The Study Of The Wei, Jin And The Northern And Southern Dynasties's Nine Chief Ministers

In ancient China, the history of bureaucracy which is central to political institution always received much attention. In modern era, most works of Chinese political institution concern the bureaucracy to some extent. The system of Nine Chief Ministers which this paper investigates is part of the central bureaucracy.As the typical early big unified empires, Han and Tang dynasties are often juxtaposed. Their bureaucracies were often imitated by subsequent dynasties. In the modern works, the bureaucracies of Han and Tang dynasties became the much-talked-about topics. Take the central bureaucracy for example, the bureaucracy of Han was titled "Three Dukes and Nine Chief Ministers" and the bureaucracy of Tang "Three Departments and Six Ministries". From the middle period of Emperor Wu Di of the Han dynasty, President of a Board as a satrap of District Jailor increased in power. In the era of the Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, President of a Board instead Three Dukes became the institution of prime minister. During the Tang dynasty, in the framework of Three Departments, Department of State Affairs governed the Six Ministries which signified the end of the three hundred years'transformation of prime minister. Therefore, the scholars often concern with the formation and transformation of the Three Dukes, Three Departments and Six Ministries. By contrast, the knowledge of Nine Chief Ministers is little due to lack of sufficient research. In the Han dynasty, Three Dukes and Nine Chief Ministers took part in discussion of national political affairs. In the Tang dynasty, between Department of State Affairs, Six Ministries and Nine Courts, Leader-Member Relation formed. From Han dynasty to Tang dynasty, the power and status of Nine Chief Ministers transformed a lot. However, some departments of Nine Chief Ministers such as Chamberlain for Ceremonials, Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, Chamberlain for Law Enforcement, Royal Coachman and Chief Minister for Dependencies were not in existence until Qing dynasty. The reason which Nine Chief Ministers lasted for more than 2,000 years is that it played the role in exercise of affairs. The vast empire always needs many institutions to deal with various affairs. In the center, it is Nine Courts that undertook those things. From Tang dynasty, Nine Courts which appeared in the national laws became the institution of affairs. So the question rises. What is the specific role and status of Nine Courts in the Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties which is the so-called "period between the Qin, Han Dynasties and Tang dynasty"? Therefore, to answer this question is the main purpose of this paper. Through the research, I find some Chief Ministers namely Chamberlain for Ceremonials, Chamberlain for Law Enforcement and Chief Minister for Dependencies changed little in the Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Chamberlain for Ceremonials still took in charge of etiquette; Chamberlain for Law Enforcement was in charge of jurisdiction; Chief Minister for Dependencies was responsible for the foreign affairs. In The Wei, Jin dynasties, Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments decreased its power of safeguard in royal court, but increased its power in the management of chores of the court. In the Southern dynasty, it became a virtual post. While in the Northern dynasty, it was arranged as a constitution responsible for the management of the banquets of the outer palace. In the process of transformation of Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, the arrangement of Provisioner was confused. Chamberlain for the Palace Garrison originally as official in charge of the safeguard of the city wall became the post of management of the apparatus and cultural relic. The reason of its change lies in Commandant and Guardsman as Praetorian Guard increased power which sharply decreased the original power of Chamberlain for the Palace Garrison. As a official responsible for money,silks and foodstuffs, Chamberlain for the National Treasury became a full-time official in charge of foodstuffs. This change is related to frequent wars of the occasion of the Han, Wei dynasties when the court attached principal importance to the foodstuffs. However, in The(the) Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, The court still has a large quantity of money and silks. In Wei and Jin dynasties, the institutions in charge of money and silks were often the private storehouses of emperors, but the relationships among the private storehouses is confused. When in the Northern and Southern dynasties, the development of commodity money forced the coins to be circulated more frequently which could reflect by the national mintage. Against this backdrop, the Court set up a special institution responsible for the government of the money and silks which shared some rights of Chamberlain for the National Treasury and made the various financial departments under the unified management. This is the process of foundation of Chamberlain for the Palace Revenues in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. In the Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Chamberlain for the Imperial Clan took the government of books and genealogies of the royal family in charge. It didn't own the big power concern the imperial clans as the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties. Because the Monitor of Imperial Kinsmen which set