Chapter 23 Officialdom——The Phenomenon of the Qing Dynasty

"The bamboo sticks of these slaves have actually hit me on the head!" In the Marshal's Mansion in the capital, Fukang'an was furious, his head was full of veins, his hands holding the bowl of tea trembled slightly, and his red tiger eyes seemed to shoot fire. The servants didn't dare to look up, they just muttered in a low voice: "They said, they said, you, it's the same if you go by yourself..." Fukang'an laughed back in anger, slammed the bowl on the table, and ordered to change clothes and prepare the sedan chair. He wanted to go to the household department in person to see who had eaten the bear's heart and leopard gall. People, the most prominent military attache in the dynasty—Shangshu of the Ministry of War, Minister of Military Aircraft—first-class Jiayong Gongfu Marshal asked for bribes, and he asked for ten thousand gold!

He also wanted to see how those petty bureaucrats who were obsessed with money and who did not care about their lives found a problem to start with-this was a dignified official business, writing off the military expenses for the pacification of Tibet! "My lord, you don't need to go, they sent a person to the mansion, waiting outside." Fukang'an was shocked that the petty official dared to ask for bribes, which he never dared to imagine. Fukang'an sat with a golden knife, staring fiercely at the clerk kneeling at his feet.After a long time, he said in a deep voice, "You are the one who asked me for money?" If his eyes were as sharp as the precious knife hanging on the wall, the ground would already be a pile of rotten flesh.

The thin and muscular clerk knelt down neatly, looking very respectful; he didn't seem to feel the smell of gunpowder in the air at all, he still lowered his head and replied unhurriedly with a mouthful of melodious Peking opera: "Report Zhongtang: How dare I wait for a bribe, I'm just waiting for you, Zhongtang." "Oh?" Fukangan leaned forward. "It is needless to say that the Holy One is delighted with the completion of the Zhongtang. However, you have written off millions of military expenditures, and the bills are cumbersome. We have only a dozen clerks, and we are rushing day and night. It will take two years. If you delay It has been so long, and it will be submitted to the Ministry for approval at that time. No one dares to guarantee whether it will be sold smoothly. This is not the end of the matter, and your Hirao career will not be considered complete after all. In case the Holy Majesty feels uncomfortable at any time, Then I heard someone provocateur, saying that after so long, there might be something tricky here, and maybe a big prison will be set up... We use your money to hire some people for you, and everyone will work hard for you, so that this matter can be settled as soon as possible , fulfilled your great cause!"

Fukang'an gritted his teeth and wanted to scold someone, but he didn't know what to scold and whom to scold.He knew very well that even if these clerks really dragged him out for three years or two years, there would never be any loopholes that violated the laws of the Qing Dynasty. They had plenty of excuses; It is easy as pie. Finally, he leaned back against the back of the chair, closed his eyes wearily, and said weakly: "I'm sure I want ten thousand gold—can it be less?" Not less, Fukang'an finally gave Wanjin; the clerks of the household department also fulfilled their promise: "The more ten days later, the report will be discussed." (Xu Ke "Qing Barnyard Banknotes")

Scribes are not high-ranking, have no rank, and cannot be regarded as officials at all. They are just servants in charge of case files in the government office. As Fu Kang'an said, they are slaves; What Li Ciming said was "the lowly people in black clothes".But it's these lowly officials who, time and time again, make the powerful ministers, nobles, relatives and officials in the border region obedient and respectful.Fukang'an was far from the only dignitary who suffered from the loss of the scribes. None of Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, and Li Hongzhang could escape, and the amount of bribes depended on the person's order, which had to match each person's identity.

There is a special written term for these small officials: "subordinate officials".The subordinate staff are not complacent about their own energy.A clerk once boasted: "This yamen is like a cart, and the people who come to do business are the customers who take care of the business. We are all handlebars with leather whips, and the adults sitting in the hall are just mules and horses. If we let him go left, he will get left, and if he is right, he will get right." - Someone made up a song based on this: "The ox of the hall official, the donkey of the official officer, the scribes and servants will drive them away!"

