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Text: Yanyan
Edited by Yeon-yeon
Preface
Imperial Doctor, as an important official position in the Qin Dynasty to inherit imperial power and supervise hundreds of officials, should have become the mainstay of national governance. However, it is puzzling that this position became an accelerator for the fall of the Qin Dynasty.
What kind of intrigues and contradictions are hidden behind the symbol of power? In the fog of history, how did the operation of the Imperial Doctor's authority change from stabilizing the regime to shaking the country's foundation?
The complexity of this role not only influenced the decision-making of the imperial court, but also became the trigger for civil unrest. Why did the Qin Dynasty, a powerful empire that once dominated the world, fall into decline at its peak?
The Past and Present of Imperial History: From vassal states to great unified empires
During the Zhou Dynasty, the so-called "historians" only began to emerge. They were mainly responsible for supervision, confidentiality, accounting, etiquette and other affairs, and their status in the vassal states at that time was not high.
However, with the increasing mediocrity and corruption of the rulers of the Zhou Dynasty, the historians gradually emerged among the government and the opposition. During this chaotic Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, they may have acted as the monarch's secretaries, recording the monarch's daily life; Or as a historian, witness those turbulent years.
It was not until the Qin Dynasty unified the world that the position of imperial history was clearly established for the first time. Qin Shi Huang ordered that "Qin has no space, and the imperial historian is placed in the second phase", which marked the birth of the special official position of the imperial historian. There are two Imperial Historians, one is the Imperial Historian and the other is the Imperial Historian.
The Imperial History is divided into two parts: one part is responsible for the supervision and impeachment of hundreds of officials in the imperial court, which is called the Imperial History; The other part is responsible for the supervision and control of the counties outside the imperial court, which is called the Prison Imperial History, also known as the "Prison County".
It can be said that as the emperor's confidential secretary, the imperial historian has many important functions and powers such as the issuance of edicts and the book of laws, and his power can be seen.
Not only that, but the local supervision history formed an important part of the local governance system of the Qin Dynasty, and together with the county guards and county lieutenants, they jointly controlled the people and officials in various places. It can be said that the Imperial Doctor and his subordinate officials have built a huge monitoring network covering the central and local governments.
Doctor Yushi: The eyes and ears of the emperor, the nightmare of the officials
In such an era full of uncertainties, the Imperial Doctor, who has such great power, has undoubtedly become the object of the most attention. They represented the will of the emperor and supervised the officials and the people at all times, which naturally aroused the fear and disgust of many people.
Especially when the Imperial Historians could override the law and directly obey the emperor, their power was omnipotent. Whether it was within the imperial court or locally, as long as there were signs of violating the rule of the Qin Dynasty, the imperial history would immediately report and expose it and bring it to justice.
Even local officials who wanted to raise funds to repay the salaries of their soldiers had to ask the Imperial Doctor for a "ban on money". It can be said that this highly centralized supervision system has completely deprived officials and ordinary people of any autonomy and privacy.
At the same time, the intervention of the Imperial Doctor in the judicial field is also disturbing. They can directly interfere with judicial decisions, which is bound to undermine the impartiality and independence of the judiciary.
It is conceivable that under the abuse of power by the imperial historian, the deterrent effect of the law will be greatly reduced, which will undoubtedly pose a huge hidden danger to the stability of the entire regime. It was precisely this phenomenon of abusing power and trampling on the law that intensified the antagonism and contradictions between various forces within the Qin Dynasty.
The contradiction between the monarch's power and the relative power, the contradiction between the central and the local, all found an outlet in the body of the imperial historian. The intensification of these contradictions eventually became the fuse for the fall of the Qin Dynasty.
From "Historian" to "Imperial Historian": The Transformation of Power and the Institutional Drawbacks Behind It
If you want to talk about the shortcomings of the imperial historian, I am afraid that it is also a topic of endless debate among historians. In the final analysis, these drawbacks all stem from their special sources and selection mechanisms.
As the imperial historians who evolved from the "historians", they were supposed to inherit the professionalism and impartiality of the previous historians. However, in reality, the selection of the imperial historian relied more on the appointment of the family and the emperor.
This simple and direct selection method makes the Imperial Doctor lack the necessary assessment and training links. In addition, they directly obeyed the emperor's orders and could not get rid of the constraints of imperial power at all, which created the fate of the imperial historian who was extremely corrupt and degenerate.
Not only that, but the responsibilities of the Imperial Historian are mostly set out of temporary work needs, and there is a lack of institutional stability.
And they can override the existing laws, which makes the policy coherence and the construction of the rule of law even more impacted. What's more, the Imperial Doctor also has judicial powers, which also exacerbates the chaos within the entire regime.
It can be said that the existence of the shortcomings of these systems has created the transformation of the power of the imperial historian. From the initial professional historian to the later minions of the emperor, the role of the imperial historian gradually lost its due impartiality and independence. In this context, it is natural that their actions also serve more in the service of the imperial power than for the benefit of the people.
And this expansion of power will inevitably lead to protests from other interest groups. In the Qin Dynasty, a dynasty with a high degree of centralization, it is impossible for the imperial historian, as the eyes and ears of the emperor, not to become a thorn in the side of other forces.
This has exacerbated the contradictions between the monarchy and the relative power, and between the central and local governments. The intensification of these contradictions eventually led to the tragedy of the fall of the Qin Dynasty.
Towards Perdition: The intensification of contradictions and the collapse of the system
The rapid collapse of the Qin Dynasty is undoubtedly embarrassing. In this process, the role played by the Imperial Historian system cannot be ignored.
Not long after Qin Shi Huang unified the world, the special official position of Imperial Historian had already caused a series of problems. The first is the destruction of the established legal order, which is easily exploited by careerists.
The second is to exacerbate the contradictions between the monarchy and the relative power, and between the central and local governments. Moreover, the Imperial Doctor lacks an effective self-restraint mechanism, and is more likely to abuse the power in his hands.
What is even more worrying is that the intervention of the Imperial Doctor in the judicial field has directly led to the collapse of the rule of law. They are above the law and arbitrarily adjudicate, which inevitably leads to judicial injustice and disorder. How can a regime that lacks the basis of the rule of law survive for a long time?
In addition, the high degree of centralization of power by the Imperial Historian also shrouded the whole society in panic. The growing estrangement between the common people and the officials, and the lack of flexibility in the implementation of policies, allowed the emperor's will to permeate all aspects of the regime.
And when the emperor himself was a mediocre and incompetent ruler, the problem was even more acute. While these drawbacks are accumulating, external pressures are also increasing. The long war and heavy taxes finally aroused strong discontent among the people.
At the same time, the county-level superintendents gradually broke away from the emperor's control and began to be loyal to the separatist forces. All signs point to the rapid collapse of this centralized dynasty. When Zhang Liang and Chen Ping launched the uprising of King Qin Yue, the imperial historian could no longer play his due role.
On the contrary, they have become bargaining chips for other forces. The rule of the Qin Dynasty completely collapsed, and in just a few years it went from its heyday to its downfall, which can be seen in the imbalance of the imperial historian system.
epilogue
The evolution of the Imperial Historian from a professional inspector to the eyes and ears of the emperor reflects the essence of the transformation of power. Its rise, while cementing the rule of the Qin dynasty, ultimately served as an accelerator for its demise.
The lessons of history have made us deeply realize that the healthy development of any system is inseparable from a good mechanism of checks and balances and a guarantee for its implementation. Only on the basis of the rule of law can power truly serve the people and safeguard social fairness and justice.