Ming dynasty restricted public funds to eat and drink. Zhu Yuanzhang set up four dishes and one soup for the queen's birthday.

In ancient times, it was normal for officials to eat, drink and entertain. These are some official regulations. Sometimes, even if they don't eat and socialize, they can't finish their work. Although the trend of eating and drinking has a long history, there are also many institutional measures to limit the specifications of official banquets. When you travel through ancient times, you should be careful to pack your bags or even lose your head because you eat one more dish.

Ancient officials attached importance to welcoming and being sent to ostentation and extravagance.

In ancient China, on the one hand, the reception of eating and drinking in officialdom has a long history; On the other hand, the authorities have introduced various measures to stop it. In the classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei fought against the Yellow Scarf Army for more than 30 times, and made great achievements, but they were only made county magistrates. On one occasion, Du You passed by this county town. Liu Bei didn't give a gift, and even his hospitality was poor. Du You got in the way and forced the county government staff to accuse Liu Bei of bullying the people. Zhang Fei was furious when he learned that Du You was dragged out of the inn and beaten up. So Liu, Guan and Zhang resigned and went their separate ways. This can be seen from the wind of eating and drinking in ancient officialdom.

In ancient China, officials attached great importance to ostentation and extravagance at cocktail parties, winning the favor of superiors for promotion or making friends for profit. Behind the reception, it is often accompanied by all kinds of corruption. It is said that during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, every state and county even set up a full-time official named "sending an old friend's master book".

In ancient times, the corruption of eating and drinking with public funds was fully developed in the Song Dynasty. According to the History of Song Dynasty, there was a "ten-day banquet" system in Song Dynasty, and there was a public banquet every ten days. He said: At that time, Fan Zhili and Hu, the temple officials in Pingjiang Prefecture, treated guests at public expense. A glass of wine costs 1000 yuan. According to the literature, in the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty, Qiu Xing Xiaoyang bought the second-hand property sold by Wang Taiwei's family in Beijing, "only spent 3,000 yuan". It can be seen that the officials ate and drank at that time!

In the Northern Wei Dynasty, Emperor Xianwen stipulated eating sheep.

Alcoholics were sentenced to death.

Zhou's "Anecdotal Records" said: "Every king should eat six grains, six kinds of meat, six kinds of clean food, one hundred kinds of food, eight kinds of rare food and one hundred jars of sauce." He made specific regulations on the dishes, arrangement, use of utensils and entertainment at different levels during the dinner.

For eating and drinking with public funds, most dynasties regarded it as a serious style problem and introduced various systems to restrain it. As early as the Han Dynasty, the imperial court promulgated a series of laws.

In order to stop officials from eating and drinking with public funds, some dynasties promulgated regulations restricting public funds from eating and drinking. Emperor Jing of Han issued a decree that any official who received public funds in the local area would be dismissed immediately upon discovery. Later, it was reflected that the punishment was too heavy. Liu Qi accepted the suggestion of Prime Minister Shentu Jia and others, and issued a new imperial edict in July of the lunar calendar in BC 156: All officials who accept banquets should pay for their own meals and make up as much as they eat, but they will not be dismissed. The most severe is the sacrifice in North Wei Wendi, which requires officials to visit places, eat a bite of sheep and drink a glass of welcome wine. The "biggest sin" is being sentenced to death, and people who eat and drink at the same table are also threatened.

In the Song Dynasty, "grass-roots" officials provided "food stamps", and those who exceeded the standard would be punished.

In the song dynasty

In the Song Dynasty, there were operational regulations in Tianguan and Jian. All officials who "go to the grass-roots level" on business or go out for inspection have uniform dining standards and provide "voucher food". Those who exceed the standard will be punished, even the accompanying officials are no exception. If officials accept local meals or exceed the standard, they will be punished or even prosecuted. This is the so-called "mode of delivery".

According to "The System of Legal Affairs in Qingyuan Chapter", it was stipulated in the Song Dynasty that "every official keeps his post, and when he has nothing to do, he will have a party and feast, which will hinder his official duties". However, the imperial court has more restrictions on officials entertaining prostitutes when eating and drinking: in addition to "serving officials on duty", county officials "post 80 if they take prostitutes as banquets instead of holy holidays or public banquets on Honshu Island"; All officials are required to "serve prostitutes for two years in advance, and are not allowed to drink alcohol, but they must go to the staff for one hundred each". Liu Zao, who knows Huzhou, was demoted and dismissed from office because he was in charge of the banquet and the national treasury was exhausted. Guo Daren, an official for five years, was dismissed and appointed because he was exposed to "having food every day and doing nothing" during his tenure in Qianzhou. In the third year of Xi Chun, it is well known that Lu You was dismissed for "drinking poison to quench thirst"; In the 14th year of Xichun, Wang Xilu, the prefect of Pingjiang, and Fan Chengda and Hu, the ancestral hall officials often gave banquets. "The price of a glass of wine exceeded 1000 yuan, and Song Xiaozong was very angry."

"Four dishes and one soup" effectively put an end to "eating and drinking"

Although these systems have played a binding role in some nodes and events, they do not help to change the whole official atmosphere. They ate and drank until the whole Song Dynasty perished. What's more worth thinking about is that the Ming Dynasty imposed great restrictions on public funds to eat and drink from the beginning, but the density of public funds to eat and drink, even the density of greeting and sending things, was no less than that of the Song Dynasty.

Fengyang, the hometown of Zhu Yuanzhang, still has a ballad of "four dishes and one soup": the emperor treats four dishes and one soup, and the radish and leek are in long-term stability; The chopped green onion tofu is white and flawless, and the hair is clean and honest.

It turned out that Zhu Yuanzhang realized that many people who became high officials through the uprising forgot the past, held power and lived a luxurious life.

One day in the imperial court, Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Tomorrow is the queen's birthday. I'm going to hold a banquet in the palace. The monarch and his ministers will celebrate the queen's birthday. " All the officials were very happy to hear this.

As soon as the auspicious day arrives, hundreds of officials compete for favor and prepare enough gifts to celebrate their birthdays. The dishes on the table are simple and clear: fried radish and leek, two bowls of fried vegetables and a bowl of chopped green onion tofu soup, and the standard "four dishes and one soup".

Seeing this scene, officials of civil and military officials who are used to eating "delicacies" are puzzled. Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang patiently explained: "Radishes are on the street, but pharmacies don't sell them", "leeks are green, and people's hearts have been fixed for a long time", "two bowls of vegetables are as fragrant as the breeze, and they are good prime ministers" and "green onions and tofu are as fair and decent as the sun and the moon". At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes turned to the table full of gifts, and his face suddenly sank. He said, "Zhu Tao!" "A deadly official quickly knelt down and said," I'm here. " "What is your gift this time? Say! "I have two green beads, a pair of jade bracelets and eight golden buddhas. What's your annual salary? Where did it come from? Take it! " When all the officials saw that the emperor was really angry, even his nephew had an operation, they all trembled with fear.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at the colorful officials and said, "You are closed today, and these gifts are relief. Today is the queen's birthday. Start with me, start with small things. No matter what kind of banquet, four dishes and one soup at most. Anyone who violates it will pay the price. This law was promulgated in the world, and any offender can be informed and rewarded. " Those officials listened to Zhu Yuanzhang and understood his intentions. They all stood in awe.