The dark side of feudal mandarins: Falling and drowning while attending the king

The rules of the officialdom show an extremely harsh feudal society, and are rarely shown in historical dramas.

Many people, when watching Chinese historical films about the Qing Dynasty, often make fun of the high-ranking officials who stood in attendance when being reprimanded by the emperor, only knowing how to bow their heads and not daring to speak. Many people appeared to be trembling and weak. making us question the demeanor of an official at that time.

However, history books show that mandarins also had their own hardships, coming from a series of extremely harsh regulations during this period.

The court session can become a "nightmare" for officials, leading to serious crimes or even death (Photo: Sohu).

According to a source from Sohu, during a Qing Dynasty court session, the emperor could arrive late, or even appear sleepy or lethargic, but the court officials were not allowed to express these emotions.

It is known that in ancient times, officials who wanted to enter the Forbidden City to attend court had to leave very early. If the court session started at around 5 o'clock, the officials had to leave at dawn, arrive at 4 o'clock, and wait outside the palace.

Among them, only high-ranking mandarins, such as prime ministers and heads of ministries. were allowed to sit in palanquins. The rest of the mandarins had to walk a very long distance from the palace gate to the place where the audience took place.

Additionally, they were not allowed to use lanterns to light the way, as this was believed to affect the emperor's sleep.

Because of that, many officials stumbled, or even fell into the moat and drowned while attending the court session, especially those who were old, had poor eyesight, or had difficulty walking.

The regulations in the officialdom show an extremely harsh feudal society (Photo: Sohu).

Later, to solve this situation, the mandarins agreed to travel in groups, with the leader usually being a minister, allowed to carry a single lantern to light the way.

According to records, if officials were absent from court without a valid reason, they would have a quarter of their salary deducted. A second offense would result in a three-month salary deduction.

In addition, if officials do not appear for court for a consecutive month, it is considered a "criminal offense" and can be punished by imprisonment for up to 1 year according to the law.

Of course, this law was still relatively lenient compared to some other dynasties. For example, during the Ming Dynasty, if an official was late for court, he would be immediately beaten with 20 lashes. Repeat offenders would be beaten with 100 lashes.

Many old officials, due to old age and weak health, could not withstand this punishment and were beaten to death on the spot.

Not only that, the officials hardly dared to eat breakfast, even when waiting outside the main hall. That was because if they ate or drank too much, their bodies would produce "needs" that could not be delayed. This would interrupt the court session.

On a day when the emperor felt comfortable, officials could be forgiven for violating this. However, if the emperor felt uncomfortable, the officials could be scolded, punished, or even lose their lives and implicate their families.

The rules of the officialdom reveal an extremely harsh feudal society, where no one can be safe without the necessary sobriety and cleverness.

However, the lessons from these stories also have many educational meanings for today's life.