In 1644, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong rebelled and captured Beijing. After entering the city, Li Zicheng's peasant army quickly became corrupt and degenerate, and the general Liu Zongmin took Wu Sangui's concubine Chen Yuanyuan for himself. In order to take revenge, Wu Sangui surrendered to Dolgon and led the Qing army to defeat Li Zicheng. The Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains and followed the system of the Ming Dynasty to set up three provinces and six ministries. However, the feudal imperial system developed abnormally, and the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty had various unspoken rules, some of which have been used to this day. Therefore, we take the Qing Dynasty as an example to comment on the "unspoken rules" of officialdom after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
First, the "unspoken rules" of Beijing officials. The Qing Dynasty set up its capital in Beijing, and set up central offices such as the Cabinet and the Six Ministries. The Jingguan did not raise incorruptible silver, and his life was relatively poor. For example, after Zeng Guofan, a famous minister of the Qing Dynasty, was admitted to the Jinshi examination, he worked as a Shuji scholar in the Hanlin Academy, and his income was not enough to support himself. However, the Kyokan was in charge of the "Kyocha" and decided on the promotion of the magistrates. Therefore, every summer and winter, the magistrate gave gifts to the Beijing officials, and the nicknames were "carbon respect" and "ice respect". In addition, Jingguan also received "ministry fees". In 1864, Zeng Guofan and Zeng Guoquan captured Nanjing and made immortal contributions. After the war, Zeng Guofan reimbursed the imperial court for a bounty and pension of 30 million taels of silver. The Empress Dowager Cixi ordered the household department to check the accounts with Zeng Guofan, and the household department took the opportunity to ask for 480,000 taels of silver for the "ministry fee". Zeng Guofan was very embarrassed and asked Li Hongzhang for advice. Li Hongzhang is very sleek, and his relationship with the household department is also good. In the end, Zeng Guofan paid 80,000 taels of silver to settle the matter.
Second, the "unspoken rules" of magistrates. In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, the taxes paid by the imperial court included poll tax, salt tax, and diding silver. The magistrate was responsible for collecting and leviing "miscellaneous fees" in addition to the "regular tax". Generally speaking, an additional income of a prefect for three years can reach 100,000 taels of silver. After Yongzheng came to power, he implemented "apportionment into the mu" and prohibited officials from levying additional taxes. However, local stereotypes and bad Xi continue to be banned. For example, when the prefect takes office, the county official has to send a sum of money, called "mountain ceremony". When the prefect's wife celebrates her birthday, the county official also has to send a sum of money, which is called "festival birthday gift". When the prefect passes by the place under the jurisdiction of the county order, the county order has to give a "ceremonial gift".
Third, the "unspoken rules" of the staff. The Qing Dynasty selected officials through the imperial examination system, and the cultural quality of the officials was high, but the ability to govern the local area was average. Therefore, local officials govern the local area by hiring staff, and the staff becomes the "white gloves" for officials to make money. For example, the staff took out the deposit money of the county government to lend usury and obtain huge profits. For another example, the staff cooperated with the squire to make a lot of money in the fields of criminal prisons and money valleys. Not only that, but the staff also set the exchange ratio of copper coins and silver to make huge profits. It can be said that the "unspoken rules" of Qing Dynasty officialdom were very rampant, to the point that there were no officials and no greed.