A Survival Guide to the Qing Harem

Chapter 23 Unspoken rules have never disappeared (1)
When the rules need to be "hidden", it will naturally evolve into a real game. Such a popular game is naturally favored and sought after by beauties in the harem of the Forbidden City.The harem never lacks rules, let alone "unspoken rules". These overt and covert rules have long been familiarized by the beauties of the harem, playing with them in the palm of their hands, and today's "unspoken rules" in the workplace. Compared with the "hidden rules" of the circle, it is really even worse.

The lovely beauties of the harem study hard on various "hidden rules" courses, ask for advice humbly, forget about eating and sleeping, and are always ready to meet themselves when the rules meet them. Either they are "hidden" by the rules, or they are "hidden" by themselves.Finally, the "hidden rules" were carried forward in the Forbidden City, and blockbuster movies of rules were staged.

"My dad is Li Gang" Who am I afraid of | Background issues
"One person wins the Tao and the chicken dog ascends to heaven" is always easy to be hated by those of us who have no power and no background. Look at Concubine Yang, who is favored by Tang Minghuang in the harem, she is beaming. Her father, her brother, and How many of her relatives and friends with deep and shallow relationships have not benefited from it?Looking at our Qing Dynasty again, I will not count the empresses of the past dynasties in detail, but at this point, you, me, and she all know that the choice of empress is often not decided by the emperor himself, the empress dowager In addition, the recent princes and ministers need to be counted long in advance. The most important thing in choosing age and appearance is to choose a woman with a reliable background. Her father or uncle or uncle is either high-ranking or loyal to the emperor. Capable and courageous, able to play a key role in the workplace, and must be related to the royal family, such a harsh condition, after several rounds of screening, there are not many candidates left.

Once the empress dowager is basically satisfied, it is time to start satisfying the emperor.However, there are often no such coincidences in this world. The daughter-in-law that the mother-in-law likes is generally not liked by the son.As for the woman the son likes, the mother-in-law is often picky and picky, and picking bones in the egg will not be [-]% satisfactory anyway.

But the royal family has no selfish business. Choosing a queen for the emperor is to choose the mother of the country for the world. It is not feasible to act according to the emperor's preferences, not to mention that the emperor was still young when he got married, only in his teens. And can you consider the candidate for a wife from an overall perspective?Therefore, the situation will become that before the draft, the queen mother and the princes and ministers take turns to do work for the emperor. Appear to be jubilant.From this point of view, it is actually not easy to be an emperor.

Let's not talk about anything else, just look at Shunzhi, the first emperor of the founding of the Qing Dynasty.Emperor Shunzhi ascended the throne at the age of six, relying on Dorgon's strategizing and mother Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's keeping a low profile, finally secured the throne.But when it comes to choosing a wife, he still has no control over it.Dorgon had long selected for him the daughter of Wu Keshan, Prince of Horqin Zhuoliketu in Mongolia, as his queen. This Borzigit Ronghui was the niece of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Very close royal relatives, this is basically a marriage between close relatives.

Of course, Emperor Shunzhi was not happy in his heart, not to mention that he had already belonged in his heart. How could he, who hated the ambiguous relationship between his mother and Dorgon, calmly accept the so-called wife who was forced into him by this "wretched" pair?So Shunzhi kept delaying the wedding day with excuses, even if he had to admit Borzigit Ronghui in the end, he kept ignoring the other party, and finally found an excuse to abolish him and reduce him to concubine.Think about it, what a shame this is for a queen!

But Emperor Shunzhi was not at ease. He wanted to straighten Concubine Dong E, but thousands of people couldn't get into the eyes of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.A niece was abolished, and Xiaozhuang had other nieces, and it was enough to find another one to replace her. Therefore, the cousin replaced the cousin and became Queen Xiaohui, which opened another embarrassing court tragedy.

If it were you, how would you feel?

Concubine Dong E's life was short, and it took less than three months to give birth to a son. Although she had the favor of Shunzhi, in the harem, this special favor was not a good thing at all, and of course it could not bring her a happier future. Half life.As soon as she died, Shunzhi lost all thoughts, cried and shouted to become a monk, and handed over the country that had finally stabilized to Aixinjueluo Xuanye, who was only eight years old.

After several months of chaotic work, the dust finally settled, but judging from the whole process, no one was happy, and no one made money.Let me talk about the two queens first, although they are both people with backgrounds, relying on the old ancestor of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, I thought they could be above ten thousand people, prosperous and rich.But as a woman, her husband hates her so much that she doesn't even want to take a look at her. Just relying on "status", how strong does she have to be in order to be happy?

