Inner Court (Themiclesia)
The Inner Court (中朝, trjung-hnrjaw, lit. "court of the Meridian Enclosure"; or 內朝 neps-hnrjagw, "inner court") is a part of the Themiclesian state and government. It no longer functions as a cohesive collective, but as a descriptive category of public bodies that share some degree of derivational or operational tangency that remain visible, it survives in terminology. Historically, the Inner Court stands in opposition to the Outer Court; the former consists of the Menghean (and later Themiclesian) monarch's favourites, while the latter is composed of officials who obtain their positions through conventional avenues. Gradually, policy authority shifted to the Inner Court, though the Outer Court remained indispensible as the apparatus that carried out many functions of government, centrally and locally. Today, most legislation and government policies originate in the Inner Court, which includes Themiclesia's parliament and cabinet.
Menghean precursor
Ten Councils
The Inner Court of Themiclesia is conventionally thought to be the ten bodies that were physically located in the confines of the Palace and held positions that directly concerned the emperor. Though historically accurate, this commonality is now extant only in name, as these bodies' functions have evolved to encompass far more. These bodies are listed as follows.
Correspondence
The Correspondence Council (尚書省) is the highest executive authority in Themiclesia.
Protonotary
The Protonotary Council (中書省) is the elected lower house of the parliament of Themiclesia. Amongst its members, one is the President of Protonotaries, who serves as speaker of the assembly, and another is the Superintendent of Protonotaries, who precedes the President, but usually the Leader of the Opposition in parliamentary terms. The Council is dissolved every five years or sooner by the emperor, upon the Correspondence Council's advice. By law, the council must meet at least once in each administrative year (which begins in the tenth month of the lunisolar calendar or after the termination of any intercalary months, whichever the later), though in recent centuries there have been several exceptions, without generating much disquiet. Each time a general election is held, three to five members are returned from each prefecture; representation is slightly skewed in favour of sparsely populated prefectures. Members of the Council are immune from arrest and prosecution and enjoy parliamentary privilege as found in most other states. The title of a member is Gentleman-Protonotary (中書郎).
The Protonotary Council, along with the Attendant Council and Cavalier Council, are deemed to form Themiclesia's tricameral parliament, though this interpretation is not without its detractors. In conventional Westminster phraseology, these three bodies and the crown enjoy sovereign power over all state affairs, but this is not borne out by Themiclesia's constitutional law, which identifies the Correspondence Council as the office of all affairs of state. Increasingly, the letter of the law has been explained by jurists as referring to only executive functions, with which the legislative and judicial are not always clearly separated in the antiquity of the code. By tradition, all primary legislation must be passed by the three bodies aforementioned and the crown (plus after-the-fact countersignature by the Correspondence Council). Primary legislation come in two forms, codices and edicts. Codices enumerate laws that apply to society in general, in both administrative and criminal affairs. Edicts are laws passed in response to a specific stimulus or to grant prerogative to a particular person. Both are equal in force.
Attendant
The Attendant Council (門下省) forms the upper house of the parliament of Themiclesia along with the Cavalier Council (散騎省). The Attendant Council can also be called the Ultraport Council, though this term was originally not a proper noun and may, in older literature, refer to the Cavalier Council or both that and the Attendant Council. The Attendant Council is composed of individuals appointed for life by the emperor, upon the prime minister's recommendation. Membership may vary but not be fewer than four. A figure between seven and fifteen is common, though in the past this body has inflated to over 60 (briefly in Jun. 1891). Of the members of the Council, one will be the Attendant Libator (侍中祭酒) and another the Attendant Minister (侍中僕射); these two titles are largely honourary. All others are called Inner Attendant (侍中).
