Jiangnan Province, Jiangning County.

Jiangning County covers an area of about 70 acres, there are 18 courtyards of all sizes, and there are more than 200 houses in the courtyards.

The buildings in this county are integrated with the small landscape style of Jiangsu and Zhejiang and the rough and solemn style of the north, the two styles are integrated, the scale is grand, unpredictable, there are both beautiful pavilions and pavilions, and there are solemn ancestral hall stone carvings, the end is the great beauty without words, it is called "the first yamen of the two rivers".

The main purpose of the county government is the office of officials at all levels in Jiangning County, and only the inner house that occupies a small area is the residence of the county lord.

"Today, when the official is free, I will give you this newcomer to talk about the institutions and officials at all levels of the Daqing County Government."

In the county office, an official wearing a nine-rank official hat was making a tone and giving a lecture to a newly recruited catcher (catcher).

This person is Zheng Qingming, the inspector of Jiangning County.

"Yes, yes, yes, the little one listens, please advise !! adults." That catch fast Li Da Niu said.

"That's wrong, this official is the fourth-ranked official in this county, you should be called the fourth master, as for yourself, you are also a public person, you have to claim to be subordinate, subordinate or lowly !!"

Zheng Qingming put up his face and corrected, this Zheng Qingming has studied in private school for several years, and he especially likes to show off himself, in order to show that he is talented and rich.

"Yes, yes, fourth master, subordinates understand !!". Li Daniu nodded and said.

In addition to the magistrate of the county, the county cheng, and the main book, the remaining officials also have the history of the canon, the inspection, the post officer, the gate official, the tax ambassador, the ambassador of the river station, etc., but only the inspection of these positions is graded, for the nine products, mainly set up in the county's Guanjin key place, in charge of arresting thieves.

Therefore, Zheng Qingming is right to say that he ranks fourth, but according to the rules of the county government, it has always been the rule for the county, the county, and the main book to call the eldest master, the second master, and the third master respectively.

It's just that his four masters are just the catchers under his command who usually pat themselves on the back when they drink, screaming and screaming, everyone calls it that, this Zheng Qingming is serious, and naturally puts up the shelf of the four masters.

Although this is not very bereological, he is the brother-in-law of the magistrate, so no one dares to point out that he is not, or that he is more serious than him.

"As the saying goes, although the sparrow is small, it has all the organs, why is this Jiangning County Ya divided into the lobby, the second hall and the inner house."

"The county public trial or retrial is carried out in the lobby, which is the center of the county government, and when the case is heard, the public can go to the lobby to watch."

"The second hall is a place where cases are tried in public, and it is not easy to enter the second hall, usually when there is a difficult case, it will be tried in the second hall first, and then the court will be officially opened in the lobby."

Zheng Qingming shook his head and continued to introduce, and Li Daniu listened attentively, sometimes amazed, sometimes nodding yes.

Sometimes I raise my thumbs up in admiration.

The more Zheng Qingming spoke, the more excited he became.

"The county order of Jiangning County lives in the inner hall of the county ya, and at the entrance of the inner hall, there are three words of the three provincial halls, what is the three provincial halls, which is taken from the "Analects" "I have three provinces in one day, my body". “

"Enter the entrance of the inner hall, it is the main hall, there are several couplets hanging on the wall of the main hall, the official will read a thought to you, "get an official but not honor, lose an official without humiliation, don't say that an official is useless, the place depends on an official; Eat people's food, wear people's clothes, don't bully the people, and he is also a people." Hey, if you don't understand it, the official won't explain it to you. ”

"On both sides of the main hall are the houses that lead to the families and visitors of the county. It's impossible to go."

"After talking about the inner hall, let's go back and talk about the buildings on both sides of the lobby and the second hall. Come with the officer!! ”。

On both sides of this lobby and the second hall, there are various buildings. “

"There are plaques hanging on the top of these buildings: the county officials, the chief bookkeeper, the warden, the inspector, the ambassador of the tax department, and so on, all the grassroots management of the Qing Dynasty are vividly visible."

"Let's talk about how many officials and soap officials there are in the lowest level of the Yamen in the Qing Dynasty."

