A Survival Guide to the Qing Harem

Chapter 3
The show girls who have passed the primary election are called "registered show girls", that is, they are registered.The registration period is usually five years. During these five years, the beautiful girl is the property of the royal family and cannot be married without permission.Unless you are eliminated during the re-election, you will regain your freedom.However, there is also a group of people who are very unlucky. As candidates for the election, they have already been selected, but they have not had the opportunity to participate in the re-election for a long time, so that the registration period has passed, then consider yourself unlucky, because according to the rules, such Women can only never marry for life.

You want to say that the rules are too harsh and impersonal?Or the law is nothing more than human feelings, and there are exceptions when the relationship is in place?That's not necessarily the case, just look at the case of the daughter of Maertai, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi during the Qianlong period, to get a glimpse of the whole leopard.I don't know why, but Martha's daughter is over seventeen years old but has never been selected. This big girl is waiting at home, unable to enter the palace, and cannot be married. Martha's father is anxious, so he wrote a letter to Emperor Qianlong, hoping that the emperor can She was kind enough to allow her daughter to marry and have a destiny. Unexpectedly, Emperor Qianlong threw away the memorial and ordered someone to pass on a message, which severely reprimanded Martai.The request is automatically rejected.You see, Lord Qianlong, who is known as the "Perfect Old Man", really doesn't want to break the rules when it comes to women.

After the primary election, there will be a second election.This time, the emperor and the empress dowager personally selected them. If the emperor was already married, the empress would naturally accompany the emperor to choose a "rival in love" for herself.This process is actually relatively simple. Generally, the selected beautiful girls will not be eliminated easily, because even if they are not very good-looking, they can be regarded as virtuous and well-known, and all external conditions are basically met. Of course, the emperor I also don't want to easily offend the huge family behind her just because I don't like a woman. After all, the emperor also depends on the support of his officials.

What if you don't like it?It's easy, just marry the prince.In this way, it is not difficult to feel for one's own vision, and it is also a favor.

Of course, when different emperors are in power, there will still be differences in the details of the draft.Many emperors would also work tirelessly to sit in the Tiyuan Hall when the beautiful women entered the palace to run for election, squinting their eyes mysteriously, doing the "job" of leaving or putting down signs.

So what about the show girls who are selected once a year?

This time the scope of influence will be wider, mainly to supplement the staff of the harem, so Xiunu can choose women from the upper three banners belonging to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to cover other people.Naturally, these women are not qualified to be selected by the emperor himself, and the requirements are much lower. As long as they are thirteen years old, not lame or disabled, and not so abstract, they can generally be selected. Anyway, entering the palace is to serve the master as a court lady.

However, what kind of court lady to be and which master to serve will have a huge difference in fate. If you serve a master with a high appearance rate, you will have more opportunities to contact the emperor.Everyone knows that emperors are fickle, even if they are not fickle, their eyes are foolish, maybe one day when they are drunk, they will fall in love with the little maid next to the concubine. It is very possible to fly up a branch and become a phoenix, and if she gets a son again, she may be able to surpass her former master, so no one can say for sure about this fate.

If the emperor is not lucky, in fact, from another point of view, it is a kind of luck, because as long as you survive until the age of 25, you can reach the "retirement limit" and go out of the palace to marry someone.However, don't be too happy too early, this is also the rule on paper.The fate of a court lady in the deep palace is unimaginable to outsiders. If she wants to leave the palace, she must live to this age... It's bleak, let's talk about it later.

Serving tea, pouring water, washing clothes, cooking, whether to fight back when scolded or not, these things have to be done by someone |

As mentioned earlier, the show girls who are selected this year are selected from the coats of the Shangsanqi affiliated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.What is "coating"?This is a transliterated word, which actually means domestic slave. "One generation is a slave, and another generation is a slave", this is an iron law in feudal society.Therefore, the children of the slave family should also be sent to the palace as slaves.

In the beginning, everyone followed the ancestral system, whether it was the queen or the servants who served others, they all entered the palace as "draft girls".However, the political status between the show girls and the show girls is completely different. Later, in order to distinguish them, in the late Qing Dynasty, the women who wrapped the three banners into the palace were no longer "draft girls", but called "selection ladies". ", or "Introduction to Coated Sanqi

Handmaid".

