1
職官誌
Treatise on Official Posts
2
夫官非位無以分貴賤，位非品無以定高卑，是以歷代史官，咸有所紀，皆窮源而討本，期與世以作程。 迨乎唐祚方隆，玄宗在宥，采累朝之故事，考眾職之遐源，申命才臣，著成《六典》，其勛階之等級，品秩之重輕，則已備載於其中矣。 故今之所撰，不敢相沿，祖述五代之命官，以踵百王之垂範，或厘革升降，則謹而誌之，俾後之為天官卿者，得以觀焉。
Without offices there are no ranks to separate noble from common; without ranks there are no grades to fix precedence high and low. That is why historians of every dynasty have recorded these matters, tracing origins to their roots so that the world might have a lasting standard. When the Tang was at its height and Emperor Xuanzong reigned, he collected precedents from successive dynasties, traced the remote origins of every office, and commissioned able ministers to compile the Six Institutions, which already set out in full the grades of merit ranks and the relative weight of official ranks. What follows therefore does not merely repeat the Tang record; it traces how the Five Dynasties appointed officials, continuing the models left by earlier kings. Where ranks were revised, raised, or lowered, the changes are recorded carefully so that future Ministers of the Office of Heaven may consult them.
3
梁開平三年三月，詔升尚書令為正一品。 按《唐六典》，尚書令正二品，是時以將授趙州王镕此官，故升之。
In the third month of Kaiping 3 of Liang, an edict raised the Director of the Department of State Affairs to first rank, upper grade. Under the Tang Six Institutions the Director of the Department of State Affairs had been second rank, upper grade; the rank was raised because the post was about to be conferred on Wang Rong, military governor of Zhao.
4
後唐天成四年八月，詔曰：「朝廷每有將相恩命，準往例，諸道節度使帶平章事、兼侍中、中書令，並列銜於敕牒後，側書『使』字。 今兩浙節度使錢镠是元帥、尚父，與使相名殊，承前列銜，久未改正。 湖南節度使馬殷，先兼中書令之時，理宜齒於相位，今守太師、尚書令，是南省官資，不合列署敕尾。 今後每署將相敕牒，宜落下錢镠、馬殷官位，仍永為常式。」
In the eighth month of Tiancheng 4 of Later Tang, an edict declared: "Whenever the court grants a favor to a general or minister, precedent requires that circuit military governors who also hold Grand Councilor, concurrent Palace Attendant, or Director of the Secretariat have their titles listed after the edict text, with the word 'envoy' added at the side. Qian Liu of the Two Zhes circuits is Grand Marshal and Imperial Father—titles unlike those of ordinary envoy-ministers—yet he has long been listed under the old formula without correction. Ma Yin of Hunan, when he concurrently held Director of the Secretariat, properly ranked with the chief ministers; he now holds Grand Preceptor and Director of the Department of State Affairs—southern-department posts that should not be signed at the end of edicts. Henceforth, whenever edicts for generals and ministers are issued, the titles of Qian Liu and Ma Yin are to be omitted, and this shall be the standing rule."
5
梁開平二年四月，改左右丞為左右司侍郎，避廟諱也。 至後唐同光元年十月，復舊為左右丞。
In the fourth month of Kaiping 2 of Liang, the Left and Right Assistant Directors were retitled Left and Right Vice Directors of the Department to avoid the imperial temple taboo. In the tenth month of Tongguang 1 of Later Tang, the offices were restored to their former titles of Left and Right Assistant Director.
6
後唐長興元年九月，詔曰：「臺轄之司，官資並設，左右貂素來相類，左右揆不至相懸，以此比方，豈宜分別。 自此宜升尚書右丞官品，與左丞並為正四品。」
In the ninth month of Changxing 1 of Later Tang, an edict declared: "In the censorate, ranks are set for both wings; the left and right palace attendants have always been peers, and the left and right chief ministers should not stand far apart—by that analogy, how can they be treated differently? Henceforth the Right Assistant Director of the Department of State Affairs shall be promoted so that he and the Left Assistant Director are both fourth rank, upper grade."
7
右都省
—The Department of State Affairs—
8
後唐長興四年九月，敕：「馮赟有經邦之茂業，宜進位於公臺，但緣平章事字犯其父名，不欲斥其家諱，可改同平章事為同中書門下二品。」 後至周顯德中，樞密使吳廷祚亦加同中書門下二品，避其諱也。
In the ninth month of Changxing 4 of Later Tang, an edict declared: "Feng Yun's distinguished service to the state merits advancement to the chief ministers' level; because the title Grand Councilor contains characters tabooed by his father's name, and he does not wish to violate his family taboo, Concurrent Grand Councilor is changed to Concurrent Second Rank of the Secretariat and Chancellery. Later, in the Xiande era of Zhou, Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs Wu Tingzuo received the same title for the same reason of taboo avoidance.
9
晉天福五年二月，敕：「以門下侍郎、中書侍郎並為清望正三品。」 晉天福九月，詔曰：「《六典》云：中書舍人掌侍奉進奏參議表章，凡詔旨制敕、璽書策命，皆按故事起草進畫，既下，則署而行之。 其禁有四：一曰漏泄，二曰稽緩，三曰違失，四曰忘誤，所以重王命也。 古昔已來，典實斯在，爰從近代，別創新名。 今運屬興王，事從師古，俾仍舊貫，以耀前規。 其翰林學士院公事，宜並歸中書舍人。」
In the second month of Tianfu 5 of Jin, an edict declared: "The Vice Ministers of the Chancellery and of the Secretariat shall both rank as prestigious third rank, upper grade. In the ninth month of Tianfu of Jin, an edict declared: "The Six Institutions assigns to Drafting Attendants of the Secretariat the duties of attendance, memorial submission, deliberation, and drafting; all edicts, ordinances, sealed letters, and appointments are to be drafted by precedent, submitted for imperial approval, and once issued signed and promulgated. Four offenses are forbidden: leakage, delay, error, and careless mistake—thus is the sovereign's command held in weight. From antiquity the proper practice has been established; only in recent times were new titles invented apart from it. Now that a new sovereign has risen, affairs should follow the ancients, restoring the old practice to honor the former standard. The official business of the Hanlin Academy shall all revert to the Drafting Attendants of the Secretariat."
10
七年五月，中書門下上言：：有司檢尋長興四年八月二十一日敕：準《官品令》，侍中、中書令正三品，按《會要》，大歷二年十一月升為正二品； 左右常侍從三品，按《會要》，廣德二年五月升為正三品； 門下中書侍郎正四品，大歷二年十一月升為正三品； 諫議大夫正五品，按《續會要》，會昌二年十二月升為正四品，以備中書門下四品之闕； 御史大夫從三品，會昌二年十二月升為正三品； 御史中丞正五品，亦與大夫同時升為正四品。」 敕：「宜各準元敕處分，仍添入令文，永為定制。」 又詔：「門下侍郎，班在常侍之下，俸祿同常侍。」
In the fifth month of year seven, the Secretariat and Chancellery reported: the relevant offices had located the edict of 21 August, Changxing 4. Under the Statutes on Official Ranks the Palace Attendant and Director of the Secretariat were third rank, upper grade; the Institutional Compendium records that in the eleventh month of Dali 2 they were raised to second rank, upper grade; the Left and Right Regular Attendants were third rank, lower grade; the Institutional Compendium records that in the fifth month of Guangde 2 they were raised to third rank, upper grade; the Vice Ministers of the Chancellery and Secretariat were fourth rank, upper grade; in the eleventh month of Dali 2 they were raised to third rank, upper grade; the Remonstrance Grand Master was fifth rank, upper grade; the Continued Institutional Compendium records that in the twelfth month of Huichang 2 the post was raised to fourth rank, upper grade to fill the fourth-rank slot in the Secretariat and Chancellery; the Censor-in-Chief was third rank, lower grade; in the twelfth month of Huichang 2 the post was raised to third rank, upper grade; the Vice Censor-in-Chief was fifth rank, upper grade and was raised to fourth rank, upper grade at the same time as the Censor-in-Chief. An edict ordered: "Each rank shall follow the original edict, be entered into the statute text, and stand as a permanent rule." A further edict declared: "The Vice Minister of the Chancellery ranks below the Regular Attendant but receives the same salary."
