In addition, most officials at that time passed the imperial examinations. These officials are familiar with classics, but lack experience in dealing with government affairs. They have a little knowledge of law, accounting, etc. and can't handle their daily work. Therefore, officials at all levels often hire some scholars to help them make suggestions, draft the memorial, and handle daily official duties. At first, such people were called aides, but in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, they were called touts.
There is no regulation on how many brokers each official can employ. It all depends on personal needs and financial resources. Generally speaking, local officials like Fuxian often hire a master who helps to draft documents and memorials, a master who helps to judge cases, and a master who helps to collect money and manage local finances.
However, some officials who have no money will also hire one or two less, so that one can ask how many hats they can wear. And those senior officials, especially those with money, may hire a dozen or even dozens of touts. Therefore, there was never an exact number of teachers in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is generally believed that when the profession of touts reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty, there were more than 10,000 touts at the state and county levels at that time, which was a huge number.
Because touts need to help employers write documents and handle daily affairs, they must be familiar with classics, be proficient in government affairs and people's feelings, and need to have a considerable cultural foundation. Therefore, officials often employ those scholars who failed in the imperial examination as teachers. Since the Song Dynasty, Jiangnan has become increasingly rich, and the wind of education has also risen. Private schools are everywhere, and there are more scholars than other regions. However, at that time, only a few people were able to pass the imperial examination, and those literati who failed to gain fame could only make a living by it. Shaoxing is a mountainous area with a large population. Compared with Suzhou and Hangzhou, it is difficult for poor scholars to find a suitable livelihood in the local area, so most of them can only go out and choose their masters. Therefore, from the beginning, the number of Shaoxing-based touts was relatively large.
Moreover, the profession of touts has a strong professionalism, especially those such as criminal names, money and grain, which need to be proficient in law, accounting and other aspects, and ordinary scholars are incompetent. Shaoxing people are smart and capable. After realizing that the profession of touts is promising, people who have been touts will cultivate their sons and nephews in a targeted manner. In this way, many Shaoxing literati have the professional knowledge to be masters, and when officials hire masters, they often give priority to admission, further increasing the number of Shaoxing masters.
In addition, due to the increasing number of Shaoxing teachers in the Qing Dynasty. The touts usually need to help employers deal with other yamen, and the first thing they encounter is often the touts hired by the other side. The ancients paid attention to the nostalgia, and the hometown association was more accommodating, which further strengthened the competitiveness of Shaoxing-based touts, and the number of Shaoxing-based touts was even more.
According to some notes in the Qing Dynasty, about 50% to 70% of the teachers in the yamen at that time came from Shaoxing, and there was a saying that "nothing can be done without salt". It is precisely because of the numerous origins of Shaoxing among the touts that Shaoxing touts are active in almost all large and small government offices all over the country. In many folklore, Shaoxing teachers often appear. After a long time, the special title "Shaoxing touting" appeared, and later "Shaoxing touting" became the general name of this profession. When it comes to a master, no matter where he actually comes from, people often call him "Shaoxing Master".
Because the name "Shaoxing Bao Ye" is so famous, many people have the illusion that "all Bao Ye must be from Shaoxing". For example, it is said in "Da Qing Chao" that the word "Shaoxing" was worn by the master before, because all the masters were from Shaoxing.
Shaoxing is crowned by rare people, such as operators. Clearing bank notes
However, in fact, the profession of touts is not the patent of Shaoxing people, and there are many famous touts in other places in the Qing Dynasty. Like Zuo, a famous minister in the late Qing Dynasty, he was a teacher in his early years. He is from Xiangyin, Hunan, and has nothing to do with Shaoxing.