Overview
The Qing expression zhuanzhe zoushi denoted authorization to submit an individual palace memorial directly to the emperor. It concerned a channel and privilege of communication, not an official rank, nor a restriction limiting the recipient to one memorial on a single subject. Eligibility depended on imperial authorization, the person's existing duties, and the matters entrusted to that official. It must not be assumed that every serving officer automatically possessed identical access.
Historical Background
Jointly signed memorials differed from individually presented memorials. A report normally required to be endorsed with another superior could, within an expressly granted scope, be submitted independently once that privilege was approved. A recorded arrangement involving the Taiwan circuit intendant, for example, removed the requirement to join the provincial military commander as a co-signatory in the relevant business. Officials responsible for military supplies or specialized local assignments might similarly receive separate authorization; their ordinary rank alone does not settle the matter.
Sources and Interpretation
Permission to memorialize directly did not ensure approval of the request and did not release the petitioner from normal responsibility, review, or discipline. Where a biography records that an official “was permitted to memorialize independently,” an editor should identify the date and the relevant task if the source provides them. The wording should not be expanded into a claim of unrestricted, permanent access. Such authorization must also be distinguished from a substantive office, an honorary title, or the grant of hereditary nobility.
Sources and Bibliography
Links reproduce references supplied with the Chinese editorial manuscript; they do not establish that every individual statement has undergone independent archival verification.
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