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卷四十八 志第三十八 百官三

Volume 48 Treatises 43: Official Posts 3

Chapter 48 of 新唐書 · New Book of Tang
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1
殿殿
The Censorate had one Censor-in-Chief, of regular third rank; and two Vice Censors, of regular fourth rank, lower grade. The Censor-in-Chief used the penal code and administrative statutes to correct the offenses of all officials; the Vice Censors served as his deputies. Under them were three bureaus: the Bureau of the Censorate, staffed by Attending Censors; the Bureau of the Palace, staffed by Palace Attending Censors; and the Bureau of Investigation, staffed by Investigating Censors.
2
Whenever someone suffered injustice with no recourse, the Three Offices investigated the case. The Three Offices were the Censor-in-Chief, the Secretariat, and the Chancellery. Major cases were submitted for the emperor's decision; minor ones were handled directly. When a censor impeached someone, he informed the Censor-in-Chief; major charges required a full memorial, minor ones only a signature. When the emperor ordered a review of prisoners, they examined the cases jointly with the Minister of Justice. On imperial tours they rode the protocol carriage at the head of the procession. At court assemblies they led their staff in setting the order of officials' ranks; before dawn they took position at the twin watchtowers, two Investigating Censors supervised the formation, and Attending Censors cited anyone who violated protocol.
3
Civil and military officials in substantive posts of ninth rank or higher, and the heirs of the Former and Latter Han, attended court on the first and fifteenth of each month. Civil officials of fifth rank and above, tribute officials of the Secretariat and Chancellery, Investigating Censors, vice directors, and Masters of Rites attended daily; they were called Regular Attendants. Military officials of third rank and above attended once every three days; they were called Nine-Day Attendants; those of fifth rank and above and Zhechong guards on active rotation attended once every five days; they were called Six-Day Attendants. Students of the Hongwen and Chongwen Academies and the Directorate of Education attended at the four seasonal audiences. All princes present at court and those summoned by special grace attended daily. Officials of ninth rank and above wore trousers and jackets at court from the tenth month through the second; fifth-rank officials and above might display rank markers on their horses; foreign officials and fourth-rank officials who were not pure officials might not.
4
簿
Court standing followed office; when substantive posts were equal, nobility took precedence, and when nobility was equal, age; retired officials stood ahead; when substantive posts, honorary titles, and merit titles stood together, civil honorary titles ranked below the substantive post, military honorary titles below those, and merit titles below them; when offices were equal, officials of different surnames stood behind. Imperial and heir princes who held civil or military offices followed those ranks; if the office was lower, they followed their princely rank; A commandery prince in a substantive post of third rank or lower stood above peers of that rank; if he held no civil or military office, the heir prince stood below the Heir Apparent's Grand Guardian, commandery princes below that, state dukes below third rank, commandery dukes below subordinate third rank, county dukes below fourth rank, marquises below subordinate fourth rank, earls below fifth rank, viscounts above subordinate fifth rank, and barons below subordinate fifth rank. Those summoned while holding a former rank stood above their current rank in that former grade; those on leave stood below peers of the same rank. When officials assembled within their own ministry, standing followed substantive post. Civil and military officials of third rank without substantive posts were all listed on attendance registers as "the Dukes."
5
For departures, if one did not travel beyond the Four Passes, one need not take formal leave in audience. After regional commanders, prefects, and protectors had taken their leave, they waited for orders at the side gate.
6
When the Left and Right Vice Directors, Palace Attendants, and Chief Ministers of the Secretariat were first appointed, they submitted a memorial declining the office. Fifth-rank officials and above of the Secretariat and Chancellery and the heads of the various ministries gave thanks in the main hall, then submitted a petition of thanks at the side gate.
7
殿使 使 使 使 殿 殿
The two shifts of third-rank officials attended on the first and fifteenth of the month and took their meal in the corridor below; two Palace Attending Censors served as supervisors. Emperor Gaozong changed the title Vice Censor for Drafting Memorials to avoid the imperial taboo; In the second year of Longshuo the Censorate was renamed the Bureau of Discipline, the Censor-in-Chief became Grand Director of Discipline, and the Vice Censor became Director of Discipline. In the first year of Civilizing Rule, Empress Wu renamed the Censorate the Bureau of Sober Government. In the first year of Guangzhai the Censorate was split into Left and Right Bureaus: the Left oversaw all offices and supervised the military; the Right inspected prefectures and counties and reviewed local customs. Soon the Left Bureau was also charged with inspecting prefectures and counties. Each year the two bureaus dispatched eight envoys twice—in spring for customs inspection, in autumn for integrity inspection—using forty-eight articles to examine prefectures and counties. Censors of the two bureaus included acting, inspecting, vice, and probationary posts; by the beginning of Shenlong all were abolished. In the third year of Jingyun, because the two bureaus were equal in prestige and their investigations were harsh and exacting, officials grew weary of the burden, and the Right Bureau was abolished. In the first year of Yanhe it was restored; mid-year the Department of State Affairs was placed under the Left Bureau, and a little over a month later the Right Bureau was abolished again. After the Zhide era, aides in the various circuit commissioner offices were all appointed censors—called the Outer Bureau; there were again inspecting, bureau-attached, and inner-attendant posts, some held concurrently and some in an acting capacity; subordinate officials of the various commissioners followed the same pattern. At the beginning of Huichang the ranks of the Censor-in-Chief and Vice Censor were raised. The resident Censorate at the Eastern Capital had one Vice Censor, one Attending Censor, two Palace Attending Censors, and three Investigating Censors; After Yuanhe no Vice Censor was appointed; Attending, Palace Attending, and Investigating Censors managed the resident bureau, and the three bureaus were not always fully staffed.
8
殿 西西 殿 西 殿 殿 殿西 殿 殿 殿 西 殿 使使殿使使
There were six Attending Censors, of subordinate sixth rank, lower grade. They impeached officials, entered the Inner Hall to receive edicts, and handled investigations, impeachments, and miscellaneous business. When the Three Offices heard cases, they rotated duty in the court hall with the Supervising Secretary and Secretariat Drafting Officer. If the accused was not the censor's own superior, they went with officials of the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review to conduct the inquiry. For impeachments, the Censor-in-Chief and Vice Censor endorsed the memorial. For major cases they wore the law cap, vermilion robe, crimson skirt, and white gauze undergarment; for minor cases, regular dress. The senior censor managed miscellaneous affairs as the Miscellaneous Chief; he decided Palace and Investigation assignments, name submissions, transfers, and clerks' examinations, and was also called the Bureau Chief. The next censor managed the office compound. The next managed impeachments. The capital's offices and prefectures were divided into East and West: the next censor managed western investigations, bribery cases, and Three Offices intake—called the Deputy Chief; the next managed eastern investigations and complaint-box cases, and punished censors who failed to act; the senior Palace Attending Censor jointly managed eastern investigations and supervised the Grand Granary's receipts and disbursements; the second jointly managed western investigations and supervised the Left Treasury's receipts and disbursements. They were called the Four Investigation Censors. On odd days the Bureau of the Censorate received cases; on even days the Bureau of the Palace received cases. Another Attending Censor served at the Eastern Capital's resident bureau. Whenever a censor met his superior on the road, he removed his hat and dismounted; the superior would rein in and tell him to remount. Junior censors took the Palace Attending Censors as their model in conduct; violations of precedence were punished. At court they entered with the Palace Attending Censors in the guard formation, divided east and west: on the east they stood after the Palace Attendant, Vice Director of the Yellow Gate, and Supervising Secretary; on the west after the Chief Minister, Vice Minister, and Drafting Officer—all below the Vice Censor and Censor-in-Chief. Each censor in turn faced east to receive edicts for five days; when the emperor summoned a censor without naming him, the censor on edict duty responded. When Yue Yanwei was Censor-in-Chief, because two censors had once been summoned at once, a deputy edict-receiver was added; if he was absent, a Palace Attending Censor filled in. Investigating Censors rotated daily duty in the court hall, entering by the side gate; unless presenting a memorial they did not enter the hall courtyard, and they were not registered at the main gate; during Tianshou an edict ordered a register at the side gate, allowing access to the hall courtyard; in the seventh year of Kaiyuan another edict ordered them to enter the Inner Hall with the guard. They were divided into Left and Right Patrols to investigate violations: the Left Patrol covered the capital interior, the Right the exterior, throughout Yong and Luo prefectures, rotating monthly; near month's end they inspected the Ministry of Justice, Court of Judicial Review, eastern and western penal wards, Golden Crow guards, and county prisons. On hunts they supervised the encirclement and investigated anyone who broke the line and lost game. Later Palace Attending Censors took charge of the Left and Right Patrols; soon because the duties were too heavy, metropolitan county assistants were appointed instead. Bureau-attached posts were again established for censors, attending censors, palace attending censors, and investigating censors; because they were not regular posts, there was no fixed quota.
9
殿 殿 西 殿 殿 殿
Under Tang law, Palace Attending Censors were equal to Attending Censors in promotion and substantive duties. From Kaiyuan onward authority rested with Attending Censors, while Palace Attending Censors also managed treasuries and inner palace gate affairs. By precedent the Censorate did not accept lawsuits; when a complaint could be heard, the complainant's name was omitted and the case was submitted as a hearsay report. Later few censors were zealous in prosecution, and general memorials were blocked. In the fourteenth year one Case-Receiving Censor was appointed to track daily impeachment reports and record the complainant's name. Later, because chancellors thought censors held too much power, they proposed that impeachments first be reported to the Vice Censor and Censor-in-Chief, then circulated through the Secretariat and Chancellery, before submission. From then on the censors' authority was diminished. In the first year of Jianzhong Attending Censors were assigned separately to manage the office compound, investigations, and impeachments; from then on the Miscellaneous Chief's role was diminished. In the eighth year of Yuanhe the Four Investigation Censors were ordered to receive cases in rotation, abolishing the rule of dividing eastern and western cases by odd and even days. At the end of Sui the Palace Attending Censors were abolished; in the first year of Yining the Chancellor's Office established two Investigators of Wrongdoing; in the first year of Wude they were renamed Palace Attending Censors; in the first year of Longshuo bureau-attached Investigating Censors were established; in the first year of Civilizing Rule Empress Wu established bureau-attached Palace posts; later many offices were also given bureau-attached titles; In the second year of Chang'an inner attendants were established.
10
簿 殿
There was one Registrar, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade. He managed seals, received cases and issued time-stamps, audited bureau affairs, and oversaw the office compound, household slaves and servants, and merit and honorary officials. There were two Recording Clerks, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. There were two Section Chiefs. The Bureau of the Censorate had seventy-eight clerks, twenty-five document clerks, six station chiefs, and twelve compound guards. The Bureau of the Palace had eight clerks and eighteen document clerks. The Bureau of Investigation had thirty-four accounting clerks, ten clerks, and twelve compound guards.
