The Danshu Iron Coupon, also known as the "Danshu Iron Deed", or "Golden Book Iron", is something that has the same effect as the death-free gold medal. In the early days, the name was given because the inscriptions on the iron plates were written in red pen and ink. Moreover, during the Tang Dynasty, the production process became iron plate chisel inscription and embedded in gold, so it also had the name of "Golden Book".
In fact, the title of the deathless gold medal is folklore, mainly because of the powerful function of the Danshu iron coupon. It is used by the emperor to honor ministers who have made special contributions to the country, such as the founding fathers, or the heroes who founded the world. It can be said that this is a supreme honor, an affirmation of the past merits of these ministers by the state, and a special preferential treatment given to their descendants. After these heroes, if they have committed any wrong deeds, they can directly rely on the Danshu iron coupon to obtain exemption from death or exoneration.
However, it is not unlimited to use, and there is generally a limit to the number of times.
Because the Danshu iron coupons can be passed down from generation to generation, so, generally when used, it may have been decades, in order to prevent counterfeiting, Danshu iron coupons will generally be divided into two, and the given person and the imperial court will keep half of it for anti-counterfeiting purposes.
Danshu iron coupons first appeared in the Western Han Dynasty, when Liu Bang, the ancestor of Han Gao, gave Danshu iron coupons to show his merits in order to reward meritorious ministers. He "ordered Xiao He Ci To Order, Han Xin Shen Military Law, Zhang Cangding Statutes, And Uncle Sun Tongzhi Etiquette; and he also swore an oath with meritorious officials, Danshu, Tieqi, JinKui, and Stone Chamber, hidden in the Zongmiao Temple." Among them, the "fu" is also commonly referred to as the "deed", that is, the certificate of trustworthiness between the emperor and the meritorious and important subjects.
However, in the beginning, the Danshu iron coupon did not have any death-avoidance effect, it was just a kind of recognition, and its function was similar to the current honorary certificate, medal and so on. However, in the period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Danshu iron coupon began to have the function of avoiding death, for example: when the emperor of a country recovered the power of other countries, in order to show friendship and express sincerity, he would give the other party Danshu iron coupons as a guarantee for his personal safety.
At present, in China, the earliest Danshu iron coupon comes from the Five Dynasties period, it is the Tang Zhaozong period, reward general Qian Hao's battle exploits against Dong Chang and rewarded, and this object is currently treasured in China's National History Museum. The shape of this Danshu iron coupon resembles an ancient tile, 52 cm long, 2.5 cm wide and 30 cm high, and it is engraved with 350 golden characters in it, mainly recording the specific time and course of the war, as well as the title of the emperor who gave the iron coupon.
In addition, there is also a very important content, that is, the description of the "matter of avoiding death". In this Danshu iron coupon, it is clearly written: If the person holding this iron coupon commits a crime, Qian Wei himself can be spared death nine times, and his children and grandchildren can be exempted from death three times. According to Shen Defu's "Wild Di Compilation", "The so-called avoidance of death, except for plotting against rebellion, all death penalties are exempted." However, he was exempted, and the post-Knight was paid, and he was not allowed to remain sealed, but he was credited with his life.". That is to say, although death is avoided, the crime of treason is not inevitable.
During the Song Dynasty and Jin Dynasty, the relevant system of the Tang Dynasty on iron coupons was basically followed, and in the Ming Dynasty, the Danshu iron coupons were divided into grades, and the rewards would also be divided into grades. According to relevant historical records, during the Zhu Yuanzhang period, several danshu iron coupons were given, of which the duke had six sides and the marquis twenty-eight sides, and later, two more sides were added to the duke. After Zhu Di usurped power and ascended the throne, he also gave several Danshu iron coupons to the meritorious heroes of the establishment of the merits, but the specific number is unknown.
Usually, the content on the Danshu iron coupon can be divided into four aspects:
First of all, it is the basic information of the name of the rewarder and the rewarded person, the official position, the title, and the location;
Moreover, it is to record the main merits and achievements of the rewarded person, that is, why it is rewarded;
Third, the main thing is the emperor's promise to him, what the emperor promised to reward, in these contents will be clearly recorded, of which the most important content is the relevant clause of immunity from death or exoneration;
Finally, the emperor's oath, written on this content, is like giving this iron coupon the effect of law, indicating that this Danshu iron coupon is given by the emperor, is a reasonable and legal existence, is also an object with legal effect, and is also a "holy relic" protected by the provisions of national laws.
Usually, there are two types of Danshu iron coupons in the form of making:
One is in the shape of a cylinder, after engraving and gold, it is divided into two parts equally, half to the royal family's ministry of internal affairs for preservation, half to the recipient of their own custody, when used, as long as the two pieces are combined into one, it is the real thing, otherwise it is a fake.
There is also a shape of the tile shape, which is different from the cylindrical Danshu iron coupon: this tile-shaped Danshu iron coupon is not divided, and after it is made, the whole side is handed over to the rewarded, while the imperial court only records the corresponding text and does not keep any objects.
Resources:
【Nogi Compilation" and "Later Han Shu Ji Zun Biography"】