學界過去稱西漢幾個在宮中值勤的職官為中朝官，這些職官多數為加官。以往對中朝官的職權已有不少研究，本文擬分析這群職官如何參與皇帝的決策過程，藉此深入探討中朝諸官的職能分工。 本文指出，諸吏與給事中、左右曹、領尚書事的大司馬，分別參與皇帝決策流程的不同環節。天下吏民的上書由尚書收受之後，可能先讓左右曹評議，初步擬訂處理建議，再交給皇帝及領尚書事。若是疑難或較敏感的事務（如涉及處罰丞相），皇帝可在交付朝廷公開討論之前，先讓中朝臣集議商量，或令其審理案件，提供處理方案。此種集議在宣帝時期主要由將軍、加官諸吏者參與，到成、哀時期也加入給事中的博士、大夫，但皇帝並不親臨。中朝集議呈報的方案並非定案，皇帝可以不採用，也可以再召開公卿議、朝廷大議討論，或交由個別機構研擬實施辦法。即便如此，後續處理往往依中朝集議的提案進行，於是有時皇帝便利用中朝議引導朝廷論議，以達其政治目的。政事無論是否交由中朝集議討論，都必須通過皇帝裁決，才能成為詔令付諸執行。而皇帝平日裁決政務時，從旁輔佐的是領尚書事，他對皇帝決策的影響力最大。能入禁中隨侍的侍中，也可能是皇帝做決定前私下商量的對象。

Officials serving in the imperial palace during the Western Han dynasty, many of whom held additional bureaucratic titles, are called Inner Court officials in the academic literature. They have been the subject of a substantial body of research. The present article endeavors to analyze the ways in which these officials participated in the imperial decision-making process, and discuss the division of functional responsibilities within that group from this perspective. The article establishes that officials holding titles of zhuli (諸吏) and Jishizhong (給事中), as well as those serving as zuoyoucao (左右曹), and Marshals of State (dasima 大司馬), the latter also called ling shangshushi (領尚書事), differed in the mode and stage at which they participated in the imperial decision-making process. After memorials to the emperor from the populace or state officials were collected by secretaries, the zuoyoucao could draw up recommendations before submitting them to the emperor and the ling shangshushi. In cases deemed difficult or sensitive (e.g. involving punishments of imperial chancellors), the emperor could convene the Inner Court officials to present recommendations or try cases and propose solutions before opening the issue up for discussion by the imperial court. The emperor would not personally attend these proceedings. During the reign of Emperor Xuan, the group of officials tasked with such deliberations included mainly generals and holders of the additional title zhuli. By the reigns of Emperors Cheng and Ai, this was expanded to include court academicians (boshi 博士) and counsellors (dafu 大夫) with titles of Jishizhong. Recommendations produced by this Inner Court council were by no means final; the emperor always had the option to discard them. He could also call a council of ministers or a general court assembly to discuss the matter further. It was also possible for the emperor to entrust the issue to a specific administrative organ for deliberation and resolution. Despite that, issues were often resolved based on recommendations from the Inner Court assemblies. The emperor sometimes used those bodies to steer the opinion of the court to achieve his political goals. No matter whether political affairs went through Inner Court deliberations or not, all decisions ultimately rested on the emperor and only with his approval could they be passed down in decrees for implementation. Moreover, the ling shangshushi assisted the emperor in day-to-day administrative decisions, giving them the highest amount of influence on imperial decision-making among all Inner Court officials. Officials holding titles of Palace Attendants (shizhong 侍中), who were permitted to enter private imperial quarters, could exert a private influence on the emperor’s decisions.

西漢; 中朝; 集議; 決策; 領尚書事

Western Han; Inner Court; council; decision-making; ling shangshushi