11
殿 殿 殿 西 使
There were nine Palace Attending Censors, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade. They supervised ceremonial protocol in the palace hall, and troops of the capital region and its prefectures were subordinate to them. In regular formation they stood outside the Gate of the Inner Hall and cited anyone who left ranks or spoke without decorum. At New Year's and winter solstice assemblies they rode horseback, wore full dress, and ascended the hall wearing black xie caps. On imperial tours they moved within the gate banners and inspected ritual objects for loss or damage. One jointly managed eastern investigations and supervised the Grand Granary's receipts and disbursements; one jointly managed western investigations and supervised the Left Treasury's receipts and disbursements; two served as corridor meal supervisors; two divided management of the Left and Right Patrols; and three were inner attendants.
12
There were fifteen Investigating Censors, of regular eighth rank, lower grade. They investigated officials, toured prefectures and counties, and oversaw lawsuits, military affairs, sacrifices, construction projects, and Grand Treasury receipts and disbursements; they supervised the left and right wings of the court hall and tracked the business of the hundred offices.
13
使
On tours of the ten circuits, two judicial assistants served as aides; when duties were heavy, dispatch officers were added. First, to inspect the conduct of officials, good and bad; second, to inspect scattered households, concealed registers, and unequal taxes and corvée labor; third, to inspect neglect of farming and sericulture and depletion of granaries and storehouses; fourth, to inspect crafty criminals and bandits who abandoned honest livelihoods and preyed on the people; fifth, to identify men of filial and fraternal virtue, outstanding talent, and hidden ability fit for service; sixth, to inspect crafty clerks and powerful clans who seized property and acted with violence, and the poor and weak who could not obtain redress for their grievances.
14
殿
After a major military victory they counted captives and severed ears, reviewed merit for rewards, and then submitted a memorial. They also inspected garrison farming, coin casting, and appointments in Lingnan and Qian for merit and misconduct. When prisoners were sentenced to death, they attended together with the Secretariat Drafting Officer and the Golden Crow general. On national mourning fasts they divided inspection of temples and monasteries with Palace Attending Censors. They attended banquet archery, practice archery, and major and intermediate sacrifices, and reported violations of ritual.
15
使 使 使 使 殿 使 殿使使
Initially in the Kaiyuan era they also toured relay stations; by the twenty-fifth year Investigating Censors were appointed to inspect post stations in both capitals. In the fourteenth year of Dali one censor in each capital managed the post stations, titled Post Station Commissioner. Investigating Censors divided inspection of the six bureaus of the Department of State Affairs, beginning with the junior censor; the same rule applied to those on mission. In the first year of Xingyuan the senior censor inspected the Ministries of Personnel and Rites and concurrently served as Sacrifice Supervisor; the second inspected the Ministries of War and Works and concurrently served as Post Station Commissioner; the third inspected the Ministries of Revenue and Justice. At year's end they rated officials' performance. In the Yuanhe era, because new appointees did not go on mission and their ability could not be tested, they were assigned exclusively to inspect the Department of State Affairs and were called the Six Inspection Officers. In the nineteenth year of Kaiyuan two Investigating Censors oversaw the Grand Granary and the Left Treasury. Censors of all three bureaus initially handled the demanding duty of investigating cases in outer prefectures. Later the senior Palace Attending Censor became Commissioner of the Grand Granary and the second became Commissioner of the Left Treasury.
16
使
Inner-attendant censors of the three bureaus under the various commissioners ranked above regular Investigating Censors of the Censorate. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices had one Director, of regular third rank; and two Vice Directors, of regular fourth rank, upper grade. They managed rites, music, suburban sacrifices, ancestral temples, and the altars of soil and grain, and oversaw the offices of Suburban Sacrifices, Grand Music, Military Music, Imperial Physicians, Grand Divination, Sacrificial Animals, and various temples; the Vice Directors served as deputies. At major rites they guided the ceremony; when a relevant office acted in the emperor's place, they served as secondary offerer; when the Three Dukes performed rites at imperial tombs, they served as deputies; at major sacrifices, when victims and vessels were inspected, ushers served as guides; for minor sacrifices and congratulatory rites of dukes and ministers, ushers were ordered to assist. For imperial tours, military campaigns, and victories, an auspicious day was chosen to report to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
17
Vessels and robes for great offerings were stored in four courts: the Celestial Treasury Court held auspicious objects and spoils of war, displayed in the temple courtyard at di and xia sacrifices; the Imperial Robes Court held the emperor's sacrificial garments; the Music and Bells Court held instruments of the six kinds of music; the Divine Kitchen Court held the imperial granary and the slaves and servants of the various ritual offices. Initially there was an Office of Caps and Robes, with a director of regular eighth rank, upper grade; abolished in the first year of Zhenguan. When Emperor Gaozong took the throne, the Rite-Regulating Gentleman was renamed Ritual Gentleman to avoid the imperial taboo; In the second year of Longshuo the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was renamed the Court of Constant Offerings; directors of the nine courts were all called Chief Directors and vice directors Grand Masters. In the first year of Guangzhai Empress Wu renamed it the Court of Ritual Administration.
18
西 簿
There were two Assistants, of subordinate fifth rank, lower grade. They adjudicated the court's affairs. When offering at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the seven sacrifices were performed within the west gate. There were two Registrars, of subordinate seventh rank, upper grade.
19
There were four Erudites, of subordinate seventh rank, upper grade. They distinguished the five rites; they reviewed the merits and faults of princes, dukes, and officials of third rank and above to assign posthumous titles; at major rites they assisted and guided the Director.
20
There were six Grand Invokers, of regular ninth rank, upper grade. They received and issued spirit tablets; at sacrifices they knelt and read the invocation; when the Director inspected the sacrificial victims, they walked along the line declaring them acceptable and led them to the Grand Steward.
21
There were two Ritual Gentlemen, of subordinate ninth rank, upper grade. They arranged the positions of ruler and ministers for court assemblies and sacrifices. At the ancestral temple they placed the emperor's position in the courtyard; descendants of the nine temples lined up in zhao and mu positions, setting aside rank to follow age. They assigned positions for all ritual vessels—wine vessels, sacrificial bronzes, ladles, covers, baskets, stands, grain vessels, food vessels, meat stands, platters, and cups. At sacrifices and court assemblies they guided all protocols of bowing and kneeling. When dukes and ministers toured the imperial tombs, they directed their ceremonial guards and music and assisted in the rites.
22
調
There were two Pitch-Regulating Gentlemen, of regular eighth rank, upper grade. They harmonized the pitch pipes. There were two Recording Clerks, of subordinate ninth rank, upper grade; the Recording Clerks of the eight courts shared the same rank. The Rites Bureau had one compiler and one reviser, twelve clerks, twenty-three scribes, ten ushers, twenty guides, four assistants, six invocation scribes, and sixteen ritual assistants. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Rites Bureau each had thirty-five ritual students, eight station chiefs, and twelve compound guards. The Suburban Sacrifices Offices of the two capitals each had one director, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; each with one assistant, of subordinate eighth rank, upper grade. The director managed positions for the five suburban sacrifices, the altars of soil and grain, and the Hall of Enlightenment; with Ritual Gentlemen he arranged wine vessels, jars, baskets, and covers, and the Director of the Grand Steward filled them. He erected the fire altar and piled firewood. When an eclipse occurred at the new moon, he patrolled the four gates until it passed; at dawn he ceased. The office had two clerks, four scribes, five stewards, five compound guards, eight gate servants, and one hundred ten fast officers. Fast officers supplied labor for suburban sacrifices and temples. The Imperial Ancestral Temple had nine chambers; each had three chiefs to manage vessels, covers, and keys, and two jar-washers; the suburban altar had twenty-four seat managers to oversee ritual objects. All were appointed on nomination by the Ministry of Rites. After ten years as chamber chief or twelve as seat manager, all received official appointment. When staff were insufficient for offerings, students from the three institutes were also recruited, all in crimson robes and caps. After one rotation the Ministry of Revenue issued tax exemption certificates; once a year candidates selected by the various offices were examined; in the tenth month the Court of Imperial Sacrifices submitted them to the Ministry of Rites, who tested them on the Analects and one great classic by the civil examination method. Those who passed were recorded and memorialized; the Ministry of Personnel assigned winter honorary offices; those who failed returned to rotation as before. After failing six examinations, they received honorary office. Early in Tang, Suburban Sacrifices, Grand Music, Military Music, Imperial Physicians, Grand Steward, Left Treasury, Imperial Horses, Imperial Stables, Imperial Guests, Imperial Park, Grand Granary, Price Regulation, Ever-Normal Granary, Imperial Herds, Left Services, and Right Services ranked as upper offices; Hooked Shield, Right Treasury, Weaving and Dyeing, and Metallurgy as middle offices; and Delicacies, Fine Brew, Brew Management, Palace Guard, Weapons, Chariot Office, Ceremonial Protocol, Daoist Affairs, Guide Office, Casting Office, Canals, Crossbow Workshop, Armor Workshop, Boats, Grand Divination, Sacrificial Animals, Central Workshop, Left Workshop, and Right Workshop as lower offices. The Office of Grand Music had two directors, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; one assistant, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade; and eight music masters, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. The directors tuned the bells and pitch pipes to provide music for sacrificial banquets.
23
滿
For music training, masters were appointed to teach; each year their teaching was examined and graded upper, middle, or lower, and reported to the Ministry of Rites. A major review was held every ten years; if students had not finished, a review came every five years, and they were promoted or demoted by rotation. Those excused for cause or unfit for court performance paid subsidy fees to cover costumes and instruments. Irregular musicians paid one hundred sixty cash each in intercalary months; senior performers still owed corvée duty; vocalists paying subsidies owed two thousand cash a year. Erudites taught them; the most accomplished ranked upper, the less accomplished middle, and the idle lower; the Ministry of Rites reviewed the grades. After fifteen years, those with five superior and seven middling evaluations received irregular rank and a direct posting in their office; at term's end, those with too few good evaluations received no appointment. Senior disciples were examined four times; when two difficult-category and two secondary-difficult students finished training they took the advancement exam, and mastery meant knowing fifty or more difficult pieces and qualifying for court performance. The difficult category in the great ensemble took three years, the secondary ensemble two, and the easy category in the small ensemble one; all reached the third grade to count as trained. Those who finished training and were diligent in conduct became assistant instructors; when an erudite post fell vacant, they filled it in order of seniority. Senior performers and separately instructed students who had not mastered ten pieces received one-third of the subsidy; those who failed to qualify were assigned to the Office of Military Music. Training in great and small transverse flutes took four rotations for the difficult category and three for the easy; if students failed to finish, their erudite was censured. Inner-instruction erudites and long-serving teaching disciples received subsidies and were kept on staff.