It sounds absurd and terrible, but it is sadly true.The famous official Hu Linyi once said with emotion: "The Xu of the Six Departments is undoubtedly the handle of the prime minister." ——The little scribe has more power than the prime minister!Later, Guo Songtao, a Westernization thinker and scholar, lamented helplessly after summing up the gains and losses of the past dynasties: Compared with the imperial courts competing for power in the world with relatives, eunuchs, concubines, and feudal towns in previous dynasties, "this dynasty shares the ears of the world with subordinate officials!"

To be more precise, apart from these subordinate officials, those who shared the world with the Qing Dynasty should also include those staff members - usually called old masters and masters.Although not all masters in the world are from Shaoxing, it seems that every meal time, all the yamen have a room with a long smell of bad rice and wine-isn’t there an old saying that “no Shaoxing can’t make a yamen”? The masters are the same as the subordinates, they have no official titles and are not included in the establishment, and the relationship with the officials is only an employment relationship, but everyone knows that it is these low-ranking masters and subordinates who run the big and small yamen of the Qing Dynasty!

Even if those officials are indifferent by nature and don't care about power being left behind, don't their eyes turn red when they watch the white money flow into the slaves' pockets like a tide?If there is someone who is more honest and honest, seeing his subordinates acting so recklessly and recklessly, can't they shoot the case? They must be suffering and can't tell. Everyone knows that if they really want to leave these slaves, it will be difficult to move an inch. There is a very interesting passage in it: "People who come out to be an official for the first time have not gone through any storms. When they see the letter from their superiors, it says something like 'violation', 'inconvenience', and 'determined to strictly participate', you must be scared." I have to panic..."

At three o'clock and five o'clock, he studied hard for many years, relying on the virtues of his ancestors, and finally passed the exam to be an official. Unexpectedly, when he sat in the hall, he "must panic and panic" at first. The most common business of magistrates is to hear lawsuits.Regarding the hearing of lawsuits, Confucius said very lightly: "There will be no lawsuits!" Sometimes watching the two people chattering in the lobby, their faces red and their ears red, and their clues are complicated, there must be many people who have no name to get angry. Underground, ask what happened:

