Qing court ladies

Chapter 1

On February 26nd, the [-]th year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, Shenwu Gate in the Forbidden City.

During the Great Qing Dynasty, women under the left collar of the upper three banners, unless they were sick or disabled, had to participate in the annual selection hosted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and enter the palace for labor.

February [-]nd is the day of selection. At the beginning of Yinshi, all the selected women need to go to Shenwumen for appointment. The ceremonial department assesses and assigns labor services. The time limit is generally half a year, and labor services are paid monthly.

At the beginning of the Yin Dynasty, the lights of the Shenwu Gate were flickering, flickering, and the carriages stopped and left in an orderly manner. The woman to be elected stood quietly in front of the Shenwu Gate with her head bowed. Who, who went forward to salute, and then lined up to be led into the palace gate by the eunuch in charge. There were many people standing in front of Shenwu Gate, but the only sound was the voice of the high-ranking eunuch calling their names in silence.

In the dark night, the Shenwu Gate was still dim despite the lights. The faces of the eunuchs on the high ranks were not clearly visible, only the thin figure and sharp voice were impressive.

"Torjia's Suyue" the eunuch on the high rank shouted.

Among the women standing under the flickering lights, an elegant and quiet woman in a white flag dress lowered her head and stepped forward, saying, "Your maidservant is here."

The eunuch calling for the name looked up and nodded. The woman moved aside and stood behind the previous one, waiting for the number of twelve to be led into the palace by the eunuch in charge.

"Bi Lu's Ome" the eunuch shouted again.

Another woman walked out of the crowd, with her head bowed and she was dressed in black printed clothes that blended into the night. Her fair face was extremely eye-catching, her cheeks were slightly bulging, and her figure was plump.

The eunuch took a look, the woman walked behind Su Yue, and 12 people were led into the Shenwu Gate.

Su Yue kept her head down and trotted along, the voice of the eunuch behind her was getting weaker and weaker. At the age of 13, her steps were small, and some of them couldn't keep up. The same was true for the other court ladies, but the selection was complicated, and they were all in a hurry. You must pay attention to the distance between the front and the back, and do not paste the predecessors, nor allow the coming people to paste them.

Suyue has long been famous for the red walls and yellow tiles of the Forbidden City, but she has not seen them for two lifetimes. Now Suyue is curious, but dare not look up, and only glances at the intersection of the heels of the red walls and the bluestone ground from the corner of her eye.The rules of the palace are strict, and the maids are servants with no power. If they are not careful, they will die. Even a corpse may not be transported home for burial. Su Yue has expectations in her heart, so she is more cautious.

After passing Shunzhen Gate, everyone stopped in one place. Su Yue didn't dare to look up, and she didn't know where they stopped. Su Yue only looked around from the corner of her eye. It was probably an open place similar to a school playground. It was paved with blue stones, the breeze was blowing, and it carried the fragrance of many kinds of flowers. It was still early at this time, the sky was still gray, and there was no light at all.

"Aunt Qingyu, I'll leave these people to you." The eunuch's soft, laughing and ingratiating voice sounded in the empty and quiet place, and Su Yue hurriedly collected her mind and listened carefully.

"Xiaoluzi, go and do your work." A cold female voice sounded back, the voice should be a little old.

Su Yue instinctively wanted to raise her head to have a look, but suddenly lowered her head and listened quietly.

"Today is your selection day for entering the palace. You must all know the basic etiquette. Wait here now, don't talk too much." Aunt Qingyu's voice sounded without a trace of ups and downs, ordering majesticly.

"Yes" everyone returned in a low voice, but no matter how low the voice was, it couldn't withstand the crowd, and at this moment of silence, it still surprised Su Yue.

Su Yue turned her head to look at both sides, and found that other girls were also looking around, looking at each other and smiling, the tension in Su Yue's heart suddenly eased a bit.Before Su Yue entered the palace, Ama and Er Niang had told them that although they were selected by the palace maids this time, it was not a simple matter. There are other differences between closeness and estrangement. Internal servants, but they belong to the Eight Banners after all, have a little more honor than the Han family, and some of the coats are still servants in terms of status, but because of the difference in the rank of the inner palace at home, there are still differences between them. Just like Suyue, Amana is the treasury of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which belongs to the seventh rank. Suyue is a bit more noble than the coats below the seventh rank in the family, and in the palace, there are usually coats that are favored by the emperor and are named Concubines, honored by the holy grace to raise the flag, they are out of the ranks of the coats, even if they are not out of the ranks of the coats, the women of this family are more dignified than the other court ladies when they enter the palace.Since ancient times, high and low have been inseparable from intrigues. This audition, Su Yue fantasized many times in her heart, wondering if it would be as wonderful and weird as those aunts and grandmas auditions, or ordinary, but she never thought that she would actually see it. It's so busy that there's no time to take a break, so naturally nothing can happen.

