Edicts from the 1st Year of Shaozhi

This is a record of the edicts and court documents personally passed or pronounced by the Shaozhi Emperor, Xiao Xuyu, in the first year of the Shaozhi era.

## First Month

1. Edict 1SZ-01-01 - the Shaozhi Emperor's New Year Edict. (1st of 1st)
2. Verbal Command 1SZ-01-01 - delaying the manning of the snow passes by half a month. (1st of 1st)
3. Memo 1SZ-01-01 - to Lin Ding'an, ordering a report on the eastern mountain passes. (1st of 1st)
4. Edict 1SZ-01-02 - to petitioners, approving and gifting funds and equipment to the founding of Miaohua Temple. (3rd of 1st)
5. Verbal Command 1SZ-01-02 - taking Sun Yunyi into the Inner Palace, with the rank of Beauteous Attendant. (5th of 1st)
6. Verbal Command 1SZ-01-03 - taking Dong Ying into the Inner Palace, with the rank of Companion. (5th of 1st)
7. Verbal Command 1SZ-01-04 - taking Fu Han into the Inner Palace, with the rank of Attendant. (5th of 1st)
8. Memo 1SZ-01-02 - to the magistrate of Duopan County, authorising him to experiment with growing rye. (9th of 1st)
9. Edict 1SZ-01-03 - to the Ministry of Rites, ordering a smaller firework show for the Ploughing of the Furrow, but ordering the launch of the Twin-Dragon Shells. (11th of 1st)
10. Edict 1SZ-01-04 - approving the retirement of the Prefect of Hanzhou Prefecture, and promoting Ding Xueping to the post. (11th of 1st)
11. Edict 1SZ-01-05 - ordering the Grand Secretaries to investigate the Ocean Trade and its issues. (14th of 1st)
12. Memo 1SZ-01-03 - ordering Fu Hengde (Hendrick Verhoef) to build a clock for the Palace. (17th of 1st)
13. Verbal Command 1SZ-01-05 - ordering the Sea-gazing Tower to be built to five stories. (20th of 1st)
14. Verbal Command 1SZ-01-06 - taking Deng Huan'er and Tong Lingzhi into the Inner Palace, both with the rank of Courteous Attendant. (21st of 1st)
15. Edict 1SZ-01-06 - Ordering the Grand Secretariat to begin planning an Eastern Inspection. (21st of 1st)
16. Memo 1SZ-01-04 - raising Kang Lüyin to the rank of Virtuous Companion and granting her Apricot Palace as her residence. (28th of 1st)

## Second Month

1. Edict 1SZ-02-01 - the Emperor's Ploughing Address. (8th of 2nd)
2. Verbal Command 1SZ-02-01 - assigning 80 acres of fine land, and a residence, in Huaizhou to Hua Yan's parents. (15th of 2nd)
3. Memo 1SZ-02-01 - appointing Puh Chengyi as Senior Tutor to Xiao Huanzhi the First Prince, and Liang Guan the Junior Tutor. (18th of 2nd)
4. Verbal Command 1SZ-02-02 - approving the choice of tea, utensils and other supplies for the Inspection. (23rd of 2nd)
5. Memo 1SZ-02-02 - approving the requests of Dong Ying and Fu Han to join the Eastern Tour. (25th of 2nd)
6. Edict 1SZ-02-02 - to the Ministry of Works, requesting a plan (pending implementation) to improve supply to the Eastern Mountain Passes. (27th of 2nd)
7. Memo 1SZ-02-03 - to the Prefect of Zezhou, regarding living arrangements. (29th of 2nd)
8. Memo 1SZ-02-04 - to Yangh Zongfu, Minister of War, regarding the coup in the Dongshan State. (29th of 2nd)

## Third Month

1. Edict 1SZ-03-01 - appointing Xiao Xuheng, Prince of Xianyang, as the Bearer of the Preceptor's Seal. (3rd of 3rd)
2. Memo 1SZ-03-01 - ordering Dou Xun and Shi Dayong to investigate the seditious letter written by the Prince of Kunyang. (9th of 3rd)
3. Memo 1SZ-03-02 - to Yun Shijin, ordering his presence in Zezhou. (17th of 3rd)
4. Edict 1SZ-03-02 - to the Ministry of War, ordering an investigation into illegal labour levies. (19th of 3rd)
5. Edict 1SZ-03-03 - to the Ministry of Works, ordering an investigation into prioritising the repair of roads, or of the Sea-River Canal. (26th of 3rd)
6. Edict 1SZ-03-04 - to the Ceremonies Office, ordering the plaque of Emperor Wenzong at Stone Gate to be replaced with a replica. (28th of 3rd)