"The first is of course the county magistrate, the magistrate is the smallest magistrate in my Qing Dynasty, the official is generally the seventh grade, and the county magistrate of Jing County is the sixth grade. The people of this county are called "Taiye" or "Big Master". “

"The law of the Qing Dynasty stipulates that it is appointed every three years."

"Da Niu, do you know the difference between this county and the county order?"

"This, the little one, no, the subordinates really don't know, please give me advice!!" This Li Daniu was already dizzy, and hurriedly replied.

"I don't know if you want to come, but this official will once again reluctantly introduce you to the difference between the county magistrate and the county order." Zheng Qingming pinched his tone and pretended to be addicted.

"First, the time period of the appearance of the county and the county order is different, and the name is different. The title of the prefectural magistrate is later than the period when the prefectural order appeared. After the unification of the Qin Dynasty, counties were established, which were generally called county orders. During the Song Dynasty, the imperial court began to directly send officials to the counties for governance, which was called "Zhixian Shi", referred to as Zhixian. Second, the scope of responsibilities is different. The magistrate can appoint his own subordinates, select and recommend talents at will, issue government decrees, reward and punish, administer justice and supervision, and have dictatorship. The county order is to sit in court to try cases, collect money and grain, and persuade farmers to pay tribute. Third, the nature of the position is different, the magistrate is an official appointed by the imperial court to the locality, while the county magistrate is an official promoted by the local government. ”

"My lord is really my Bai Xiaosheng of the Qing Dynasty, and my subordinates admire him very much." Li Daniu said with a smile.

"It's easy to say, let's introduce you to the names and grades of the officials in this county." Zheng Qingming continued.

"According to the official system of the Qing Dynasty, under the county officials, there are generally county officials, master books, canonical history, patrol inspections, post officials, gate officials, ambassadors of the tax department, ambassadors of the warehouse, ambassadors of the river station, medical training department, yin and yang science and training, monks and monks, Taoist officials and other officials."

The second is the well-known county Cheng, Zheng Bapin, (Jing County is Zheng Qipin), collectively known as "Zuotang", "Ergong", "Shaoyin", etc., known as "Eryeong". The main responsibilities of this county are clerical matters, taxes, grain and horses, etc. Together with the main bookkeeper, he assists the county magistrate and is in charge of the county's grain and horses, taxes, household registration files, patrols, clerical and other affairs. ”

(Note: Equivalent to the deputy county magistrate, similar to the deputy county magistrate in later generations)

"The county is generally appointed by the juren, engong, and bagong deputy tribute. There are also a very small number of Jinshi backgrounds, who were demoted to county officials because they offended their bosses. “

"The county has its own office office, whether each county has a county or not, and the number of people set up, is related to the size of the county.

"The appointment and dismissal of the county officials is the responsibility of the Ministry of Officials, and the county order has no power to control. In addition to cooperating with the prefectural ordinance in handling official documents, I also have to deal with a variety of people. Although this is a grassroots petty official, many large and small matters in the county can be handled directly by the county magistrate, without going through the county. “

"The third nature is the main book, the main book is the nine products, the same is the deputy adjutant of the county, known as the "three masters", his main responsibility is to manage taxes and administration. “

"The fourth largest official is called Dianshi, also called Dianshi, and in the previous dynasties, he used to be called a county lieutenant, with a grade of unentered, and was in charge of supervising the affairs of prison prisoners in a county. If a county is relatively remote and there are not too many affairs, the warden and the inspection will be managed by the canon. This is the official who holds the office of the warden."

(Note: According to later generations, this canonical history is similar to the later county public security bureau chief and prison management department.) ）

"The fifth place is the inspection, from the nine products, the Qing Dynasty in the states, counties of the passes, ferries and other key places, set up a patrol inspection department, in charge of the arrest of thieves, interrogation of treacherous things.

(Note: Equivalent to the director of the grassroots police station of the Public Security Bureau in later generations)

"The sixth place is Yicheng, and the grade is not in the stream. Manage the post stations, take charge of mail delivery and greet passing officials"

(Note: It is equivalent to a post office for future generations and a guest house administrator who can stay under it.) ）

"The seventh is the gate officer: the grade is not in the flow, and is in charge of the gates, water storage, flood discharge, opening and closing of the gates of each river dam. ）

(Note: Equivalent to later generations of reservoir managers.) ）

"The eighth is the ambassador of the Department of Taxation: the rank is not in the stream, and he is in charge of the collection of taxes."