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周顯德五年六月，敕：「諫議大夫宜依舊正五品上，仍班位在給事中之下。」 按《唐典》，諫議大夫四員，正五品上，皆隸門下省，班在給事中之下。 至會昌二年十一月，中書門下奏，升為正四品下，仍分為左右，以備兩省四品之闕，故其班亦升在給事中之上。 近朝自諫議大夫拜給事中者，官雖序遷，位則降等，至是以其遷次不倫，故改正焉。
In the sixth month of Xiande 5 of Zhou, an edict declared: "The Remonstrance Grand Master shall remain fifth rank, upper grade as before and rank below the Drafting Attendant in Court. Under the Tang Code there were four Remonstrance Grand Masters at fifth rank, upper grade, all under the Chancellery and ranking below the Drafting Attendant in Court. In the eleventh month of Huichang 2 the Secretariat and Chancellery petitioned to raise the post to fourth rank, lower grade and split it into left and right to fill fourth-rank slots in both departments, which also moved their court precedence above the Drafting Attendant in Court. In recent times promotion from Remonstrance Grand Master to Drafting Attendant in Court advanced one's title in sequence but lowered one's court rank; because that order of promotion was illogical, it was now corrected.
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──右兩省
—The Two Departments—
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後唐清泰二年十一月，制：「以前同州節度使、檢校太尉、同平章事馮道為守同空。」 時議者曰：「自隋、唐以來，三公無職事，自非親王不恒置，於宰臣為加官，無單置者。」 道在相位時帶司空，及罷鎮，未命官，議者不練故事，率意行之。 及制出，言議紛然，或云便可綜中書書下事或云須冊拜開府。 及就列，無故事，乃不就朝堂敘班，臺官兩省官入就列，方入，宰臣退，踵後先退。 劉句又以罷相為僕射，出入就列，一與馮道同，議者非之。 及晉天福中，以李纮為司徒，周廣順初，以竇貞固為司徒，蘇禹珪為司空，遂以為例，議者不復有雲。
In the eleventh month of Qingtai 2 of Later Tang, an appointment declared: "The former military governor of Tong, Acting Grand Preceptor and Concurrent Grand Councilor Feng Dao is named Acting Minister of Works. Contemporaries remarked: "Since Sui and Tang the Three Dukes held no active duties and were not regularly filled except for imperial princes; for chief ministers they were honorific additions, never sole appointments." Feng Dao had held Minister of Works while chief minister; when he left his military command he received no other post. Critics unfamiliar with precedent simply improvised. When the appointment was issued, opinion was divided: some held he could immediately oversee Secretariat business, others that he required formal investiture and establishment of a staff office. At court there was no precedent for his place in the order of attendance; he did not enter the hall with the regular court formation. Censorate and two-department officials entered first; only then did he enter. When the chief ministers withdrew, he followed immediately and left ahead of them. Liu Xu, having left the chief ministership for Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, followed the same court practice as Feng Dao, which critics condemned. In the Jin Tianfu era Li Hong was named Minister of Education; at the start of Zhou Guangshun Dou Zhengu became Minister of Education and Su Yugui Minister of Works; thereafter the practice became routine and critics fell silent.
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──右三公
—The Three Dukes—
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後唐天成元年夏六月，以李琪為御史大夫，自後不復除。 其年冬十一月丙子，諸道進奏官上言：「今月四日，中丞上事，臣等禮合至臺，比期不越前規，依舊傳語，忽蒙處分通出，尋則再取指揮，要明審的。 又蒙問：大夫相公上事日如何？ 臣等訴云：大夫曾為宰相，進奏官伏事中書，事體之間，實為舊吏。 若以別官除授，合雲傳語勞來，又堅令通出。 臣等出身藩府，不會朝儀，拒命則恐有奏聞，遵稟則全隳則例，伏恐此後到臺參賀，儀則不定者。」 詔曰：「御史臺是大朝執憲之司，乃四海繩違之地，凡居中外，皆所整齊，藩侯尚展於公參，邸吏豈宜於抗禮。 遽觀論列，可驗侮輕，但以喪亂孔多，紀綱隳紊，霜威掃地，風憲銷聲。 今則景運惟新，皇圖重正，稍加提舉，漸止澆訛。 宜令御史臺，凡關舊例，並須舉行，如不稟承，當行朝典。」 時盧文紀初拜中丞，領事於御史府，諸道進奏官來賀，文紀曰：「事例如何？」 臺吏喬德威等言：「朝廷在長安日，進奏官見大夫中丞，如胥吏見長官之禮。 及梁氏將革命，本朝微弱，諸藩強據，人主大臣姑息邸吏，時中丞上事，邸吏雖至，皆於客次傳語，竟不相見。 自經兵亂，便以為常。」 文紀令臺吏諭以舊儀相見，據案端簡，通名贊拜。 邸吏輩既出，怒不自勝，相率於閣門求見，騰口喧訴。 明宗謂趙鳳曰：「進奏官比外何官？」 鳳對曰：「府縣發遞祗候之流也。」 明宗曰：「乃吏役耳，安得慢吾法官。」 乃下此詔。
In the sixth month of summer, Tiancheng 1 of Later Tang, Li Qi was appointed Censor-in-Chief; the office was never filled again. On bingzi in the eleventh winter month that year, the circuit memorial-presenting officers petitioned: "On the fourth of this month, when the Vice Censor-in-Chief took office, we were obliged by ritual to attend at the Censorate. We expected the usual practice of relaying messages from the antechamber, but were suddenly ordered to pass through and leave. We then sought a clear ruling on what is required. We were also asked how matters were handled on the day the Censor-in-Chief, who had been chief minister, assumed office. We answered that the Censor-in-Chief had once been chief minister and that memorial-presenting officers served at the Secretariat—in substance we were his former subordinates. Had he been appointed to a different post, the customary exchange of greetings from the antechamber would have applied, yet we were still ordered to pass through and leave. We come from frontier commands and do not know court ritual; refusal might be reported to the throne, yet obedience would destroy precedent entirely. We fear that future visits to the Censorate to offer congratulations will lack a fixed ritual. An edict declared: "The Censorate is the great court's law-enforcement office, where the realm is held to account. All within and without are disciplined by it. Even frontier lords still attend in formal audience—how can lodge clerks presume to defy proper ritual? Their immediate protest proves their contempt; yet through endless turmoil regulations have collapsed, imperial authority has been trampled flat, and the censorate's voice has been stilled. Now that fortune is renewed and the imperial order restored, a modest revival of discipline will gradually end these corrupt practices. The Censorate is ordered to enforce every former precedent; failure to comply will invoke the court statutes." At that time Lu Wenji had just become Vice Censor-in-Chief and was conducting business at the Censorate. When circuit memorial-presenting officers came to congratulate, Wenji asked, "What is the precedent?" Censorate clerks Qiao Dewei and others replied: "When the court was at Chang'an, memorial-presenting officers who met the Censor-in-Chief or Vice Censor-in-Chief followed the ritual of clerks greeting their superior. When the Liang were seizing power our court was weak, the circuits held power by force, and sovereign and ministers indulged lodge clerks. When a Vice Censor-in-Chief took office, lodge clerks who came relayed messages from the antechamber and never met him in person. After the wars this became the accepted norm." Wenji ordered censorate clerks to instruct them in the old ritual of a face-to-face meeting: seated formally at the desk, names were announced and the bow of praise performed. The lodge clerks left in a fury, went in a body to the Gate of the Imperial Secretariat to seek audience, and raised a loud outcry. Emperor Mingzong asked Zhao Feng, "Compared with outside offices, what rank do memorial-presenting officers hold? Feng answered, "They are the sort who in prefectures and districts handle dispatch and attendance duties." Mingzong said, "They are mere clerks—how dare they slight my law officers?" Thereupon this edict was issued.
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晉天福五年二月，以御史中丞為清望正四品。 按《唐典》，御史中丞正五品上，今始升之。 三年三月壬戌，御史臺奏：「按《六典》，侍御史掌糾舉百僚，推鞫獄訟，居上者判臺，知公廨雜事，次和西推、贓贖、三司受事，次知東推、理匭。」 敕宜依舊制。 遂以駕部員外郎兼侍御史知雜事劉皞為河南少尹，自是無省郎知雜者。
In the second month of Tianfu 5 of Jin, the Vice Censor-in-Chief was ranked as prestigious fourth rank, upper grade. Under the Tang Code the Vice Censor-in-Chief had been fifth rank, upper grade; only now was the rank raised. On renxu in the third month of year three the Censorate reported: "The Six Institutions assigns Attending Censors to impeach officials and investigate lawsuits; the senior adjudicates the Censorate and manages office affairs; the next handles the western investigation, embezzlement and ransom cases, and matters received by the Three Offices; the next manages the eastern investigation and the petition box. An edict ordered that the old system be followed. Liu Hao, Vice Director of the Imperial Carriage Office who concurrently served as Attending Censor in charge of miscellaneous affairs, was appointed Vice Governor of Henan; thereafter no provincial bureau director again held that concurrent duty.
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開運二年八月，敕：「御史臺準前朝故事，以郎中、員外郎一人兼侍御史知雜事，近年停罷，獨委年深御史知雜。 振舉之間，紀綱未峻，宜遵舊事，庶葉通規。 宜卻於郎署中選清慎強幹者，兼侍御史知雜事。」
In the eighth month of Kaiyun 2, an edict declared: "By former-court precedent the Censorate had one Director or Vice Director concurrently serve as Attending Censor in charge of miscellaneous affairs; in recent years this was suspended and only a senior censor held the duty. In raising standards regulations have not been strict enough; the old practice should be restored so that the general rules may be harmonized. A pure, cautious, and capable bureau director should again be chosen to concurrently serve as Attending Censor in charge of miscellaneous affairs."
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──右御史臺
—The Censorate—
19
後唐同光元年十月，崇政院依舊為樞密院，命宰臣郭崇韜兼樞密使，亦置直院一人。
In the tenth month of Tongguang 1 of Later Tang, the Court for Honoring Governance was restored as the Bureau of Military Affairs; chief minister Guo Chongtao was named concurrent Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs and one duty officer was also appointed.
20
晉天福四年四月，以樞密副使張從恩為宣徽使，權廢樞密院故也。 先是，晉祖以宰臣桑維翰兼樞密使，懇求免職，只在中書，遂以宣徽使劉處讓代之，每有奏議，多不稱旨。 其後處讓丁憂，乃以樞密印付中書門下，故有是厘改也。
In the fourth month of Tianfu 4 of Jin, Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs Zhang Cong'en was appointed Commissioner of the Palace Secretariat because the Bureau of Military Affairs had been provisionally abolished. Earlier the Jin founder had chief minister Sang Weihan serve concurrently as Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs; Sang earnestly asked to be relieved and remain only in the Secretariat, so Commissioner of the Palace Secretariat Liu Churang replaced him, but his proposals often failed to please the throne. Later, when Churang entered mourning, the Bureau of Military Affairs seal was handed to the Secretariat and Chancellery, which led to this reform.
21
開運元年六月，敕依舊置樞密院，以宰臣桑維翰兼樞密使，從中書門下奏請也。
In the sixth month of Kaiyun 1, an edict restored the Bureau of Military Affairs and named chief minister Sang Weihan concurrent Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, as requested by the Secretariat and Chancellery.
22
周顯德六年六月，命司徒平章事範質、禮部尚書平章事王溥並參知樞密院事。
In the sixth month of Xiande 6 of Zhou, Fan Zhi, Minister of Education and Grand Councilor, and Wang Pu, Minister of Rites and Grand Councilor, were both ordered to participate in Bureau of Military Affairs affairs.
23
梁開平元年四月，始置建昌院，以博王友文判院事，以太祖在藩時，四鎮所管兵車賦稅、諸色課利，按舊簿籍而主之。 其年五月，中書門下奏請以判建昌院事為建昌宮使，仍以東京太祖潛龍舊宅為宮也。 二年二月，以侍中 〈（案：原本有闕文，據《五代會要》，以侍中韓建判建昌宮事。）〉 判建昌宮事。 至十月，以尚書兵部侍郎李皎為建昌宮副使。 三年九月，以門下侍郎平章事薛貽矩兼延資庫使，判建昌宮事。 至四年十二月，以李振為建昌宮副使。 乾化二年五月，以門下侍郎平章事於兢兼延資庫使，判建昌宮事。 其年六月，廢建昌宮，以河南尹魏王張宗奭為國計使，凡天下金谷兵戎舊隸建昌宮者悉主之。 至後唐同光四年二月，以吏部尚書李琪為國計使。 自後廢其名額不置。
In the fourth month of Kaiping 1 of Liang, the Jianchang Court was first established with Prince of Bo Youwen as administrator. It managed the troops, chariots, taxes, and various levies of the four commands the Taizu had governed in his commandery days, administered according to the old registers. In the fifth month of that year the Secretariat and Chancellery petitioned that the Jianchang Court administrator be titled Commissioner of the Jianchang Palace and that the Taizu's former residence in the Eastern Capital from before his accession serve as the palace. In the second month of year two, the Palace Attendant (Note: the original text is defective here; according to the Institutional Compendium of the Five Dynasties, Palace Attendant Han Jian was appointed administrator of the Jianchang Palace.)>〉 was appointed administrator of the Jianchang Palace. In the tenth month Li Jiao, Vice Minister of War in the Department of State Affairs, was appointed Vice Commissioner of the Jianchang Palace. In the ninth month of year three Xue Yiju, Vice Minister of the Chancellery and Grand Councilor, was named concurrent Commissioner of the Extended Resources Treasury and administrator of the Jianchang Palace. In the twelfth month of year four Li Zhen was appointed Vice Commissioner of the Jianchang Palace. In the fifth month of Qianhua 2 Yu Jing, Vice Minister of the Chancellery and Grand Councilor, was named concurrent Commissioner of the Extended Resources Treasury and administrator of the Jianchang Palace. In the sixth month of that year the Jianchang Palace was abolished; Zhang Zongshi, Prince of Wei and Governor of Henan, was named Commissioner of National Accounts and given charge of all revenues, grain, troops, and arms formerly under the Jianchang Palace. In the second month of Tongguang 4 of Later Tang Li Qi, Minister of the Civil Office, was appointed Commissioner of National Accounts. Thereafter the title was abolished and never re-established.