Cousin Borzigit Ronghui was arrogant and self-indulgent, and the emperor seldom paid attention to her, so she cried and complained in front of Xiaozhuang, and from time to time mentioned her father's achievements, and mentioned that Xiaozhuang had to rely on and taboo Mongolian background, this is really digging a hole for yourself.Therefore, when Shunzhi demoted her to Concubine Jing because of "discord with my will", Xiaozhuang didn't stop her too much, and just watched his disobedient niece go into the cold palace together up.

Facts have proved that in the harem, having a background can only guarantee how high you stand, but as for whether you can stand firm and manage until you die, it depends on your personal understanding. Just a "Li Gang father", or A certain "godfather" may not be able to keep you safe forever.

In comparison, the second queen of Shunzhi seemed smarter. She was also the niece of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, and she also had a deep background, and she was also not liked by Emperor Shunzhi.But she has a soft temper and is especially tolerant. She has never complained about her husband's rude and indifferent treatment. Even though Emperor Shunzhi always wanted to find an excuse to abolish her and put Concubine Dong E on the throne, she still couldn't find a suitable reason to abolish her. , I have to let her be alone, and let her mother love the world.

As the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Shunzhi really didn't set a good example for his descendants when it came to treating the empress.Looking at his son Kangxi, he is much more sensible.Although Emperor Kangxi's first queen, Hesheli (the granddaughter of Sonny, the head of the auxiliary minister), was deliberately given to him because the empress dowager wanted to win over Sonny, but he was not as rebellious as his father, although because of politics The marriage was a bit awkward, but what should be done, did not embarrass Hesheli too much. Later, the two gradually developed a deep relationship, so that when Hesheli died early, Kangxi was so distraught.

Of course, this slap is not enough, and it is not fair to say that Kangxi Mingdali cares about the overall situation, and Hesheli is not a "fuel-efficient lamp" (here is a compliment).This woman has been well-educated since she was a child, she is well-educated and reasonable, and she is quiet and gentle. To put it bluntly, she also won her husband's love through her own efforts.Compared to those queens who only rely on the background to get emotional, this Hesheli is very wise.

The experience of the queens above tells you a truth, even if your father is "Li Gang", he will not be omnipotent. Although the background issue is very important, the issue of being a person is even more important. In this Forbidden City, a prominent background can only be your stand. It is a stepping stone at a high starting point, but there is no guarantee that you will stand firm to the end. If you accidentally fall down, everyone knows that the higher you stand, the harder you fall.

There is no need to say about the queen's background. After all, she is the mother of a country, and she can't be a small family in a remote village. She must pay attention to her education and image.Therefore, the process of determining the candidate for the queen is more complicated.However, there is only one queen, and the remaining positions need to be filled.At this time, it was the emperor's turn to get entangled again. Some women had to pay attention, such as the empresses of heroes, or empresses of high-ranking ministers. They control the lifeline of the court to varying degrees. If they don't give them some benefits, let them Rest assured, who can guarantee their loyalty?What's more, this is also a process of mutual restraint. You pinch my meridians in the world, and I grab your daughter. This is the so-called "the front and the harem are involved with each other, and one pull affects the whole body".

Of course, these "key" female emperors may not like it, but the smart emperor knows that there is not too much of her, just take care of her, why bother about liking it or not, if the foundation left by the ancestors is destroyed No matter how much I like this woman, I can't keep it.

For other women, the situation is more complicated.In the Qing Dynasty, the harem concubines can be described as the dynasty that did not pay attention to the background (of course in comparison), because of the perfect draft system, women except for pure Han people have the opportunity to sign up for the draft event, and it is not enough to not sign up .It was destined that there would be many women from not-so-prominent families who would fill the palace, as long as they looked upright and caught the eye of the emperor, their background probably never was something they could still consider.

But there are also some people with no background who unexpectedly trample down a lot of people with background. Although there are not many such things, it is enough to give hope to those powerless women.

For example, the biological mother of Emperor Qianlong is a good example.When this old lady was young, she was just a member of Prince Yong's mansion. She had no status and was not favored by Prince Yong. She was originally assigned to serve her master until his death.But one year, Prince Yong fell seriously ill, and the Fujins on the side of the Fujin were all worried about being infected, so they didn't take good care of him except for visiting.Only this one didn't seem to know that it was an infectious disease, and took care of Prince Yong's bed in disheveled clothes until Prince Yong survived.

The so-called true friendship is seen in adversity, and Prince Yong is not a hard-hearted person. Even though the woman in front of him is not beautiful, she has a kind heart, so he took her into the house as a concubine.Soon after, this concubine gave birth to Prince Yong's son, named Aixinjueluo Hongli.

The following story, I believe you have already guessed it, this girl with no background just like this lived in the Forbidden City with Prince Yong, awarded a bounty to the concubine, and lived a carefree life.Firstly, it was because she had a character of indifference to the world, and secondly, because Yongzheng had not many concubines, so this intrigue basically never happened to her.Later, her son became the emperor, and she also became the empress dowager, and lived to be more than 70 years old.