24
使 使
After the Wude era an Inner Music Office was set up inside the palace. In Empress Wu's first Ruyi year it was renamed the Cloud Harmony Office and placed under eunuch directors. In Kaiyuan 2 another Inner Music Office was set up beside Penglai Palace, with erudites for vocal music and for the first and second sections. The capital gained Left and Right Music Offices in charge of actors and acrobatic entertainments. Thereafter they no longer reported to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and eunuchs served as Music Office commissioners. Under Tang, Grand Music posts became music masters; the office had three clerks, six scribes, eight record keepers, six compound guards, one hundred forty civil and military dancers, three hundred eighty-two irregular musicians, one thousand guard irregular musicians, and ten thousand twenty-seven vocalists. There was also a Separate Instruction Court. In Kaicheng 3 the court that housed courtly melodies was renamed the Immortal Harmony Court. The Office of Military Music had two directors, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; two assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade; and four music masters, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. The directors oversaw the rhythms and deployment of military music. If the new moon showed an omen, they led artisans to set five drums at the Grand Altar of Soil, posted banner bearers at the gate schoolhouses, and set out dragon couches; on an omen they raised banners and beat the drums, and ceased when it cleared. At mounted archery they set up hanging drums and bronze gongs and deployed dragon couches. At the great exorcism they led drums and horns to accompany the demon-quellers' singing. It had three clerks, six scribes, four record keepers, and four compound guards. Under Tang, Pure Music and Military Music were merged into one office and one director was added. The Office of Imperial Physicians had two directors, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; two assistants and four medical supervisors, all of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade; and eight medical masters, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. The directors oversaw medical practice; subordinates fell into four groups: physicians, acupuncturists, massage therapists, and spell-forbidding masters. All were taught by erudites and examined for appointment on the State Academy model. Physicians, medical masters, and medical artisans treated patients and recorded cures for their performance reviews. Each year medicines were distributed to prevent widespread disease. Imperial tombs and temples all kept medicine stores, received by one officer from Imperial Medicines and one physician of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. The palace women's sick ward kept a pharmacy, and gate supervisors issued the drugs; physicians, medical supervisors, and medical masters rotated one officer each to staff the ward. Every province taxed for medicines appointed one medicinal-gathering master. In the capital good farmland served as herb gardens; commoners sixteen or older became garden students, and graduates became instructors. All medicines were traced to their sources, and only the best were submitted. Staff included two clerks, four scribes, eight chief pharmacists, twenty-four pharmacy youths, two garden masters, eight garden students, four compound guards, twenty physicians, one hundred medical artisans, forty medical students, one pharmacy manager, twenty needle artisans and twenty needle students, fifty-six massage artisans and fifteen massage students, and two spell-forbidding masters with eight artisans and ten students.
25
One Erudite of Medicine, of regular eighth rank, upper grade; and one assistant instructor, of subordinate ninth rank, upper grade. They taught students from the Materia Medica, the A and B Canon, and the Pulse Classic in five specialties: internal medicine, sores and swellings, pediatrics, eyes, ears, mouth, and teeth, and horn cautery.
26
One Erudite of Acupuncture, of subordinate eighth rank, upper grade; one assistant instructor and ten acupuncture masters, all of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. They taught needle students the channels and acupoints on the same model as medical students.
27
One Erudite of Massage and four massage masters, all of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. They taught guiding and pulling exercises to cure illness and set fractures, sprains, and injuries.
28
退
One Erudite of Spell-Forbidding, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. They taught spell-forbidding to exorcise pestilence, received only after fasting and purification. The Office of Grand Divination had one director, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; two assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade; two divination masters and two erudites, all of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. They oversaw divination by four methods: tortoise shell, five omens, the Changes, and the Shi method. For sacrifices and major events, divination masters chose the day, showed the elevation to ministers, withdrew to order the tortoise, and after scorching read it—first the first ten-day period, then the middle, then the last. For minor rites and minor matters the divination master showed the elevation, ordered the tortoise, and performed the divination, attended by the director and assistant of Grand Divination. In late winter they led demon-quellers into the central hall for the great exorcism; the emperor had six companies and the heir apparent two; the Fangxiang chief bore a halberd in his right hand and a shield in his left, chanting the twelve spirits' names to drive off demons; when the exorcists left, a cock was sacrificed at the palace and city gates. Staff included two divination assistant instructors, twenty divination masters, fifteen shamans, forty-five divination students, one clerk, two scribes, and two compound guards. The Office of Sacrificial Animals had one director, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade; and two assistants, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They managed sacrificial animals and grain offerings. When a sacrifice used the great pen, the three victims were accompanied by wine, dried meat, and relishes; with the Grand Invoker they led the animals to the spirit tablet; ministers inspected them, reported the fatness facing north, and handed them to the Grand Steward. For the ceremonial plowing they supplied plows to the Minister of Agriculture, who passed them to the Palace Attendant; the plowing-field harvest supplied grain offerings, the five clears, and the three wines, with the surplus and straw used to feed sacrificial animals. It had one clerk, two scribes, two record keepers, and two compound guards. The Office of the Fen Shrine had one director, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and one assistant, of subordinate eighth rank, upper grade. They regulated offerings, sprinkling, and sweeping at the shrine. It had two clerks, four scribes, and two temple laborers. The office was established in Kaiyuan 21.
29
祿 簿 祿 𨣿 鹿 簿
Temples to pre–Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors rulers, the Three Sovereigns, the Five Emperors, Kings Wen and Wu of Zhou, Emperor Gaozu of Han, and the Martial Completion King in both capitals each had one director, of subordinate sixth rank, lower grade; and one assistant, of regular eighth rank, lower grade. They managed opening and closing the temples, cleaning, and libation rites. Staff included one record clerk, two clerks, four scribes, two temple laborers, four compound guards, and eight gate servants. In Shenlong 2 temple offices to Duke Tai of Qi were set up in both capitals, then later abolished; and restored in Kaiyuan 19. In Tianbao 3 a temple office to King Wen of Zhou was first established; in the sixth year, offices for the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors; in the seventh year, an office for pre–Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors rulers; and in the ninth year, offices for Kings Wu of Zhou and Emperor Gaozu of Han. In Shangyuan 1 the Duke Tai of Qi office became the Martial Completion King Temple Office; Zhu Quanzhong later styled it Martial Illumination. The Court of Imperial Entertainments had one minister, of subordinate third rank; two vice ministers, of subordinate fourth rank, upper grade; two assistants, of subordinate sixth rank, upper grade; and two registrars, of subordinate seventh rank, upper grade. They managed wine, brew, and food service and oversaw the offices of Grand Steward, Delicacies, Fine Brew, and Pickle Management. At sacrifices they inspected the cooking pots and washing of victims; when the Three Dukes officiated by proxy, they performed the final offering. At court assemblies and banquets they regulated the ranks of service. Two record clerks were on staff. In Longshuo 2 the Court of Imperial Entertainments was renamed the Court of the Chief Steward. In Empress Wu's first Guangzhai year it became the Court of Provisions. It had eleven clerks, twenty-one scribes, six station chiefs, and six compound guards. The Office of Grand Steward had two directors, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; four assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade. They provided food for sacrifices, banquets, and court assemblies. On sacrifice day the director informed the minister, went to the kitchen to inspect pots and victims, drew clear water and sacred fire, led butchers to slaughter the animals, placed hair and blood in the dou vessels, and then cooked the meat. They also filled the fu and gui vessels and set them inside the feast tent. It had four clerks, eight scribes, ten meal superintendents, fifteen scribes to the meal superintendents, two thousand four hundred meal servers, and four compound guards. The Office of Delicacies had one director, of regular eighth rank, lower grade; and two assistants, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They supplied ordinary delicacies for sacrifices, court assemblies, and guests, regulating the kinds and amounts of hazelnuts, chestnuts, dried meats, fish, salt, water caltrop, and gorgon fruit. In Empress Wu's first Chui Gong year the Meat Storehouse Office became the Office of Delicacies; in Shenlong 1 the former name returned; in Kaiyuan 1 it was changed once more. It had three clerks, six scribes, eight record keepers, five confectioners, and four compound guards. The Office of Fine Brew had two directors, of regular eighth rank, lower grade; and two assistants, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They supplied the five mashes and three wines. For offerings at the Grand Ancestral Temple they provided fragrant libation to fill the six ritual bronzes; for the imperial table they supplied spring mash, autumn clear, yeast-mash, and Sangluo wines. It had three clerks, six scribes, two superintendents, twenty brew keepers, thirteen wine artisans, one hundred twenty cup bearers, and four compound guards. The Office of Pickle Management had one director, of regular eighth rank, lower grade; and two assistants, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They supplied pickles and fermented condiments: deer pickle, hare pickle, sheep pickle, and fish pickle. for the ancestral temple they filled the dou with pickled vegetables; for guests and all officials they used vinegar sauce to season the stew. It had two clerks, two scribes, ten chief pickle officers, twenty-three sauce artisans, twelve vinegar artisans, twelve fermented-bean artisans, eight pickle-and-vinegar artisans, and four compound guards. The Court of the Imperial Guards had one minister, of subordinate third rank; two vice ministers, of subordinate fourth rank, upper grade; and two assistants, of subordinate sixth rank, upper grade. They managed implements and ceremonial equipment and oversaw the Armory, Weapons, and Palace Guard offices. Every weapon received was entered in the register by name and count. At sacrifices and court assemblies they provided feather banners, ceremonial axes, gilded drums, curtains and canopies, and mats. Palace-guard equipment was inspected twice yearly; worn items were sent to the Court of the Imperial Treasury for repair. Two registrars, of subordinate seventh rank, upper grade, and one record clerk were on staff. In Longshuo 2 it was renamed the Court of the Chief Guard. In Empress Wu's first Guangzhai year it was changed again. It had six clerks, eleven scribes, four station chiefs, and six compound guards.
