A Study of the Date of the Er Nian Lü Ling

Although the er nian(the second year)in the Er Nian Lu Ling(the Second Year Laws 二年律令)indicates a specific date,it was not the year when the laws were issued or formulated.Of the laws contained in the collection,the Qian Lu(Currency Law)must have drawn up before Ba Zhu coins came into use during the reign of Empress Lu.In other words,the law was drawn up before the second year of the reign of Empress Lu.The Zhi Lu(Law of Official Salaries)and Jue Lu(Law of Official Ranks)reflect a period when the Han Dynasty system was quite well developed,and must also have been formulated at an earlier time.The Xing Shu Lu(Communication Law)contains specific examples that suggest the fifth year of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty as the time limit for the formulation or implementation of the Han Dynasty laws.