Wen | Zhao Chaoran
In the thirtieth year of Daoguang (1850), Zhang Jixin, an envoy who was walking on the way to Shaanxi, received the news of the death of the Daoguang Emperor. "Surprised to learn that the Emperor daxing dragon rode the guests, the five were cracked." Because Zhang Jixin was an official personally selected by Daoguang, the two met many times to talk in detail, so Zhang Jixin was full of feelings for Daoguang. "Yu Yijie Shusheng, since the general book, looked up to Monte Jane, Enshi Thick Stack, remembering more than twenty years of nourishment, did not feel the sob, can not be themselves. In the long-distance dry sitting, the gods were lost several times. On the way, Zhang Jixin sent out heartfelt grief.
Daoguang Emperor
It was out of gratitude for Daoguang's promotion that Zhang Jixin was quite dissatisfied with the official style, and even believed that this was the main reason for the gradual decline of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, the diary behind him, "Records of the Observations of the Daoxian Eunuch Sea", was written based on a sense of responsibility for the Qing Dynasty.
In his diary, he wrote down many records of his interactions with Daoguang, and even encouraged him to come into contact with local practices and not to write flashy words such as chapters: "Ru tried to think about it, and the chapters of words complemented the state, but the officials had to listen to it." Finally, he was told that "it is always advisable for Ru to read the books of the scriptures at home, the meeting of literature and wine, and to accumulate habits for Hanlin and also to be inspected." Therefore, under the personal care of Daoguang, Zhang Jixin really did not take the usual path, and profoundly described the unspoken rules of the officialdom in this period.
First, the atmosphere of the officialdom is deteriorating, and the wind of pleasure has spread wildly.
After the Opium War, there was already a depressed will from top to bottom. Many feudal officials began to indulge in enjoyment. For example, he recorded that Qingrui, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, "was born as a prince and refused to investigate official affairs, but the words of his friends were listened to." And because he eats, drinks and has fun every day, he mixes with his subordinates every day" too indecently, sings songs harder, speaks village dialects, says everything, does not learn countless things, and is not self-respecting. Le Bin, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, was a flag bearer, "roughly literate, and did not read public cases." ”
Dao Xian Eunuch Sea See and Hear
Gui Liang, the governor directly subordinate to him, "contained in his chest like grass and mustard in his mouth, and spit like a well in the city", and he held prince Gong's father-in-law, Yi Chen, and sold officials to buy officials, without any scruples. Many officials had to give gifts in order to fill the vacancies, and one official complained to Zhang Jixin bitterly: "If you are a substitute for a lowly post, you will also send five hundred gold, otherwise this official cannot do it." Even the ministry selected personnel, "although it is extremely difficult, it will also be given two or three hundred gold, and only then will it dare to come to office." "Even very, very unusual Qing Shui Yamen must also give gifts, otherwise they would not dare to go to their posts."
Not only the scenery of the governor in office, but also the pomp and circumstance of the departing governor are very amazing, when passing through the place on home, "the family members and horses are several three thousand servants, divided into examination halls and various closed shops to settle down, and the banquets are shared more than 400 tables", staying for five days, "practical to go to more than ten thousand gold." ”
Second, bad rules run rampant, and everywhere is all kinds of unspoken rules.
What are bad rules? It is "the precedent of the local history, not the self-founder." Therefore, "the laws of the state are unwritten, so they are called bad rules." "An unspoken rule that is neither illegal nor too visible."
Before Yongzheng returned to the public, he had already acquiesced in the existence of bad rules, and after the implementation of the "raising of clean silver" for officials, the existence of bad rules was not allowed. After Qianlong, as prices continued to rise, bad rules rose again like a tidal wave. There are many kinds of bad rules, and it can be said that as many taxes as there are, there are as many bad rules and regulations that arise from them. Such as fire consumption and balance outside the silver of the land, cao regulations and noodles other than grain, box fees and festival rules outside the salt class, surplus surpluses outside the customs duties, other such as the station rules for the crossing of the boss, the door bags for the passage of each gate, the shed rules for the examination of the political classics, the ministry fees of the central ministry, the beijing, charcoal, and ice tributes given to the Beijing officials, and the festivals for the teachers.
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Zhang Jixin served as a grain road in Shaanxi, and all of these were described in detail: foreign officials often gave gifts to the senior officials in Beijing, and in addition to giving gifts for their birthdays, there were names such as Paying Homage to Charcoal Jing, Bing Jing, and Gua Jing, which were actually disguised bribes, used to "communicate with the voice", "secure the position", "seek promotion", "promote with luck", Beijing officials and foreign officials each take what they need, and the Beijing officials are poor, often looking forward to the appearance of entering Beijing to send "respect" and look forward to wearing, so this relationship between them can naturally be known.
Third, in the Qing Dynasty, a set of "mental methods" were circulated on how to be an official.
