addition, Dazai added that the auxiliary minister is considering the degree of fiscal completion and the amount of land, which should also be considered.
Territory of the Ming Dynasty (1582). Source/ Tan Qijun's Edition of the Historical Atlas of China
Later, Dazai also discussed some other matters, such as the consideration of some important official vacancies and a promotion in two months.
In the end, Dazai tells a story of the Chenghua period, when Shangshu Yin Min planned to recommend an old friend as an inspector, but Wenxuan Lang Huang Kongzhao disagreed. This old friend came to the capital to pay respects to Huang Kongzhao, and finally he had to kneel. Huang Kongzhao despised him even more, saying, "You don't have a ministerial system, and I can't agree." Dazai's story is very profound, and what puzzles me is whether he is emphasizing Kong Zhao's integrity or that Kong Zhao is not benevolent? Unpredictable.
Deployment work
At 10:45, he came out of Dazai and drank a cup of tea. Convene a meeting of the chief of the Anthology Division and the officers in charge of each section.
The first thing: inform the Metropolitan Inspection Yuan, jointly write a text, emphasizing that the officials of the ministry and the governors of various localities should fill in the examination language and recommended language, and they should be impartial and upright, and they should be talented for the country. It is done by the foreign minister.
The second thing: Principal A is responsible for consulting the various ministries and temples, and from its business point of view, the prefectures and counties of The World are divided into three grades, such as the Household Department focuses on considering the tax payment volume, the tax rate and the situation of the prefectures and counties, and the third division focuses on the number of cases in various places and the rate of cracking. Principal B is responsible for transferring through the Metropolitan Inspection Bureau to the local supervision and patrol salt, etc., so that he can open the newspaper separately; and the officials of the various local areas shall separately open the newspaper. The Posting Section should sort out all the examination languages and divide the various places through the examination language.
Kansei Jinshi was a Jin man who was extremely attentive to the work of the anthology, and it is said that Dazai once talked to him and asked him to stay in the anthology department. He pointed out on the spot that "Datong Province in Shanxi Province, which was the most bitter and violent; taiyuan province, such as Xing, Gan, Lan, Bao, and He, made a big move and fell into its territory, and was extremely depressed; the Fenzhou Zong Domain was quite a local harm; Lu, Ze, Qin, and Liaohuan were too far up and down, the valleys were deep and dense, and they stole hair when stealing; although Pingyang was called rich, in fact, there was a considerable difference between Pu, Dai, Linfen, Taiping, Xiangling, Quwo, and Yicheng, and after the earthquake, it was not as good as before. "Being so familiar with the local situation, there is a lot of performance of Yang Boxian in the Military Department, and talents are available." If everyone has such a reserve, the work is very good.
Talk to your guests
Different officials and officials have different ways of meeting guests, some simply do not see guests as much as possible in order not to cause controversy; some meet guests at home; some meet guests at the office, separating public and private. When Lu Guangzu was appointed as the Wenxuan Silang, "private houses are not accessible to guests every day", and there are sayings that "the instructions of the need for Jin, the submerged communication of the mochi", in the absence of people, if people are not able to do it, they cannot eliminate the drawbacks in the court house. I prefer to meet guests in the Ya Bureau, and when Gao Gong is appointed as Shangshu, I advocate meeting guests in the Ya Bureau.
Before 14 o'clock , a certain official arrived , originally wanted to stay in office , but was assigned to the locality , and the mood was not good. Only comfort. For a hundred years, the imperial court has placed special emphasis on majestic posture in the selection of rations. During the Chenghua years, Zhang Yuanzhen suggested that the six subjects should not be grown up in a physical manner, and should be mainly based on instrumental knowledge articles. The prevailing view at the time did not agree with his suggestion, believing that the close attendants must use those who are long in appearance and correct in language, thinking that they are spectacular. At that time, there was a saying in the official field that "you don't need to choose articles to choose subjects, as long as you are born fat and long." "A thousand years ago, the Tang Dynasty elected officials who were sentenced to the first righteousness. Some positions do require high value.
At the second moment of the second hour (14:30), a certain official arrived, originally wanted to show his grand plan in the local area, but the result was divided into clear stream departments, and he wanted to ask so. This is not complicated, just explain it. For officials, being able to handle complex things and being able to write splendid articles is not the same thing, it is very important that people and places are suitable for each other, otherwise it is against their talents. Some people, such as Wang Yue, Ma Wensheng, Yang Yiqing, etc., are indeed suitable for Xuanli to seal the territory; some people are straight to hear, and they are naturally dignified, suitable for sitting in elegant customs, and not suitable for dealing with complex things. With the material of the instrument will be able to make their own achievements, only based on the expectations of the use, do not ask the material is suitable, in the country and the people are losses.
