According to the prefs., the original work of which this is a new ed. was published in a movable-type ed. (集珍板) with poor circulation; the materials had been collected by Hu Tiaoyuan when he was an official at the Ministry of Justice. Hu’s own pref. to the Xuzeng sequel (see next entry) says that this first installment was completed in 1830 in 16 fasc. The present facsimile (翻刻) was edited and published in Kaifeng by Zhang Zengpei (z. Wencha 問槎) from Jinkui, with the help of a large array of disciples and nephews for the collating. The original ed. already included a sequel (續增) in 17 juan, or 4 fasc. (see next entry). The entries—that is, the memoranda written by the various provincial bureaus of the Ministry of Justice—are dated and arranged in the order of the sections in the Penal Code (as enumerated in the general mulu at the beginning and in the central margins in the work), and of the statutes therein. They cover the period 1784-1829. Each juan is preceded by a list of the entries it contains, with captions giving their general content and the name of the culprit in the case discussed; the latter also appears at the bottom of the central margin and can thus serve as an index for browsing.