24
後唐同光元年十一月，以左監門衛將軍、判內侍省李紹宏兼內勾，凡天下錢谷簿書，悉委裁遣。 自是州縣供帳繁費，議者非之。 又內勾之名，人以為不祥之言。 二年正月，敕鹽鐵、度支、戶部三司，凡關錢物，並委租庸使管轄，踵梁之舊制也。 天成元年四月，詔廢租庸院，依舊為鹽鐵、戶部、度支三司，委宰臣一人專判。 長興元年八月，以許州節度張延朗行工部尚書，充三司使，班在宣徽使之下。 三司置使，自延朗始也。 唐朝已來，戶部、度支掌泉貨，鹽鐵時置使名，戶部、度支則尚書省本司郎中、侍郎判其事。 天寶中，楊慎矜、王鉷、楊國忠繼以聚貨之術，媚上受寵，然皆守戶部、度支本官，別帶使額，亦無所改作。 下及劉晏、第五琦亦如舊制。 自後亦以宰臣各判一司，不置使額。 乾符後，天下兵興，隨處置租庸使以主調發，兵罷則停。 梁時乃置租庸使，專天下泉貨。 莊宗中興，秉政者不閑典故，踵梁朝故事，復置租庸使，以魏博故吏孔謙專使務。 斂怨於天下，斫喪王室者，實租庸之弊故也。 洎明宗嗣位，思革其弊，未及下車，乃詔削除使名，但命重臣一人判其事，曰判三司。 至是，延朗自許州入再掌國計，白於樞密使，請置三司名。 宣下中書議其事。 宰臣以舊制覆奏，授延朗特進、行工部尚書，充諸道鹽鐵、轉運等使，兼判戶部、度支事，從舊制也。 明宗不從，竟以三司使為名焉。
In the eleventh month of Tongguang 1 of Later Tang Li Shaohong, General of the Left Directorate of the Palace Gate Guards and administrator of the Palace Domestic Service, was named concurrent Internal Auditor with authority over all revenue and grain account books throughout the realm. From this time provisioning expenses in prefectures and districts grew burdensome, and critics objected. Moreover, people regarded the title Internal Auditor as an ill-omened phrase. In the first month of year two an edict placed the Salt and Iron, Revenue, and Census Commissions and all monetary affairs under the Commissioner of Tax and Corvée Labor, following the Liang precedent. In the fourth month of Tiancheng 1 an edict abolished the Tax and Corvée Court and restored the Salt and Iron, Census, and Revenue Commissions, entrusting one chief minister with exclusive oversight. In the eighth month of Changxing 1 Zhang Yanlang, military governor of Xu and acting Minister of Works, was appointed Commissioner of the Three Commissions, ranking below the Commissioner of the Palace Secretariat. The office of Commissioner of the Three Commissions began with Yanlang. Since Tang times the Census and Revenue Commissions managed currency and goods; the Salt and Iron Commission sometimes had a named commissioner, while the Census and Revenue Commissions were overseen by their bureau directors and vice ministers in the Department of State Affairs. In the Tianbao era Yang Shenjin, Wang Hong, and Yang Guozhong in succession used revenue-amassing methods to win imperial favor, yet all retained their original Census and Revenue posts while bearing separate commissioner titles and changing nothing in the system. Later Liu Yan and Diwu Qi followed the same old practice. Thereafter chief ministers again oversaw one commission each without establishing a commissioner title. After Qianfu warfare spread across the realm; Commissioners of Tax and Corvée Labor were appointed wherever needed to manage levies and were disbanded when troops stood down. Under Liang a Commissioner of Tax and Corvée Labor was established with monopoly over the realm's currency and goods. When Zhuangzong restored the dynasty, those in power, unversed in precedent, followed the Liang example, restored the Commissioner of Tax and Corvée Labor, and entrusted the office to Kong Qian, a former Weibo clerk. The gathering of resentment throughout the realm and the ruin of the royal house were in truth due to abuses of the Tax and Corvée commission. When Emperor Mingzong succeeded, he wished to reform these abuses; even before taking the throne he abolished the commissioner title and ordered one senior minister to oversee the commissions as Adjudicator of the Three Commissions. At this time Yanlang came from Xu to take charge of national accounts again, informed the Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, and requested establishment of the Three Commissions title. The matter was referred to the Secretariat for deliberation. The chief ministers replied according to the old system, appointing Yanlang Special Advancement and acting Minister of Works, Commissioner of Salt and Iron and Transport for the circuits, and concurrent overseer of Census and Revenue affairs. Mingzong did not agree, and in the end the title Commissioner of the Three Commissions was adopted.
25
同光元年四月，置護鑾書制學士，以尚書倉部員外郎趙鳳為之。 時莊宗初建號，故特立此名，非故事也。 八月，賜翰林學士承旨、戶部尚書盧質論思匡佐功臣，亦非常例也。
In the fourth month of Tongguang 1 a Drafter for the Imperial Escort and Documents was established, with Zhao Feng, Vice Director of the Granary Bureau, as its first holder. Zhuangzong had just established his reign title, so this special title was created; it was not precedent. In the eighth month Lu Zhi, Hanlin Academician Expositor-in-Chief and Minister of the Census Commission, was granted the title Meritorious Minister for Deliberation and Support—also an extraordinary case.
26
天成三年八月，敕：「掌綸之任，擢才以居，或自初命而升，或自顯秩而授，蓋重厥職，靡系其官，雖事分皆同，而行綴或異，誠由往日未有定規，議官位則上下不恒，論職次則後先未當，宜行顯命，以正近班。 今後翰林學士入院，並以先後為定，惟承旨一員，出自朕意，不計官資先後，在學士之上，仍編入《翰林志》。」 其年十一月，敕：「新除翰林學士張昭遠，早踐綸闈，久司史筆，曾居憲府，累陟貳卿，今既擢在禁林，所宜別宣班序，其立位宜次崔棁。」 〈（《宋史·張昭傳》：晉天福二年，宰相桑維翰薦昭為翰林學士。 內署故事，以先後入為次，不系官序，特詔昭立位次承旨崔棁。 據《宋史》則此敕當在晉天福中，薛史系於唐天成三年後，疑原本有脫誤。）〉
In the eighth month of Tiancheng 3 an edict declared: "The charge of managing the imperial brush selects talent for appointment—some rise from first appointment, others from eminent rank. The office is weighty and not tied to rank. Though duties are the same, court precedence differed because no fixed rule existed: official rank was inconsistent and order of office improper. A clear command shall set right the near court. Henceforth Hanlin academicians shall rank by order of entry; only the Expositor-in-Chief, by imperial will regardless of rank or seniority, ranks above the academicians, and this shall be entered in the Record of the Hanlin Academy. In the eleventh month of that year an edict declared: "The newly appointed Hanlin academician Zhang Zhaoyuan long served in the imperial brush quarters and as historiographer, once served in the censorate, and rose to vice minister; now elevated to the forbidden grove, his court order is specially announced: he shall stand next after Cui Zhuo." (Song History, Biography of Zhang Zhao: In Tianfu 2 of Jin, Chief Minister Sang Weihan recommended Zhao as Hanlin academician. Within the inner office precedent ranked by order of entry, not official sequence; a special edict placed Zhao next after Expositor-in-Chief Cui Zhuo. According to the Song History this edict belongs in the Jin Tianfu era; Xue's History places it after Tang Tiancheng 3—the original text is suspected of omission or error.)>〉
27
周顯德五年十一月，詔曰：「翰林學士職系禁庭，地居親近，與班行而既異，在朝請以宜殊。 起今後當直下直學士，並宜令逐日起居，其當直學士，仍赴晚朝。」 舊制，翰林院學士與常參官五日一度起居，時世宗欲令朝夕謁見，訪以時事，故有是詔。
In the eleventh month of Xiande 5 of Zhou an edict declared: "Hanlin academicians serve in the forbidden court at close proximity to the throne; they already differ from regular court ranks and should receive appropriately distinct treatment at audience. Henceforth all academicians on and off duty shall attend daily audience; those on duty shall still attend the evening court. Under the old system Hanlin academicians attended audience once every five days like regular officials. Emperor Shizong wished them to attend morning and evening for consultation on current affairs; hence this edict.
28
──右內職
—Inner Court Offices—
29
後唐天成三年五月，詔曰：「開府儀同三司，階之極； 太師，官之極； 封王，爵之極； 上柱國，勛之極。 近代已來，文臣官階稍高，便授柱國，歲月未深，便轉上柱國； 武資不計何人，初官便授上柱國。 官爵非無次第，階勛備有等差，宜自此時，重修舊制。 今後凡是加勛，先自武騎尉，經十二轉方授上柱國，永作成規，不令逾越。」 雖有是命，竟不革前例。
In the fifth month of Tiancheng 3 of Later Tang an edict declared: "Grand General with the Ceremonies of a Commandery is the summit of rank; Grand Preceptor is the summit of office; enfeoffment as king is the summit of nobility; Supreme Pillar of the State is the summit of merit rank. In recent times civil officials were granted Pillar of the State as soon as their ranks rose slightly, and transferred to Supreme Pillar of the State before many years had passed; for military men, regardless of who they were, Supreme Pillar of the State was granted at first appointment. Office and nobility have their proper order and merit ranks their gradations; from this time the old system should be restored. Henceforth all merit promotions shall begin at Cavalry Captain of Martial Merit and pass through twelve promotions before Supreme Pillar of the State is granted; this shall be permanent and no transgression allowed. Though this command was issued, the former practice was never reformed.