up in the Western and Eastern Jin Dynasties influenced the rights of Chamberlain for the Imperial Clan very much. Monitor of Imperial Kinsmen is the "Rectifier" of the imperial clan who had much say in the education and election of the imperial clan. At the beginning of foundation of the Monitor of Imperial Kinsmen, The Dao Wu Emperor of Bei Wei made it(it was) clear that the purpose of set up Monitor of Imperial Kinsmen which imitated the system of Rectifier was to distinguish the imperial parties and talents. However, because the decline of the system of Rectifier, Monitor of Imperial Kinsmen disappeared in Tang Dynasty. The carriages and horses which belonged to Royal Coachman was composed of two parts—the part for the use of emperor and other part for the Court. In the Southern Dynasties, Royal Coachman didn't manage the carriages and the two parts were seperated. The Northern Dynasties followed the old systems of the Han and Wei dynasties in which Royal Coachman managed the carriages and horsed, but the way of dividing it into tow parts was the version of the Northern Dynasties. Among the Chief Ministers, District Jailor seemed to be a retainer of Royal house. In the Western Han dynasty, District Jailor managed the finance of the Royal house. In the Eastern Han dynasty, it still took in charge of the royal affairs, although its financial right was delivered to the Chamberlain for the National Treasury. In the Wei and Jin dynasties, the departments which belonged to the District Jailor in name only seperated. In the Liu Song dynasty, Directorate for Imperial Manufactories which belonged to the District Jailor changed its original role to manufacture the imperial knives and swords to a new role to provide the knives and swords for the army and nation. This transformation as a innovation for the District Jailor was absorbed by the Sui and Tang Dynasties.The reasons why the roles of Nine Chief Ministers were changed are three items as below.First, the power and responsibility between the Nine Chief Ministers and President of a Board was confused. During the process of being power center of President of a Board, the clash between President of a Board and Nine Chief Ministers was impossible to avoid. In the whole period of The Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there were many discussions towards the choice between President of a Board and Nine Chief Ministers. In terms of Nine Chief Ministers, their posts were often merged and abandoned. However, Nine Chief Ministers and President of a Board were always in existence with each, but the relationships between them urged to be dissolved. The total trend was that the officials of President of a Board seized the power of Nine Chief Ministers.The second reason is the division of work between the Department of the Chancellery and Nine Chief Ministers. In the Han dynasties, Nine Chief Ministers were the retainers of emperors to some extent. In other words, in addition to the national affairs, they also took charge the royal affairs. However, in the Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties gradually handed over its power of management of royal affairs and specialized in the management of the national affairs. This means they finished the transformation from the retainers to the courtiers. One reason of its transformation lied in the fact that the Department of the Chancellery was responsible for the royal affairs. When in the Sui dynasty, Emperor Yang delivered some power of Department of the Chancellery to the Palace Administration newly founded which specialized in the royal affairs. This event is a conclusion of the role of Nine Chief Ministers of retainers in the Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Therefore, for Nine Chief Ministers, this event decreased sharply the function of retainers of them.Third, age factors should be payed more attention. The best example is the transformation of Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments and Chamberlain for the Palace Garrison in the Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties. At begin, they all took charge of safeguard of the royal court. But in the Tang dynasty they had no such function. This change took place in the period between the Eastern Han dynasty and the Wei dynasty. At that time, CaoCao arrogated all authority to himself. However He didn't dare to proclaim himself emperor in public. In order to grasp the actual authority, he founded many new officials. In this process, he set up the guard organization mainly composed of the bodyguard to protect his safe. In the later, this organization became the system of the Commandant and Guardsman. At the same time, the power of the Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments and Chamberlain for the Palace Garrison which protected the safe of emperors of Han dynasty was weakened by CaoCao. This new organization of guard was inherited by the subsequent dynasties. But this was not the natural result of the development of the two Chief Ministers but the deliberated condition.The institution of Nine Chief Ministers of the Han dynasties changed much in The Wei, Jin and the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The transformation was ended by the Sui and Tang dynasties. By that time, the regime of "Three Departments and Six Ministries" replaced the system of "Three Dukes and Nine Chief Ministers". In the Tang dynasty, Nine Chief Ministers no longer took part in policymaking and lied in power center. They became the official which executed the measures and deal with the actual affairs.