A Survival Guide to the Qing Harem

Chapter 25 Unspoken rules have never disappeared (3)
Therefore, eunuchs must exist. If you want to work in the palace, you must first leave the palace. This is the rule.And the emperors are also very confident, thinking that they can control everything about this group of people, not only can control their minds, but also let them use them for themselves.Because "rootless" people are very servile.

But it is these slavish people who challenge the authority of the state time and time again.

We all know that the Qing Dynasty was established on the basis of overthrowing the rule of the Ming Dynasty. That is to say, the ancestors who founded the Qing Dynasty were the ones who watched the Ming Dynasty destroy.Therefore, whether it is Huang Taiji or his son Shunzhi, they kept secret about one of the factors of the Ming Dynasty's demise-the eunuchs who wronged the country.

In the 13th year of Shunzhi, the eunuch institutions in the Ming Dynasty were clearly abolished, and other institutions were reorganized to serve the country, and the number of eunuchs was abolished to 9000 (nearly 10 in the Ming Dynasty).In the 16th year of Kangxi, the exclusive yamen for eunuchs was abolished, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs was designated as the agency in charge of court affairs.Since then, the eunuchs who once covered the sky with one hand in the Ming Dynasty stepped down from the stage of history and became a group of people in the harem of the Qing Dynasty who were inferior and whose fate was like nothing.

In the Shunzhi Dynasty, at the gates of the Jiaotai Hall, the House of Internal Affairs, and the Department of Punishment, there was an iron plate issued by the Emperor Shunzhi himself, roughly meaning: although it is a rule that has not changed since ancient times, eunuchs are enslaved in the court , but there should be a degree in everything, improper appointment may lead to disaster.Liu Jin, Wei Zhongxian and others in the Ming Dynasty are living examples. They messed up government and interfered with power, controlled factory guards, killed innocent people in vain, and traveled to the frontiers, held military power, plotted rebellion, formed cliques for private gains, and framed loyal officials.eventually led to the fall of the regime.All this is worthy of our deep thinking and vigilance.Today, it is decided to reduce the number of eunuchs, and strictly prohibit eunuchs from interfering in government affairs, stealing power, taking bribes, making friends with foreign court officials, acting outside their duties, and privately discussing whether officials are virtuous or not.It is even more forbidden to leave the capital without authorization to participate in the military.Anyone who dares to disobey this order will be executed immediately and will not be tolerated.This iron plate is hereby set up so that generations can abide by it.

It can be said that the discipline stipulated on this iron plate is very strict, which also shows that our grandfather Shunzhi hated those "eunuchs" who were neither male nor female, psychopathic, and self-righteous.This idea of ​​Shunzhi deeply influenced his later generations, Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, these emperors strictly abided by the regulations left by Lord Shunzhi, and did not delegate power to eunuchs, and eunuchs made mistakes, and the punishment was very severe .

If you are in any of these dynasties, you may not have the opportunity to see what a terrible scene the so-called eunuchs cover the sky with their hands.But there have always been policies and countermeasures. Although the eunuchs of these dynasties did not catch up with the "good times", they are still a force that cannot be underestimated in certain circles.

As I said before, first of all, the eunuch in the respect room can use his power to "bully" you.If other concubines give rewards, but you never give rewards, or even have a bad attitude, then they can use your green-headed brand to make a fuss, so that you will not see the emperor's face for a long time .But you have no place to complain about this kind of thing. The emperor's governance is enough to worry about. Who wants to deal with the jealousy of these women in the harem? If you want to sue in front of the emperor, the first person to be reprimanded is yourself!

Besides, if you are a favored concubine, that's okay, what's wrong with the palace, you don't have to worry about these things like the monthly allowance, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will always send eunuchs to prepare it for you in advance delivered.Pick the freshest fruits to honor you, pick the brightest flowers and send them to your palace, and the silk and satin you get for offerings outside is also the color you like the most.

On the contrary, if you offend the emperor and get scorned, that day is completely another extreme.Don't talk about sending flowers and fruits, even the charcoal fire that must be burned this winter may not be able to give you according to the portion.Clothes are always in short supply, tea is the worst, and food may be cold or stale.Especially the eunuch you used to ignore, even though he held you up at that time, he will change his face now and torture you in different ways.

If you want to say that these eunuchs are too snobbish, they are doing things anyway, and everyone sees them without looking up, why is this so?This is something difficult for you.You know, this eunuch is a person with a physical disability, and this disability is not like missing arms or legs, but losing the right to be a man forever and everything a man can have.

In our traditional concept, "There are three ways to be unfilial, and having no descendants is the greatest." For those who become eunuchs, their family members are very ashamed, and they feel ashamed wherever they go. I can bury it anywhere.For them, this is an unspeakable shame and pain.