Shen Chu (15 o'clock), a certain official arrived, said that the signature was not good, the signature seemed fair, in fact, there was still a lot of room for operation, such as "the hand is self-adhesive to the place, the height of the secret standard, so that the length of the signature is thick and thin, not hiding the mystery, the book office generation is not allowed to hear, the name is known to do the signature, blatantly tell people, do not think it is a secret, so it is a traitorous crime, but not in Cao Tuan." Indeed, although this person was an official, he observed the officials very carefully. It is also important to eliminate drawbacks in the process.
At the first moment of Shen Chu (15:15), he stopped meeting guests and began to draft a manuscript, that is, how to refine the auxiliary article Chen Liushi.
banquet
At the third moment of the first month of the unitary year (17:45), he left the office and went to the banquet. When he left the hall office, he remembered an interesting incident, a Shangshu himself was walking home, met two drunken people who bet on who dared to take the old man's hat, the hat was taken off, of course, after the two of them went to the office to apologize.
A banquet in film and television dramas. Source/Screenshot of the TV series "Daming Dynasty 1566"
Out of the office, on the way to the banquet. Sigh at the changes in the banquet of the Beijing master over the decades. When the fathers were young, the banquet was usually sent to each family in the morning to invite "please eat", and when the point came, six to eight people needed a table, four large plates of dishes, four corners and four small dishes, no fruit, and the wine was drunk in two large cups. In the next ten years or so, it has become an invitation a day in advance, and the dishes have not changed much. For another ten years, it became a day in advance to send an invitation, the size of the post is very exquisite, one inch three or four minutes wide, five inches long, written "a meal at a certain moment on a certain day". Now, with the double post, set up an open seat, two people a seat, set up seven or eight utensils of fruit dishes. Some also have happy and labor cooks. The night feast is becoming more and more ritualistic, the dishes are becoming more and more abundant, and the length of the banquet is also increasing.
At the moment of unitary zheng (18:15), seven or eight people from the same township in the same year arrived, and after greeting, they sat down.
At 20:00, he drank three rounds and began to talk about various things in the official arena. The prefect from Nanzhili said in the same year: "Hai Rui has a paranoid personality, does not like to consult and consult, is unwilling to accept the opinions of others, and the policies introduced are too fierce and change too much, resulting in good intentions to do bad things in the end." ”
The Metropolitan Inspection Yuan also talked in the Yushi fellow villagers: "Hai Rui is not afraid of death, does not want money, does not spit gang Ru Rou, is really a man of Zheng Zheng, but he is ignorant and knowledgeable, and he often has to be paralyzed, and lacks the demeanor of a scholar." And he does not care about his own duties, when the inspector does not ask for money and food, but takes care of other things."
Indeed, in recent years, we have also seen some effects of Haigong's administration in the bureaucracy, which were still good in the early days of Zhixian County, but in the stage of patrolling, there were two skins in the mixture of the spirit of the people and practical affairs, and it was difficult to have good governance. Of course, this can not all be blamed on him, the imperial court did not give him the opportunity to exercise step by step, and suddenly rising to a high position has an adaptation process for anyone.
In the same year that Datong served as a soldier, he said, "Now the regulations are too fine, and many of them cannot be implemented." In the past, when Wang Ao inspected Liaodong, he clearly emphasized that the border could not be ruled by law, and the words and lawsuits did not matter whether they were serious or serious, but were all compensated with property. This method of adapting measures to local conditions has a very good effect, so that more than 10,000 silver is accumulated, tens of thousands of stones of grain, more than 1,000 horses are used, the side is sufficient, the equipment is fresh, the soldiers are full and warm, and the people are happy to fight. ”
Indeed, there are great differences in different places, and the styles of people vary greatly. The management is not fine, and there are many loopholes; the management is very fine, and the space for play is lost. Wang Ao, Yin Zhengmao, and Hai Rui all have personalities, with their own advantages and disadvantages, and often cannot be copied, which is really a complex topic.
At this time, a fellow villager from the Hanlin Academy told a story, one year, a hundred officials wanted to donate money to help the workers, and a royal history wrote a book: The Lord is a good goods, and the princes donate money; if the Lord is lustful, why should the princes deal with them? Shame recedes.
The crowd laughed, and the feast ended.
bibliography:
"Research on the Selection System of Civil Officials in the Ming Dynasty", "Song Window Dream Language", "Five Miscellaneous Tricks", "Wan Liye Won"