The process of issuing an edict.

First, the emperor’s words may also be rejected.

The monarch’s imperial edict usually needs to go through very strict procedures from drafting to taking effect. Let’s take the Song Dynasty as an example to see the process of issuing the so-called “imperial edict” under normal circumstances. All edicts are issued in the name of the monarch. Of course, the monarch has the power to issue edicts directly, but more commonly, the prime minister first writes an opinion in Zagreb, submits it to the emperor, gets approval, and then issues a draft. imperial edict.

Whether the will comes from the emperor himself or from the organization when the prime minister was in power, according to the system of the Song Dynasty, when entering the curse process, it is usually drafted by Zhongshu Sheren of Zhongshu Province and not It meant that the emperor could designate a trusted eunuch with the stroke of a pen.

After the reorganization of Yuanfeng, the responsibilities of Chinese bookkeepers are dual. One is to "make characters", that is, to draft an edict according to the emperor's will. But Mr. Sheren, the Zhongshu of the Song Dynasty, also had a privilege: if he felt that the "prefix" was inappropriate, he could reject Cao Zhao, whether it was from the emperor or the prime minister. This is called "returning the prefix", which is the power clearly given to Mr. Zhongshu Sheren by the law of the Song Dynasty: "If something happens, if you don't grant it to others, the prefix will be returned."

If Mr. Zhongsheren in the book is "sealed" and the emperor insists on sending a letter, he can ask Mr. Tsering to ghostwrite it, and Mr. Tsering can also "sealed" the letter. Theoretically, as long as Chinese calligraphers reach the consciousness of "refusing to write imperial edicts," an inappropriate imperial edict can be "nipped in the bud."

In the third year of Xining, Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, Wang Anshi, who participated in politics, wanted to promote Ding Li, his confidant and supporter of the new law, to "supervise the country", and the emperor agreed. However, Ding Li's character is very bad, and his reputation is also very bad. Knowing Song's imperial edict, he refused to draft the letter of appointment, sealed it, and resigned three days later. His two successors, Su Song and Li Dalin, were also banned again on the grounds that they "cherished the court's legal system." In order for Ding Li to pass the appointment smoothly, Zong Shen and Wang Anshi dismissed Su Song and Li Dalin, appointed obedient people as imperial edicts, and finally got Ding Li into the imperial court as censor.

If Mr. Zhongshu Sheren, who is in charge of Cao Cao's imperial edict, thinks that there is no problem with the prefix, or is too lazy to meddle in other people's business, in short, the imperial edict is well drafted and beautifully written, and can be submitted to the emperor's "imperial painting" and " Record yellow". But this does not mean that the imperial edict can be issued smoothly. It must be "announced and executed" by the director of Zhongshu. This involves another function of the director of Zhongshu in the Song Dynasty: "the director of imperial edicts announces and executes the imperial edict."

Because the official Shureer in Cao’s biography and the official official in the propaganda are not necessarily the same person, if the official official in the propaganda thinks that the imperial edict is inappropriate, he has the right to refuse to “sign the imperial edict.” , that is, refusing to sign Huang, is actually rejecting the imperial edict. On July 29 of the first year of Yuanyou, Su Shi, then director of the Central Library, vetoed a plan to "give money to scattered young seedlings": "Previous works were all recorded with yellow pens, but I didn't dare to write them. The title of the book. I would like to record the news and wait for the decree."

If the director of the Zhongshu Bookstore in charge of publicity has no objection, he can sign to express his approval. This is called "Shu Travel" and is signed by the governor of Zhongshu Province and sent to the province for review.

The provincial organization responsible for reviewing and recording the Yellow River is responsible for this matter. You also have the right to object if you think the letter is inappropriate. In the Song Dynasty, the power to refute the imperial edict was also legal: "If the imperial edict is

If you have no objection to pornographic records, just sign your name to indicate that it has been approved. This is called "reading". If you don't "Reading books", first signed by the governor, is a "countermeasure". Obviously, Chinese bookkeepers do not "read books" and do not "read books" for things, which is a legitimate refutation of the emperor's decree: "Everything must be written in books." The book must be read by the bookkeeper. After the book is completed, it must be recorded and documented, and then the Minister of Finance will put the book into practice. If it's not feasible, then it's called refusing to write a book. ”

Second, the emperor cannot be willful.

After an imperial edict passes through the three stages of “writing words”, “writing books” and “reading books”, if no problems are found, it will be It can become a formal imperial edict and be handed over to the Shangshu Province, a branch of the prime minister's agency, for execution. However, one thing should be added here: as a formal decree, the imperial edict must be countersigned by the prime minister, and it will not take effect in 964 AD in the Northern Song Dynasty. In the second year, Fan Ju and other three prime ministers resigned at the same time and appointed Zhao Pu as prime minister. However, when the appointment letter was issued, there was a big procedural trouble: the letter was not countersigned by the prime minister and had no legal effect; Fan Ju and other prime ministers resigned one after another. Mao wanted to exercise his power and said to Zhao Pu: "How can I be secretary? Zhao Pu replied to the emperor: "He is a minister, not an imperial envoy." "Finally, it was signed by Zhao Yinyi of Kaifeng Prefecture and titled "Tongping Zhang Shi".

After the decree comes into effect, what should we do if we find problems again? There is still the last step - admonition. Taiwan Admonition has discussion The legal power to gain or lose political orders, to review political orders or even to change political orders.

Here, I would like to add the example of Ding Li mentioned earlier: Song Shenzong and Wang Anshi finally appointed Ding Li as the "Emperor" by revising the "Emperor's Imperial Order". "Yu Shi Jian", but don't be too happy. Chen Jian, Dan Lin and others later impeached Ding Li on the grounds that she refused to be her mother's confidant, and finally forced Ding Li to resign in embarrassment.

Now, we can summarize the process of issuing imperial edicts in the Song Dynasty: the first word of the emperor's instructions - drafting; the second word of imperial edict is given by the second word of imperial edict; The second word of the imperial edict is given by the prime minister. If we use the second sentence to express it, in the entire process, all links constitute institutional supervision and checks and balances on the monarch's power. The emperor thought that he could have a constitution for the Celestial Dynasty, but it was just an imagination created by bloody TV dramas and the historical narrative of "feudal autocracy."

Of course, the monarchs of the Song Dynasty could also bypass legal procedures such as Zhongshu's scolding edicts and audit matters. Issue the document directly without the counter-signature of the Prime Minister. This is the so-called "hand-delivered letter", "internal drop" and "internal approval". Not uncommon in history. However, this kind of private purpose is not legal in law. As the saying goes, "the imperial edict cannot be built on the Fengge Luantai"; the government can also refuse to implement it completely. "Anything that is not executed by the three provinces is called 'Xie Mo Feng', and it is invalid." When Song Renzong was in power, Prime Minister Du Yan refused to issue the "handwritten edict" privately issued by the emperor, saying, "Every time it comes to ten o'clock, the title will be granted." , return the favor”. The emperor was helpless and praised him for "helping me a lot".

Judging from the process of issuing imperial edicts, it can be said that in normal political periods, the monarchy of the Song Dynasty was restricted by multiple systems, and it was unlikely that the emperor had "the power to do whatever he wanted".