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II.2 Routine-System Deliberation Memorial (議覆 or 題覆), QL 34.4.13

Deliberations, usually based on a provincial memorial (tong-ben, 通本), were ordered by an imperial rescript on the original memorial (usually, as in this case, with the phrase, gai-bu yi-zou 該部議奏, "let the appropriate board deliberate and memorialize"). The deliberation was done by one of the Six Boards or by another committee or agency at the capital. The memorialist's titles, as listed in the first line, tell us that he is president of the Board of War, commander of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner, and acting temporarily (zhan-shu 暫署) as president of the Board of Civil Appointments. The seal, as is appropriate to the subject matter of this memorial, is that of the latter office (li bu zhi yin 吏部之印 in zhuanshu 篆書 characters on the right and hafan i jurgan i boobai in Manchu seal script on the left). The memorialist, Tuo-yong, uses the pluralizer deng 等 after his name, because a routine-system memorial from one of the Six Boards (or other capital office) was sent by the entire upper echelon of that unit, as you will see at the end of this document. The last page of this document, following the list of its authors, offers a summary of the memorial; note that, as it is part of a buben, its format is slightly different from that of a tongben. The rescript appears on the front page of the memorial.

Glossary

依議 - yiyi - (Let it be done) as recommended.

託庸 - Tuo-yong - personal name

該臣等議得 - gai chen yide - "We, your officials, have deliberated."

謹題 - jinti - respectfully submit a (routine) memorial

怯懦 - qienuo - vacillate, show cowardice

抄出 - chaochu - to copy out

奏稱 - zoucheng - report

親民 - qinmin - to care for the people (as a parent)

除暴安良 - chubao anliang - do away with troublemakers and bring peace to law-abiding subjects

專責 - zhuanze - primary responsibility

遇有 - yuyou - if there should be, if one should encounter

棍徒 - guntu - ruffians, local toughs

滋擾 - zirao - cause a disturbance, disturb the peace, create troubles

嚴拿 - yan'na - rigorously apprehend

懲治 - chengzhi - correct and punish, admonish

俾知歛戢 - bizhi lianji - "so that (they) might know some self-restraint"

姑息 - guxi - temporize, handle indulgently, hesitate, show leniency

貽害 - yihai - bring harm to

良民 - liangmin - law-abiding people, "honest folk"

擾累 - raolei - burden, disturb, cause annoyance to

才既...性復 - caiji...xingfu - "not only is his ability...(but) his character is also..."

平庸 - pingyong - mediocre, average

趕羊 - ganyang - to herd sheep

Omitted text: Ma Zhong and the other Chinese-speaking Muslims with him drove sheep through two villages and let them eat the wheat sprouts in the fields. Villagers came out to protest. Ma Zhong then ordered several of his band to beat the villagers and many were injured. Afterward, yamen personnel tried unsuccessfully to apprehend the culprits. The magistrate, Liu Yude, then went with his constables and arrested Ma and four others, but let the rest depart with their sheep. The provincial governor subsequently ordered the arrest of those who had gone free, and the case is pending.

所有 - suoyou -concerning, regarding, as for

縱兇逃逸 - zongxiong taoyi - to allow (the) offenders to escape (Note that the character xiong 兇 is written here using a non-standard form.)

實屬 - shishu - truly is 

*lit., "indeed belongs (to that category of things that can be said to be . . . )."

有忝職守 - youtian zhishou - to bring disgrace/dishonor to one's office

嚴參 - yancan - impeach strictly

儆 - jing - warn, as a warning

將來 - jianglai - posterity

勢必 - shibi - will certainly

效尤 - xiaoyou - follow (his) bad example

吏治 - lizhi - civil administration

難期整飭 - nanqi zhengchi - hard to maintain proper supervision

茲 - zi - now 

*introductory word

大名道 - Damingdao - circuit intendant of the Da-Shun-Guang Circuit (situated at Damingfu, whence the conventional name of the post. See Playfair.)

廣平府 - Guangping fu - Guangping prefecture

革職 - gezhi - dismiss from office

玩愒 - wankai - to neglect one's duty

委員 - weiyuan - dispatch an official to

摘印 - zhaiyin - take the seal

署理 - shuli - administer in an acting capacity

經手 - jingshou - in his management of...

倉庫 - cangku - granaries and treasuries

錢糧 - qianliang - money and grain (for salaries of local officials and soldiers)

理合 - lihe - in duty bound; as a matter of course

伏乞 - fuqi - I humbly beg (Your Majesty)

皇上睿鑒訓示 - huangshang ruijian xunshi - "Your Majesty's sagacious consideration and instructions"

謹奏 - jinzou - (end of quoted memorial, d. jin-ti)

硃批 - zhupi - vermillion rescript (inscribed by the emperor)

該部議奏 - gaibu yizou - let the appropriate board deliberate and memorialize

欽此 - qinci - "respect this" (Marks end of quotation of imperial document or utterance.)

欽遵 - qinzun - in respectful obedience

到部 - daobu - came to the board (i.e. the memorialist's board, that of Civil Appointments 吏部)

查 - cha - we find (from reviewing the documents in the case)

此案 - ci'an - this case

逞兇 - chengxiong - acted violently

毆傷 - ou'shang - beat and injured

該督 - gaidu - the governor-general

等語 - dengyu - (signifies end of summary) 

*or quotation from another document; compare dengyin

照溺職例 - zhao nizhi li - following the regulation that stipulates the punishment for disgracing a post

NOTE: The little "flag" (the magistrate's name, minus the first character which has been lost), was probably affixed for the guidance of some official in the Board of Civil Appointments who had to deal with Liu's dossier.

恭候 - gonghou - respectfully await

命下 - mingxia - the issuance of the imperial order

遵奉施行 - zunfeng shixing - will respectfully receive (the imperial order) and carry it out

擅便 - shanbian - act on one's own, without proper authority

*There follows the memorialist's official seal, stamped over the date and his titles; then the names of Toyong and thirteen other officials of the Board of Civil Appointments. The last page of this document is a copy of Liu's official curriculum vitae, reflecting the present recommendation for his dismissal. This was apparently attached for the emperor's reference

會試 - huishi - metropolitan examination

揀選一等 - jianxuan yideng - was selected as first rank in a special examination for juren

引見 - yinjian - presented for imperial audience

分發各省 - fenfa gesheng - was listed as eligible for a post in the provinces

試用 - shiyong - probationary appointment

籤掣 - qianche - drawing of lots (among names on a list of candidates eligible for official appointment)

題署 - tishu - proposed (in a ti-ben) to be an acting (official) of

簡缺 - jianque - ordinary post 
*the lowest of the four grades of official posts: most important, important, medium, and ordinary.

實授 - shishou - to take up an official appointment in fact (i.e., show up in person locally to assume one's duties)