## Fourth Month

1. Verbal Command 1SZ-04-01 - sending Yuelan back home from the entourage. (1st of 4th)
2. Memo 1SZ-04-01 - to the Empress, appointing Le Lanzhen as a Virtuous Companion. (3rd of 4th)
3. Letter 1SZ-04-01 - to the Prince of Kunshan, understanding his protestations of innocence of writing a seditious and insulting letter. (4th of 4th)
4. Edict 1SZ-04-01 - to the silver houses of Zezhou, covering the debts incurred by hunger-stricken provinces. (9th of 4th)
5. Verbal Command 1SZ-04-02 - to the Prefect of Zezhou, endorsing the recommendation of Ao Shengran. (11th of 4th)
6. Memo 1SZ-04-02 - to the Empress, appointing Zu Chenfei as an Attendant. (12th of 4th)
7. **Edict 1SZ-04-02** - founding the Office of the Golden Treasury, and appointing Yun Shijin and Ao Shengran as the Head and Vice-head. (14th of 4th)
8. Memo 1SZ-04-03 - to the Empress, appointing Song Yiwen and Chu Yanying as Attendants, and promoting Fu Han to a Courteous Attendant. (15th of 4th)
9. Edict 1SZ-04-03 - to the Palace Office, changing Song Yiwen's name to Yiwen (previously Song Yixi). (16th of 4th)
10. Edict 1SZ-04-04 - to the troops and officers of Dingzhou, rewarding them with a one-month bonus. (27th of 4th)
11. Edict 1SZ-04-05 - to the Imperial Apothecary, ordering them to review and discuss Mu Hanchen's *Treatise on the Subject of Wound-Chill*. (30th of 4th)

## Fifth Month

1. Memo 1SZ-05-01 - to Dou Xun, ordering the arrest of 29 men involved in army mismanagement. (4th of 5th)

## Sixth Month

1. Memo 1SZ-06-01 - to Xiao Xuheng, Prince of Xianyang, appointing him to assist with the Metropolitan Examinations next year. (4th of 6th)
2. Edict 1SZ-06-02 - commanding the dismissal of a lot of officials for the Official Review. (12th of 6th)
3. Edict 1SZ-06-01 - commanding Le Lanzhen, who is pregnant, to return to the Palace from the Sweet Dew Convent. (13th of 6th)
4. Memo 1SZ-06-02 - to Mu Chenghan, commanding him to study a disease outbreak in Tanzhou Prefecture. (24th of 6th)

## Seventh Month

1. Edict 1SZ-07-01 - Instructions for celebrating the birth of Princess Yunshu. (6th of 7th)
2. Edict 1SZ-07-02 - instructions for experimenting on the growth of buckwheat. (15th of 7th)
3. Foreword 1SZ-07-01 - foreword to the *Anthology of the Eastern Inspection*. (21st of 7th)

## Eighth Month

1. Edict 1SZ-08-01 - to the Palace Kitchen, regarding procuring of pastries from outside the Palace. (13th of 8th)
2. Memo 1SZ-08-01 - to the Commander of the Palace Gates, approving his watch plan for the Mid-Autumn Festival. (13th of 8th)
3. Memo 1SZ-08-02 - to Admiral Tian of the Xiuzhou Command, ordering him not to fight the Helan incomers. (15th of 8th)

## Ninth Month

1. Verbal Command 1SZ-09-01 - granting Yao Qin a promotion to Colonel of the Fire Drakes. (8th of 9th)
2. Memo 1SZ-09-01 - to Admiral Tian, regarding the successful parley with the Helan. (11th of 9th)

## Tenth Month

1. Memo 1SZ-10-01 - to the new Director of the Palace Library, mandating the split of the Archives. (13th of 10th)
2. Edict 1SZ-10-01 - to the Ministry of the Civil Service, punishing insolent officials proposing to execute the Helan. (16th of 10th)
3. Edict 1SZ-10-02 - to the Ministry of Rites, announcing our protection of the Helan. (29th of 10th)
4. Edict 1SZ-10-03 - to the Helan guests, announcing their new quarters at Leopard Stone Village. (29th of 10th)

## Eleventh Month

1. Edict 1SZ-11-01 - to the Grand Secretaries, commanding that a better way be found to organise state information. (8th of 11th)
2. Edict 1SZ-11-02 - to the Helan settlers, commanding their presence at the Imperial Hunting Park in the 12th month. (8th of 11th)
3. Memo 1SZ-11-01 - to Mu Hanzheng, summoning him to an audience. (20th of 11th)
4. Memo 1SZ-11-02 - to Kong Zhen, an Envoy of the College of Envoys, to get a list of academies around the central region of the Empire. (20th of 11th)
5. Edict 1SZ-11-03 - to Mu Hanzheng and four other physicians, officially establishing a private office for medical research led by the five physicians. (22nd of 11th)

## Twelfth Month

1. Edict 1SZ-12-01 - regarding showing the Helan cannon, but not the war rockets, at the New Year Audience. (20th of 12th)
2. Edict 1SZ-12-02 - to the Helan, recruiting language teachers. (20th of 12th)
3. Edict 1SZ-12-03 - to the Helan, accepting 7 applicants. (23rd of 12th)
4. Edict 1SZ-12-04 - granting 3,000 taels to a group of non-conformist Academies, along with carved signboards personally written by the Emperor. (26th of 12th)