What kind of treatment can the county magistrate enjoy after retirement? Although the level is not high, the influence cannot be underestimated
In ancient times, when they reached a certain age, they usually faced retirement, and they might even be "rehired" back to their positions. So, what was life like in retirement in ancient times? In the case of Zhixian, although its official rank is low, its influence in the local area is quite large.
The official position of Zhixian has been established since the Song Dynasty and belongs to the seven products. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the scope of responsibilities of the county magistrate was clearer, and the official rank was set as the seventh grade. In the Qing Dynasty, in order to prevent the magistrate of a county from seeking personal interests in the local area, a policy of avoidance was implemented, that is, if there were relatives nearby, they could not hold office. In addition, there is also the recusal of teachers and students, and it is clearly stipulated that there can be no teacher-student relationship between the governor and the local **, so as to curb the tendency of the magistrate to expand his influence at the local level.
In the Qing Dynasty, the monthly income of the county before retirement was 45 taels ** and 45 hum rice. In the Yongzheng period, due to the introduction of cheap silver, the income of the county has doubled. It can be said that the magistrate had a pretty good time before he retired.
During the Shunzhi Dynasty, the magistrate could get 18 acres of land after retirement. This land can be used to develop a personal economy, or it can be sold for a certain amount of wealth. However, this policy of dividing the land was not long-lasting, and later ** still adopted the form of distributing money.
During the Qianlong Dynasty, when ** retired, some people could get all the money stipulated during their tenure, while the other part could only get half of it. In order to be able to receive the full salary, the magistrate needs to perform well during his term of office and voluntarily retire when he reaches the required age.
During the Jiaqing period, new regulations were issued to link retirement benefits with military merits, especially for those below the third grade. If the magistrate had been established before retirement.
For first- and second-class military merits, when you retire at the age of 60, you can receive all the salary, while when you retire at the age of 50, you can only receive half of it.
Overall, the retirement treatment of the county magistrate of the Qing Dynasty is considered good among the previous dynasties. Although the income was relatively low, due to the control of a certain amount of land and influence, the magistrate was still able to live a prosperous life in the local area.
Before retiring, some magistrates may be given honors such as "robes and clothes" or "imperial system", and may even be given to his children and grandchildren. This makes the retired magistrate highly respected by others.
The Qing ** for the three products below the ** regulations enjoy "all the original products are allowed to rest", even if the county still maintains the status of the seventh grade ** after retirement, which guarantees their status in the society. Moreover, when the children and grandchildren are covered by this status, the whole family may emerge again, and even have the possibility of returning to hire.
Judging from the above aspects, the magistrates of the Qing Dynasty not only performed well in terms of economic treatment after retirement, but also had a high political status. Compared with other dynasties, such as the Ming Dynasty, because of the low income when in office, many retirements do not even have a stable retirement income.
*When can I retire?
In ancient times, retirement was called "Zhishi", and it was not a casual decision. All dynasties and generations have stipulated the age of Zhishi, as early as the "Book of Shang" it is written that "the doctor is seventy and Zhishi". During the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that he could retire at the age of 60, while in the last years of the Qing Dynasty, military generals were forced to retire at the age of 60.
In reality, however, due to their outstanding performance, some people have not even retired at the age of seventy or eighty, because even the emperor strongly advised them not to retire. For example, the Yuan Dynasty stipulated that old ministers were not allowed to retire, and when Guo Shoujing applied for retirement when he was over 70 years old, the imperial court did not approve it, and he eventually worked until he was 86 years old.
Retirement benefits of each dynasty**:
In ancient times, the ** retirement treatment was not ideal, and there was not even a salary before the Han Dynasty. During the period of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty, it was stipulated that ** with more than 2,000 stone could receive one-third of the original salary when he retired. The Tang Dynasty stipulated that those who retired above the fifth grade could receive half of their salary, and if they were valued by the emperor, they could receive all their retirement wages.
During the Song and Song dynasties, the concept of retirement appeared, and the rank was raised one level at the time of retirement, and even if he retired, he could still participate in court politics. During the Yuan Dynasty, although there was no salary, the ** of poor families could receive half of their salary.
To sum up, the retirement treatment of the county magistrate in the Qing Dynasty was relatively generous in ancient times. The dual advantages of economy and politics have made it possible to learn that the prefecture will not only live a prosperous life after retirement, but also enjoy a high status in society.
During the Ming Dynasty, the provisions on retirement benefits were relatively clear. Those above the third rank can retire directly, while those below the fourth rank may retire after being promoted to one level if they perform well. This shows the difference in retirement treatment between dynasties, some dynasties sincerely give back, while others are not generous enough.
From the retirement treatment of **, we can get a glimpse of the economic atmosphere of the dynasty at that time. In ancient times, very few people were able to retire successfully, and even the counties that successfully retired were very few. This is mainly due to the intensity of the political struggle at that time, which could endanger the life of the ** at any time.
After retirement, most of these ** can rely on the power accumulated over the years to obtain the social status they deserve. Locally, too, their influence is often quite significant. This phenomenon reflects the fact that ancient ** were able to play an important role in society even after retirement, demonstrating their lasting influence at the local level.