After waiting for a cup of tea, there were small footsteps approaching from far to near, and Aunt Qingyu's voice sounded again, but this time it was a bit more gentle and tactful, "I have seen Mr. Li, Aunt Jingqing"

Everyone saluted. When Su Yue heard about Manager Li, she couldn't help thinking of Li Dequan beside Kangxi. What's more, it should be Li Dequan and another aunt who is in charge of the ceremony department. Yue is a little curious, this person is always indispensable in many Qing palace dramas, Su Yue raised her head slightly, and all she could see at a glance was the flag heads, and in the dark sky, she couldn't see anything except the bright lights, Su Yue was a little discouraged, but she didn't dare to continue to look around , had to bow his head.

"Let's get started" said a slightly serious and ruthless voice, cold and cold.

The selection officially started, and the person who called the name stepped forward, but for a while, only the voice of the name was heard.Su Yue lowered her head and remembered what Ama and Er Niang said before leaving home, don't be in a hurry, be calm, and be careful when doing things, Su Yue suddenly had a sore nose, and her eyes were a little moist, Su Yue was homesick and missed Ah Ma'eniang, although she has only been away from home for an hour or two, she can't stop the surging longing. Ever since Suyue opened her eyes in this body 13 years ago, she has not left home for so many years. It's not always possible to see her, but Er Niang is with her every day, and now they don't know when they will be able to get together again, Su Yue feels sad, and every bit of getting along comes to the fore.

I still remember the confusion and fear when I just found out that I was a baby in the Qing Dynasty. At that time, I was very sad every day, but later, Ama Erniang loved her in every possible way, and gradually the long-lost family affection arose in Su Yue's heart, and slowly She has integrated into this place, integrated into the family, but the happy days are so short, and she has to say goodbye to her parents in an instant, and enter the palace as a servant, and the misfortune and fortune are unpredictable, and she is not even sure whether she will meet again.

Although Ama has repeatedly said that she can leave the palace as long as she is 25 years old, Suyue is still very scared. She is afraid that she will die, and she is also afraid that she will not survive until the age of 25. As long as she thinks of the palace, Suyue will feel terrified... ·

The more Suyue thought about it, the more terrifying scenes came one after another. Suyue was so frightened that she trembled all over, and hurriedly restrained her mind to comfort herself.

"Torja's Suyue" the father-in-law suddenly called out.

Su Yue came back to her senses and stepped forward, only to find that the people in front had left long ago, leaving a large space, and finally she could see what it looked like here, the ground paved with bluestone was very empty, and the gardens on both sides were open. The lush flowers, with dew on the leaves, are very beautiful.

"Slave Tuoerjia, Suyue, send greetings to everyone" Suyue stepped forward to salute and greet.

There was no cry, only a pair of white hands handed over the tea tray, Su Yue took the tea tray and walked a few steps, then handed it to the eunuch who was accompanying her, and then cleaned it with a broom, knelt down and kowtowed, and waited by the side Salute, half salute and hit a thousand, then get up and retreat to the side to wait for the result.

"Come forward," Li Dequan said.

Su Yue bowed her head and stepped forward, there were more brooms lying on the ground, and tea that came out of nowhere, Su Yue walked quietly, without any wavering or disrespect, her face was calm and unwavering, but she wanted to laugh in her heart. Repeat which Qing Dynasty drama?

"Okay." Li Dequan's voice was high, with a trace of satisfaction, which softened the original serious and hard voice.

"Let's step back," said Qingyu, looking at Suyue with a smile, and nodded slightly.

"Yes, I will leave, servant girl." Su Yue saluted and retreated. The eunuchs on the side had already been waiting, and ordered, "Come with us."

Su Yue followed, relieved, but even more melancholy. After participating in the selection process, she will stay in the palace until she is 25 years old. If there is nothing wrong with her and she does not die, then she can leave the palace. There are still 12 years left. Ah, what a long time, but the fate of the wrapped woman was born like this. Suyue deeply despises these things in her heart, but she has to accept it, because she is no longer a modern person in the 21st century, but just Suyue, under the left collar of the wrapped coat. The coating is awesome.

