What is the name of the board of directors held by the minister? Why does the minister have a board in his hand?

1. The boards in the hands of ministers are called water boards, also known as hand boards, jade boards and decorative boards. The water board is mainly used to record the will or orders of the emperor when the ancient ministers appeared before the emperor, and it can also be used to write the chapters played to the emperor for the reminder of the memorandum. The water board is about 2 feet 6 inches long and 3 inches wide. It first appeared before the Spring and Autumn Period.

2. There is another important reason why the minister greeted the emperor with a water board in his hand, that is, the ancient minister could not look directly at the monarch when talking with the emperor, and needed to look at the water in front of him all the time, thus reflecting the majesty of the monarch. Different water boards can reflect the rank of ministers. Since the Tang Dynasty, officials above grade five have used water boards made of ivory, and officials below grade six have used water boards made of bamboo or wood. The abandoned use of water boards began in the Qing Dynasty. Because the Manchu mainly rode horses, they had to hold the whip instead of the water board, so they gave up the use of the water board.