30
簿 殿 簿 簿 簿 宿 使使使 使 使 簿 輿 調 調 調 簿 簿 簿 使西使 使使
The assistants adjudicated court business and tracked the issue and receipt of equipment. Major matters followed imperial edicts; minor ones were referred to the Department of State Affairs. The Armory Offices of the two capitals each had two directors, of subordinate sixth rank, lower grade; each with two assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade. They stored arms and armor. On amnesty they raised a golden rooster and placed a drum to the right of the palace gate; when prisoners from the Court of Judicial Review and the prefectures and counties arrived, the drum was beaten. Each office had one superintendent, of regular ninth rank, upper grade. Superintendents of the various offices held the same rank. Each had six clerks, six scribes, two record keepers, and five compound guards. In Kaiyuan 25 an office was also established in the Eastern Capital. The Office of Weapons had one director, of regular eighth rank, lower grade; and two assistants, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They managed field weapons and armor. After sacrifices and imperial tours, equipment was returned to the Armory. They issued funeral regalia and halberd escorts for officials of sixth rank and above. Halberd escorts were allotted thus: twenty-four at the gates of temples, altars, palaces, and halls; eighteen at the Eastern Palace; sixteen for first rank; fourteen for second rank and for the Jingzhao, Henan, and Taiyuan metropolitan magistrates, grand area commanders, and grand protectors-general; twelve for third rank and for superior area commanders, middle area commanders, superior protectors-general, and superior prefectures; ten each for inferior area commanders, inferior protectors-general, middle prefectures, and inferior prefectures. Damaged garment banners were replaced every five years. After the funeral of a deceased official, the regalia was recovered. Two superintendents were on staff. It had two clerks, six scribes, two record keepers, and four compound guards. During Zhenguan an office was also set up in the Eastern Capital. The Office of Palace Guard had one director, of regular eighth rank, lower grade; and two assistants, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They provided tents, curtains, and canopies. At sacrifices and imperial tours they arranged seating for princes, dukes, and all officials. When the Ministries of Personnel, War, and Rites tested tribute candidates, they provided examination curtains. They also furnished tents and fittings for princely and ducal weddings. Senior officials of capital agencies received beds and rugs according to rank. Curtains issued to foreign guests were dated by year and month. mats lasted three years, felt five, and mattresses seven; premature wear incurred penalties. Two superintendents were on staff. It had two clerks, four scribes, six setup officers, eighty tent men, and four compound guards. The Court of the Imperial Clan had one minister, of subordinate third rank; two vice ministers, of subordinate fourth rank, upper grade; and two assistants, of subordinate sixth rank, upper grade. They kept the registers of the imperial clan to distinguish senior and junior lines; and oversaw the Mausoleum Terrace and Exalted Mystery offices. Kin were divided into five grades, first set by the Bureau of Enfeoffment: first, the emperor's close kin and the empress's parents, treated as third rank; second, the emperor's greater-mourning kin and lesser-mourning senior kin, and the close kin of the Grand Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, and empress, treated as fourth rank; third, the emperor's lesser-mourning kin and finest-hemp senior kin, and the greater-mourning kin of the Grand Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, and empress, treated as fifth rank; fourth, the emperor's finest-hemp kin and bare-shoulder senior kin, and the lesser-mourning kin of the Grand Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, and empress; fifth, the emperor's bare-shoulder kin, the Grand Empress Dowager's lesser-mourning junior kin, and the Empress Dowager's and empress's finest-hemp kin, treated as sixth rank. Spouses and children of the emperor's kin dropped two grades from their original kin grade; other relatives dropped three; senior kin advanced one; kin lowered beyond the fifth grade ceased to count as kin. Kin of princes, grand elder princesses, and elder princesses retained their own rank; heirs apparent and commandery princes who were not third-grade kin were also treated as fifth rank; the Commandant of Horse-Attendants was ranked like other kin. For sacrifices, investitures, and court assemblies, attendants in support and heirs to enfeoffments all reported through registers to the Bureau of Enfeoffment. Two registrars, of subordinate seventh rank, upper grade, one officer for genealogical charts, one for the jade genealogy, one for tables of imperial sons and collaterals, and two record clerks were on staff. In Wude 2 one clan mentor was appointed; the post was later abolished. In Longshuo 2 the Court of the Imperial Clan was renamed the Court of the Clan Director. In Empress Wu's first Guangzhai year it became the Court of Clan Subordinates. It had five clerks, five scribes, four station chiefs, and four compound guards. In the capital the Grand Temple had one hundred thirty fast officers and thirty-three gate servants each, with two registrars and two record clerks. Each Mausoleum Terrace office had one director, of subordinate fifth rank, upper grade; each with one assistant, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade. The Jianchu, Qiyun, Xingning, and Yongkang tombs each had one director, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; each with one assistant, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade. They guarded the imperial mountain tombs. Co-burials placed civil officials on one side and military on the other; descendants buried with fathers and grandfathers followed the same rule; when palace women were buried alongside, tomb households formed the mound. Each tomb had sealed boundaries on all sides; common burials were forbidden; only pre-existing mounds were left intact. In Kaiyuan 24, because the ancestral temple's charge could not be titled as an office, Vice Director Wei Zong of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices memorialized to abolish the Grand Temple Office and assign one vice director to manage temple affairs. In the twenty-fifth year Prince Che of Puyang became Director of the Imperial Clan. Favored warmly, he argued that the court's proper charge was clan registers and asked that imperial tombs and the ancestral temple be placed under its jurisdiction. In Tianbao 12 Commandant of Horse-Attendants Zhang Yi became Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Favored by the throne, he again placed the Grand Temple and all mausoleum offices under that court. In the tenth year the Xian, Zhao, Qian, Ding, and Qiao mausoleum offices were renamed terraces and their directors' ranks were raised; the Yongkang and Xingning tombs still used the title office. In Zhide 2 mausoleum temples were again placed under the Court of the Imperial Clan. In Yongtai 1 Director Jiang Qingchu of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices again asked that mausoleum temples be placed under his court; in Dali 2 the old arrangement was restored. Each Mausoleum Terrace had one record clerk, two clerks, four scribes, four chiefs each for garments, carriages, and medicines, three setup officers, two compound guards, and three hundred tomb households; Zhaoling, Qianling, and Qiaoling each added one hundred more. Each mausoleum had one record clerk, one clerk, two scribes, two setup officers, two compound guards, and one hundred tomb households. Each Crown Prince Temple had one director, of subordinate eighth rank, upper grade; each with one assistant, of regular ninth rank, lower grade; and one record clerk each. The directors oversaw sweeping, opening and closing the gates, and the seasonal offerings. Each had one clerk, two scribes, two setup officers, and one compound guard. Each crown prince tomb had one director, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade; each with one assistant, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade; and one record clerk each. Each had one clerk, two scribes, two setup officers, one compound guard, and thirty tomb households. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices formerly maintained a Grand Temple Office with one director, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; two assistants, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and twenty-four fast officers. The Exalted Mystery Office had one director, of regular eighth rank, lower grade; and one assistant, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They managed the roster of capital abbeys, Daoist priests' registers, and fasting and offering rites. Silla and Japanese monks who came to court to study and failed to return within nine years were entered on the registers. Daoist priests, priestesses, monks, and nuns all bowed when received by the emperor. Lodging in private homes was limited to three nights. Overnight absences required a filed document with joint signatures, for no more than seven days; distant travel received itineraries from prefectures and counties. Empire-wide there were 1,687 abbeys, 776 Daoist priests, and 988 priestesses; 5,358 temples, 75,524 monks, and 50,576 nuns. Ordination of monks, nuns, Daoist priests, and priestesses in the Two Capitals was supervised by one censor. Every three years prefectures and counties compiled registers, keeping one copy in the county and one in the prefecture; monks and nuns sent one copy to the Bureau of Temples; Daoist priests and priestesses sent one to the Imperial Clan and one to the Bureau of Enfeoffment. Staff included two clerks, three scribes, six setup officers, two compound guards, one Exalted Mystery erudite, and one hundred students. Under Sui the office belonged to the Court of Imperial Entertainments, which also maintained the Daoist Arena and Mystery Altar. Tang appointed supervisors for temples and abbeys under the Court of Imperial Entertainments, one supervisor per temple or abbey. During Zhenguan the temple and abbey supervisors were abolished. In Shangyuan 2 a Lacquer Garden supervisor was established and soon abolished. In Kaiyuan 25 the Exalted Mystery Academy was founded at the Temple of the Mysterious Primordial Emperor. In Tianbao 1 each capital received one erudite and one teaching assistant and one hundred students; at each offering students replaced the fast officers. In the second year the academy became the Exalted Mystery Hall; erudites became academicians and assistants direct academicians; a grand academician, filled by the chief minister, oversaw the Mysterious Primordial palaces and Daoist courts of the Two Capitals; empire-wide schools were renamed Passage academies with moral erudites—and the reform was soon abandoned. Between Baoying and Yongtai scarcely any students remained. In Dali 3 enrollment was restored to one hundred. Initially all monks, nuns, Daoist priests, and priestesses fell under the Court of Imperial Entertainments; in Empress Wu's Yanzai 1 monks and nuns were transferred to the Bureau of Temples. In Kaiyuan 24 Daoist priests and priestesses were placed under the Court of the Imperial Clan; in Tianbao 2 Daoist priests were transferred to the Bureau of Enfeoffment. In Zhenyuan 4 the Exalted Mystery Hall abolished the grand academician; later commissioners of great merit for the Left and Right Streets, the Eastern Capital, and repairs were restored to oversee monks' and nuns' registers and labor service. In Yuanhe 2 Daoist priests and priestesses were placed under the Left and Right Street commissioners of merit. In Huichang 2 monks and nuns were transferred to the Bureau of Guests; the Grand Purity Palace founded a Mysterious Primordial Hall with its own academicians; by Huichang 6 that hall was abolished and monks and nuns again fell under the Two Streets' commissioners of merit. The Court of the Imperial Stud had one minister, of subordinate third rank; two vice ministers, of subordinate fourth rank, upper grade; four assistants, of subordinate sixth rank, upper grade; two registrars, of subordinate seventh rank, upper grade; and two record clerks. The minister managed stables, herds, and imperial transport, overseeing the Imperial Horses, Imperial Stables, Imperial Herds, and Chariot offices and all pasture supervisors. On imperial progresses they supplied attendant carriages for the five routes. Pasture supervisors' registers were received each year, consolidated, and submitted to the Carriage Department for performance review. During Yonghui the court was renamed the Court of Chariot Mastery; in Empress Wu's Guangzhai 1 it became the Court of Servants. Staff included seventeen clerks, thirty-four scribes, six hundred veterinary physicians, four veterinary erudites, one hundred students, four station chiefs, and six compound guards. The Imperial Horses Office had one director, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and one assistant, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade. They supplied imperial carriage routes and oversaw training and driving. Before any event they drilled the carriage masters forty days in advance; the Office of Imperial Carriages supplied horses by route color; and drilled at the Palace Domestic Service twenty days beforehand. Staff included one clerk, two scribes, one hundred forty carriage masters, fourteen goat-carriage junior scribes, and six compound guards. The Imperial Stables Office had two directors, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and four assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade. They fed horses and cattle and supplied miscellaneous livestock. Fine horses required one labor unit each, middling horses two, poor horses three; ten nursing colts or calves counted as one unit. Staff included four clerks, eight scribes, six chiefs of carriage, eight setup officers, one hundred drivers, eight hundred carriage masters, and six compound guards. The Imperial Herds Office had three directors, of regular eighth rank, upper grade; and six assistants, of subordinate ninth rank, upper grade. They received mixed livestock from the pastures and managed butter, cheese, dried meat, and cured meats. Lambs and kids from the herd offices supplied the Sacrificial Animals Office and Imperial Food Service. It had eight supervisors. Staff included four clerks, eight scribes, sixteen setup officers, seventy-four dairy chiefs, one hundred sixty carriage masters, and four compound guards. The Chariot Office had one director, of regular eighth rank, lower grade; and one assistant, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They managed carriage routes for princes, dukes, and lower ranks and oversaw training and driving. Weddings and funerals of attendant officials of third rank and above were supplied with carriage masters. Horses and cattle for road carriages were drilled under driving masters. Staff included one clerk, two scribes, four archive clerks, one hundred seventy-five driving masters, and six compound guards. Each upper pasture supervisor had one supervisor, of subordinate fifth rank, lower grade; each with two deputy supervisors, of regular sixth rank, lower grade; each with two assistants, of regular eighth rank, upper grade; and one registrar each, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. Middle pasture supervisors ranked regular sixth rank, lower grade; deputy supervisors of subordinate sixth rank, lower grade; assistants of subordinate eighth rank, upper grade; registrars of subordinate ninth rank, upper grade. Lower pasture supervisors ranked subordinate sixth rank, lower grade; deputy supervisors of regular seventh rank, lower grade; assistants of regular ninth rank, upper grade; registrars of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. Middle pasture supervisors had one fewer deputy supervisor and assistant than upper ones. The Southern and Western commissioners each had three assistants, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and one record clerk each, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. The Northern and Yanchuan commissioners each had two assistants, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade. They oversaw herd breeding and tax levies.
