In the ancient history of our country, the most representative of the power of the emperor is probably a piece of holy will. In many historical film and television dramas, the transmission of the holy will represents the emperor's order, no matter who it is, when reading the holy will, it is as if the emperor is in person. Not only is there respect, but there is no fear of the slightest disobedience. It can be seen that the representation of this right is extremely effective, allowing the emperor in the palace to carry out the orders he wants. However, behind a small piece of holy will, behind it is the strict division of ancient officials' ranks, and most of the holy wills we see in TV dramas are yellow, but in fact, this is not the case.
1. Sacred materials and grades
The focus of the Holy Will is on the scrolls, and if the texture of the shafts is different, the corresponding official positions are not the same. The division is strict and distinct, with one product being a jade shaft, while the second product being a black rhino horn scroll; the third product being a gold reel, and at the bottom is made of black bull horn material. The scrolls are made of silk, and the craftsmanship is ingenious and magnificent. At the same time, as a way for the emperor to issue orders, the holy decrees were mostly used by the rewarding officials, and the more complicated the color distinction, the more generous the rewards.
There are two types of divine decrees, one is false ordination and the other is commandment. The difference between the two names is that it is aimed at officials of what rank, and generally when rewarding officials below the five pins, this kind of holy will is called the giving of the commandment; when the five or more are given, it is called the commandment. And the "Lady of commandments" that we hear in film and television dramas is also the honor of this reward. At the same time, the difference in color can also see the level of the official who is enthroned, and the color of the holy will in the Ming and Qing dynasties also has special regulations. Most of the five products below are monochrome white silk, while above the five products are three colors, five colors and seven colors. Therefore, this kind of sacred and admirable holy will is of great significance in the study of history, and unfolding the holy will is like seeing a piece of history.
2. Artistic characteristics of the Holy Will
The significance of the holy will is not only reflected in the study of history. The value of his artistic refinement is equally great, and from the Ming and Qing dynasties onwards, the writing of the Holy Will has become more serious and orderly. During the Qing Dynasty, the writers of the Holy Will were often the best among the jinshi, and their original grammar skills were very prominent, so they were particularly cautious when writing the Holy Will. The calligraphy is also neat and beautiful, just like a work of art. At the same time, the formulation of the Holy Will to the final draft, the middle has undergone multi-layer screening and refinement, so when the finished product appears, the content displayed is refined and condensed. Therefore, the content of the holy will is often superfluous if one word is added, and less than one word is not satisfactory.
3. Sacred Will: Fengtian Carriage
In film and television dramas, we can often hear the words "Fengtian Carrier", but this is not a historical convention. The concept of the Holy Will first appeared in the late Han Dynasty, when Cai Yong wrote in the "Seven Essentials of Chen Zhengshi"? It reads: "Although Zhou Cheng encountered the wind, he informed the deacons that the king had suffered a drought, and he was secretly afraid, and there was nothing to be afraid of. This is not a routine, however. Before the Song Dynasty, the Holy Will was only a title for the emperor's order, and before the Song Dynasty, the emperor's order was more called "book making" or "edict" and so on.
The fixed beginning of the Holy Will has never had a fixed beginning, and it did not appear until the Yuan Dynasty period. As we now hear of "Fengtian Carrying", the Yuan Dynasty rulers often preceded the holy will with the phrase "Immortal Weather Force" before they began to write the main content of the holy will. However, after Zhu Yuanzhang drove out the Mongols, he thought this statement was too humble (the immortal weather force means heavenly blessings). ）。 Zhu Yuanzhang went from a beggar to a king of a country, experiencing legends, and naturally thought that it was not correct to pray to heaven. As the chosen son, he should follow the Heavenly Dao, so Zhu Yuanzhang officially changed it to "Fengtian Carrier".
Fengtian means to highlight the emperor's theory of divine authority, while carrying transport means carrying the "five virtues of operation". Moreover, the correct way to write the original sentence should be "Fengtian Carries the Emperor, Zhao Yue." It is not the four-word disconnection we hear in the film and television drama, "Fengtian Carrier, Emperor Zhao", because "Fengtian Carrier Emperor" refers to the emperor himself, and Zhu Yuanzhang called himself the Fengtian Emperor during the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the original meaning of the Holy Will is to carry the emperor by Fengtian and issue an edict.
4. This is not the end of the sentence
In film and television dramas, you can always see eunuchs always pulling a long sentence of admiration after reading the holy will. It seems that the solemn divine decree does not have a resounding conclusion, violating the authoritative image of the divine will. In fact, the Holy Will does not have a special conclusion, but only reads it. Especially after the eunuch reads the holy will, it can also be replaced by a tone word. Therefore, the real situation is not exaggerated in film and television dramas, but plain and simple. Moreover, qin is used when the emperor appears in person, and the emperor himself promulgates the holy will, so it ends with qin. The real meaning of this is probably this: My emperor decided to do this.
The meaning of the Holy Will
The role of the Holy Will lies in the embodiment of imperial power, and the emperor sometimes issues orders that need to be carried out, and the way of the instrument will be easier to preserve and record. Therefore, the Holy Will is like the emperor's doppelganger, able to issue orders in the absence of the emperor. At the same time, the Holy Will did not only affect China, but also used the sacred will after the independence of ancient Korea in the late Qing Dynasty. Not only is the original copied, but even "Fengtian Carrier" is exactly the same. It can be seen that the small holy decree records not only the monarchical despotism of ancient history, but also the strength and influence of the dynasties.