How can these unscrupulous people "must have no lawsuits"? Even if the lawsuit can be resolved smoothly, the drafting of the judgment has become a big problem.What I have written for many years is stereotyped writing, breaking the topic, inheriting the topic, and starting to talk, the succession and transformation are not messy at all, with one stroke in hand, I feel that I can even sweep away thousands of troops.But now even official documents are divided into six or seven types, such as detailed, verified, reported, signed, discussed, and closed, and used in different occasions such as "waiting for this", "waiting for this", "waiting for this" and "according to the situation"; , I have always written articles on behalf of the saints, so can it be that you also pretend to be a saint in official documents?Faced with strict taboo laws and regulations, most people are at a loss, and many even feel that they have suddenly become illiterate. Hearing lawsuits and ending prisons is only the most basic part of government affairs. Money and grain collection, affairs apportionment, floods, droughts and famines, civil rebellions and robbers, superiors' transit, etc., are densely packed like spider webs. For a while, these talented people who have read sage books The adult was in a hurry and was sweating profusely, and he didn't know what to do. Why didn't the sage books mention how to deal with these complicated and trivial things?It's just a straight-faced lesson about how to cultivate benevolence and morality, how to cultivate benevolence and morality, and say that if you cultivate your body, you will naturally be able to regulate your family, and if your family is well-regulated, you will naturally be able to govern the country and the world! ——"Governing the country and flattening the world" sounds majestic, broad-minded, and extremely majestic, but these few empty characters can't even equal a small county office book case! It cannot be blamed for the incompetence of these adults. In fact, by the Qing Dynasty, practical government affairs had actually developed into a specialized knowledge.All administrative measures must be handled in strict accordance with the law, otherwise it is a "violation", and the crime is not small; during the Qianlong period, the "Laws of the Qing Dynasty" had 436 articles in six categories, and there were as many as 1,400 by-laws. There are many, and there are minor repairs every five years and major repairs every ten years, and there are more and more. It is really overwhelming and countless.However, this knowledge was isolated from the imperial examination subjects, which not only made students helpless in their careers, but also had legal obstacles: the system of the Qing Dynasty stipulated that students were not allowed to meddle in local politics during their studies, otherwise they would be "deposed and punished." As a result, the technology of dealing with actual government affairs was monopolized by the subordinate staff who worked in the yamen all over the world, as well as those staff and masters who were frustrated in the examination field.As it developed, it turned out to be a set of knowledge: "Official Learning" and "Current Dao".Appreciating teachers and arranging seniority, leading relatives by relatives and teaching friends by friends, passed down from generation to generation; also divided into sects, each with its own secret book. If the subordinate staff were the grassroots staff who had to rely on it, then it was the official's choice to invite the master.Since my own knowledge is not on this, if I want to be an official, I'd better spend two dollars to hire someone.Those who have money may wish to invite a few more as needed: Master Xing Ming who specializes in cases, Master Qian Gu who handles wealth, master Zhezuo who drafts memorials, Master Shu Qi who is in charge of letters...Everyone does the same, and the yamen opens normally. . In this way, most of the officials have almost become puppets of statues, only signing and marking, at most, polishing a few words.Even Weng Tonghe, Guangxu's emperor teacher, minister and co-organizer of the university, laughed at himself that his daily work was often just sitting "drawing promises". Compared with previous dynasties, the overall quality of officials in the Qing Dynasty was considered poor.In the Qing Dynasty, the suspicion of the Han people was unrelenting, and it was easy for banner people to become officials, and most of them occupied high positions, no matter whether they were talented or not.And Tianhuang was born in a noble family, and he is used to enjoying himself, so there are more dull and dull playboys.Some Manchu people even made a joke that they didn’t know who Confucius was. Others explained that it was “the chief of the state of Lu, who took pictures of his ministers” before realizing it: “Don’t you understand if you just say that Kong Zhongtang is Confucius?” Later, even Guangxu I couldn't stand it anymore, and warned a Han who was about to take office to be more patient, saying, "You are going to work with the bannermen, they are all confused!" Those who can compare with these treasured lords are those officials donated by money. If you make a fortune in business and buy an official to enjoy yourself, they are mostly illiterate guys.For this group of people to handle affairs, it is true that those old petty officials are safer - even if they are bastards, they should act like officials. But after all, more people are born in the right way, and they come up from fighting with six generals after passing five levels in four books and five times.At that time, it was to win fame and keep one's ears off the outside world, so as to indulge in stereotyped writing, but now that work requires it, it's not too late to learn from scratch.Aren't there many books like political guides on the market?What are "State and County Matters", "Instructions for Shepherd Orders", criminal names, Qianliangtang regulations and official admonitions, everything is explained in detail, and with the energy of studying hard in the