30
右勛格
—Merit Ranks—
31
後唐清泰二年秋九月庚申，尚書考功上言：「今年五月，翰林學士程遜所上封事內，請自宰相百執事、外鎮節度使、刺史，應系公事官，逐年書考，較其優劣。 遂檢尋《唐書》、《六典》、《會要》考課，令書考第。」 從之。 時議者曰：「考績之法，唐堯、三代舊制。 西漢以刺史六條察郡守，五曹尚書綜庶績，法尤精察，吏有檢繩。 漢末亂離，舊章弛廢。 魏武於軍中權制品第，議吏清濁，用人按吏，頓爽前規。 隋、唐已來，始著於令。 漢代郡守，入為三公，魏、晉之後，政在中書，左右僕射知政事，午前視禁中，午後視省中，三臺百職，無不統攝。 以是論之，宰輔憑何較考？ 自天寶末，權置使務已後，庶事因循，尚書諸司，漸致有名無實，廢墜已久，未知憑何督責。」 程遜所上，亦未詳本源，其時所司雖有舉明，大都諸官亦無考較之事。
On gengshen in the ninth autumn month of Qingtai 2 of Later Tang, the Directorate of Merit Examination reported: "In the sealed memorial Hanlin academician Cheng Xun submitted in the fifth month of this year, he requested annual written evaluations comparing merit for all officials handling public affairs—from chief ministers and the hundred executors to frontier military governors and prefects. They then searched the Tang History, the Six Institutions, and the Institutional Compendium for examination regulations and ordered that grades be recorded. The request was approved. Contemporaries remarked: "The method of examining achievement is the old system of Tang Yao and the Three Dynasties. The Western Han used the inspectors' six articles to examine prefects and governors, and the five bureau ministers summarized all achievements—the law was especially precise and officials held to standards of restraint. At the end of Han came disorder and separation, and the old regulations lapsed. Wei Wu provisionally established grades in the army, debated officials' purity and impurity, and employed men by clerical rank—suddenly departing from former rules. Since Sui and Tang it was first written into statute. In Han prefects and governors rose to the Three Dukes; after Wei and Jin government lay in the Secretariat, the Left and Right Vice Directors managed affairs, viewing the forbidden palace in the morning and the departments in the afternoon—all three offices and hundred duties under their supervision. By this reasoning, by what means can chief ministers be examined? From the end of Tianbao, after special commissioners were provisionally established, affairs followed inertia; Department of State Affairs bureaus gradually became names without reality and long fell into disuse—by what means supervision is to be applied is unknown. Cheng Xun's proposal also failed to clarify origins; though relevant offices made some exposition, for the most part officials underwent no examination or comparison.
32
右較考
—Examinations and Comparisons—
33
周顯德五年十二月，詔：「兩京五府少尹、司錄參軍，先各置兩員，起今後只置一員，六曹判司內只置戶曹、法曹各一員，其餘及諸州支使、兩蕃判官並省。」
In the twelfth month of Xiande 5 of Zhou an edict declared: "Vice governors and record-keeping aides of the two capitals and five prefectures shall be reduced from two posts each to one; among the six bureau adjudicators only one Census Bureau and one Law Bureau adjudicator shall remain; all others, as well as dispatch officers of the prefectures and judges of the two frontier commands, are abolished."
34
右增減
—Additions and Reductions—
35
梁開平元年五月，改禦食使為司膳使，小馬坊使為天驥使，文思院使為乾文院使，同和院使為儀鸞院使。 其年又改城門郎為門局郎，避廟諱也。 唐同光元年十一月，依舊為城門郎。
In the fifth month of Kaiping 1 of Liang the Commissioner of Imperial Food became Commissioner of Palace Provisions; the Small Horse Pasture commissioner became Commissioner of Heavenly Steeds; the Literary Reflection Court commissioner became Commissioner of the Dry Literary Court; the Harmonious Unity Court commissioner became Commissioner of the Ceremonial Phoenix Court. That same year Gate Attendants were retitled Gate Bureau Attendants to avoid the imperial temple taboo. In the eleventh month of Tongguang 1 of Tang the former title Gate Attendant was restored.
36
後唐天成元年十一月，詔曰：「雄武軍節度使官銜內，宜兼押蕃落使。」 〈（《職官分紀》：長興元年，分飛龍院為左右院，以小馬坊為右飛龍院。）〉 二年七月，詔曰：「頃因本朝親王遙領方鎮，其在鎮者，遂雲副大使知節度事，但年代已深，相沿未改。 今天下侯伯並正節旄，惟東、西兩川未落『副大使』字，宜令今後只言節度使。」
In the eleventh month of Tiancheng 1 of Later Tang an edict declared: "The military governor of the Xiongwu Army shall concurrently hold the post of Commissioner for Overseeing the Barbarian Tribes in his official title." (Record of Official Posts by Division: In Changxing 1 the Flying Dragon Court was divided into left and right courts, with the Small Horse Pasture as the Right Flying Dragon Court.)>〉 In the seventh month of year two an edict declared: "Because imperial princes of our court held distant frontier commands, those stationed there were called deputy envoys managing military governorship affairs; many years have passed and the usage has continued unchanged. Now all lords and marquises throughout the realm hold proper command banners; only the eastern and western Two Chuan have not dropped the words 'deputy envoy.' Henceforth only 'military governor' shall be used."
37
晉天福五年四月丙午，詔曰：「承旨者，承時君之旨，非近侍重臣，無以稟朕命、宣予言。 是以大朝會宰臣承旨，草制詔學士承旨，若無區別，何表等威。 除翰林承旨外，殿前承旨宜改為殿直，密院承旨宜改為承宣，御史臺、三司、閣門、客省所有承旨，並令別定其名。」
On bingwu in the fourth month of Tianfu 5 of Jin an edict declared: "Expositor-in-Chief means one who carries out the sovereign's intent; without a close attendant and senior minister, there is no one to receive imperial command and proclaim the sovereign's words. Therefore at the great court assembly the chief minister is Expositor-in-Chief, and for drafting edicts the academician is Expositor-in-Chief; without distinction, how can rank and authority be displayed? Apart from the Hanlin Expositor-in-Chief, the Palace Front Expositor-in-Chief shall be renamed Palace Direct Attendant; the Secret Bureau Expositor-in-Chief shall be renamed Proclaimer; all Expositors-in-Chief of the Censorate, Three Commissions, Gate of the Imperial Secretariat, and Guest Bureau shall be given other names."
38
周廣順二年十二月，詔改左右威衛復為屯衛，避御名也。 右改制
In the twelfth month of Guangshun 2 of Zhou an edict changed the Left and Right Guards of Awesome Might back to Garrison Guards to avoid the imperial personal name. —Reformed Titles—
39
後唐同光二年三月，中書門下奏：「糾轄之任，時謂外臺，宰字之官，古稱列爵，如非朝命，是廢國章。 近日諸道多是各列官銜，便指州縣，請朝廷之正授，樹藩鎮之私恩，頗亂規程，宜加條制。 自今後大鎮節度使，管三州已上者，每年許奏管內官三人； 如管三州以下者，許奏管內官二人。 仍須有課績尤異，方得上聞。 若止於檢慎無瑕，科征及限，是守常道，只得書考旌嘉，不得特有薦奏。 其防禦使每年只許奏一人，若無尤異，不得奏薦。 刺史無奏薦之例，不得輒亂規程。」 其年八月，中書奏：「偽庭之時，諸藩參佐，皆從除授。 自今後諸道除節度副使、兩使判官除授外，其餘職員並諸州軍事判官，各任本處奏辟，其軍事判官仍不在奏官之限。 所冀招延之禮，皆合於前規； 簡辟之間，無聞於濫舉。」 從之。
In the third month of Tongguang 2 of Later Tang the Secretariat and Chancellery memorialized: "The charge of oversight is called the outer platform; officials bearing the character for 'minister' were anciently ranked nobles. Without court appointment the national regulations are abandoned. Recently circuits mostly list official titles, then point to prefectures and districts and request proper court appointment, planting private favor for frontier commands—greatly disordering regulations; additional rules should be imposed. Henceforth military governors of great commands governing three or more prefectures may memorialize three officials within their jurisdiction each year; those governing fewer than three prefectures may memorialize two officials within their jurisdiction. They must have especially outstanding performance records before the matter may be reported upward. If they are merely cautious and without flaw and tax collection meets its quota, that is ordinary conduct—they may receive only a written evaluation of praise and may not receive a special recommendation. Defense commissioners may memorialize only one person per year; without especially outstanding merit no recommendation may be submitted. Prefects have no precedent for memorializing recommendations and must not rashly disorder the regulations. In the eighth month of that year the Secretariat memorialized: "In the time of the false court, aides of the various commands were all appointed by formal commission. Henceforth, apart from military governor deputies and judges of the two commissioners who receive formal appointment, all other staff and military judges of the prefectures may be recommended and appointed locally; military judges are still not within the limit for memorializing officials. It is hoped that recruitment rites may all accord with former rules; and that among selections and appointments there may be no indiscriminate promotion. The request was approved.
