Pei Yuke

Overview

Pei Yuke is a figure recorded in the Pei clan entry of Volume 78 of the *the Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*. He belonged to the Bordered Yellow Banner as a bondservant (baoyi) officer, and his family had lived in the Julu River area for generations. The year of their submission is unknown. This book is an official clan genealogy compiled during the Qianlong reign. This volume includes Han surnames from the Manchu banner system; the Pei surname and bondservant status cannot be directly converted into Han Chinese Eight Banners ranks. Variant characters in the original name are retained according to their mother's name.

The bondservant of the Bordered Yellow Banner were connected to the affairs of the three banners of the Imperial Household Department. "Guanling underling" indicates the lower-level population and their affiliation with corvée labor, and cannot be interpreted as Pei Yuke himself holding the position of Guanling. The original record states that his son, Wuse, once served as a stable master, and his grandson, Chang'adai, once served as a "treasurer"; Wuse is a name in the sentence, not a color description, and Chang'adai's official title should not have been changed to "treasurer" without proofreading.

The stable master was involved in the management of horses and stable affairs. The Imperial Household Department's system for the Imperial Stables listed the positions of Pasture Chief, Stable Chief, Saddle Master, and clerks, indicating a clear division of labor among animal husbandry, stable management, and saddlery duties. The original text did not specify the exact vacancies for the five ranks; this article only explains the work areas of these positions.

The Julu River is the historical and geographical name for the Liao River, and local water conservancy data also use it to mark the end of the navigable section of the river in the early Qing Dynasty. The phrase "Julu River area" in the genealogy is still a geographical designation and cannot be used to designate modern villages or coordinates for the Pei family. The standard titles for the Treasury officials must be verified against the original inscriptions, while family identities and kinship can be compiled independently.