In Chinese history, except for the Liao State, which directly established official positions such as the Prime Minister of Beifu (Xiao Siwen, Xiao Yanyan's father, who served in this position), and the Prime Minister of Nanfu, most of the ancient dynasties originally did not have a formal official position called "Zai Chancellor", but was just a general term for the head of the hundred officials and subjects.
During the Shang Dynasty, Yi Yin was [Xiang]. During the Zhou Dynasty, the Duke of Zhou was Dazai. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the [Ling Yin] of the Chu State and the "Shangqing" of the Jin State, of course, these are all "prime ministers".
In the Warring States of Qin, Shang Martingale was enfeoffed with "Daliangzao", and Zhang Yi, Wei Ran, Lü Buwei, etc. successively sealed [Xiang Bang], which of course was also "Prime Minister".
In the second year of King Wu of Qin, he first sealed Li Li and Gan Mao as the left and right ministers. [Xiang Xiang] was originally established, but the position was second only to that of Xiang Bang. After Qin Shi Huang killed Lü Buwei, there was no [Xiang State], such as Li Si's Qin State Minister, which was equivalent to the "True Prime Minister" who commanded hundreds of officials.
After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, in order to avoid Liu Bang's name, "Xiang bang" was changed to "Xiang Guo". After Xiao He, Cao Shan, and Lü Chan, [Xiang Guo] was abolished, and [Xiang Xiang] once again became the head of the hundred officials, and [Yu Shi Dafu] was made deputy minister.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the administrative center was transferred to the Inner Dynasty, and the "Great Sima "/Great General" and "Lingshang Shushi" /"Lu Shang Shu Shi" were added at the same time, which was the head of the hundred officials, the True Prime Minister, while the Outer Dynasty Minister was actually reduced to his subordinate.
For example, Huo Guang, the "Great Sima Of all time", the "Great General", the "Lingshang Shushi", was regent for nearly twenty years in the Zhaoxuan era, and the ministers of the same era, such as Che Qianqiu and Yang Chang, who only knew how to act according to Huo Guang's will, never dared to argue in political affairs, but were regarded as nothing by the hundred officials.
During the Reign of the Han Dynasty, emperor Huan simply changed the name of "Xiang Xiang" to "Great Situ", the deputy minister [Yushi Dafu] to "Great Sikong", and "Great Sima " and "Three Dukes".
The three-metric system continued to the Eastern Han Dynasty, renamed "Taiwei/Situ/Sikong", named the head of the hundred officials, but in fact the vacancy reserve. Only the Three Dukes/Great Generals/Taifu, etc., plus the title of "Lu Shang Shu Shi", are the true prime ministers.
After Cao Cao welcomed Emperor Xian of Han and moved the capital to Xuchang, under the pressure of Yuan Shao, he relinquished the title of "Great General" and took the title of "Sikong" (司空) and "Lu Shang Shu Shi", that is, he was the true prime minister in charge of the imperial government, and did not need to wait until he defeated Yuan Shao and officially sealed the title of "Xiang Xiang". And Xun Yu, the "Shang Shu Ling" who was in charge of Shang Shutai, was the second-in-command of Cao Cao's vice chancellor. The rest of the [three dukes] are just empty titles.
After that, although Cao Wei had the official titles of "Xiangguo", "Taifu", and "Three Dukes", he was also the only one who was the true prime minister, such as "Great General", "Lu Shang Shu Shi", Cao Shuang, "Tai Fu", "Lu Shang Shu Shi", and so on. Zhong Xuan, Hua Xin, etc., who served as Xiangguo, were only empty titles.
The Shu Han Dynasty reinstated the "Xiang Xiang" and also added the "Lu Shang Shu Shi", which was actually "set up a position according to people" for Zhuge Liang, and was abolished after Zhuge Liang's death. After that, the Great Sima Jiang Huan, the great general Fei Yi, and the Wei general Jiang Wei, after adding the title of "Lu Shang Shu Shi", became the prime minister of the country.
In addition to continuing the traditional title of "Lu Shang Shu Shi" as prime minister, the governor of The Shang Shu Province, "Shang Shu Ling", was also upgraded from the actual vice chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, who was subject to the "Lu Shang Shu Shi" command, to the official position of prime minister. Similarly, the Zhongshu Order, as the governor of Zhongshu Province, was also upgraded.
Xie An of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, former Qin Wang Meng, both after the title of Zhongshu Ling, were all in power for Bai Xiang.
Wang Meng's promotion route: [Shangshu Zuo Cheng] - [Official's Shangshu] - [Shangshu Zuo Shu Shooting] - [Zhongshu Ling] - [Shangshu Ling] - [Situ] [Lu Shang Shu Shi].
