Chapter 41 Section 7 Legalization of "Private Letter Attachment"

Before the Song Dynasty, especially the Tang Dynasty, although it was feasible for officials to post private letters through the country's post office, and it became more and more frequent, it became commonplace, but it was not allowed by the law after all.In the Song Dynasty, the situation was different.The "private letter attachment" of officials became a matter expressly stipulated in the emperor's edict, and the scope of communication has been greatly expanded since then.This is a major change in the history of my country's post system. This system began in the second year of Yongxi, Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty (985 A.D.).In this year, in order to win over officials from scholar-bureaucrats, Emperor Taizong of Song Dynasty gave special permission: Officials can pass family letters along with official documents among close family members.Later, it was abolished due to too many disadvantages.However, during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, it was relaxed again. In 1036, an imperial edict was issued saying: "Chinese and foreign ministers Xu Yi sent a letter from the family. It was clearly announced to China and foreign countries, and the court should implement it" ("Yan Yi Yi Mou Lu").At the beginning, officials' private letters were only allowed to be sent by foot, and they were not allowed to affect or interfere with the country's express delivery documents. However, the system gradually relaxed, and a large number of private letters were delivered through express delivery shops.Ouyang Xiu, a great writer in the Northern Song Dynasty, said in the article: At that time, the letters between himself and his friends were sent by express delivery.In his letters, there are often words such as "return to the government in a hurry, and serve the certificate", "return the letter in a hurry, and insult the letter", "return the foot in a hurry, and try to receive the letter", etc., which are clear evidence.

Xu sent a private letter, and the correspondence among scholar-bureaucrats increased suddenly, and the number of articles in the "shudo" genre in the anthology of celebrities below the Song Dynasty suddenly increased, and some people were famous for their chido.There are many articles in the family script in Su Dongpo's collection, which are meaningful and amiable. Among them, there are often "Shi Qi, the book will be delivered in the recent delivery", "Farewell to the second book in the post, but there is no answer. The special person comes and insults the expert." "Note", this "delivery" refers to the letter sent by the courier shop.Some family letters are sent from afar, which makes people burst into tears with joy.The poet Lu You has a poem expressing his mood when he received the letter: "Sit at the chaimen at sunset, holding Fang Fanzhen [yuyuan]. All." ("De Zi Yu Hao Shang Shu") This is to say that in his later years, Lu You was dismissed by the court and lived at home for many years. A private book from afar.He was so moved that he burst into tears as he read it.There are many private books that come with it, and some people also take advantage of this convenience to ridicule someone.In the novels written by the people of Song Dynasty, such a story is recorded: There is a man named Cao Yong, who is the minion of the traitor Qin Hui.His officialdom became bigger and bigger, and many neighbors fawned on him, but his wife and brother, Li Desi, did not agree with him and refused to flatter him, which caused Boss Cao Yong's displeasure.Qin Hui died in 1155 AD, and Li Desi immediately wrote a letter and sent it to Cao Yong.Cao took the book and read it. It turned out to be an article entitled "The Tree Falls and the Hozen Scattered", scolding Qin Hui's gang of treacherous officials.This story shows that people at that time spurned treacherous officials, but it also reflected that private letters had been delivered through various legal channels in the Southern Song Dynasty.Li Desi was only a small local official at that time, and he could also deliver private letters, which is enough to show that private correspondence was relatively common at that time.