past, isn't it also possible to get started soon and master political affairs by yourself? But it is said that many officials' real pillow secrets are denunciation novels that scold the officialdom, such as the like.They are very grateful to the author for writing the officialdom in every possible way, the most valuable of which are those infinite means and wonderful tricks. If you learn it well, you will be invincible. From their point of view, the actual government affairs are actually secondary, as long as they are not too excessive, leave it to the masters and the others, but what really matters is the art of embezzlement, dodging, avoiding misfortunes and seeking credit described in detail in the novel! What made these disciples of the saints, who were full of moral integrity, fall so low? During the Han and Tang Dynasties, local officials had great power.Especially in the Han Dynasty, the official rank of the prefect was two thousand shi, which was roughly the same as that of the Central Nine Ministers, and there were few constraints in doing things; and there were few official ranks, and the promotion was flexible. Being a local official in this way has a lot of momentum, and it is also active; besides, it is not a humiliating thing in the local area, and it is common for Jiuqing to be sent out, which is not considered a downgrade;By the time of the Tang Dynasty, he had begun to emphasize the inside and despise the outside, and regarded the appointment of the outside as a reprimand.In the Song Dynasty, there were Shuai, Cao, Xian, and warehouses in each road, and four mothers-in-law took care of their daughters-in-law. The poor local officials had to flatter so many people, and their status continued to decline.After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the political power was concentrated in the Forbidden City day by day. Everyone regarded entering the court as a promotion, and sending it outside as a resignation; Under normal circumstances, if you want to pass the examination and start from the grassroots, you have to burn incense and alchemy pills day and night to bless you with a long life before you can become a member of the court. However, ordinary people are always ambitious—or in other words, they want to make progress; but the reality is in front of them, if they honestly only follow the "matters" and "notes" to do it, this life is basically doomed to work hard. Traveling all over the world, traveling to and fro in the muddy ground of the Qing Empire all his life. Or some people are pretentious and want to give full play to their abilities, manage the subordinates in an orderly manner, and show the emperor an outstanding career, and maybe they will be promoted to heaven after a while.But the system has been going on for a long time, and it is becoming more and more dense. One system has leaks, and then another patch is added. It is layered and layered for thousands of years, almost as heavy as the Five Elements Mountain pressing down on Sun Monkey. Most people can only follow the rules honestly. Go, how can there be a chance for you to show off--besides, the Qing court does not allow anyone to do somersaults in his palm, everything is strictly in accordance with the law, and you still dream of doing somersaults to applaud?If you want to be famous for your political achievements, go to Wentian Listening, see your troublesome boss, who has long been displeased, and will send you to hell with just a few crosses in the exam—who told you to plan to step on your lord's head?This path also seems difficult. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, local officials have deteriorated day by day. One important reason is that local officials have become more and more suffocated, but it is difficult to get ahead in a serious way. In this way, the officials who were unwilling to sink into the bureaucracy had to sharpen their heads to find a way out, find a strong supporter, and pave the way to Beijing by themselves. It is not as difficult as it was for Edison to find filament materials for electric lamps. Everyone has long understood that the best material to build a convenient bridge in this turbulent official world and make the natural moat open is silver.The heavier the silver, the lighter the body, and the easier it is to float up.Those normally dignified adults suddenly wiped their faces when they saw Yinzi, and became more frivolous and gentle than the girls in the brothel; when the anger was so bad, when Yinzi went up, the majestic and terrifying boss came down from the hall without pretentiousness, and loyal to his ears. Serving the country to advise you, it is simply more dedicated than the old master who has been caring for you for many years. Li Kui used to wield two broad axes to fight the heroes of Liangshan. Nowadays, officials of all sizes also wield a big silver axe in their official careers, opening roads and building bridges when encountering mountains and rivers... Although everyone can memorize the teachings of Confucius by heart, more and more people find that the benefits that the master can give can only be realized on the day when the results are released, and then they have to change their families and join the disciples of the same clan as the master, brother Kong Fang.After comparing brother Kong Fang several times with the most holy master who couldn't eat cold pork a few times a year, almost everyone was determined not to look back. Words and sentences form a solemn archway at the door of the prostitute... Those who have seen it more clearly have figured out the essence of fame and fame: Why do you become an official? --silver!Isn't it just for money to be an official for thousands of miles?Smashing pots and selling iron as a wife to raise capital, buy a good place, scrape the ground and double it several times, buy a bigger place, and then knock the bone and suck the marrow... In this way, officials beget officials, and profit begets profit. "All business in the world, only being an official is the best "!" Hong Liangji, a native of the Qing Dynasty, had