"The ninth is the ambassador of the warehouse: the grade is not in the stream, and he is in charge of the storage and guarding of the warehouse."

"The 10th ambassador of the river anchorage: the grade is not in the stream, and he is in charge of collecting the fishery tax."

"The eleventh medical training department: the grade is not in the stream, and he is a medical officer of a county."

(Note: Equivalent to the director of the county hospital in later generations.) ）

"The twelfth Yin and Yang Discipline: the grade is not in the stream, and is in charge of observing the stars, similar to the astronomical observation stations or weather stations in later generations."

"The thirteenth Sangha Guild is a monk of the Thirteenth Sangha Society: the grade is not in the stream, and he is in charge of the temples and monks of a county."

"The fourteenth Taoist priest of the Taoist Society: The grade is not in the stream, and he is in charge of the Taoist temples and Taoist priests in a county."

"The above personnel are all appointed by my Qing court, eating imperial grain and holding golden rice bowls. those with grades are called "officials"; Those who have no grade are called "officials". ”

(Note: It is equivalent to the personnel in the establishment of later generations, also called civil servants).

"My lord, you are only eight buckets high, you are rich and rich, you are impressed, and you are going to be busy with your humble position." Li Daniu raised his thumb again and said that he was about to escape.

"Don't worry, don't worry, this adult is only halfway to talk, continue to listen!! Look at the houses on this side, they are all the offices of the six-room scribe and the fourth-class officer." This Zheng Qingming grabbed Li Daniu, who had no love, and continued to show off.

"In addition to the above officials, they are scribes and officials with iron rice bowls, and I will talk to you about them in detail."

"The scribe is one of the main assistants in the state and county yamen, and has a unique position in the county yamen. The group of scribes was born under specific historical conditions, and to put it bluntly, it was derived from the system of our Dacheongju County. “

"The magistrates of my Qing Dynasty had a recusal system, so the magistrates were often outsiders, not familiar with the situation in the place, and couldn't even understand the dialect. As a result, the local government of the prefecture and county has formed a special pattern: the constantly changing and inexperienced state and county officials lead a group of local scribes who have been in their posts for a long time and are old and sophisticated. “

"The clerks of the county government serve in the office premises of the county government and its subordinate officials, and the number of scribes employed by the county government is fixed, ranging from a few to twenty or thirty. However, this kind of regulation has never been seriously enforced, and the total number of scribes employed by a county "often depends on the size of its jurisdiction and the complexity of its administrative affairs." “

"The number of scribes in my Daqing County is extremely large, usually about 1,000 in large counties, 700 in middle counties, and 3 or 400 in small counties."

According to the division, the scribes of the county government were organized into the "six rooms", namely: the six rooms of officials, households, rites, soldiers, criminals, and workers. For this reason, the scribes were called "clerks", "household clerks", "ritual clerks", "military chamber clerks", "torture chamber clerks", and "workshop clerks", and they dealt with specific office affairs. “

"The six rooms in the county government have their own duties, and the officials keep personnel files, which record the names of all the people in the county, the date of entering the office, and whether there are records of rewards and punishments."

"The house is responsible for the collection of taxes and all matters relating to money and food, and also keeps a record of taxes over the years; The ceremonial room is responsible for sacrificial ceremonies, temple rules, schools, examinations, and the awarding of honors (such as the table); The barracks kept the files of the city gate guards, soap li, horse express, Minzhuang, postman and post station; The Torture Room keeps the files of the prosecution, prisoners, arresters, servants and jailers, and is responsible for the management of local armor protection; The workshop was responsible for the maintenance of government buildings, barns, prisons, post houses, bridges, ferries, roads, etc. “

In addition to the six rooms, there are also some scribes in charge of special affairs in the county government, such as the "Chengfa room" who is responsible for distributing copywriting to the six rooms, and is also the main department in the county government responsible for external contacts; The "Cambodian room" is responsible for communication; The "treasury" stores tax money, official goods, stolen goods, and murder weapons used in murder cases. In addition, there are "warehouses", "recruitment houses" and so on. “

"After the scribe is finished, the official will tell you about your own servant, and as a servant, you should know your duties and listen carefully to !!."