Originally agents to delivery the emperor's messages, to accompany his person, and to answer his philosophical questions, their role in the legislative has evolved towards discussion of the merits of drafts that have been tabled at the Protonotary Council. However, the Council is not a full-fledged legislative house per se, because it does not vote on bills; instead, only the knowledge and assent of one member is required in practice. Such can happen almost instantly by reading a bill to the emperor and announcing to the proper audience his assent (customarily, via the phrase "the empreor has declared his assent" for statutes and clemency; "the emperor accepts what has been proposed" for others). If a bill without the government's endorsement has been passed at the Protonotary Council, a member may, at the government's request, advise the emperor of the government's objections and relay a desire, in the emperor's voice, to see discussion reopened (詔複議). As in most Westminster-system states, this has not happend for many decades and may trigger a crisis if casually imposed.
Cavalier
The Cavalier Council (散騎省) along with the Attendant Council forms of the upper house of the parliament of Themiclesia. As their name suggests, these individuals originally followed the imperial carriage on horseback and served as guardians of the imperial seal whenever the its owner was away from the palace. In this function they are indistinguishable from the Attendants, who also accompany the empreor on horseback, and indeed they are most often seen together, each holding one of the emperor's arms when he walks. Cavaliers are also appointed by the emperor, for life, upon the government's recommendation, though Cavaliers usually are non-political appointments. They are not expected to support or oppose legislation as a parliamentary party, and some authors consider them a constitutional court of some kind in rendering unbiased opinion on bills. Historically, the emepror has full latitude in deciding who his cavaliers will be, though the large paycheque that comes with the position has introduced government appropriation to it. The emperor's own wishes continue to be respected in appointing half of the current cavaliers, and royal favours have falled variously on famed artists, musicians, scholars, poets, political commentators, retired civil servants, retired military officers, and even the empress' cousin-cum-lover. [1]
The legislative functions of the Cavaliers is effectively similar to that of the Attendants but procedurally different. Because Cavaliers are appointed with reference to the emperor's own desires, it is expected that they will not serve as the government's mouthpieces in positing objections to the Protonotaries' bills. They are free to counsel the emperor with or without his request, but they do not publish their opinions on government policies until they become statute. This restriction is constitutionally important as a defence to the question of the emperor's political responsibility. The Cavaliers have custody of the Privy Seal, which is a counterseal to the Great Seal that the Attendants hold. Whenever they declare the emperor's assent to any instrument, the Cavaliers are responsible for ascertaining that the emperor did, in fact, declare his assent and thereupon impress the Privy Seal onto the official instrument, before the Attendants can apply the Great Seal. When this happens, two other officials, namely that of the President or Supreintendent of the Protonotaries or a member of the Library Council will be drawn at random to scrutinize that the proper procedures have been observed. This design prevents either the Attendants or Cavaliers from usurping power with the emperor's voice and seal. This ceremony occurs every day the Protonotaries sit and every other day when they do not.
Library
The Library Council (祕書省) manages a collection of rare originals manuscripts and books out of print. By law, five copies of each book, upon publication, must be sent to the Library Council for reference; two are available for public reading, while three are kept in reserve in secret locations, in case fire should destroy any of the other copies. Access to the Library Council's collection is free-of-charge, but books may not be lent from the premises.
Usher
The Usher Council (謁者省) manages the palace's affairs as they pertain to members of the public, organizing tours and private appointments for academic access to parts of the palace other than the Library. Petitions addressed directly to the emperor and requests for private audiences are processed by this body with knowledge of the Correspondence Council.
Tribune
The Tribune Council (御史臺) supervises the affairs of the palace for breaches of the law and partly manages its security.
Waterways
The Waterways Council (督水臺) is responsible for keeping the palace's waterways clear of debris and ensuring the proper maintenance of all riverbanks and dredgings of canals.
Literature
The Literature Council (著作省) manages the government's publications and compiles references such as almanacs.
Glaucoport
The Glaucoport Council (黃門省) manages all affairs within the confines of the palace that do not belong to any of the above.
Notes
- ↑ This was opposed by the government, but it eventually relented for an unrecorded reason in 1802