The Sui Dynasty fixed the three provinces and six ministries, and the three provincial governors: [Neishi Ling/Zhongshu Ling] [Nayan/侍中] [Shangshu Ling] as the prime minister, abolishing the "Lu Shang Shu Shi" that had lasted for hundreds of years.
In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, because Emperor Taizong of Tang Li Shimin had served as the "Shangshu Ling", he no longer conferred this position on the subject, and took the title of "Shangshu Left Servant Shooting", "Shangshu Right Servant Shooting", "Shizhong", "Zhongshu Ling" and became the prime minister.
After Emperor Gaozong of Tang, these positions were gradually no longer easily granted, even if the posts were Shangshu and Shilang, only the title of "Tongzhongshu Menxia Sanpin" [Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi] (referred to as: Tongzhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi) was added, which was the official prime minister, and these two titles could be added to many people at the same time.
During the reign of Wu Zetian and Tang Zhongzong/Tang Ruizong's mother and son, during the 30 years, there were many ministers with the title of prime minister, and they did not know how many were ordinary, so there was a farce mentioned above, when there were seven prime ministers in the dynasty, five from the Taiping Princess.
In the first year of Emperor Xuanzong's Reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, he changed the "Zhongshu Order" to "Right Phase" and "Serving Zhong" to "Left Phase", with [Right Phase] and [Shang Shu Left Servant Shooting] as the Prime Minister, and [Left Phase] and [Shangshu Right Servant Shooting] as the secondary phase, and changed the previous group phase system to a dual-phase system. Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong successively served as the "Right Minister" and had long-term monopoly.
Emperor Suzong of Tang reinstated the original name of "Zhongshu Ling" (中書令) and "侍中" (侍中), as well as the title of "Tongping Zhangshi", which was the system of group phases for the prime minister.
For example, the two famous generals who quelled the "Anshi Rebellion," Guo Ziyi, "Shuofang Jiedushi Envoy," [Bingbu Shangshu], and [Hedong Jiedushi Envoy], [Hubu Shangshu], li Guangbi, all added the title of "Tongping Zhangshi" and nominally became members of the current imperial chancellor. Of course, they could not actually govern, so they were called "ambassadors".
Therefore, the system of the late Tang Dynasty was that the "Zhongshu Ling" and "Shizhong" all became false titles for the elders and important ministers, or the local feudal towns. The envoy of the feudal town jiedushi, who also added the title of "Tongping Zhangshi", was only nominally the prime minister "envoy". Only those who are central officials, such as "Zhongshu Shilang", "Menxia Shilang", "Liubu Shangshu", etc., and add the title of "Tongping Zhangshi" are the true prime ministers.
When the Song Dynasty founded the country, it changed the "Tongping Zhangshi" from an additional title to a formal official position of prime minister, and designated it as the first of the hundred officials.
With "Counsellor in Government Affairs" as the deputy minister, a "Privy Counsellor" was also set up to be in charge of the military and the "Three Envoys" to be in charge of finances.
Emperor Yuanfeng of the Song Dynasty reformed the system, abolished the system of two houses and three divisions, and re-established [Shangshu Left Servant Shooting and Menxia Shilang] as the prime minister, commonly known as Zuo Xiang, and [Shangshu Right Servant Shooting and Zhongshu Shilang] as the secondary phase, commonly known as right phase.
During the Southern Song Dynasty, emperor Xiaozong changed the name of the left and right phases to the retro "Left Xiang Xiang" and "Right Xiang Xiang". During the reign of Emperor Ningzong of Song, the chancellor Han Nongxuan was enfeoffed with "Pingzhang Military and State Affairs", and during the reign of Emperor Lizong of Song, the chancellor Jia Xiangdaofeng [Pingzhang Junguo Important Matter], who was above [Left and Right Ministers], took charge of military and political power, and was truly the prime minister who was "above ten thousand people under one person".
During the Yuan Dynasty, Zhongshu Province was the center of government affairs, the crown prince was also in charge of the Zhongshu Order, and there were "Left and Right Ministers" and "Pingzhang Political Affairs" as the deputy ministers.
In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, Zhongshu Province was also the center of government affairs, with [Zuo Xiang Xiang] as the Prime Minister, [Right Xiang Xiang] as the secondary minister, and [Participating in the Governor's Affairs] as the deputy minister. Until Zhu Yuanzhang ordered the permanent abolition of the chancellor system, however, the "first assistant of the cabinet" after that actually still assumed the responsibility of the prime minister.