How could I succeed in being a successful tumbler in the official arena at that time? At that time, people also wrote a poem "A Cut of Plum" for satire, which read quite vividly: "Shitu drilling thorns to be seiko, Jingxin Changtong, Charcoal Respect Changfeng." Don't talk about current affairs and heroes, blindly mellow, blindly humble. The minister's economy is calm, Mo Shows Qigong, and Mo says jingzhong. All kinds of personnel are hazy, and there is no mediocrity in refutation, and there is no mediocrity in discussion. The eight parties have nothing to do with the years and years, the national fortune is long, and the official luck is passed. Everyone praised and sincerely, and the good was also sewn, and the good was also sewn. Evil is also a gap, no disasters and no difficulties to the three dukes, wives are honored, and sons are in the middle. Liu Fang's body is even more infinite, not to Wen Zhong, but also to Wen Gong. ”
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This poem vividly portrays the ugliness of the officialdom, reflects the true face of the people in the Yamen, and can be called a record of the spirit of the Yamen.
Le Bao was a famous courtier of the Jiaqing Dynasty. When he was the governor of Sichuan, he once had a visit, and the Jiaqing Emperor pulled up a family routine with him and asked, "Which of your subordinates is the most bargaining?" Le Bao replied without hesitation: "Those who can speak are the most bargaining." The Jiaqing Emperor deeply agreed with Le Bao's answer and said, "Yes. Working to cope, talented people are more able to express his strengths; Even if he does not have the talent, he shows his strengths because his eloquence is good at covering up his shortcomings, although he is aware of it in hindsight, but he has now been confused by him. Moreover, political affairs cannot be reached smoothly without relying on the upper performance and reporting, and there are excellent things that are often badly said by bad words. That's why the saints have a language discipline. Whenever I encounter those simple and unrealistic officials, I must make sure that they finish their words, and this is also for this reason. ”
Portrait of Zeng Guofan
Zeng Guofan also commented on this: "Since Jia Dao, there have been four major diseases in the official field, and the two common diseases of The Beijing officials are retreat and triviality. To retreat is to blame each other, not to take responsibility, trivial is to ignore the general body, only to see the trees do not see the forest. "Everyone pretends to be sophisticated, so they have developed a "no pain, no itch, no black and no white" atmosphere.
Daoguang intended to rectify the bad rules, but in the end he had to declare failure.
At the beginning of the reign of the Daoguang Emperor, Yushi Zheng Yilin asked for a clear investigation of bad rules, and this time it was paid attention to by the emperor. The Daoguang Emperor pointed out: The bad rules and regulations of the provinces and localities have been in line for a long time, and they all use the excuse of insufficient work in a clean and honest manner, and the amount is getting bigger and bigger every year, and even some prefectures and counties will encroach on corruption and private goods as bad rules. He therefore considered the elaboration of rules to fix the bad rules. In order to be cautious, the Daoguang Emperor also summoned the military minister Yinghe on this matter to consult his opinion, and Yinghe also favored rectifying the bad rules. Daoguang immediately issued an edict ordering the governors of the provinces to express their opinions, and to the surprise of the Daoguang Emperor, almost all the courtiers and feudal officials were negative about the reform of the bad rules.
Late Qing Dynasty official
As soon as the edict was issued, Tang Jinzhao, Chen Guanjun, Wang Tingzhen, and other ministers successively played the song, saying that this matter was not feasible. Subsequently, the viceroy of Directly Subordinate to Fang Yuzu and the governor of Sichuan, Jiang You saw, taking the opportunity to enter The Capital and face The Daoguang Dili Chen could not. Later, Sun Yuting, the governor of Liangjiang, directly objected, claiming that once the bad regulations were included in the scope of legal collection, taxes would be levied on the people, and as an office expense for officials, it was bound to involve boats and cars, and there was a loss of government. Sun Yuting held that the investigation of the ugly rules "is currently very disturbing, the Olympic situation is not in harmony, and the national system is related, and the words of the governor of Liangjiang undoubtedly put an end to the upcoming reform of the bad rules." The Daoguang Emperor had no choice but to retract his mandate and admit that he had insufficient experience in governing, and Yinghe was dismissed as a military minister.
Therefore, when selecting Zhang Jixin, Daoguang saw his incorruptibility, and when he learned of his release, Daoguang told him: "Ru Nai Is specially released, and no one is guaranteed." Then he said to him: "Ru Ethics and learning, and know it early, and how officials govern must be seen in all political affairs, but the Beijing officials are different from the foreign officials." Therefore, he told him to do a good job when he arrived, and "be cautious not to give up on himself."
As a result, Zhang Jixin went to his post with a grateful heart, although he could only be alone, but in the end he could only record the miasma of the black smoke of the eunuch sea and express his absolute sincerity to Daoguang.