I have these pains and depressions in my heart, but when I work in the palace, I have to look at people's faces everywhere, and if I am not careful, I will lose my life.Moreover, there was a rule in the Qing palace that if the eunuch and the maid "meet each other on a narrow road", the eunuch had to stop and stand aside to let the maids go first.This is definitely not to say that the Qing Dynasty paid attention to equality between men and women or women's priority, but that the status of eunuchs is really inferior to that of court ladies.Living in such an environment can be described as suffering on top of suffering.

Such a repressed type of people, once they have the power of a sesame seed in their hands, may immediately turn up waves. In today's terms, they are a bit "perverted".But human nature has long been distorted, and perversion is understandable.Therefore, this type of people usually has the characteristics of eccentric personality, moody, narrow-minded, and vindictiveness.The tricks behind the scenes are the most powerful, which makes you hard to guard against, and their impermanence also makes them the most sycophant, follow the wind to make the rudder, worship the high and step down, a full-fledged slavish look.

Although the Qing Dynasty was the dynasty that best controlled the power of eunuchs, in the late Qing Dynasty, this power rose again.For example, the three famous eunuchs An Dehai, Li Lianying, and Xiao Dezhang all achieved success because they knew how to flatter and cling to Empress Dowager Cixi.In this era, people like eunuchs have once again become representatives of "must not be offended".Here are one or two examples to make the masters happy, and I also hope that the masters can understand the work style of this type of people, "It is better to offend a gentleman than to offend a villain".

Let's just talk about the history of this little De Zhang's fortune.Regarding how he entered the palace, we will not describe in detail, anyway, one thing is certain, that is, he has become an eunuch.After Xiaode Zhang entered the palace, he studied with the master of the tea house, Haha Li.In addition to not having much ability, this master's greatest ability is self-righteousness and loves to torture people.After following for a year, Xiao Dezhang felt that his future was uncertain, so he simply jumped up and resisted, confronting his master everywhere, and was finally dispatched to Shengping Department.

The Shengping Department is actually a place for learning operas. The eunuchs are in charge of acting, and the emperor and the family members of the harem are in charge of watching.Having been in the palace for more than a year, Xiao Dezhang has also figured out the way. Although it is hard in the Shengping Department, he has the opportunity to meet the big shots in the palace, and he may be able to cling to someone according to the opportunity.

Willing to endure hardships, but also willing to work hard, Xiao Dezhang finally attracted the attention of the Empress Dowager Cixi. At the age of 22, he became a harem eunuch.Now, Xiao Dezhang has the opportunity to get in touch with more affairs in the palace, and he also understands that although the emperor sits high on the dragon chair, in fact this world is Cixi's world, and only those who follow Lafayette Only by following a road can peace and prosperity be maintained.

Of course, the most successful political-related thing Xiao Dezhang did was to act as a messenger between Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi.Usually, the memorials that Guangxu had read had to be handed over to Cixi for review. Without Cixi, Guangxu would not dare to make decisions without authorization.So the daily procedure is like this, after Emperor Guangxu read the memorial, Xiaode Zhang passed it to Cixi, and knelt in front of Cixi to answer.

Cixi would not tell the eunuchs about memorials, but she always asked Xiao Dezhang, such seemingly insignificant questions as whether the emperor had eaten or what the emperor was doing.But the person answering must know considerable skills, otherwise it is very likely to cause a disaster, especially when facing a cruel and perverted old woman like Cixi.

At this point, I have to praise Xiao Dezhang's agility and his tacit cooperation with Li Lianying.Xiao Dezhang replied, he could only bow his head and listen to Ci Xi's face, otherwise he would be regarded as disrespectful (many people died for this), so he took a peek at Li Lianying's face, and the corners of Li Lianying's mouth rose slightly , which means that what Xiao Dezhang said is correct at this time, if Li Lianying frowns a little, Xiao Dezhang has to quickly avoid the topic.Of course, these all depend on Xiao Dezhang's understanding, trying to figure out what to say and what not to say.

Facts have proved that it is not easy to serve Cixi. Even though the moody old lady has been listening to politics behind the curtain for decades, she is still worried about her failure to have a big wedding with her short-lived husband. She really doesn’t know how to deal with it care about things.It is conceivable how narrow-minded she is, but she is extremely concerned about face.Countless people have died under her "unhappy game", but if you can grasp her mind and serve her happily, it will be a shortcut to make a fortune.You can see that Li Lianying has served Cixi for decades, not to mention the high mansions outside, and has built countless real estate around the capital, and the treasures in the house are countless, even surpassing those of the emperor's relatives.Married several wives, although he can't have any children, but adopted some, which satisfied his extravagant desire to become a normal man.

As such a powerful eunuch, do you dare to offend him?Not only do they know how to speak in front of the empress dowager, but they also know how to subtly "implant" their own meaning into it. If they want to cheat you, isn't it right?

(End of this chapter)