"Yes, yes, I am listening carefully to the teachings of adults."

Finally talking about his duty to catch fast, Li Daniu finally cheered up his spirit, lowered his head and listened carefully, but said in his heart: This guy is really troublesome, something that can be solved in less than a quarter of an hour, I have to talk about it for an hour."

The government of the Qing Dynasty had "four classes", specifically: soap class, allegro, peoplezhuang, and capture class. ”

"The soap class is composed of servants dressed in black, and their main duty is to be the precursor and clear the way when the county magistrate attends public occasions. During the interrogation, they must also stand on both sides of the lobby, and their duty is to carry out all kinds of coerced confessions and tortures. ”

"Fast class, there are also "horse fast" and "step fast", and its duty is to patrol the night. These officials were often sent to the countryside to collect taxes, and sometimes they were often escorted by the government and the bank. ”

"Minzhuang, who was recruited from the people, was often sent to guard granaries, treasury, and prisons, or to escort officials and prisoners. During special periods, these people also served as reserve troops to guard the city. ”

"The main responsibility of the arrest squad is to arrest thieves and assist the magistrate to manage public security in the jurisdiction, and the so-called head catcher is this kind of person."

(Note: This is like the police of later generations.) ）

"In the four classes of servants, there is usually a leader, called the "head officer", for example, your leader is called the head catcher. In addition to the above four classes, there are also nominal servants, although they are listed in the official list, but they do not actually serve. Therefore, in a county government, the actual number of officials far exceeded the amount set by the imperial court. In general, the number of officials in ordinary counties is about a few hundred, but in fact, the total number of officials in many counties has reached 1,000 or several hundred. “

"The rest are the chief and staff, these people are not in the establishment, but you should also know that although they are not officials, they are recruited by the county magistrate himself, but they are more important than the officials of the imperial court, you don't offend casually, otherwise you will not be able to eat and walk around."

"These are the private servants of the magistrate, and they occupy a unique and important position in the local administration. Although there were already a large number of scribes and officials in the yamen, there were still some special official affairs that were not handled by special personnel, and these matters were often sensitive or private, and could only be handled by the most trusted chief of the county. As mentioned above, when the magistrate first arrived, he knew very little about the local situation, and it was impossible to trust the local scribes and officials to entrust them with some important official or private affairs. “

"Many of Changsui were his domestic slaves before the magistrate was released, and some were recommended by relatives and friends, plus Changsui is not a local like the magistrate, so he has no private interests in the local society, and he has no personal friendship with the locals."

(Note: The long follower is equivalent to the secretary of later generations, but the difference is that there is no establishment.) Many magistrates feel that their government affairs are heavy and tend to entrust them to the long-term followers, which also makes the importance of the long-term followers more prominent. Of course, the most important job of Changsui is to help the magistrate accept all kinds of bribes. Because no county magistrate will personally solicit bribes, the chief must act as a bribe intermediary, and it is much easier for the bribe giver to contact the chief than to directly contact the magistrate himself. “）

"Finally, Master Ben will tell you about the staff, who are administrative experts hired by the state and county magistrates. They are not permanent personnel in the bureaucracy, neither subordinate officials nor subordinates of the county, but an employment relationship with a clear price.

"The staff members who serve in the prefectural government can be roughly divided into the following categories"

""Criminal Name" Assists in Judicial Proceedings;" Qiangu "assists in the management of money and grain revenue and expenditure; "Levy ratio" specifically handles tax collection; "Registration" is responsible for registration; "Shuqi" is responsible for official correspondence and correspondence; The "red and black pen" is responsible for transcribing two kinds of brushes: red and black; The "Ledger" manages the books. “

"Of the above-mentioned types of staff, only the first five are generally set up in all prefectures and counties, and the rest are not required, depending on the size and needs of the region. Of course, among the staff, the two categories of "criminal name" and "money and food" are the most important, and their remuneration is also the highest. “

Although the staff members are not government officials, they are still conceptually on an equal footing with officials. In terms of address, the magistrate called the master "old master" in writing, and could only call him "character" verbally, but not by his name. The master called the county "Dong Weng" and "Lao Dong", and on some informal occasions, he was also called a brother. “