Celestial Princesses Saga
Author journal

Three Kinds of Service in a Ming Magistrate’s Office

Zaoli (皂隸) | Attending the official The Da Ming Huidian specifies how many zaoli attendants officials were assigned. Wu Jen-shu’s study of Ming judicial records also associates the zao group with sedan-chair and ceremonial duties. Their work extended beyond the courtroom. Da Ming Huidian, volume 157 · Wu’s study, p. 76

Detail from a painting of Wang Qiong’s deeds: a man in a dark-blue robe with a red sash, a feather at his cap, holding a long staff

A figure from a painted album of Wang Qiong’s deeds, useful for dress and props; appearance alone does not identify which yamen group he belongs to. Anonymous; original held by the National Museum of China; crop uploaded by ChenDaoIsHere. Image source and public-domain notice , full painting page .

Kuaishou (快手) | Summonses and arrests Summoning defendants and witnesses, and apprehending suspects, were important duties of arrest personnel. Wu’s study places bukuai (捕快) and kuaishou under this kind of work. Wu’s study, p. 76

Minzhuang (民壯) | Training for local defence The Ming Shi records arrangements for officials to train minzhuang, mobilise them in emergencies and provide provisions. It also records restrictions on diverting them to miscellaneous duties. Defence was their task, but other demands could draw them away. Ming Shi, volume 91, passages on minzhuang

Duties could shift | The categories were not fixed Wu’s study also records minzhuang collecting taxes in money and grain. Read alongside accounts of training and defence, this reminds us to check the period, place and actual assignment when examining these three groups. Wu’s study, pp. 76–77 · Compare Ming Shi, volume 91

An object to notice | The red-and-black shuihuogun Taiwan’s Ministry of Education dictionary describes the shuihuogun (水火棍) as a wooden staff used by runners. It explains the name through the Five Phases: black for water, red for fire. The staff also appears in Water Margin; literary descriptions do not establish a uniform Ming specification. Read the dictionary entry · Read the Water Margin episode

Wu Jen-shu (巫仁恕), ‘Justice and Society in Ming China’, 《法制史研究》, no. 2, 2001. The Ming Shi is a history of the Ming compiled under the Qing. These summaries do not describe uniform practice across the entire Ming empire. All linked sources are in Chinese.

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Original research sources (credits and further reading)

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