31
使 使 使西使 使使使 使 使西使使使使 西使 簿 使
Pastures with five thousand horses ranked as upper supervisors, three thousand as middle, and fewer as lower. Horse and cattle herds had herd chiefs and wardens. Poor and fine horses were all registered; fine horses were listed as left, poor horses as right. Each year in early autumn the herd commissioner consolidated all pasture registers; in mid-autumn they were submitted to the court. Fine-horse deliveries included handlers, horse boys, veterinary physicians, and the like. Mares were bred in the third month; colts and calves on the pastures were separated into herds at age three. Breeding above quota earned rewards; deaths and losses were deducted at prescribed rates. At year's end the pasture-supervisor commissioner made inspection tours, netting merits against faults for performance review. Each upper pasture supervisor had one record clerk, three clerks, six scribes, eight setup officers, and four compound guards. Middle pasture supervisors had one fewer clerk and two fewer scribes and setup officers each. Lower pasture supervisors had two fewer setup officers and compound guards. The Southern and Western commissioners each had one record clerk and one scribe, five clerks, and nine scribes; The Northern and Yanchuan commissioners matched the Southern commissioner in staff numbers and ranks from record clerk down. In the Linde era eight commissioners were set up, each overseeing pasture compounds. covering Qin, Lan, Yuan, and Wei prefectures and the River Bend region. There were forty-eight supervisors in all: fifteen under the Southern commissioner, sixteen under the Western, seven under the Northern, eight under Yanchuan, and two under Lanzhou. West from the capital through Longyou stood seven horse compounds, overseen by three Longyou commissioners. There were also the Shayuan, Loufan, and Heavenly Horse supervisors. The Shayuan supervisor raised cattle and sheep from the Longyou pastures for banquets, sacrifices, and the Imperial Food Service, and each year supplied the Imperial Herds Office as well. From supervisor down, ranks and staff matched lower pasture supervisors. In Kaiyuan 23 the supervisors were abolished. The Eastern Palace Nine Pastures Office had two assistants, of regular eighth rank, upper grade; and one record clerk, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. They pastured and raised horses and cattle for the crown prince's use. Staff included one record clerk, one scribe, three clerks, and six scribes. Originally each pasture had one director, deputy director, assistant, registrar, and record clerk, two clerks, four scribes, four setup officers, and two compound guards. From director down, ranks matched lower pasture supervisors. There was also a horse-pasture commissioner with assistants and other subordinate officials. The Court of Judicial Review had one director, of subordinate third rank; and two vice directors, of subordinate fifth rank, lower grade. They adjudicated cases and reviewed punishments. All crimes calling for exile or death went to the Ministry of Justice and were reviewed by the Secretariat and Chancellery. Prisoners were reviewed every five days. In Longshuo 2 it was renamed the Court of Detailed Punishments; in Empress Wu's Guangzhai 1 it became the Court of Punishment Administration; Under Emperor Zhongzong the prison assistant was abolished. Staff included twenty-eight clerks, fifty-six scribes, twelve scribes for investigating censors, twenty-four for reviewing officials, six prison scribes, four station chiefs, eighteen compound guards, and one hundred inquiry officers.
32
Two directors of review, of subordinate fifth rank, lower grade. They deliberated on cases and corrected statutory provisions. Whenever an assistant misjudged a case, they corrected it under the law. They presided over trials of defendants of fifth rank and above. On imperial progresses they stayed behind to manage Zongchi Temple affairs.
33
Six assistants, of subordinate sixth rank, upper grade. They divided court business among themselves and adjusted the severity of punishments. For prisoners sentenced to penal servitude or worse, they summoned the family to announce the verdict and asked whether the prisoner accepted it.
34
簿 簿 殿 殿
Two registrars, of subordinate seventh rank, upper grade. They kept the seal, reviewed office registers, and audited for errors. All officials convicted of offenses and those exonerated were recorded in registers. One jin of copper redeemed a private offense and two jin a public offense; each counted as one demerit; ten demerits made one major demerit. Each year the Ministries of Civil Appointments and War sent reviews of candidates' demerits, which were recorded and filed.
35
漿
Two prison assistants, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. They led prison scribes and oversaw prisoners. Nobles and commoners, men and women, were held in separate prisons. Prisoners of fifth rank and above bathed once a month; in summer they were given fermented drink. Paper, brushes, blades, money, goods, pestles, and clubs were barred from entry. Sick prisoners received medicine; in serious cases fetters were removed and family members were allowed in to attend them.
36
使 簿 使 簿 殿殿
Six investigating censors, of subordinate sixth rank, upper grade; and eight reviewing officials, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade. They were sent on missions to investigate and examine cases. When ordered to interrogate senior officials who were to be suspended and detained, they obtained fish tally credentials before proceeding. There were two record clerks. The Court of State Ceremonial had one director, of subordinate third rank; two vice directors, of subordinate fourth rank, upper grade; and two assistants, of subordinate sixth rank, upper grade. They managed foreign guests and mourning ceremonies. They oversaw the Offices of Guests and Ceremonial Order. Foreign chieftains were listed by tribal prestige; at audiences their ranks were fixed—the third below military third rank, the fourth below fifth, the fifth below sixth; those with official titles took their normal places. Censors inspected their food rations. For heirs of the two former dynasties and foreign chieftains inheriting rank, legitimate and secondary succession was determined. For foreign investitures they received the patent and traveled to deliver it. Overseas envoys coming to congratulate or offer tribute brought attendants; half were left at the border; those arriving by sea had Guangzhou choose one chieftain and two attendants to proceed to court; presented goods were first reported in quantity to the court. When guests departed, the court recorded their clothing and gifts to report to the Office of Guests and issued travel passes. When foreign guests presented matters, they recorded arrival dates and the substance of each petition; monthly reports were compiled into registers, with copies kept at the court. Presented horses were jointly inspected by the Palace Domestic Service and the Court of the Imperial Stud; fine horses went to the palace, poor or sick ones to the stud. Presented medicines were verified by the Court of State Ceremonial and priced by the Imperial Workshop Directorate. Hawks, falcons, dogs, and leopards had no fixed price; the court determined their reported value. Guests carried presented goods in person; camels and horses were displayed in the court hall; items unfit for presentation were kept by local authorities. When the emperor or crown prince mourned relatives within five degrees of kinship or great ministers, the director guided the rites. First-rank ministers' funerals were escorted by the director; second rank, by the vice director; third rank, by the assistant. The Office of Ceremonial Order instructed them in the ritual regulations.
37
簿
One registrar, of subordinate seventh rank, upper grade. and two record clerks. In Longshuo 2 it was renamed the Court of Shared Script; in Empress Wu's Guangzhai 1 it became the Court of Guest Administration. Staff included five clerks, ten scribes, four station chiefs, and six compound guards. The Office of Guests had one director, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and three assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade. They kept registers of the two former dynasties' heirs, the Lords of Jie and Xi, and submitted foreigners in their domains, and handled tribute audiences, banquets, and receptions. Tribal chiefs coming to audience received grain rations; if they fell ill, physicians were sent with medicines; if they died, funeral needs were supplied; when they returned home with imperial gifts, they helped them receive the goods and taught the proper forms of thanks. Staff included thirteen guest officers, four clerks, eight scribes, and two compound guards.
38
使 祿
Fifteen guest stewards, of regular ninth rank, upper grade. They received and escorted foreign guests and managed the hostels. The Office of Ceremonial Order had one director, of regular eighth rank, lower grade; and one assistant, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They supplied equipment for mourning rites and funerals. Before burial they offered a minor tai-lao sacrifice for capital officials of third substantive rank or second honorary rank mourning parents or grandparents; for fifth rank and above, regional commanders, or prefects who died in the capital, and fifth-rank officials who died in state service—leading fast-officers bearing ritual vessels. Third rank and above received bundled silks—one black and two crimson; first rank also received a riding horse; after the procession, envoys presented gifts outside the city gate—all received bundled silks, and first rank also a jade disk. Fifth rank and above received laborers to prepare the tomb. Staff included six ceremonial officers, two clerks, four scribes, eighteen setup officers, thirty fast-officers, four compound guards, and sixty tent laborers. The Court of the National Granary had one minister, of subordinate third rank; and two vice ministers, of subordinate fourth rank, upper grade. They managed granary storage and stockpiles. They oversaw the Imperial Park, Grand Granary, Hooked Shield, and Grain Winnowing offices, together with the various granaries, bamboo farms, hot-spring stations, palace parks, salt ponds, and colony farms. They supplied whatever the capital's offices needed for official salaries, court assemblies, and sacrifices. For the ceremonial plowing they presented plows and clod-breakers.
