These, as he represents
them, show the Council of Ministers usually to have consisted of twelve
high officials, viz.: two Ch'ing-siang [Chinese] or (chief) ministers of
state, one styled, "of the Right," and the other "of the Left"; four
called P'ing-chang ching-sse, which seems to mean something like
ministers in charge of special departments; four assistant ministers; two
Counsellors.
Rashiduddin, however, limits the Council to the first two classes:
"Strictly speaking, the Council of State is composed of four Ch'ing-sang
(Ch'ing-siang) or great officers (Wazirs he afterwards terms them),
and four Fanchan (P'ing-chang) or associated members, taken from the
nations of the Tajiks, Cathayans, Ighurs, and Arkaun" (i.e. Nestorian
Christians). (Compare p. 418, supra.)
[A Samarkand man, Seyyd Tadj Eddin Hassan ben el Khallal, quoted in the
Masalak al Absar, says: "Near the Khan are two amirs who are his
ministers; they are called Djing San [Arabic] (Ch'ing-siang). After them
come the two Bidjan [Arabic] (P'ing Chang), then the two Zoudjin
[Arabic] (Tso Chen), then the two Yudjin [Arabic] (Yu Chen), and at last
the Landjun [Arabic] (Lang Chang), head of the scribes, and secretary of
the sovereign. The Khan holds a sitting every day in the middle of a large
building called Chen [Arabic] (Sheng), which is very like our Palace of
Justice." (C. Schefer, Cent. Ec. Langues Or., pp. 18-19.) - H. C.]
In a later age we find the twelve Barons reappearing in the pages of
Mendoza:
