Chinese Life in the Tibetan Foothills/Book 3/Signs of Authority, Followers, etc.
Signs of Authority, Followers, etc.
When the magistrate is judging a case a duplicate of the seal box is hung behind him. A jar of bamboos stands on the table; if he throws down one tally, it means a hundred blows; if he tumbles out all the tallies it means unlimited beating. There are other tallies for other uses; aud there is a box of vermilion ink for signing official documents. These things are called the official's life (性命), hsing ming, life, or his 衣, 飯, 碗 i, fan, wan, clothes, rice, and bowl.
On going out his sedan chair is carried by four men, he wears official garments, beads and hat; criers go before and men with boards on which are written his literary degrees and former offices; assistants follow on horseback, and every one, whether riding or on foot, must get out of the way as he passes.
The district magistrate is really the strongest official in a province and has life and death in his hands. He is called the father and mother official, fu-mu kuan, and chêng t‘ang (正堂).
His first class confidential secretary is called hsing min shih yeh (刑民師爺) by the official and hei pi (黑筆) shih yeh by the people. He is also called mu p‘in (幕賓), or district steward.
The tutor in the magistrate's family ranks with him; at a feast only one of them can be present as he must have the chief seat; the other has a table sent to his own quarters.
The shu chi (書記), or t‘ieh hsieh (帖寫), letter-writer and indictment-maker for the official, is usually a student for the secretariat.
There is an apprentice to the secretary, mao kai tzŭ shih yeh (毛蓋子師爺).
Between the official and people is a middleman called ta yeh (大爺) mên kao (門稿) and other names. He is said to be the magistrate's throat since all business passes through him. His assistant is the kuan an san yeh, manager of law-suit documents.
The clerk who puts the red ink finishing touches on official papers is called ch‘ien ya (簽押). When the seals are used the magistrate or his wife sits by to prevent their unauthorized use.
The shui ch‘i (稅契) receives taxes on sales of property.
The yamen food is in three grades; the official and secretaries have the first class, the ta yeh the second, the watchmen and other menials the third.
There are a few other employees in a yamen besides those above named.