You will definitely say: "Who wants to enter the palace to be a slave? If I want to choose, I will only choose to be a queen who is under one person and above ten thousand!" But Miss, if everyone in the world can be a queen, this queen There is nothing unusual about it, there is only one queen, and there are tens of thousands of women in the harem, and it is impossible to struggle for what kind of person has what kind of life.Even if you really ascended to the throne of queen, don't you need someone to serve you?Don't you need to have one or two loyal court ladies who can do all kinds of things for you?Besides, you are standing and talking without pain in your back. If you come from a famous family, you will naturally be destined to become a concubine or concubine, but the palace maids are originally from humble backgrounds, and many of them are children of poor families.When the child enters the palace, not only can he save the family’s rations, but he can also bring some meager silver (ten taels) home when he reaches the age of 25. This is also a kind of contribution to the family (a good wish), so many people still Those who are willing to send their daughters to the palace as maids of honor.

Therefore, the court lady should not be underestimated, we still have to get to know each other carefully.

Let’s talk about the selection of palace ladies first. It is also in the charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and there are also a series of procedures here.

First of all, the Accounting Department of the House of Internal Affairs, General Manager of Shengjing, is responsible for making a roster of candidate maids, and then submitting the list.When it was time for the capital to write the essay, they gathered in the capital to prepare for selection, and the transportation expenses for the trip to Beijing were distributed by the Guangchusi.

Don't think that you just choose a court lady to work in the palace, nothing else matters, as long as your hands and feet are ready and agile.Our Qing Dynasty was a very particular dynasty, and the court ladies also needed to be upright, especially those who served those important masters.The clue can be seen from the selection rules alone.

This alternative palace lady is required to wear formal attire, that is, their flag attire, "fashionable attire", that is to say, Han people's undressed and long-sleeved clothes are not allowed to wear for election.Alright, the selection time is up, and the candidate palace maids have to line up and stand outside the Shunzhen Gate in good spirits.At this time, the state civil servants appeared. Some of them were responsible for pulling the rope walls on both sides of the court room in Shenwumen, some were responsible for maintaining order, and some were responsible for roll call, so that the candidate palace ladies lined up along the rope walls. Many, but the steps are methodical and never confusing.

At the same time, the cars that brought these girls and their families were waiting in line outside the Shenwu Gate, and the girls who were not selected can come out and go home directly. Of course, before going home, they must abide by the rules, the car has a driveway , Don't turn back, the cars line up and go out, no one is allowed to jump in line and run forward.

The first stage of selecting a court lady is actually not that high. As long as you don’t have crooked eyes, lack of arms or legs, or bad speech, you can basically be selected, but then again, you will be selected. What's so special about a court lady, she's destined to be miserable for half her life.

Only after passing this pass, did one truly know the horror of the inner courtyard of the deep palace.First of all, all the new ladies in the court have to take the exam, "Try all the skills of brocade embroidery and holding a broom, and see if they behave well." If they pass the exam, they will be hired in the palace. Let's go out of the palace.

We don't care about the fate of going out of the palace for the time being, let's talk about the one who passed the exam first.When you were studying, if you passed the exam before the summer vacation, does that mean you have been upgraded?It's the same with the maids here. After the elementary work will be done, they will be promoted to the intermediate level. Subject to the six laws."Among the children who participated in the study, those with better grades would have the opportunity to be office cadres. We called them "female officials" in the harem.

Before that, however, there is still much to be done.

First of all, the first thing you do when you enter the palace is to shave your head and take a shower.People in the palace shy away from it. They are very afraid that you will bring some lice, fleas, or some infectious diseases into the palace.After I shaved clean this time, I can slowly grow my long hair.

In fact, this learning is also a very difficult thing.Let's talk about the teachers first, they are all old maids in the palace.Both experience and temper are in the "full blood" state.What is their situation?Basically, after reaching the age of 25, they were unable to leave the palace due to various reasons, and were destined to stay in the palace for the rest of their lives.It should be noted that these people did not behave badly and were punished to stay in the palace, but those who performed very well, won the favor of this or that master, and especially "rewarded" them to stay in the palace. This is a "gracious grace" where.

