The short video shows the ancient times, and the emperors cried with envy!

Chapter 716 What are the strange names of official positions in ancient times? Li Shimin: confused!
A brand new video appeared on the sky screen.

[When it comes to ancient official positions, the most familiar ones are the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers. ]

[The Three Dukes refer to the Prime Minister, the Grand Marshal, and the Imperial Censor, the highest-ranking officials in the court.]

[The Nine Ministers are the heads of various departments, equivalent to the current ministerial level.]

[The establishment of these official positions could be said to be a very advanced system architecture at the time. ]

[But even so, in the long river of history, it is inevitable that there will be some dark histories that are hard to look back on. ]

[For example, the eunuchs' monopoly of power in the late Eastern Han Dynasty is a typical negative example. ]

[The eunuchs at that time used their power to do whatever they wanted and even controlled the government. ]

[This situation was not resolved until Cao Cao led his army into Luoyang and captured them all.]

[However, in an earlier period, some people had actually proposed a set of ideal official positions. ]

【This is "Zhou Li", one of the Confucian classics. 】

[The Book of Zhou Rites is a monograph on etiquette and rituals from the Western Zhou Dynasty, which mainly records the official system, etiquette and other aspects of the Zhou Dynasty.]

[In "Zhou Li", a very complete system of official positions was proposed. ]

[Among them, there is an official named Lingren. At first glance, I thought he was a person of some race.]

[But in fact, this Ling Ren is the official who is specifically responsible for making and storing ice. ]

[Yes, at that time, ice making and ice storage was actually a special official position. ]

[There are many official positions with the character “人” (person) at the end of their names in the Book of Zhou.]

[For example, the servants who are in charge of the royal family's clothing, the cleaners who are responsible for cleaning, the goosemen who specialize in raising geese, etc.]

[It can be said that in the social life at that time, there were specialized officials in charge of every aspect. ]

[These seemingly bizarre official positions actually reflect the ancients’ emphasis on division of labor and cooperation. ]

[It was just that I didn’t expect that at that time, even the people who knitted woolen trousers for the royal family could have a special official title.]

[This official position is called Jinche in "Zhou Li".]

[According to records, the duty of the Jinche was to weave trousers and socks specifically for the royal family.]

[It must be said that the ancients attached great importance to the etiquette system to an astonishing degree. ]

After the content on the sky curtain ended, the ancient people below suddenly exploded.

“Can it be set up like this?!”

"So, should the officials who manage prisoners be called prisoners? Or bad guys?"

"Then the person who is responsible for punishing criminals should be called a torturer?"

"This Lingren's name is very problematic. He might be an official who is specifically responsible for bullying the people!"

The Three Kingdoms plane.

"This name is really tempting!"

Zhang Fei laughed so hard that he slapped his thigh.

Liu Bei also smiled. Suddenly, a gleam of light appeared in his eyes and he turned to look at Zhang Fei.

"Zhang Yide from Yan!"

Zhang Fei, who was busy grinning, was suddenly startled. He didn't react in time and looked at Liu Bei in confusion.

"Brother, what did you call me?"

Liu Bei pretended to be serious and said, "You were born in Yan, and your name is Zhang Yide. Isn't the title of a minor official of Yan people appropriate for you?"

Zhang Fei suddenly realized what was going on, and then his eyes widened: "Brother, are you making fun of me?"

After saying that, he quickly turned to Guan Yu who was standing beside him and asked for help: "Second brother, please give me some advice!"

Guan Yu was stroking his beautiful beard and just smiled faintly when he heard this.

"Although what Big Brother said makes sense, I think there is another mystery behind the word 'Yanren'."

"Oh? Tell me, second brother, what is your brilliant idea? It's definitely better than eldest brother's!"

After saying that, even Liu Bei couldn't help but look sideways, wanting to hear what Guan Yu had to say.

Guan Yu said slowly: "Yan people, Yan people, eunuchs!"

"Huh? Second brother, you!"

Zhang Fei was so angry that he picked up a big bench and rushed towards Guan Yu. Guan Yu was not stupid and ran away.

"Hahaha! Second brother is just joking, third brother, don't take it seriously!"

For a moment, there was chaos in the tent, attracting the attention of the soldiers around.

Liu Bei smiled without saying anything. He just picked up the teacup silently and took a sip.

I was still thinking to myself, wondering how it would feel to wear these trousers woven on the weaving loom.

[In "Zhou Li", it is not just about dominating and subduing others. ]

[Even some seemingly insignificant matters have special officials to take charge of them.]

[For example, the cloth curtain used to cover rice bowls also has its own special official position, called Mu Ren.]

[But these officials are not sinecures.]

[They were bona fide officials, with their own offices, subordinates, and salaries from the court.]

[It can be said that at that time, the status of these officials was no less than those of the prestigious high officials.]

[Through these details, we can also roughly understand to what extent ritual governance was highly respected during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.]

【In the eyes of people at that time, society was like a sophisticated machine. 】

【And everyone is an indispensable part of this machine. 】

[As long as everyone does their job conscientiously and does their part well, the machine will work properly. ]

【And society can achieve a harmonious and orderly state. 】

【This is the ideal society in the minds of Confucianists.】

[In this society, no one is redundant. Even the smallest matter has a dedicated person to take charge.]

[And these officials who are responsible for specific affairs are like workers on an assembly line. ]

[They each perform their duties, linking together, and ultimately forming a well-ordered whole. ]

[But ideals are just ideals at best, and they are ultimately inconsistent with reality.]

Tang Dynasty plane.

After Li Shimin finished reading the contents on the skylight, he flipped through the "Book of Zhou Rites" which happened to be next to him.

Although what was said on the sky curtain seems a bit absurd, it is indeed what is recorded in the "Book of Zhou".

But in fact, since the ancients were able to create such a seemingly absurd classic, there must be some deep meaning behind it.

In Zuo Zhuan, it was mentioned that merchants, workers, and servants did not know how to move their occupations.

There is a similar record in the Book of Songs, which says that during the prosperous times of Tang and Yu, people did not move their jobs.

The records in these ancient books actually reflect a common concept.

He called on his subjects to be loyal to one industry and not to change industries easily.

And this is probably the real intention of setting up these official positions in "Zhou Li".

By setting up specialized officials for each industry, everyone can work at their post with peace of mind without worrying about being easily replaced or eliminated.

In this way, society can reach a stable and orderly state.

Everyone has their own role and everyone has their own value.

Even for the smallest matter, there is always someone responsible for it.

But Li Shimin knew very well that although such a system looked good, it might not be so easy to implement in practice.

There is always a gap between ideal and reality.

To make everyone feel comfortable working in their jobs means limiting people's free choices.

And this will definitely come at a corresponding price.

The most direct consequence is the emergence of the hereditary system.

Once a person enters a certain industry, it is very likely that his descendants will also enter the same industry.

Over time, a situation will be formed where it is passed down from father to son and from generation to generation.

However, once times change and society undergoes changes, this rigid system will lead to other problems.

When rituals and music are in decline, that is the time when everyone goes crazy.

(End of this chapter)