a sad saying: "When I was young, there were people in the village who were officials. What I heard from relatives and friends was whether the administration was busy or simple, and whether it was easy to manage. Calculate how much the lack of success will bring, how much entertainment expenses will be spent, and how much will be in the bag in one year-no one mentions the people's livelihood and officials." Even if there are some people who know shame and disdain such filth, but with the power of one or two people, how can such a huge wave be saved?For example, during the Xianfeng period, Zhang Jixin, the chief minister of Gansu Province, was originally somewhat angular, diligent and honest, and wanted to rectify the dire bureaucracy, but after a few lessons, he realized that the black net was everywhere, and no one could break free. It can be "isolated, always in danger"; in the second year, a couplet was hung in the study to avoid war: "Read the books of sages and sages, and live up to your original intention; use the old tricks, and do it yourself," bowed his head and surrendered thing. Those who don’t want to bow their heads and can’t bear to be colluded have no choice but to take idle positions such as imperial officials and instructors far away from actual government affairs, or simply resign after giving it a try and go home, burying their heads in piles of old papers, out of sight and out of mind. The officialdom has completely turned into a hot business place, with people like Yikuang, Prince of Qing coming in and out, so they are simply called "Old Qingji Company".Everything is done according to business routines, and no one can break the rules, and sometimes even family affection is ignored. For example, Zeng Guoquan recommended his nephew and son-in-law Nie Jigui as the Shanghai Taoist, "but I heard that the insurance fee was 10,000 gold"... If you go up the beam like this, do you still want to expect the beam to be straight? The "black-clothed lowly" subordinates consider themselves filthy, and never dream of getting ahead in politics. Compared with official officials, they are less restrained, and they are straightforward when they do things freely. Extortion of kickbacks for write-offs, official positions for sale, punishment for big cases, engineering for engineering, and scientific examinations for the Ministry of Rites—you get what you pay for, we guarantee that you will get what you pay for!The Eight Immortals crossed the sea, each showing their supernatural powers, living a very nourishing life, and sometimes even the adults in the headquarters didn't pay attention to them: like that time when Yan Jingming was in charge of the household department and wanted to rectify the subordinates, didn't they finally get out of the house together?Of course, they won't treat the ordinary gentlemen who are knowledgeable and not in the way, because everyone earns money. And although most of the masters have read the books of sages and sages and know some integrity, after all, doing this job is just to make ends meet to help the poor. As one master himself said: "If you don't succeed in studying, if you are forced by hunger and cold, you will be in the background." It's just a business, so you have to straighten out the stakes, and you have to make suggestions for the master of the scene, Dong Weng, to straighten out the relationship between superiors and superiors at all times - the boss gets rich only to get dividends!As for the common people, they had to wait.Of course, you can't treat yourself badly, and you must not be soft when you have the opportunity to get him a fortune.In many cases, a case can be turned over and over again just by changing a few words on the document or slightly reversing the order of writing. For example, changing "injuring someone with an ax" to "injuring someone with an axe" can turn intention into an accident, and the murderer "accidentally injures someone". "It must not be a surprise to get the money... Do everything according to everyone's conscience. Saying "it's easy to practice in the yamen" is just a facade. How can there be a few catties and taels of conscience left in the Qing Dynasty where money is in power?After doing it for a long time, even the masters feel that it is too hurtful, and they are afraid of retribution, and some even have nightmares every day and die of fright.In Shaoxing, the master’s hometown, upright people hate this way of life even more. Lu Xun’s husband Shou Jingwu once said in his "The Essentials of Holding the Body": "If you are poor, you can change it no matter what career you have - only Muyou, Yamen people and litigators are not allowed!" When the yamen opened, I saw the majestic master sitting upright; when the six doors were closed, the abacus was ringing, and the knives and pens were flying around... It is said that the government office is the coolest place, and it is a place where there is no sun. No wonder the Jie stone tablet at the entrance is gloomy and covered with moss, making it difficult to distinguish the words; but since ancient times, no one has seen it. Anyway, everyone knows what is written on it: "Your salary is rich, the people anoint the people; the people are easy to abuse, but the heavens are hard to bully!" No one ever takes it seriously.Ordinary people have suffered a lot and have their own set of countermeasures: never go to the yamen unless they have to - die unjustly and don't enter the county! Is this what the sage said, "There must be no lawsuits"? Although promotion is inseparable from money, being an official still requires some real skills, and some joints cannot be managed with money alone.Therefore, the realm of being an official is divided into grades, grades, and grades. They only consider ordinary grades. Some intelligent and talented people have already read many books. Even "Red Mansions", "Three Kingdoms" and even "Chu Songs" can rank in the officialdom Three flavors come. A frown, a smile, a cough, a meaningful frown, an imperceptible twitch from the boss, the mysteries behind this, you are a master