In fact, secret folding still belongs to the category of memorial, which is called secret folding because of its confidentiality requirements. This kind of document originated in the last years of Kangxi and flourished in Yongzheng period, forming a complete secret folding system. It was still widely used in Qianlong period, but decreased gradually in Jiaqing period. Kanggan period is the representative period of Qing dynasty, with strong national strength and complicated state affairs, and one of the written carriers of these affairs is secret folding. To some extent, it can be said that it is the main body of official documents in Qing dynasty, and it is also an important symbol different from official documents in previous dynasties.
Secret folding is also called "secret folding", which means folding. It is named after writing with folded paper. Each origami has a different number, ranging from one to more than ten. Secret folding can be stretched and folded, which is very convenient to use. According to different performances, origami can be divided into four types: plain paper, yellow paper, yellow silk paper and white silk paper. Generally, many people can press ordinary paper. There must be an envelope outside the secret fold, and the words "secret", "secret play" or "secret fold" are written on the envelope. In Yongzheng period, in order to keep secret, the secret folder also presented a lock box, and the monarch and the minister each held a key to ensure the safety of the documents.
In the early years of Qing dynasty, the cabinet system of Ming dynasty was followed. The cabinet is responsible for all specific administrative affairs, including the performance of duties of ministers inside and outside Beijing, and all kinds of regulations, imperial edicts, imperial edicts and government decrees promulgated by the emperor are collected by the cabinet. Therefore, the special position of the cabinet has been gradually valued by various forces, and it has become a tool to abuse power for personal gain and master the draft, which has seriously affected the rule of imperial power. In particular, Kangxi had many children, and the battle for imperial power was almost heated. In order to get more first-hand information and keep abreast of folk trends, Kangxi ordered some cronies to report to him in secret and go straight to the command. Yongzheng actively carried out strict secret folding system. Although the military department gradually replaced the cabinet as the imperial secretariat, as the main form of writing, the secret folding is written by officials themselves, sent directly to the performance hall and presented to the emperor, which saves many intermediate links and does not leak the contents through many hands, so it plays an important and unique role in the national official document work.
The secret folds are all king's faces. During the reign of Kangxi, only Li and other cronies were allowed to play, while during the reign of Yongzheng, the range of officials who were allowed to play in secret was greatly expanded: local officials such as political envoys, provincial judges, school officials, and even some Taoist priests and county magistrates were granted this right. In this way, the network of imperial power is getting bigger and bigger, which is conducive to the emperor's comprehensive grasp of the situation in the country.
The characteristics of "going straight to the imperial court" determine that its content is mostly related to the king, which can be roughly divided into four categories according to the nature of the content: greeting, thanking, rewarding and explaining. The first three categories are mostly used for officials to express their personal wishes to the emperor, which is an informal communication between cronies and the emperor, while the fourth category "Chen Shi Zhe" has rich substantive content and significance. For example, after the mid-Kangxi period, many places in the south of the Yangtze River once told Li: "Today, I heard that there are many gossips in the south, which are made out of nothing. We should discuss major issues and minor issues, and we can't ask people to inquire. You are deeply indebted, but if you have heard of it, you can write and act it yourself. " Later, Li and others played events such as Taicang Uprising, Zhang Uprising and Jiangnan Case-solving, which made secret folding a powerful tool for rulers to understand people's feelings. The secrecy of Yongzheng was further strengthened, so its content was more about the inspection and supervision of officials. "I don't save Fujian Province, that is, I don't save the bureaucracy, the military and the government, and even the courtiers. I have heard all my actions or gains and losses. I don't have to wait for the truth to come out, so I will play it secretly first." Courtiers don't know what others are playing, so everyone has to be careful. According to the imperial edict of Yong Zhengdi's Zhu Pi, "... how can you tell the truth and gain insight into current events if you have poor eyes and ears and unclear knowledge?" As a result, everything from weather, food prices, water conservancy to performance appraisal, impeachment of officials, and even trivial matters came into view, and everyone was under the control of the king.
Undoubtedly, the wide range of people involved and the wide range of subjects involved make the document form of secret folding play a huge role in feudal tradition.
First of all, the secret message can effectively convey the situation, and the secret gentleman can understand the first-hand situation of local government affairs and personnel as comprehensively as possible, providing a favorable basis for him to adjust the general plan of governing the country and appoint and dismiss personnel. Secondly, the secret fold broke through the gap between the vassal and the monarch, so that the speech could be directly conveyed to the emperor, giving the vassal a chance to talk directly with the emperor, which was helpful to the unity and consistency of thoughts and policies within the whole feudal rule. Thirdly, the use of secret folding shortens the period of file transmission, eliminates the possibility of content being leaked and edited, and contributes to the efficient operation of the whole administrative system.
In a word, the secret folding in the Qing Dynasty not only effectively assumed the historical responsibility of political rule in the Qing Dynasty, but also provided good experience and enlightenment for the establishment and perfection of modern document system in China.