Patent by Ordinance, Patent by Command

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"Patents" are announcements. In the Ming Dynasty system, all bureaucrats will be given a Patent so long as they finish one term on their job. The bureaucrats above the fifth official rank will be given Patents by Ordinance, and the ones under will be given Patents by Command. Qing continued this tradition. As The Rules and Systems in Guanxu Era (光緒會典事例) details, "The bureaucrats above the fifth official rank and the ones with eternal aristocratic inheritance will be given the Patents by Ordinance. For the bureaucrats in Vassal States, or below the sixth rank, or limited inheritance aristocrats can be granted Patents by Command. The Hanlin Academy will compose the format and grant them to bureaucrats and subjects. To inherit the aristocracy of Lord of Mongolia, Beile (Prince of the Blood of 3rd Degree), and other aristocratic titles, bureaucrats and subjects would only need to send the original issued Patent back to the Grand Secretariat; after the Grand Secretariat and other departments that it sends Duplicate Copies to verified the validity of the Patent, the Central Drafting Office will fill the heir's name and date of inheritance. After sealing, the applicant will be summoned to the Grand Secretariat to take their Patent." Patents are given in honor and the Emperor's grace. If the Patent is directly granted to oneself, it is called Patent Endowment; if the Patent is inherited from someone alive (Great grandparents, grandparents, parents, or spouse), it is called Patent Ennoblement; if the Patent is inherited from someone who passed away, it is called Patent Bequeath. A Patent could only be taken away in the case of a removal from office.
Item No.
038250
On January 11, 1752 (Year 16 of Qianlong), the Emperor gave a Patent by Ordinance to the assistant Commander-in-chief at Fulin base Tonghai as Grand Master of Palace. (Registration Number: 038250)
Item No.
038228
On March 20, 1662, the Emperor gave Enku, the son of Tuosha Vassal Lord Haerhaer the Patent by Ordinance to inherit his father's title. The title is the eighth rank out of nine ranks of aristocracy. In the first year of Emperor Qianlong, the Chinese for the title changed to The Commandant of Fleet-as-clouds Cavalry. (Registration Number: 038228)