制外之例:明代免觐考察制度

A Law above Laws: An Investigation of Exemption from Court Evaluation in Ming

明初国家创设朝觐考察制度时,除云南布政司外各省直地方官员必须三年一次朝觐考察。然而明朝进入中期以后,社会阶级矛盾与民族矛盾不断深化,国家对社会控制松懈。同时,由于水旱灾伤频发,地方事故窃发,兵荒相交等错综复杂因素并存,朝觐考察制度运行发生"越轨"和失范,地方官员奏免朝觐现象渐多,降至成化、嘉靖时期达到顶峰。免觐考察,从特例到普遍、从事实到惯例,自下而上形成一套奏请程序,在既定朝觐考察之外又演变出一套免觐考察制度,构成朝觐考察制度不可分割的部分。免觐考察的大量存在,显著降低了朝觐考察制度的功能与作用,违悖了明初朝觐考察制度设计的初衷和本意。

The present paper thoroughly investigates Ming’s practice of exemption from the court evaluation applied to local governors,which was required by the sovereign every three years. It argues that,the practice of exemption,which gradually developed into a law outweighing the established court evaluation system,did damage the central government’s supervisory work and was diametrically against the early Ming’s political design.