A Study On The Emperors' Information Acquisition Channels In Western Han Dynasty

Although the principle of the supremacy of imperial power determined that the monarch was at the peak of power in the Western Han Dynasty,the monarch in the deep palace was at a disadvantage in the possession and control of information such as government affairs and people's conditions.The inferior situation could not be reached in time and effectively,and the monarch was blocked by information,which became a normal phenomenon during the imperial period.In the Western Han Dynasty,the monarchs were more or less troubled by the manipulation of information and deception of the monarch by military elites,close aides,royal relatives and administrative officials.The Confucian officials often use disasters to match politics,suggesting the connection between changes in the celestial phenomena and the blindness of the monarch in a euphemistic way,so as to persuade the monarch to encourage freedom of speech and collect information to prevent being blinded.Possession and control of information on the political affairs of all parties was the primary condition for the monarch to make reasonable decisions,prevent deception,and control his subjects.So,the Western Han Dynasty strived to develop multi-party information collection channels.The information collection channel led by the monarch refers to the system construction required by realpolitik,in which officials at all levels regularly reported to the monarch the information they were in charge of and supervise.The official of shang ji went to capital to report work regularly was the key way for the monarch to control the actual operation of county government affairs and the sufferings of people's livelihood.Through the feng shi system,officials can secretly enter the government information to the monarch at any time,the direct access to the emperor and the characteristics of confidentiality help prevent congestion and strengthen the imperial power.In the Western Han Dynasty,an information monitoring network was established from the central government to the local government.The central monitoring system mainly included Yu shi zhong Cheng,Cheng xiang si Zhi,and Si li xiao wei.Ci shi was mainly used to supervise the affairs of the shire county locally.The monarch often sent envoys outside the regular monitoring system to patrol the world and inspect officials.The monarch patrolling the world and going to the country to inspect the shire county will help obtain real and original information to control the place.In addition to the rigid guarantee of the system,ordinary people and officials will also actively enter the information they know into the central government and monarch due to their personal needs and attention to politics."Zhe Xing Shang Shu" refers to the public submit a written official document to emperor on the way of the emperor leaving the palace."yi que shang shu " refers to the subjects went to the capital palace to admonish the monarch on current politics,litigation grievances,the monarch will often read the official document to learn the political appeal of the people."Shang bian shi" means that officials and citizens report the urgent and unlawful things such as rebellion,so that the monarch can learn more hidden political dynamics outside the conventional system,and strengthen the control and management of local vassal states.However,the multiple information channels cannot fully guarantee that the situation in the lower class will be reached to the monarch.The personnel operation in the operation of the system was the key to affecting whether the information transmission was smooth or blocked.Manipulation by officials and political qualities of the monarch were the main factors.Local officials were at the head of the information upload,often concealing the chaotic phenomena in local society,exaggerating good governance and good deeds for personal careers,and entering intentionally produced information to the monarch.The powerful officials often deceived the monarch and exercised the right to dictatorship by intercepting and monopolizing the information of the government.local vassal Kings used monopoly,concealment,interception and other means to prevent illegal acts from being uploaded to the emperor,which was not conducive to the monarch's timely monitoring and in-depth control of princes everywhere.Under the influence of the thought of "respecting the emperor",officials at all levels tried their best to meet the monarch's intention to selectively deliver information.The selection and distortion of information by the officials seriously affected the monarch's administrative decision-making.However,the monarch was located at the terminal of information access,and the monarch's motivation and attitude in information collection will directly determine whether the information access was smooth or not.The wise kings often took the initiative to inquire,investigate,and deal with government affairs and civil affairs in person,which helped to obtain true and original information and strengthen his control over the whole country.The ruling tendency of monarchs was to pay selective attention to information and ignore information that was not in line with the current political situation.Psychological guidance that liked to hear the words of success made the monarch disparage information that was not suit his own intentions.Believing one-side story beyond the monarch's rationality can easily facilitate the uploading of false information and the concealment of real information,making the information blocked by the emperor even though it was communicated to the emperor.