But in the hearts of these old maids, not all of them are grateful.Think about it, when you were young, you suffered a lot, swallowed humiliation, lived cautiously, saved a modest dowry, full of longing for future life, but disappeared at the age of 25.From now on, I no longer think about things outside the palace, but can only think about how to continue to live well in the palace.Naturally, he was full of grievances and resentment.Now, there are a group of inexperienced little maids who have been handed over to train them. With the practical experience of living for so long, coupled with the long-term suppressed and twisted heart, which aunt will be kind and kind?It is common to beat and scold at every turn.What's more, they were supposed to teach the newcomers how to serve their master. Before they get in touch with the master, they have to make them feel comfortable serving them!
However, although most of these aunts are very bad-tempered, but "Strict teachers produce high-level apprentices", the court ladies trained can be regarded as clever and sensible, and they can understand the temperament, personality and personal preferences of each palace master without seeing their masters. Ten, this avoids the danger of life caused by offending the master because of poor service in the future.From this point of view, although my aunt is hateful, she is your first mentor in the "rule of survival in the harem". Without them, I don't know how many young girls who don't know the world will die in vain.

The new maid can pass the aunt's test, and can basically serve in the army.

There is a record in historical data: "In Qianqing Palace, there is one wife, ranked first; one Shuyi, ranked second; six gentle servants, ranked third; 12 gentlemen, 20 Fangwan, all ranked fourth." His job is working in an orderly manner.But in the Qing Dynasty, because of the "House of Internal Affairs" organization, in fact, the personnel, property, etiquette and all kinds of miscellaneous affairs in the palace were managed by them.

However, there is still a very strict hierarchy among court ladies.If you have good academic performance and good looks, you may be assigned to a master with status, such as the queen, empress dowager, or noble concubine.If you are stupid, you may be assigned to a labor unit, such as the Huanyi Bureau, Xinzheku, etc., which are places where manual labor is done.

You may feel "disdainful", "What's the matter, the higher the status, the more tempered, arrogant, and difficult to serve? The so-called companionship is like companionship with a tiger, it is better to hide away and do something else." How nice it is to survive until you can leave the palace!" But what does the phrase "dogs rely on others" mean?Well, maybe it’s a bit harsh to say that, so let’s say something more elegant, such as "leaning against a big tree to enjoy the shade", which means that if you rely on a high-status master, you will be beautiful when you go out, what do you do? It is also convenient when doing things. Many people will act according to your face. This feeling of superiority has to be said to be the only way to give people a sense of presence within the four-corner high walls.

According to the rules of the palace, masters with different status, maids and eunuchs around them have different establishments.In the Kangxi Dynasty, it was established that the empress dowager should have twelve maids, the queen should have ten, the imperial concubine and the concubine should have eight, concubines should have six, nobles should have four, often have three, and promises. two.Although this is stipulated in the palace rules and regulations, in fact the system is not so strictly followed.Whoever the emperor dotes on more, may also send more maids to the master, for fear that he will not be able to serve him.

Then after the candidates around these masters are determined, the remaining court ladies will be assigned to other departments in the palace to do work. This distribution work is completely in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.Of course, in the harem of the Qing Dynasty, the jobs of court ladies are the most mobile. If anyone makes a slight mistake, he may be punished by the master and thrown into the "laundry room" to wash clothes all day long.This is considered light, if something bad happened and took the blame for this aunt or that eunuch, it would be an unjust and unavoidable death.

Of course, there are even worse, inexplicable death.For example, during the Daoguang period, "One night, Xuanzong was furious in the Qianqing Palace, and he yelled at him sharply. He summoned Wang, a guard on duty, to enter the palace gate, gave him a treasured sword, and ordered a palace supervisor to take him to a certain palace. The first return to life, I don't know why it happened."This poor family member lost his life in his sleep for nothing, and until hundreds of years later, no one knew why.

Even so, there are still many people scrambling to serve in front of a high-status master. The so-called greater the risk, the higher the return on investment.Those who don't have eyesight may die for one reason or another, but there are also some who have aura and have survived countless days of enduring humiliation.The benefits that can be obtained in this way are as follows:

First, the monthly silver may reach 20 taels.This is the number on the books.

Second, there are countless rouge and gouache, and they are all collected from the House of Internal Affairs on a regular basis, but if you are a celebrity in front of the famous master, you can get the best ones. This should be the difference between La Mer and Avon.

Third, you can still have countless gray incomes.For example, if you coax the master to be happy today, I will reward you with a luxurious hairpin that lost a jewel.You can't wear it, but you can quietly send it out of the palace to sell it for money through other channels.

Fourth, you may also directly gain the favor of the empress dowager or empress, and win wealth for your mother's family.Although this probability is very low, it is like buying a lottery ticket. Rao, 500 million is far away in the sky, and the world is full of cannon fodder, and there are still people rushing to give money to the lottery station, eager to become the immortal among the cannon fodder. .

(End of this chapter)