明清檔案工作室 | GRAND SECRETARIAT ARCHIVES PROJECT

In Qing's system, if an Edict is not copied and dispatched by the Grand Secretariat, but instead is given for an order for Council of State bureaucrat, the Edict is called a Court Letter. According to The Shu-Yuan Records , "Letters, commonly known as Court Letters, are delivered under the name of The Council of State bureaucrat through the General-in-chief, Imperial Commissioner, General, Grand Minister Consultant, Commander-in-chief, Assistant Commander-in-chief, Grand Minister Superintendent of Qinghai, Grand Minister Superintendent of Xinjiang, General Commander, Provincial Governor, Provincial Director of Education. If it passes salt administration, border administration, or vassal states, the Edict is delivered with the warrant of "The Council of States bureaucrats passing Imperial Edict". All such edicts contain the date of the Edict's arrival, and are sealed and delivered by the Council of States bureaucrats. For war updates from the Board of War, depending on the urgency of the issue, they might be expedited at the most immediate level (on-the-horse non-stop delivery), or in the 400-li, 500-li, or 600-li urgency interval, as specified on the front cover.