40
長興二年十一月，詔曰：「闕員有限，人數常多，須以高低，定其等級，起今後兩使判官罷任後，宜一年外與比擬； 書記、支使、防禦團練判官等，二年外與比擬； 推巡、防禦團練推官、軍事判官等，並三年後與比擬。 仍每遇除授，量與改轉官資，或階勛，或職資。 其有殊常勤績者，別議優升。 若有文學知術超邁群倫，或為眾所稱，或良知迥舉、察驗的實者，不拘年月之限。」
In the eleventh month of Changxing 2 an edict declared: "Vacant posts are limited and candidates numerous; grades must be fixed by rank. Henceforth judges of the two commissioners shall receive comparable appointment one year after leaving office; secretaries, dispatch officers, defense and militia-training judges, and the like, after two years; investigation officers, defense and militia-training investigating officials, military judges, and the like, all after three years. Whenever appointment occurs, official qualification, merit rank, or office qualification should be adjusted as appropriate. Those with exceptionally outstanding diligence and achievement shall be considered separately for preferential advancement. Those whose literary learning and knowledge surpass their peers, who are praised by many, or whose worth is distinctly recognized and verified in investigation are not bound by the limit of years."
41
清泰二年八月，中書門下上言：「前大卿監、五品升朝官、西班將軍，皆在任許滿二十五月，如沖替已經二十月，即別任用。 少卿監，舊例三任四任方入大卿監，五品三任四任方入少卿監，今後並只三任，逐任須月限滿，無殿責者便入此官。 西班將軍，罷任一年許求官，舊例三任四任方入大將軍，今只以三任為限，三任大將軍方入上將軍，並須逐任滿月限，無殿責，或曾任金吾將軍、街使、藩鎮刺史，特敕並不拘此例。 諸道除兩使判官外，書記已下任自辟請。 應朝官除外任，罷任後一年方許陳乞。 諸道賓席未曾升朝者，若官兼三院御史，即除中下縣令； 兼大夫、中丞、秘書少監、郎中、員外郎與清資。 初任升朝官，檢校官至尚書、常侍、秘書監、庶子，升朝便與少卿監。 諸州防禦、團練判、推官，並請本州奏辟，中書不更除授。 應出選門官帶三院御史供奉裏行及省銜，罷任後周年，許陳乞。 諸州別駕，不除令錄，仍守本官月限，得替後一年，許陳乞。 長史、司馬，因攝奏正，未有官者送名。」 從之。
In the eighth month of Qingtai 2 the Secretariat and Chancellery reported: "Formerly grand masters of the directorates, fifth-rank court officials, and western-rank generals were allowed twenty-five full months in office; if replacement occurred at twenty months they were appointed elsewhere. For lesser masters of the directorates the old rule required three or four terms before grand master of the directorates; for fifth rank three or four terms before lesser master. Henceforth only three terms are required; each must complete the full month quota, and those without demerit may enter these offices. Western-rank generals may seek appointment one year after leaving office; the old rule required three or four terms before great general; now only three terms are required and three terms as great general before upper general—all must complete the full month quota without demerit; those who served as golden guard general, street commissioner, or frontier prefect are not bound by this rule under special edict. In the circuits, apart from judges of the two commissioners, secretaries and below may be appointed by local recommendation. Court officials taking outside appointments may petition only one year after leaving office. Guests of the circuits who have never entered court: if their office concurrently holds censor of the three bureaus, they are appointed magistrate of a middle or lower county; if concurrently grand master, vice censor-in-chief, vice director of the Secretariat library, director, or vice director, they receive prestigious qualification. For first appointment as court official, acting commissioners up to minister, regular attendant, director of the Secretariat library, or crown prince's tutor—upon entering court they receive lesser master of the directorates. Defense and militia-training judges and investigating officials of the prefectures shall be recommended and appointed by their prefecture; the Secretariat shall not appoint them further. Officials from the selection gate bearing concurrent censor of the three bureaus, attendant in service, or provincial title may petition one full year after leaving office. Vice governors of the prefectures are not appointed magistrates or recorders; they still observe the month quota of their original office and may petition one year after replacement. Chief secretaries and aides who through acting service were memorialized for regular appointment, if they hold no office, submit their names. The request was approved.
42
三年五月乙未，詔曰：「近以內外臣僚，出入叠處，稍均勞逸，免滯轉遷，應兩司判官、畿赤令，取郎中、員外、補闕、拾遣、三丞、五博，少列宮僚，選擇擢任。 一則俾藩方侯伯，別耀賓階； 次則致朝列人臣，備諳時政。 今後或有滿闕，便宜依此施行。」
On yiwei in the fifth month of year three an edict declared: "Because inner and outer officials rotate through overlapping posts, to balance labor and rest and avoid stagnant promotion, judges of the two commissioners and magistrates of the capital and red-walled prefectures shall be drawn from directors, vice directors, remonstrance and memorial-drafting officials, the three assistant directors, five erudites, and junior palace officials, selected and promoted. First, so that frontier lords and marquises may display a distinct guest rank; second, so that court officials may be thoroughly versed in current policy. Henceforth whenever a vacancy is filled, this shall be carried out."
43
周廣順元年夏五月辛巳，詔：「朝廷設爵命官，求賢取士，或以資敘進，或以科級升。 至有白首窮經，方諧一第； 半生守選，始遂一官。 是以國無幸民，士不濫進。 近年州郡奏薦，多無出身、前官，或因權勢書題，或是衷私請托，既難阻意，便授真恩。 遂使躁求僥幸之徒，爭遊捷徑； 辛苦孤寒之士，盡泣窮途。 將期激濁揚清，所宜循名責實。 今後州府不得奏薦無前官及無出身人，如有奇才異行，越眾超群，亦許具名以聞，便可隨表赴闕，當令有司考試，朕亦親自披詳，斷其否臧，俾之升黜，庶使人不謬舉，野無遺才。」
On xinsi in the fifth summer month of Guangshun 1 of Zhou, an edict declared: "The court establishes ranks and appoints officials, seeking talent and selecting scholars—some advance by seniority in qualification, others rise through the examination ladder. Some spent their lives to white hair mastering the classics before passing a single civil examination; Others waited half a lifetime on the roster before securing a single post. Thus the realm had no lucky freeloaders and scholars did not flood into office without merit. In recent years prefectural recommendations often came from men without degrees or prior office—some backed by powerful patrons, others by private favor—and resistance proved futile, so full appointments were granted. The result was that the ambitious and opportunistic scrambled for shortcuts to office; while diligent scholars of humble means wept in despair at dead ends. To stir the muddy and raise the clear, offices must match their names and merit must match the post. Henceforth no prefecture or district may recommend men without prior office or without an examination degree. Men of exceptional talent and conduct who surpass the crowd may still be reported by name and may proceed to court with the memorial; the relevant offices shall examine them, and I shall personally review each case and decide promotion or demotion, so that no one is wrongly recommended and no worthy man in obscurity is overlooked."
