The Official Appointment Network of the Imperial Household Department Officials during the Jiaqing,Daoguang and Xianfeng Eras of the Qing Dynasty
The imprtant positions of San Zhizao(织造),the Salt Administration(盐政),and Customs Supervision(税关监督),which controlled the economic lifeline of the Qing Dynasty,were mainly held by bannermen from the Imperial Household Department(内务府).Previous academic research on the external appointments of these bannermen officials has mostly focused on the Kangxi,Yongzheng and Qianlong eras,with the mainstream view being that the relationship between the bannermen and the emperor weakened af-ter the Jiaqing era,leading to a decline in their influence.However,asystematic review of the appointment situations for Three Zhizao,Changlu Salt Administration(长芦盐政),Lianghuai Salt Administration(两淮盐政),Yuehai Custom Supervision(粤海关),Huai'an Custom Supervision(淮安关)and the chief and deputy Rehe Zongguan(热河正副总管)during the Jiaqing,Daoguang and Xianfeng reigns,as well as the number of officials,their identities,tenure and successive appointments,leads to a conclusion that differs from traditional understanding:The perfection and standardization of the external appointment system for the bannermen of the Imperial Household Department during the Jiaqing,Daoguang and Xianfeng eras,while limiting the power of the Imperial Household Department to some extent,objectively also provided a systematic and normalized safeguard for their power.Compared to the Kangxi,Yongzheng and Qianlong eras,the rights of individual bannermen or families within the Imperial Household Department may have weakened during the Jiaqing,Daoguang and Xianfeng eras,but the tenure of bannermen was shorter,the turnover of officials was faster and the number of appointees was more.This implies an increase in the num-ber of people entering the power echelons,forming many networks that,although not as large in scale as in previous dynasties,were more numerous and complexly intertwined.These networks became the systematic and normalized embodiment of the flow,expansion and intergenerational transmission of power among the bannermen of the Imperial Household Department.