Preface
In the grand bureaucratic system of the Qing Dynasty, there was a constant debate between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Households, and the question of which was more important caused controversy among countless people.
However, when we peek into the voice of the Qing emperor, we find that his answer to this question is so straightforward and humorous: "Who spends money on me, who is the most important!" This seemingly light-hearted sentence reflects the practical considerations of the feudal dynasty to govern the country. In this court full of political intrigue, how powerful is money?
Ministry of Internal Affairs: The manager of the royal family's finances
At the beginning of the establishment of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Nurhachi implemented the system of enslavement in order to consolidate his rule. This is incompatible with the management of the harem in the Ming Dynasty. Nurhachi attached great importance to the management of the harem, and his starting point for establishing the enslavement system was to better manage the harem and at the same time satisfy the extravagant lifestyle of the royal family. Under this system, the royal family could squander as much as they wanted, and wealth was concentrated in a privileged few. This laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the future.
In order to manage this group of people, Huang Taiji set up the Internal Affairs Office in the year of his own ugly. At first, the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not control the financial power, but was mainly responsible for managing the daily life of the clothed slaves, as well as the chores of the imperial palace, such as cleaning and maintenance. Its expenditures are limited, and the funds still need to be allocated by the Ministry of Households. It can be said that the original Ministry of Internal Affairs was a bit like a large "butler department".
Huang Taiji was an ambitious monarch. He was bent on strengthening the centralization of power and stabilizing the political situation, which was a must for every strong monarch of the new dynasty.
An important measure to consolidate power and centralize power is fiscal unity. So he changed the rules of financial distribution and gained control of the spoils. Since then, he has finally had his own "little coffer". This provided a material basis for the future development of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Huang Taiji not only actively borrowed from the experience of the Ming Dynasty politically, but also carried out reforms in the harem and court management. The establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was an important part of his series of reform measures. The Interior Office evolved from a department that managed the enslaves and palace chores to a body in charge of the wealth and daily life of the imperial family, which was an important change during the reign of Huang Taiji.
After Shunzhi succeeded to the throne, in the face of an empty treasury and continuous war expenditures, in order to save expenses, he ordered the abolition of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and for a time the state finances were under the management of the Ministry of Households. This temporarily strengthened the government's financial resources and enabled Shunzhi to successfully tide over the difficulties of the establishment of the Qing Dynasty. However, this also made the royal family limited in their lives, and they could not continue to live a luxurious and comfortable life.
Ministry of Internal Affairs: Restoration of the Imperial Family's Small Treasury
During the Kangxi period, under a series of reform measures, the country's economy gradually recovered. The financial resources of the Qing court were also strengthened. At this time, the royal family also wanted to return to their original luxurious life. Therefore, Kangxi re-established the Internal Affairs Office to distinguish the royal family.
However, at first, the Interior Ministry's own revenues were far from being able to meet the growing expenses of the Imperial Family. Kangxi himself lived a simple life, but he could not curb the extravagant lifestyle of the royal nobles. For this reason, Kangxi set aside a part of the income of the household department as a reserve silver tael for the internal affairs government to support the frequent banquets, celebrations, construction and other expenses of the imperial family.
This situation lasted until the Qianlong period of the prosperous era. During this heyday, the Qing royal family had estates all over the country, and severe land annexation and low rents were levied, which brought the royal family a good income. Coupled with the monopoly of highly profitable specialties such as ginseng and mink, this further filled the money bag of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Qianlong himself won the true inheritance of Emperor Taizong, and lived a life of luxury and pleasure since he was a child. He alone is about to spend all the money of the Internal Affairs Office. But in its heyday, the revenue of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was enough to meet all this. Not only that, but the Ministry of Internal Affairs can also send 200,000-300,000 taels of silver to the household department every year. Qianlong was also complacent about this.
Ministry of Internal Affairs: The spokesman for the expenses of the imperial family
However, the good times were short-lived. By the Daoguang period, the corruption of the Qing ruling group was becoming more and more serious. During the Xianfeng period, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement broke out, and the rule of the Qing Dynasty was greatly impacted, and the national strength was greatly weakened. At this time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs lost an important financial source in Jiangnan and suddenly fell into difficulties.
However, the extravagant lifestyle and construction expenses of the imperial family have not decreased in the slightest, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs can only ask for money from the household department again. The household, which was already unable to make ends meet, suddenly took on the burden of the royal family's continuous application for funds. Although he repeatedly pleaded with the emperor to control spending, the extravagance and waste of the royal family and the prevalence of face-saving projects were still the same, and the household officials could only fight against the water, fearing all day long.
At this time, Emperor Xianfeng was already unable to extricate himself from the wine-colored wealth, and was extremely indifferent to the government and politics. He regarded the household department as his money bag and spent money like dirt. The household officials were miserable, and the folds were piled up on the emperor's desk, but the emperor never paid attention to them.
Until the late Qing Dynasty, the Ministry of Internal Affairs almost lost its independent financial resources and relied entirely on the support of the Ministry of Households. This undoubtedly increased the financial burden of the entire Qing Dynasty, and the Qing court's fiscal revenue and expenditure were completely unbalanced. Under the internal and external troubles, the late Qing Dynasty's finances entered a dead cycle, and the collapse of the dynasty was inevitable.
Emperor: Your own money is the most important thing
So, in the minds of the Qing emperors, which is more important than the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Ministry of Households? The answer is self-evident. There are too many places where the emperor needs to spend money, build palaces, worship ancestral temples, and support princes and nobles...... The Ministry of Internal Affairs was the manager of the emperor's purse. Even if the treasury is empty, it will not be easily parted. And the household department is just a money manager for the emperor. When the emperor asks for money, he can poke it; When you don't need money, you can cut it. The example of the Shunzhi period has already illustrated this point.
So, despite the Qing Dynasty's ostensible efforts to distinguish between the finances of the inner and outer courts, the vital interests of the imperial family prevailed. This phenomenon was especially serious in the late Qing Dynasty, when the country was in danger, the ruling group still went its own way, and the emperor only knew that his money was the most important. This doomed the financial predicament of the late Qing Dynasty, and even its eventual demise.
epilogue
The establishment of the Qing Dynasty's Internal Affairs Office can be described as a major achievement of the feudal social financial system, which had a far-reaching impact on the management of state finances. Although on the surface, the Ministry of Internal Affairs provided a clearer system for managing the imperial finances, it gradually evolved into a tool for the Qing imperial family to wield great financial power, and became a symbol of the increasing financial burden of the Qing dynasty.
With the gradual economic decline of the Qing Dynasty, the Ministry of Internal Affairs began to become synonymous with the extortion of the imperial family, transporting the wealth of the country and the people into the luxurious life of the imperial family. The Qing emperor's extreme pursuit of personal living standards made the state finances gradually move away from the suffering of the people, and lost the trust and support of the people. Only when the country and the people achieve common prosperity can we move toward long-term peace and stability.