44
顯德二年六月，詔：「兩京諸道州府留守判官、兩使判官、少尹、防禦團練軍事判官，今後並不得奏薦； 其防禦團練、刺史州各置推官一員。」 右厘革
In the sixth month of Xiande 2 an edict declared: "Administrative assistants to resident commissioners of the two capitals and all circuits, assistants to the two commissioners, vice governors, and military administrative assistants of defense and militia-training commands may no longer be recommended by memorial; Each defense command, militia-training command, and prefecture shall instead appoint one investigating officer. —Reforms and Abolitions—
45
晉天福三年十一月，起居郎殷鵬上言：竊聞司封格式，內外文武臣僚才升朝籍者，無父母便與追封贈，父母在即未敘未封。 以臣所見，誠為不可，此則輕生者而重死者，棄今人而錄故人，其榮有何？ 其理安在？ 又云，父母在，品秩及格者，即以封其母，不加其父，便加邑號，兼曰太君。 遂令妻則旁若無夫，子則上若無父，豈有父則賤而母則貴，夫則卑而妻則尊？ 若謂其父未合加恩，安得其母受賜； 若謂以子便合貴，曷得其父不先封？ 伏以父尊母卑，天地之道，尊無二上，國家同體。 今授封父無爵，名教不順，莫大於茲。 臣伏乞自今後文武臣僚，父母在，其父母已有官爵者，即敘進資品以及格式，或不任祿仕，即可授以致仕或同正官，所貴得以敘封妻室。 即父母俱榮，孝子無不逮之感； 閨門交映，聖君覃慶賞之恩。 噫！ 荷陛下孝沼之風，受陛下榮親之祿者，靜而屈指，不過數人。 陛下得以特議舉行，編為令式，勸天下之為善，令域中之望風，自然見前代之闕文，成我朝之盛典。 況唐長興元年德音內一節『應在朝中外臣僚，父母在，並與加恩』。 司封不行明制，堅執前文； 儻布新恩，兼合舊敕，庶使事君事父，恒遵一體之規； 為子為臣，不失兩全之義。 臣又聞司封令式，內外臣僚官階及五品已上者，即與封妻蔭子，固不分於清濁，但只言其品秩。 且諫議大夫、給事中、中書舍人並是五品，贊善大夫、洗馬、中允、奉御等亦是五品。 若論朝廷之委任，宰臣之擬論，出入之階資，中外之瞻望，則天壤相懸矣。 及其敘封，乃為一貫，相沿至此，甚非。 而況北省為陛下侍從之臣，南宮掌陛下經綸之務，憲臺執陛下紀綱之司，首冠群僚，總為三署，當職尤重，責望非輕。 此則清列十年，不遂顯榮之願； 彼則雜班兩任，便承封蔭之恩。 事不均平，理宜改革。 伏乞自今後應諸官及五品已上者，即依舊制施行，應三署清望官及六品已上，便與封蔭。 清濁既異，品秩宜升，仍下所司，議為恒式。」 從之。
In the eleventh month of Tianfu 3 of Jin, Attendant of the Imperial Diary Yin Peng memorialized: "I understand that under the Bureau of Enfeoffment regulations, when civil and military officials newly enter the court registers, those without living parents receive posthumous enfeoffment at once, while those whose parents still live receive no rank promotion and no enfeoffment. In my view this is plainly wrong: it honors the dead and slight the living, abandons the living for the sake of the dead—what glory is there in that? What principle can justify it? The regulations also provide that when parents are alive and the official's rank meets the standard, only the mother is enfeoffed—the father receives nothing—yet a fief title is added and she is styled Grand Lady. The wife then stands as if she had no husband, the son as if he had no father—can the father be slighted while the mother is honored, the husband demeaned while the wife is exalted? If the father is deemed unworthy of favor, how can the mother receive it; if the son's rank entitles the family to honor, why is the father not enfeoffed first? The father is honored and the mother subordinate—such is the way of Heaven and Earth; there is no second above in honor, and the state follows the same principle. To enfeoff the father without granting him a noble rank violates the moral order—nothing could be more serious. I humbly request that henceforth, when civil and military officials have living parents who already hold office and rank, those parents be advanced in qualification and rank under the regulations; if they cannot hold salaried office, grant them retired status or an equivalent regular rank, so that the wife may also receive enfeoffment. Both parents would then share in the honor, and the filial son would feel no regret at leaving them behind; the household would shine with shared glory, and the sage ruler would extend his grace of reward. Alas! Those who enjoy Your Majesty's tide of filial virtue and receive the salary of honoring kin—count them quietly, and they number only a handful. Your Majesty may specially deliberate and enact this, codify it as statute, encourage goodness throughout the realm, and let the realm take its cue from your example—thus the omissions of former ages will be made good and our dynasty's great ceremony will be fulfilled. Moreover, the compassionate edict of Changxing 1 of Tang contains a passage: 'All civil and military officials at court and in the provinces whose parents are alive shall receive added favor.' The Bureau of Enfeoffment failed to implement the clear regulation and clung to the older text; if the new favor is issued together with the old edict, service to ruler and service to father would follow one unified rule; as son and as minister one would not fail in either duty. I also understand that under Bureau of Enfeoffment regulations, civil and military officials of the fifth grade and above receive enfeoffment for wife and children without regard to whether the post is prestigious or humble—only the grade matters. Yet Remonstrating and Reviewing Grandee, Drafting Attendant, and Secretariat Drafter are all fifth grade; so are Senior Tutor, Groom, Palace Attendant, and Palace Attendant of the Imperial Household. Yet in the court's trust, the chief ministers' nominations, the grades of entry and exit, and the regard of court and provinces alike, the difference is as heaven from earth. Yet when enfeoffment is granted, all are treated alike—carried down to today, this is deeply wrong. The northern department serves as Your Majesty's attendants, the southern palace manages statecraft, the Censorate upholds discipline—they head all officials as the three offices; their duties are especially weighty and their responsibilities not light. Men of the pure ranks may serve ten years without realizing their hope of distinguished honor; men of the mixed ranks, after two terms, at once receive enfeoffment and hereditary privilege. The imbalance is plain; reform is clearly warranted. I humbly request that henceforth officials of the fifth grade and above follow the old system, while prestigious officials of the three offices and those of the sixth grade and above receive enfeoffment and hereditary privilege. Since prestigious and humble posts differ, their grades should be distinguished; order the relevant offices to deliberate and establish a permanent rule. The request was approved.
46
漢乾祐元年七月，詔：「尚書省集議，內外臣僚，父在，母承子蔭，敘封追封，合加『太』字否？ 以聞。」 尚書省奏議曰：「今詳前後敕條，凡母皆加『太』字，存歿並同。 此即是父歿母存，即敘封進封內加『太』字，母歿追封，亦加『太』字，故云存歿並同。 若是父在，據敕格無載為母加『太』字處。 若以近敕，因子貴與父命官，父自有官，即妻從夫品，可以封妻，父在不合以其子加母『太』字。 若雖有因子之官，其品尚卑，未得蔭妻，亦不合用子蔭之限。」 從之。
In the seventh month of Qianyou 1 of Han an edict ordered: "The Department of State Affairs shall deliberate whether, for civil and military officials when the father is alive and the mother receives the son's privilege, the character 'Grand' should be added in enfeoffment and posthumous enfeoffment. Report your findings. Report back. The Department of State Affairs replied: "Having examined the edicts and regulations, we find that for all mothers the character 'Grand' is added, whether living or dead. This applies when the father is dead and the mother alive—in enfeoffment and promotion 'Grand' is added; when the mother is dead and enfeoffment is posthumous, 'Grand' is also added—hence 'living and dead alike.' When the father is alive, the edict regulations contain no provision for adding 'Grand' to the mother. Under the recent edict, when the son's rank entitles the father to an office and the father already holds office, the wife follows the husband's rank and may be enfeoffed—while the father lives, the son's rank should not add 'Grand' to the mother. Even when the son's rank grants an office but the rank is still too low for the wife to receive privilege, the son's privilege limit should not apply. The request was approved.