"Slave please send hello to Nanny Rong, this is a new lady in the palace, she was taken to be disciplined by Nanny" the eunuch suddenly stopped in front of a courtyard gate and said.

"Slave Tolja, Suyue, present to Grandma Rong." Suyue hurriedly stepped forward to salute, this nunnery will be her future tutor, and Suyue's future fate is closely related to her, so she can't be neglected, let alone her He is still a master, so he deserves a big gift.

"Okay, Xiao Qingzi, you can go to work, she will be handed over to the old man." Rong Rong smiled and asked the eunuch to step down, and then looked at Su Yue appreciatively.

The eunuch gave a thousand blows and left, Su Yue was still squatting, not daring to relax at all, this is the time for Mammy to look at people, if she is favored, Mammy will be more attentive, if not, then the basic palace etiquette will be taught , this person will be assessed and assigned by the head of ceremonies, but it is easier to lose his life if he is not familiar with the palace. Inform some of the situation in the palace, then you will be more confident in doing things in the future, avoid touching some taboos, and your life will be longer. The palace ladies are all wrapped women, and the family is a slave. The royal family servants, life and death are all In the hands of the royal family, the most indispensable thing in the Forbidden City is the royal master.

"Get up," Rong Rong said, her voice was very gentle, presumably Su Yue's performance satisfied her.

"Yes, slave girl Xie Rong." Su Yue got up before she dared to look up at Rong Nanny. Rong Rong was a little fat, with a slightly round face, with a faint smile and a kind-hearted feeling, and there were already sporadic spots on her face. I think I should be over [-] years old, my eyes are very bright, but my eyes are very vicissitudes, and I am wearing a black flag with a purple-blue silk flower on the head of the flag, which makes me look even older. Dressing up will make you look older, and Aunt Rong obviously belongs to the latter.

"Come with the old man" Rong Rong put away her smile and led Su Yue in.

At this time, Su Yue dared to look up at the place where she will live in the future. There are three big and powerful characters written on the plaque - Yimeiyuan. Su Yue feels the name is very familiar, but she just can't remember where she heard it. It's a plum tree. In this season, the plum blossoms are still in bloom. Suyue is a little surprised. Suyue still remembers the phrase Hanmei Aoxue, but now it's February, and it's early spring, and there are still plum blossoms in bloom. It's really different in the royal garden. extraordinary.

After walking through Meilin for about a cup of tea, a small courtyard appeared. It was neither in disrepair nor dilapidated as expected. It had red walls, round arches with carved wooden railings, and there was a small courtyard inside. There was a courtyard on the right side of the courtyard. There are stone tables and benches, and there are clothes to dry on the other side. The yard is very small. Apart from these, there is only a straight cobblestone paved road in the middle. There are two rooms. Su Yue's resting place.

Nanny Rong opened the door and said to Su Yue, "This is where you live. You get up at Yin time every day and go to bed at the end of You time. There is your palace dress on the bedside. You go and pack it now. You come to see me at the beginning of Chen Shi."

"Yes, servant girl obeys." Su Yue returned, watched the nanny leave, and Su Yue went in to look at the room. The room was very simple, with a large bunk. Su Yue thought it could sleep eight people. There was a long table in front of the bunk. There are footstools on both sides, and there is nothing else in the room. Suyue looked at the blue-and-black and crescent-white palace clothes on the kang, and there were two silk flowers on the clothes. Suyue never liked these silk flowers. At home, apart from the hairpin with small beads on it, there is absolutely no other decoration on her head. Today, because of etiquette, she wears a white jade hairpin given by her mother-in-law. , this hairpin is her favorite, it was a birthday gift from Ama on her sixth birthday, and it has been with Su Yue for many years. Su Yue took off the white jade hairpin on her head, wrapped the two hairpins together with a handkerchief, He changed the clothes on his body, put on the blue and black palace clothes, wrapped the original things together and put them on the kang with another palace clothes, and chose a plain silk flower to pin on the hair bun.

After working for so long, Suyue realized that it was already dawn. Suyue tidied up her clothes, made sure there was nothing wrong, and opened the door to find Nanny Rong.

(The eight banners are divided into the upper three banners and the lower five banners. The upper three banners are more respected than the lower five banners. Among the eight banners, there are still distinctions between high and low. The upper three banners are respected, but the wrapped women under the left collar of the upper three banners are still The servants appointed by the royal family, not all the people in the upper three banners are relatives)
(End of this chapter)