39
使
Six assistants, of subordinate sixth rank, upper grade. They jointly handled the court's business. All land tax grain and fodder straw reaching the capital were inspected and received. Skilled government slaves were assigned to offices; women went to the inner quarters and were matched by category; traveling-palace herds and gifts to princes, dukes, and princesses all drew on this pool. Household slaves were assigned to raise all breeding chickens and swine. Captives were assigned light labor and given grain rations on arrival.
40
簿 調 簿
two chief clerks, of subordinate seventh rank, upper grade; and two record clerks. In Longshuo 2 it was renamed the Court of Grain Cultivation. Staff included thirty-eight clerks, seventy-six scribes, three accounting clerks, nine station chiefs, and seven compound guards. The Office of the Imperial Park had two directors, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and four assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade. They managed parks, gardens, and ponds. They raised fruits and vegetables for court assemblies, sacrifices, and the regular provisions of Imperial Catering and other offices. In late winter they stored a thousand blocks of ice; three days before Start of Spring they placed them in the ice well, offering a black bull and black millet to the Cold Spirit; mid-spring ice-opening followed the same ritual. Ten superintendents were on staff. Staff included seven clerks, fourteen scribes, twenty-four stewards, and five compound guards. The Office of the Grand Granary had three directors, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; five assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade; and eight superintendents. They managed granary storage. Staff included ten clerks, twenty scribes, twenty-four stewards, and eight compound guards. The Office of Hooked Shield had two directors, of regular eighth rank, upper grade; four assistants, of regular ninth rank, upper grade; and ten superintendents. They supplied firewood and charcoal, poultry, rushes and sedge, and marsh and pond products for sacrifices, court assemblies, and guest banquets. Staff included seven clerks, fourteen scribes, nineteen stewards, and five compound guards. The Office of Grain Winnowing had two directors, of regular eighth rank, lower grade; four assistants, of regular ninth rank, upper grade; and ten superintendents. They winnowed and graded rice and wheat. All nine grains were supplied according to grade, with allowances for wastage by fineness. Staff included eight clerks, sixteen scribes, twenty-four stewards, and five compound guards. At first there were superintendents of the imperial fine-grain and yeast-and-flour granaries; both posts were abolished in the Zhenguan era. The Taiyuan, Yongfeng, Longmen, and other granaries each had one superintendent, of regular seventh rank, lower grade; and two assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, upper grade. They managed granary storage and stockpiles. Receipt and disbursement ledgers were submitted to the court at year's end. each had one record clerk, three clerks, six scribes, eight stewards, and six compound guards; At Longmen and similar granaries staff was reduced by one clerk and two each among scribes, stewards, and compound guards. The Bamboo Office had one superintendent, of subordinate sixth rank, lower grade; one deputy superintendent, of regular seventh rank, lower grade; and two assistants, of regular eighth rank, upper grade. They cultivated bamboo and reeds for palace curtains, baskets, and similar goods, and each year sent bamboo shoots to Imperial Catering. Staff included one record clerk, two clerks, four scribes, thirty stewards, four compound guards, and one hundred reed-garden artisans. The Qingshan, Shimen, Wenquan, and other hot-spring stations each had one superintendent, of subordinate sixth rank, lower grade; and one assistant, of regular seventh rank, lower grade. They managed the baths, palace security, dikes, stored grain and fodder, and repairs and logistics for imperial visits. Bath lodges for princes, dukes, and lower ranks were allotted according to status. Early-ripening melons and vegetables from the warm spring districts were sent to the tombs and temples. Each station had one record clerk, one clerk, two scribes, and four compound guards. The capital's palace-park general offices each had one superintendent, of subordinate fifth rank, lower grade; each one deputy superintendent, of subordinate sixth rank, lower grade; each two assistants, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; each two chief clerks, of subordinate ninth rank, upper grade. They managed palaces and lodges, gardens and ponds, birds and fish, and orchards within the parks. All movement of staff, people, and livestock in and out was registered. Each office had two record clerks, eight clerks, sixteen scribes, four station chiefs, six compound guards, and five veterinary physicians.
41
西 簿 簿 簿 簿 貿
The capital's garden-park offices and the four-side park offices each had one superintendent, of subordinate sixth rank, lower grade; each one deputy superintendent, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; each two assistants, of regular eighth rank, lower grade. They maintained the park grounds, palaces, gardens, and ponds, and handled planting and the breeding of livestock. In Xianqing 2 the Qingcheng Palace office became the Eastern Capital Park North-Side office; the Mingde Palace office became the South-Side office; the Luoyang Palace Farm and Garden office became the East-Side office; and the Granary Goods office became the West-Side office. Each had one record clerk, three clerks, six scribes, six stewards, and six compound guards. The Jiucheng Palace general office had one superintendent, of subordinate fifth rank, lower grade; one deputy superintendent, of subordinate sixth rank, lower grade; one assistant, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and one chief clerk, of subordinate ninth rank, upper grade. They maintained the palace park and supplied refined cakes for imperial presentation. Staff included one record clerk and three clerks; from the superintendent down, ranks matched those of the palace-park offices. Early in Wude the Sui Renshou Palace office was renamed the Jiucheng Palace office. Each salt pond had one superintendent, of regular seventh rank, lower grade, who kept the salt-production accounts. Each had one record clerk and two scribes. Each agricultural colony had one superintendent, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and one assistant, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade. They managed colony farming, reconciled labor quotas and livestock accounts, and set levies according to flood, drought, and pest damage. Colony chiefs encouraged farming and supervised collection of land taxes. Each colony had one record clerk, one clerk, two scribes, two stewards, and four compound guards. Each colony had one chief, one deputy chief, one chief clerk, one record clerk, three clerks, and five scribes. The Court of the Grand Treasury had one minister, of subordinate third rank; and two vice ministers, of subordinate fourth rank, upper grade. They managed wealth, stores, and trade, and oversaw the capital's four markets, the Left and Right Treasuries, and the seven Ever-Normal offices. They carefully handled receipts and disbursements for tribute from all quarters and officials' salaries. Tribute followed local products, with grades fixed by quality, and they supplied all ritual silks for sacrifices. In Longshuo 2 it was renamed the Court of the Outer Treasury. In Empress Wu's Guangzhai 1 it became the Court of Treasury Administration. When Emperor Zhongzong took the throne, the name Court of the Grand Treasury was restored. Staff included twenty-five clerks, fifty scribes, four accounting clerks, seven station chiefs, and seven compound guards.
42
簿
Four assistants, of subordinate sixth rank, upper grade. They handled the court's business. On New Year's Day and the Winter Solstice they received regional tribute displayed in the courtyard and presented it onward. Assembly gifts and special-edict grants to sixth rank and below were distributed in the audience hall. One officer managed the Left and Right Treasury accounts—office records were called registers, court records accounts—and reported quarterly to the Bureau of Revenue.
43
簿 簿 調 殿
Two chief clerks, of subordinate seventh rank, upper grade. They kept the seal, reviewed draft ledgers, audited errors, and calibrated weights and measures; each year in the eighth month they stamped and certified them before use. Two recorders. The Market Offices of the Two Capitals had one director, of subordinate sixth rank, upper grade; Two assistants, of regular eighth rank, upper grade. They supervised trade in goods and standards of measure, distinguishing genuine from counterfeit and correct weight. Every stall had to post markers and a raised earth sign; hoarding for monopoly and private selling in the market were banned. In every market, three hundred drumbeats at noon opened trade, and three hundred strokes on the gong seven quarters before sunset closed it. Guoyi guards patrolled the markets. Goods were rated in three price grades, recorded in a ledger every ten days. When the emperor traveled, a market was opened at each halt for exchange, with fifty guards to watch for trouble. Staff included one recorder, three clerks, seven scribes, three registry officers, and one compound guard. The Left Treasury Office had three directors, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; Five assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade; Eight supervisors. They managed coin, silk, and miscellaneous fabrics. The minister and censors supervised the empire's tax and levy collections. Staff included nine clerks, eighteen scribes, twelve registry officers, and eight compound guards. The Right Treasury Office had two directors, of regular eighth rank, upper grade; Three assistants, of regular ninth rank, upper grade; Four supervisors. They managed gold and jade, pearls and gems, copper and iron, bone and horn, ivory and fur, and painted silks. Staff included five clerks, twelve scribes, seven registry officers, and ten compound guards. The Ever-Normal Office had one director, of subordinate seventh rank, upper grade; Two assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade; Five supervisors. They managed grain price stabilization, granary storage, and receipts and disbursements. Staff included four clerks, eight scribes, five registry officers, and six compound guards. The office was established in Xianqing 3. Under Empress Wu an office was also set up in the Eastern Capital. The Directorate of Imperial University had one chancellor, of subordinate third rank; Two vice chancellors, of subordinate fourth rank, lower grade. They directed Confucian instruction and oversaw seven schools: the Imperial University, Grand Academy, Broad Learning Hall, Four Gates Hall, Law, Calligraphy, and Mathematics. When the emperor inspected the schools, or the crown prince donned cap and armor, they delivered lectures on the classics. At the libation sacrifice they expounded the classics in debate and had civil and military officials of seventh rank and above in the capital attend. Instruction was divided among nine classics—the Changes, Documents, Rites of Zhou, Rites, Record of Rites, Mao Odes, and the Zuo, Gongyang, and Guliang commentaries—along with the Filial Piety Classic, Analects, and Laozi; at year's end the teaching staff were graded on their instruction.
44
One assistant, of subordinate sixth rank, lower grade, who handled the directorate's business. Each year, when students of the seven schools finished their course, the vice chancellors and chancellor examined them; those who passed were sent to the Ministry of Rites.
45
簿
One chief clerk, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade. They kept the seal and supervised the directorate's business. Students of the seven schools who would not obey instruction were reported and expelled. One recorder, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. Early in Wude the directorate was renamed the Imperial University School and placed under the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; in Zhenguan 2 it became a directorate again. In Longshuo 2 the directorate became the Hall of Completion, the chancellor the Grand Completer, and the vice chancellor the Junior Completer. In Xianheng 1 it was again called a directorate. In Chuigong 1 the Directorate of Imperial University became the Directorate of the Balanced Mean. Staff included seven clerks, thirteen scribes, six station chiefs, and eight compound guards. The Imperial University School had five erudites, of regular fifth rank, upper grade. They taught students of third rank and above, imperial clansmen, and great-grandsons of officials of subordinate second rank and above. The curriculum was divided among five classics—Rites of Zhou, Rites, Record of Rites, Mao Odes, and the Zuo Commentary—with sixty students each; in spare time they studied clerical script, the Discourses of the States, Shuowen, Zilin, Sancang, and Erya. Each year students had to pass two classics. Those seeking office were referred to the directorate, as were cultivated talents and presented scholars. Students were ranked by age; beyond their main coursework they learned auspicious and mourning rites and assisted one another at public and private ceremonies. In Longshuo 2 erudites were renamed Proclaimers of Achievement. Staff included ten senior graduates, eighty students, four school registrars, two temple stewards, four compound guards, and fifteen students in the Eastern Capital.