if you can understand it thoroughly! Not to mention that you have to find your way among the adults flying all over the sky, and use the limited money to generate the maximum interest on the blade. This is the real skill.To put it more frighteningly, if you can't see the situation clearly and crash into a boat that is about to sink and commit crimes, then you are rushing to be buried with you, not to mention your future, or you may even have to hang your head on it.In this world, how many people can recognize gold with discerning eyes, and burn a cold stove to make a big name? Therefore, even though most of the work is done by the petty officials, the officials are still very busy. Every day, they hold the list of gentry, hold their breath, and look at each line, quickly calculating in their hearts: who are opponents, which are allies, and which are Which ones should be filial piety, which ones should be stepped on a few feet; which ones can be shot straight to the point, and which ones need to find some medicinal introductions-many fake ones can be done even if the dog meat is eaten by Guanyin; Show up, which ones should take a detour to pull peripheral relations... During the Chinese New Year and the holidays, they are so busy that they go around to exchange posts, those who love money give money, those who are lustful give women—even if they want their own wives, they are happy to send them, and those who pretend to be elegant to make some antique calligraphy and paintings are just in need of manpower to deal with political opponents After weighing up the pros and cons, he rushed to the door to pat his chest and stroke his sleeves to show his loyalty... After finishing up and down, he wiped his sweat with a sigh of relief, drank a bowl of tea, straightened his waist, opened the door and sat waiting for his harvest. When you have time, you have to practice the manners of being an official: sitting or standing or standing, and it is more magnanimous to ask Ann to kneel and worship; the boss must have the humility of the subordinates, and the boss must have the style of the boss in front of the subordinates——Saint Didn't I say that if a gentleman is not serious, he is not powerful?Without official authority, can you feel at ease when others hand over the money to you? The most important thing is to close the doors and windows tightly in the middle of the night, with his back to the sage Kong, bloody gouging out the remaining bit of conscience, peeling off the skin layer by layer-the more vicious and shameless we meet, the more shameless we are, the better our chances of winning Big.Laughing and scolding by others, in the rolling silver sea and black waves, the one who can return with a full load without capsizing is the winner. It is really hard to be an official like this, and of course you have to reward yourself well, smoke a big cigarette when you have time, hang out with your husband and stroll around the Eight Great Alleys-after all, it is also a good place to socialize and establish relationships. Official knowledge is so profound and mysterious, and the adults who come from it should be shrewd, wise and ruthless characters. The people of this country are used to it and understand their power, but foreigners always see this group of adults. There is always a kind of indescribable absurdity Feeling, always unconsciously want to laugh.The Englishman Witoma recorded this incident in his diary: He went to the Zongli Yamen to do business, and imitated the Chinese and said "today's weather is really nice", and all the adults in the lobby looked at each other speechlessly for a long time; Slowly replied, "The weather is really good today", and all the subordinates responded with a bang, applauding. However, it would be biased for foreigners to take Chinese officials lightly. It is difficult for them to understand the Chinese way of being an official that has been practiced for thousands of years.Under the stupid and ridiculous guise, what deep scheming is hidden, what terrible swords and arrows are hidden, not to mention foreigners, many times even old friends who are officials in the court cannot see through.Wang Wenshao, a military aircraft in the late Qing Dynasty, usually pretended to be deaf and dumb, kowtowed and seldom talked. He was called "Liuli Dan". But when the Revolutionary Party was planning to assassinate the Qing dignitaries every day, he went out at night and beat the lantern with the word "Wang" on purpose; his friends advised him to be careful to attract He said with a proud smile, "I have lived peacefully with others all my life, and I have never had any grudges. I lighted up the lantern so deliberately that the rebels can see clearly and avoid accidental injury." Who can see clearly what is in the belly of these "glass eggs"? No one can tell how many talents Shanqi, Shangshu of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, has, but everyone knows that he has a lot of drama. That day, the Yamen Counselor and a group of subordinates were preparing to report on their official duties, but there was a sudden explosion in the lobby: "The Taibao ordered the team to be collected—" This is a line from the Peking Opera "Zhulianzhai".The yamen suddenly turned into a theater, everyone panicked and didn't know what to do.Taking a sneak peek, the lord squinted his eyes, stroked his beard, shook his head, and was singing happily. Everyone looked at each other and smiled, knowing that there was no need to do things this morning, and soon dispersed. When this story spread, many people were not surprised at all, saying that the officialdom was like a theater; an old man who sang it was not convinced: "Every day we go to the stage in robes and wats, our appearance is magnificent and majestic, and we do things happily; while those officials travel around all year round, kneel down and worship, fear slander and ridicule, and have no conscience—— How can such an official be as comfortable as we are! " (Part of the information in this article refers to "Illustrations of Qing Dynasty Officialdom" by Li Qiao)