It is really a living version of "there is true affection in the world, and there is true love in the world". From this point of view, fighting for background, power, IQ, and ruthlessness are not the eternal themes in the harem. Every emperor has such a Two kind-hearted women, if they were to fight other women, they might not be able to win them, but they could win the respect of the emperor with their truth, kindness and beauty. Stand still and keep the world safe.

So, even if you really don't have any background, don't complain about your father's incompetence.To enter this palace, one's ability depends entirely on self-cultivation, and people without background can live well, the key depends on how you walk the road under your feet.

There are always gaps in people, I don't believe I can't handle you | Bribery
"Today's hard work is to prevent people from taking money and compromising you tomorrow!" Such inspirational words have an anti-corruption flavor in them.But in the harem, many people put in a lot of hard work in order to be able to spend money to get others to compromise. Of course, they are all useful people.Just like what the inspirational master said, 20% of a person's success comes from ability, and 80% comes from connections. This sentence is the same in our harem of the Qing Dynasty. Anyone who can rise step by step and rise to the top is absolutely impossible. Relying on themselves, they must use different means and use different people to pave a bright road for themselves.

Let's first talk about the biggest role model, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.From a simple girl who knew nothing about the world on the prairie, she finally became the mother of the Qing Dynasty and assisted Emperor Kangxi in developing the entire Qing Dynasty. Apart from being a wise woman herself, she also had the help and support of others. Inseparable.

First of all, she has a very caring close servant Lagu Su Ma.This girl is not an easy character either, Bingxue is smart and very loyal.Many things that Xiao Zhuang is inconvenient to do are handled by Lagu Su Ma, and she understands the master's mind very well, even if the master doesn't say a word, they can tacitly understand each other.What's more, there are many unknown secrets in Xiaozhuang, and many unspeakable sorrows, and only La Aunt Su Ma can understand them.Of course, such a loyal Aunt Su Ma doesn't need to find a weak point to bribe her, she is a confidant and a dead warrior.

Secondly, Dorgon, the "father and regent" of Shunzhi.Xiaozhuang knew that it was a last resort for Dorgon to support Fulin as emperor, otherwise he might meet Haoge in battle.But at that time, Dorgon was already a prince with great military exploits, how could he submit to a six-year-old hairy child?No, it's still necessary for Xiaozhuang, the mother, to come forward to maintain the situation.

But if you want Dorgon to assist Emperor Shunzhi willingly, you have to give him some benefits.Xiaozhuang couldn't give him the throne he wanted the most, so what about the second thing he wanted?Dorgon and Xiao Zhuang are about the same age, and they were originally lovers back then, but they were thrown in by Huang Taiji.Now that Huang Taiji is dead, according to the old customs of the Manchus, it is reasonable for a sister-in-law to marry a younger uncle.Although in history, whether Xiao Zhuang married Dorgon is always an unsolved case, but there are some intimate relationships between the two, which is undeniable.Xiaozhuang controlled Dorgon's heart, so that he had to teach and be loyal to Shunzhi, so that he kept Shunzhi until he was in power.

It's a pity that Shunzhi didn't like this throne, so he passed away at a young age, and threw the stalls of a country back into the hands of his mother, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.Xiaozhuang can only continue to assist Kangxi.As time went by, the minds of the four Gu Ming ministers appointed by Shunzhi were gradually exposed. They were divided into several factions and pulled each other. No matter which side they eventually fell to, it would be detrimental to the emperor.Helpless, Xiao Zhuang made another move, and this time she set her sights on the old minister Sony.She knew Sony's influence in the court, and she also knew that Sony wanted to remain neutral, and no one would offend.In order to draw Sony to the side that absolutely supports the emperor, Xiaozhuang pinpointed Sony's "gap" and took down the old fox in one fell swoop.This gap is to designate Sony's most beloved granddaughter Hesheli as the queen.

Of course, you might say that not everyone has the opportunity to stand at the height of Xiaozhuang and use their own power to achieve their goals.She is playing politics, and the general public in our harem is just trying to win favors.But you have to know that harem politics is also politics. Big people have their own way of doing things, and small people have their own goals.This is just like the oil king who wants to make money, and the hawker who sells fried cakes on the street also wants to make money.

Well, if you figure it out, let's take a look together, who can help you survive in the harem, and you need to find a way to control it.In fact, nothing more than those who have been in contact with them for a long time.

The first category is the people around you.These people include court ladies and eunuchs.If your mother's family's status is relatively high, then when you entered the palace, you might have the right to bring a slave with you, which is the so-called dowry girl.This way things are easy to handle. Most people’s dowry girls are loyal, except for Zhen Huan who brought her sister Huanbi into the palace in "The Legend of Zhen Huan". The disparity in treatment between the sisters is too easy to make people feel uncomfortable. balanced.

(End of this chapter)