46
Five instructors, of subordinate sixth rank, upper grade. They assisted the erudites in teaching the classics by division.
47
Four lecturers assisted erudites and instructors in expounding the classics.
48
Two erudites for each of the Five Classics, of regular fifth rank, upper grade. Each taught imperial university students in his own classic. The Five Classics were the Changes, Documents, Mao Odes, Zuo Spring and Autumn, and Record of Rites; the Analects, Filial Piety Classic, and Erya had no separate posts and were taught as adjuncts. The Grand Academy had six erudites, of regular sixth rank, upper grade; Six instructors, of subordinate seventh rank, upper grade. They taught students of fifth rank and above, sons and grandsons of prefectural and county nobles, and great-grandsons of officials of subordinate third rank and above, with five classics and one hundred students each. There were seventy students, four school registrars, six compound guards, and fifteen students in the Eastern Capital. The Broad Learning Hall had four erudites and two instructors. They supervised imperial university students studying for the presented-scholar examination. There were sixty students and ten in the Eastern Capital. In Tianbao 9 the Broad Learning Hall was established with an instructor specializing in the presented-scholar curriculum; later that title was dropped. The Four Gates Hall had six erudites, of regular seventh rank, upper grade; Six instructors, of subordinate eighth rank, upper grade; Four lecturers. They taught students of seventh rank and above, sons of marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons, and commoners' sons enrolled as talented scholars. There were three hundred students, four school registrars, and six compound guards; Fifty students in the Eastern Capital. The School of Law had three erudites, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade; One instructor, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. They taught students of eighth rank and below and commoners' sons. Statutes and ordinances were the core curriculum, with formats and legal precedents studied as well. Under the Sui the School of Law belonged to the Court of Judicial Review and had eight erudites. Early in Wude it was placed under the Directorate of Imperial University and soon abolished; it was restored in Zhenguan 6, abolished again in Xianqing 3, and the erudites and below assigned to the Court of Judicial Review; It was restored in Longshuo 2. There were twenty students and two school registrars. Early in Yuanhe five students were enrolled in the Eastern Capital. The School of Calligraphy had two erudites, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade; One instructor. They taught students of eighth rank and below and commoners' sons. The Stone Classics, Shuowen, and Zilin were the core curriculum, with other texts studied as well. Early in Wude the school was abolished, restored in Zhenguan 2, abolished again in Xianqing 3 with staff assigned to the Secretariat, and restored in Longshuo 2. There were ten students, two school registrars, and three students in the Eastern Capital. The School of Mathematics had two erudites, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade; One instructor. They taught students of eighth rank and below and commoners' sons. The curriculum was divided in two: the core texts were the Nine Chapters, Sea Island, Master Sun, Five Departments, Zhang Qiujian, Xiahou Yang, Zhou Bi, Five-Classics Mathematics, Continuation Methods, and Collated Antiquity, with the Records of Remaining Methods and Three-Grade Numbers studied as well.
49
In all six schools, presentation gifts, supervision, and examinations followed the Imperial University School; and the duties of instructors and below were the same. Tang abolished the School of Mathematics, restored it in Xianqing 1, abolished it again in year 3, and assigned the erudites and below to the Bureau of Astronomy. It was restored in Longshuo 2. There were ten students, two school registrars, and two students in the Eastern Capital. The Directorate of the Palace Workshops had one director, of subordinate third rank; and two vice directors, of subordinate fourth rank, lower grade. They oversaw policy for the hundred crafts and skilled trades. They supervised the five offices of Central Shang, Left Shang, Right Shang, Dyeing and Weaving, and Metals Foundry, together with the regional foundries, mints, and border-market directorates. They furnished the emperor's vessels and regalia, the dress and ornaments of empresses and consorts, jade tablets for suburban and temple sacrifices, and the ceremonial regalia of the bureaucracy. Armory robes and jackets were weighed and labeled before storage, then issued to the guards on the winter solstice and New Year's Day. Prefectural markets supplied ox hides and horns as needed, and all horn, sinew, brain, and hide from livestock were delivered to the directorate. Inlay and engraving apprentices trained for four years; carriage fittings and musical instruments, three years; plain and damascened blades and spears, two years; arrowheads, bamboo, lacquer, and bent-willow work, half as long; caps, crowns, court caps, and headcloths, nine months. Apprentices inherited family techniques; office directors examined them each season and the directorate examined them at year's end. Every finished piece bore the craftsman's name.
50
There were six assistants, of subordinate sixth rank, lower grade. They adjudicated directorate business. They provisioned the five offices with metal, stone, ivory, hide, feathers, bamboo, and timber, keeping registers of each item's name, quantity, and source prefecture. Work gangs were graded by size and difficulty, and labor and rest were balanced among them.
51
簿 使使 竿 簿 綿
two chief clerks, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and two record clerks, of subordinate ninth rank, upper grade. Early in the Wude era the directorate was abolished and its offices subordinated to the Court of the Imperial Treasury. It was restored in Zhenguan 1. In Longshuo 2 it became the Directorate of the Inner Palace; in Wu Zetian's Chuigong 1, the Directorate of the Palace Ateliers. Its staff comprised twenty-seven stewards, seventeen clerks, three accounting clerks, eight booth chiefs, six custodians, 5,029 short-term foreign artisans, 365 skilled workers in the Brocade and Damask Workshop, 83 damask artisans for the Inner Works Office, 150 for the Palace Rear Apartments, 42 Inner Works specialists, and 125 miscellaneous artisans detailed from capital agencies. The Central Shang Office had one director, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and two assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade. They supplied jade tablets for suburban sacrifices, the emperor's vessels and curios, and the patterned dress and ornaments of empresses and consorts. Metal, wood, ivory, hide, and feathers were supplied according to regional products and the seasons. On amnesty days a golden rooster was raised south of the halberd guard on a pole seven zhang tall. The bird stood four chi high, gilded at the head, with a seven-chi crimson banner in its beak on a colored tray, secured by crimson cord. The Directorate of Imperial Construction furnished it. A carrying-pole drum was beaten a thousand strokes to gather officials, elders, and prisoners. Children of the wards who seized the rooster's head were paid by the authorities, though some took only the crimson banner. Each year in the second month they presented ivory measuring rods. At Cold Food they presented balls. In the fifth month they presented ribbons and sashes. At the summer solstice they presented thunder carts. In the seventh month they presented inlaid needles. On the La festival they presented lip balm. Only brushes and zither and se strings were presented every month. Gold, silver, and paper were presented only on imperial order. They made fish pouches for all officials; when foreign guests received jeweled belts and fish pouches, the Court of Imperial Entertainments' assistants and chief clerks conferred them. four production supervisors, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. All production supervisors held the same rank. Staff included nine stewards, eighteen clerks, four records clerks, and four custodians. Under the Tang the Inner Shang Atelier was renamed the Central Shang Atelier. Wu Zetian renamed the Palace Workshops directorate the Palace Ateliers directorate; the five offices of Central, Left, and Right Shang, Dyeing and Weaving, and Metals Foundry all dropped fang from their titles to avoid clashing with jian. These names were not changed thereafter. It also maintained a Gold and Silver Workshop Court. The Left Shang Office had one director, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and five assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade. They supplied pheasant-feather fans, parasols, the Five Routes, Five Supports, Seven Palanquins, and Twelve Carriages, and the carriages of the empress dowager, crown prince, princesses, consorts, titled ladies, and princes. They also oversaw silk painting, carving, inlay work, and miscellaneous palace crafts including wax torches. six production supervisors. Staff included seven stewards, twenty clerks, eighteen records clerks, and fourteen custodians. The Right Shang Office had two directors, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and four assistants, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade. They supplied bridles for the horses of the twelve imperial pasture studs. Each year they were obtained from Jingzhao and Henan, embellished, and then presented. They provisioned the stores of the three central departments with swords, axes, halberds, armor, paper, brushes, mats, and footwear according to need, and also oversaw fur and hide work. six production supervisors. Staff included seven stewards, twenty clerks, thirteen records clerks, and ten custodians. The Dyeing and Weaving Office had one director, of regular eighth rank, upper grade; and two assistants, of regular ninth rank, upper grade. They supplied caps and crowns, ribbons and sashes, weaving and spinning, and dyeing. Brocade, gauze, plain gauze, fine gauze, damask, pongee, coarse silk, silk, and cloth were all one zhang and eight chi wide; four zhang made a bolt. Five zhang of cloth made a duan; six liang of cotton a tun; five liang of silk a qu; three jin of hemp a ting. Damask, brocade, and patterned weaves were barred from display outside the palace. A senior official oversaw it exclusively and reported each year on usage and production. Whenever the Palace Rear Apartments completed a length of brocade, wine and sheep were distributed. On the seventh day of the seventh month they sacrificed to the weaving shuttle. six production supervisors. Staff included six stewards, fourteen clerks, eleven records clerks, and five custodians. The Metals Foundry Office had one director, of regular eighth rank, upper grade; and two assistants, of regular ninth rank, upper grade. They cast and smelted gold, silver, copper, and iron and oversaw glazing and jade work. Private persons might mine copper and iron, but the state collected it as tax; only tin alloy was sold through official markets. Border prefectures had no iron foundries; all needed utensils were supplied by the state. Finished goods from all foundries were inventoried to the Palace Workshops directorate before issue. two production supervisors. Staff included six stewards, twelve clerks, twenty-three records clerks, and four custodians. Each regional foundry directorate had one director, of regular seventh rank, lower grade; and one assistant each, of subordinate eighth rank, upper grade. They cast military and farm tools for soldiers and garrison colonists; only the Xingnong foundry supplied the Longyou stud farms exclusively. four production supervisors. Staff included one record clerk, one steward, two clerks, two records clerks, and four custodians. The Taiyuan foundry had two fewer production supervisors. Each coin mint had one director, two vice directors, and one assistant. The local area commander or prefect served concurrently; vice directors were senior aides; assistants were acting bureau chiefs; and supervisors from army staff officers and county deputies. Each mint had one supervisor. Each had one record clerk, three stewards, four clerks, and five records clerks. There were seven mints in all; under Huichang the number rose to eight, with one casting workshop per circuit. Early in the Dazhong era three mints were abolished. Each border-trade market had one director, of subordinate sixth rank, lower grade; and one assistant, of regular eighth rank, lower grade. They regulated trade with foreign states. Under the Sui it was subordinate to the Four Directions Hostels. Under the Tang it was subordinated to the Palace Workshops. In Zhenguan 6 the Exchange Market Directorate became the Border-Trade Market Directorate, vice directors became assistants, and in Wu Zetian's Chuigong 1 it became the General Market Directorate. Staff included one record clerk, two stewards, four clerks, four appraisers, and eight custodians. The Directorate of Imperial Construction had one director, of subordinate third rank; and two vice directors, of subordinate fourth rank, lower grade. They oversaw civil construction and craftsmen, supervising the Left, Right, and Central Works offices, the Casting Office, and the regional hundred-crafts directorates. Work at the Daming, Xingqing, and Shangyang palaces, the Chancellery, Secretariat, Six Armies armories, and spare stables counted as inner works; while suburban altars and temples, city gates, ministries, monasteries, directorates, commissions, the Sixteen Guards, the Eastern Palace, and princely household offices counted as outer works. from the tenth month through the second month metalworking ceased; from the winter solstice through the ninth month earthworks ceased. Whenever palace or temple repairs were undertaken, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices chose an auspicious day and reported it.