47
周顯德六年冬十二月壬辰，尚書兵部上言：「本司蔭補千牛、進馬。 在漢乾祐中散失敕文，自來只準《晉編敕》及堂帖施行。 伏緣前後不同，請別降敕命。」 詔曰：「今後應蔭補子孫，宜令逐品許補一人，直候轉品，方得更補，不得於本品內重疊收補。 如是所補人有身故、除名、落藩、廢疾及應舉及第內，只許於本品內再補一人。 太子進馬、太子千牛，不用收補。 詹事依祭酒例施行。 兵部尚書、侍郎，舊例不許收補，宜許收補。 致仕官歷任中曾任在朝文班三品、武班二品及丞郎給舍已上，金吾大將軍、節度、防禦、團練、留後者，方得補蔭。 皇蔭人，其祖、父曾授著皇朝官秩，方得收補。 應合收補人，須是本官親子孫年貌合格，別無渝濫，方許施行。 余從舊例處分。」
On renchen in the twelfth winter month of Xiande 6 of Zhou, the Bureau of Military Affairs reported: "This bureau fills Thousand-Ox and Advance Horse posts by hereditary privilege. During Han Qianyou the edict texts were lost; since then only the Jin Compiled Edicts and bureau notices have been followed. Because earlier and later rules differ, we request a new edict. An edict declared: "Henceforth for descendants appointed by hereditary privilege, each grade may fill one post; only after promotion to a new grade may another appointment be made—no duplicate appointments within the same grade. If the appointee dies, is struck from the rolls, falls from the register, is disabled, or passes the examinations and receives a degree, only one replacement within the same grade may be appointed. Crown Prince's Advance Horse and Crown Prince's Thousand-Ox posts may not receive replacement appointments. The Household Administration of the Heir Apparent shall follow the Libationer's precedent. Minister and Vice Minister of Military Affairs, formerly barred from replacement appointments, shall now be allowed them. Retired officials who once held third-grade civil posts at court, second-grade military posts, or posts from Chancellor and Director through Drafting Attendant and above, or Commandant of the Golden Guard, military governor, defense commissioner, militia-training commissioner, or acting commissioner may appoint by privilege. Imperial privilege appointees may receive replacements only when grandfather and father once held official rank in the present dynasty. Replacement appointees must be the official's own children or grandchildren of qualified age and appearance, with no irregularity, before appointment is permitted. All other matters shall follow established precedent."
48
右封蔭
—Hereditary Privilege—
49
梁開平四年四月，敕：「諸州鎮使，官秩無高卑，並在縣令之下。」 其年九月，詔曰：「魏博管內刺史，比來州務，並委督郵，遂使曹官擅其威權，州牧同於閑冗，俾循通制，宜塞異端，並宜依河南諸州例，刺史得以專達。」 時議者曰：「唐朝憲宗時，烏重胤為滄州節度使，嘗以河朔十六州能抗拒朝命者，以奪刺史權與縣令職而自作威福耳。 若二千石各得其柄，又有鎮兵，雖安、史挾奸，豈能據一墉而叛哉！ 遂奏以所管德、棣、景三州，各還刺史職分，州兵並隸收管。 是後雖幽、鎮、魏三道，以河北舊風，自相傳襲，惟滄州一道，獨稟命受代，自重胤制置使然也。 則梁氏之更張，正合其事矣。」
In the fourth month of Kaiping 4 of Liang an edict declared: "All circuit commissioners, regardless of rank, rank below the county magistrate. In the ninth month of that year an edict declared: "Prefects in the Weibo circuit have long had their duties delegated to supervising clerks, leaving bureau officials with the power and prefects idle; to restore proper practice and stop abuses, all shall follow the Henan prefectures: prefects may report directly to court. Contemporaries remarked: "Under Emperor Xianzong of Tang, Wu Chongyin, military governor of Cangzhou, observed that the sixteen Yellow River north prefectures could defy the court because they stripped prefects of authority and kept county magistrates under their own control to monopolize power. Had each prefect held his proper authority and garrison troops answered to him, even An Lushan and Shi Siming could not have seized a single walled city and rebelled! He memorialized that in De, Di, and Jing—the three prefectures under his command—each prefect's proper authority should be restored and prefectural troops placed under his control. Thereafter, though You, Zhen, and Wei circuits continued the old Hebei custom of hereditary succession, only Cangzhou accepted imperial orders and regular replacement—owing to Chongyin's reforms. The Liang dynasty's reforms thus addressed precisely this problem."
50
後唐長興二年閏五月，詔曰：「要道才行，則千岐共貫； 宏綱一舉，則萬目畢張。 前王之法制罔殊，百代之科條悉在，無煩改作，各有定規，守程式者心逸日休，率胸臆者心勞日拙。 天垂萬象，星辰之分野靡差； 地載群倫，嶽瀆之方隅不易。 儻各司其局，則皆盡其心。 且律令、格式、六典，凡關庶政，互有區分，久不舉行，遂至隳紊。 宜準舊制，令百司各於其間錄出本局公事，巨細一一抄寫，不得漏落纖毫，集成卷軸，仍粉壁書在公廳。 若未有廨署者，文書委官司主掌，仍每有新授官到，令自寫錄一本披尋。 或因顧問之時，應對須知次弟，無容曠闕。 每在執行，使庶僚則守法奉公，宰臣則提綱振領，必當彜倫攸敘。 所謂至道不繁，何必期年，然後報政。 宜令御史臺遍加告諭催促，限兩月內鈔錄及粉壁書寫須畢，其間或有未可便行，及曾厘革事件，委逐司旋申中書門下，當更參酌，奏覆施行。」 其年八月，敕：「今後大理寺官員，宜同臺省官例升進，其法直官，比禮直官任使。」
In the intercalary fifth month of Changxing 2 of Later Tang an edict declared: "Where the vital path requires talent, a thousand branches follow one thread; when the great framework is raised, ten thousand eyes open at once. Former kings' laws differ little; statutes of a hundred generations remain on record—no needless reform is required, for each has its fixed rule. Those who keep to procedure find their hearts at ease; those who follow private impulse find their hearts weary and their days unproductive. Heaven displays ten thousand images, and the stars keep their divisions without error; earth bears all peoples, and the directions of mountains and rivers do not shift. If each office keeps to its charge, all will give their full effort. Statutes, regulations, formats, and the Six Institutions—all matters of common administration have their distinctions; long neglected, they have fallen into disorder. Follow the old system: order each office to extract its public business from these sources, copying every item great and small without omission, assemble the copies into scrolls, and post them on whitewashed walls in the public hall. Where no bureau office yet exists, the supervising bureau shall hold the documents; whenever a newly appointed official arrives, he shall copy one volume for his own reference. When consulted, he must know the proper sequence of business and leave no gap in his answers. In daily execution, let subordinates keep the law and serve faithfully, and let chief ministers hold the reins and set the tone—then the moral order will be preserved. The highest Way is not elaborate—why wait a full year before governance shows results? Order the Censorate to proclaim and urge compliance; copying and wall posting must be completed within two months. Matters not fit for immediate enforcement, or former reforms and abolitions, each bureau shall report promptly to the Secretariat and Chancellery for further deliberation and memorial to the throne. In the eighth month of that year an edict declared: "Henceforth Court of Judicial Review officials shall advance by the same rules as Censorate and Secretariat officials; law officers shall be employed on the same terms as ritual officers."
51
應順元年春三月戊午，宗正上言：「故事，諸陵有令、丞各一員，近令、丞不俱置，便委本縣令兼之。 緣河南、洛陽是京邑，恐兼令、丞不便。」 詔特置陵臺令、丞各一員。
On wuwu in the third spring month of Yingshun 1, the Court of the Imperial Clan reported: "By precedent each imperial tomb had one Director and one Assistant; recently both posts have not been filled, and the local county magistrate has held the duties concurrently. Because Henan and Luoyang are the capital districts, we fear concurrent service as magistrate and tomb officer is impractical. An edict specially established one Tomb Platform Director and one Assistant for each tomb.
52
右雜錄
—Miscellaneous Records—