Chapter 86

For a scholar, the title of Grand Secretary is the highest honor one can attain in a lifetime. During the Qianlong era, Grand Secretaries were associated with the "Three Halls and Three Pavilions": the Baohe Hall, Wenhua Hall, Wuying Hall, plus the Wenyuan Pavilion, East Pavilion, and Tiren Pavilion. Anyone who could hold the position of Grand Secretary in these three halls and three pavilions was generally addressed as "Grand Secretary Lord"—the absolute ceiling for any scholar. As for the Pavilion of Purple Light, that was a place specially designated by the Old Ancestor Qianlong to store portraits of meritorious ministers who had sacrificed their lives for the country, much like the Yun Pavilion of the Han dynasty or the Lingyan Pavilion of the Tang. Among the "Three Halls and Three Pavilions," the Baohe Hall was the most prestigious. However, after the death of the original Grand Secretary of the Baohe Hall, Fuheng, the title was no longer bestowed upon any official. This resulted in a "Two Halls and Three Pavilions" structure, making the Wenhua Hall the most prestigious of them all.