52
There were four assistants, of subordinate sixth rank, lower grade. They adjudicated directorate business. For outer construction and repairs, major projects required imperial edicts and minor ones provincial authorization. Work periods were classified as long, medium, or short, and labor as light or heavy. the fourth through seventh months were long-work season; the second, third, eighth, and ninth months were medium-work season; and the tenth month through the first month was short-work season. Master craftsmen on long-term roster were paid from funds raised by their home prefectures. Military equipment was stamped with the date and the craftsman's name. Early in the Wude era the director was retitled Chief Artisan and the vice director Junior Artisan. In Longshuo 2 the directorate became the Construction Works Directorate, the chief artisan became senior director, and the junior artisan vice director. In Xianheng 1 it was renamed the Building and Repair Directorate. In Tianbao 11 the titles chief artisan and junior artisan were changed back to senior director and vice director. Staff included fourteen stewards, twenty-eight clerks, three accounting clerks, four depot chiefs, six custodians, 12,744 short-term foreign artisans, and 260 salaried craftsmen.
53
簿 使 竿 簿 簿 簿 使
There were two registrars, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade. They managed officials' grain rations and salaries, and all temporary assignments had to pass through their office. Shortfalls in supplies held by any office's depot were reported to them. There were two record clerks, of subordinate ninth rank, upper grade. The Left Works Office had two directors, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade; and one assistant, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They oversaw carpentry. They furnished musical frames, banner poles, weapons, and funeral regalia. Palace and dwelling standards were graded from emperor to commoner; official repairs were the Left Works' responsibility. There were ten production supervisors. Staff included six stewards, twelve clerks, and twelve production supervisors. The Right Works Office had two directors, of regular eighth rank, lower grade; and three assistants, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They oversaw rammed-earth construction, plastering, cinnabar and whitewash, and latrines. When materials were needed, they determined quantities and procured them on the market. There were ten production supervisors. Staff included five stewards, ten clerks, and twenty-four records clerks. The Central Works Office had one director, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade; and three assistants, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They supplied boats, carriages, weapons, and miscellaneous equipment. On imperial tours they furnished display poles; for spare stables they furnished traveling troughs; for prayer sacrifices, thorn and vine; and all materials for inner and outer construction came from their office. They supervised draft cattle; annual allocations of fodder and beans were delivered to them for the carriage workshops. There were four supervisors. Under Empress Wu it was renamed the Building and Repair Office. In Chuigong 1 the former name was restored, then the office was soon abolished. Early in the Kaiyuan era it was reestablished. Staff included three stewards, six clerks, eight records clerks, and two custodians. The Casting Office had one director, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade; and two assistants, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They oversaw stone carving and pottery, furnishing stone chimes, figurines, steles, pillars, millstones, querns, jars, and pots, and spirit objects for imperial burials by edict. There were four production supervisors. Staff included five stewards, ten clerks, and eighteen records clerks. The Hundred Crafts, Jiugu, Kugu, Xiegu, Taiyin, and Yiyang directorates each had one director, of regular seventh rank, lower grade; one vice director, of subordinate seventh rank, lower grade; and one assistant, of regular eighth rank, upper grade. They supervised timber harvesting. There were four production supervisors. Early in the Wude era the Hundred Crafts Directorate was established for boats, carriages, and miscellaneous construction, with one director, one vice director, four assistants, and one registrar. Five more directorates were also established at Jiugu, Kugu, Xiegu, Taiyin, and Yiyang. During the Zhenguan era the Hundred Crafts Directorate was abolished. Emperor Gaozong established the Hundred Crafts Office for civil, earth, tile, and stone work in the Eastern Capital. In Kaiyuan 15 it was elevated to a directorate. Staff included one record clerk, one steward, three clerks, and twenty records clerks. The Directorate of Military Equipment had one director, of regular fourth rank, upper grade; and one assistant, of regular seventh rank, upper grade. They maintained armor and crossbows and delivered them to the armory on schedule. They supervised two offices: the Crossbow Workshop and the Armor Workshop. There was one registrar, of regular eighth rank, lower grade; and one record clerk, of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. Early in the Wude era an Arms Directorate was established with one director, of regular eighth rank, lower grade. It oversaw weapons and stud farms. It had one vice director, two assistants, and one registrar. In year 7 the Directorate of Military Equipment was abolished, restored in year 8, and abolished again in year 9. In Zhenguan 6 the Arms Directorate was abolished. Before Kaiyuan all military equipment came from the Right Shang Office. In Kaiyuan 3 the directorate was established; in 11 it was abolished and became the Armor and Crossbow Workshop under the Palace Workshops; in 16 it was restored as a directorate. Staff included eight stewards, twelve clerks, two depot chiefs, and four custodians. The Crossbow Workshop Office had one director, of regular eighth rank, lower grade; and one assistant, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They issued and received spears, halberds, bows, arrows, repeating crossbows, blades, arrowheads, miscellaneous work, and craftsmen. There were two production supervisors. Staff included two stewards, five clerks, and two records clerks. In Zhenguan 6 the Bow and Crossbow Office became the Crossbow Workshop Office and the Armor Office the Armor Workshop Office. The Armor Workshop Office had one director, of regular eighth rank, lower grade; and one assistant, of regular ninth rank, lower grade. They issued and received armor and helmets, scarlet cords, sinew and horn, miscellaneous work, and craftsmen. There were two production supervisors. Staff included two stewards, five clerks, and two records clerks. The Directorate of Waterways had two commissioners, of regular fifth rank, upper grade. They oversaw rivers and marshes, ferries, bridges, canals, dikes, and reservoirs, and supervised the River Works and ferry directorates. Fishing and hunting were regulated by seasonal prohibitions; irrigation began at the farthest fields, rice before dry land, with canal and sluice chiefs apportioning water fairly. Prefectures and counties enforced this through official oversight.
54
There were two assistants, of subordinate seventh rank, upper grade. They adjudicated directorate business. In the capital region, misusing irrigation water or diverting it unlawfully was forbidden. Surplus water after supply to the inner city was apportioned among princes, dukes, and officials.
55
簿 使 使 使 便 使
There was one registrar, of subordinate eighth rank, lower grade. They managed canal transport and fishing schedules, convened accounts, and investigated violations. Early in the Wude era the Directorate of Waterways was demoted to an office. In Zhenguan 6 it was restored as a directorate and the director retitled commissioner. In the second year of Longshuo the Directorate of Waterways was renamed the Directorate of Fords, and its commissioner was titled Director. In the first year of Chuigong Empress Wu renamed it the Directorate of Water Balance, and the commissioner was titled Commandant. In the twenty-fifth year of Kaiyuan it was removed from the Directorate of Imperial Construction's jurisdiction. Staff included one recording clerk, five office clerks, ten scribes, one station chief, and four compound guards. Initially, in the sixth year of Zhenguan, the Office of Boats was established with one director of regular eighth rank, lower grade, in charge of boats and grain transport; one transport chief, three office clerks, six scribes, one transport supervisor, two transport scribes, six stewards, and eight compound guards. In the second year of Shangyuan two assistants of regular ninth rank, lower grade, were added to investigate concealed losses in grain transport. In the twenty-sixth year of Kaiyuan the office was abolished. The Office of Rivers and Canals had one director of regular eighth rank, lower grade; and one assistant of regular ninth rank, upper grade. They managed rivers and canals, reservoirs and ponds, dikes and weirs, and fish supplies and pickling. They had exclusive authority over opening and closing ditches and canals and seasonal fishing prohibitions. For ancestral temple feasts they supplied fish and minnows; when sacrificing to August Heaven, if a relevant office acted for the emperor, they supplied raw fish. Daily they supplied the Imperial Kitchen and the Secretariat and Chancellery; yearly they supplied the various offices and the Eastern Palace's winter stores. Anyone who fished within three hundred li of the Wei River was apprehended by the Five Wards. When supplying sacrifices, commoners were forbidden to fish from Bian Bridge to East Wei Bridge. On the three yuan festival days, fish were not harvested except for sacrificial use. Under Tang there were River Dike envoys. At the beginning of Zhenguan they were renamed River Dike ushers. Staff included three office clerks, six scribes, and three stewards; each canal and sluice gate had one chief, three compound guards, and twelve fish masters. Initially there were ten transport supervisors of subordinate ninth rank, upper grade; after Dali the post was abolished. The six weirs—Xingcheng, Five Gates, Six Gates, Dragon Head, Jing Weir, and Zi Dike—each had one assistant of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. Each had one office clerk, two scribes, two stewards, and two compound guards. In the sixth year of Zhenguan all were abolished.
56
𥷨 便
There were six River Dike ushers, of regular eighth rank, lower grade. They maintained dikes and weirs, kept ditches and canals functioning, and oversaw fishing. The Jing, Wei, and White Canal were supervised by one Vice Governor of Jingzhao. Each ford had one director of regular ninth rank, upper grade; and two assistants of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade. They managed the empire's fords, ferry crossings, and bridges. Ba Bridge and Yongji Bridge were overseen by one merit-title honorary official; Tianjin Bridge and Central Bridge were maintained by guards. For all boat and canal preparations, half the supplies were kept in reserve; caulking, plugs, and bamboo matting were supplied as needed. Tang renamed Ford Captains as Directors; staff included one recording clerk, one office clerk, two scribes, three stewards, five ford clerks, thirty bridge laborers per bridge, and eight craftsmen per bridge. Fords in Jingzhao and Henan were subordinate to the Directorate of Waterways; Bian Bridge, Wei Bridge, and the three Wanian bridges each had one assistant of subordinate ninth rank, lower grade; with one office clerk, ten scribes, two stewards, and two compound guards. They were abolished during Zhenguan.
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Collation notes (0.85em, two columns).
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