A Survival Guide to the Qing Harem

Chapter 6 From now on, you will share a man with many women (1)
Since childhood, both teachers and parents hoped that we could learn one thing, that is - to share.You have to share your happiness with your friends, your harvest with your family, your experience with your lover, and your husband with other women... Stop, is this also a virtue?

But if you look back hundreds of years, that's really the case. It is normal for ordinary officials to have three wives and four concubines, let alone the emperor!Look at those people who participated in the draft with you, those who entered the palace earlier than you, plus those who will enter the palace three years later, those people you call sisters, don’t they all come to be with you? Did you steal your husband?There is only one emperor, but there are a lot of concubines. This kind of eternal unequal distribution is really resentful.But all the dissatisfaction can be done in your heart. On the surface, you have to be friendly with these "rivals in love". They won the emperor's rain and dew grace at night, and you stay alone in the empty room. Plural dragon species... Ouch, not everyone can bear this awkwardness.But there is no way, who made us a woman in the palace, no matter how unwilling, I can only pretend to be my grandson pretending to be a fool, because there are some people you can't compete with.

Pick up the bride, the floats will follow soon | Only queens are qualified to hold a wedding ([-])

After entering the Forbidden City, she also received "pre-marriage training". Not only did she know the rules of living in the palace, but she also learned how to serve the emperor. Of course, that was only theoretical.So start looking forward to a perfect wedding, let yourself become a woman from a girl?

If you think so, you are really wrong.Don't think that marrying the emperor, a man who owns the world's wealth, can win a generous bride price for her natal family, and at least keep her food and clothing for a few years... Don't be so naive.The reward from the palace is another matter. Although it is also compensation for the hard work of raising your daughter for so many years in your family, it still has to be received on your knees, and there is no sense of smoothness that you should receive the dowry.

And the plot of worshiping heaven and earth once, worshiping the high hall twice, and the husband and wife praying to each other and then sent to the bridal chamber, did it make you feel a little bit flustered?However, the reality is cruel. Although you are married to the most high-end man in the world, you are not as lucky as folk women. You can even have a formal wedding or something, unless you are the emperor's "proper" Room", but you have to know that the main room does not mean that you can be the main room, so if you don't believe me, let's go over it first.

Although Nurhachi was not able to enter the Forbidden City and become the emperor admired by thousands of people, but in charge of the entire Houjin, he also needs someone to honor the world. Nurhachi's filial piety queen Yehenala Menggu is the daughter of Yang Jipi, the leader of the Yehe tribe , She married Nurhachi's first son, named Huang Taiji, who became emperor in 1636.

Huang Taiji's official wife, Empress Xiaoduanwen, Borzigit Zhezhe, is the daughter of Horqin Belmangus in Mongolia.Although she did not give birth to a son for Huang Taiji, with her virtue and dignity, she still ruled the harem for decades until she died.

In the Shunzhi Dynasty, Borjigit Ronghui, the queen of Xiaohuizhang, was a queen at first, but was deposed and became a concubine.This woman had no children but lived a long life, and there were no great events in her life. Shunzhi married her because she couldn't hold back his mother.Although this Horqin Baylor's daughter is well-loved by her mother, she believes that she has never lived a truly happy life in her life.If this one is abolished, of course a new queen must be established, but based on Emperor Shunzhi's mysterious and short imperial career, I believe that no matter how many queens there are, they will all have a bad life.

Our Lord Kangxi lived a long life, but compared to women, his life is not so good. His queen changed one for two, two for three. Niu Hulu Dongzhu, the daughter of Ye Bilong, the Minister of Political Affairs, and Tong Jia Xianrui, the daughter of Tong Guowei, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Guards.It's a pity that none of them could grow old with Kangxi.

To Yongzheng's filial piety empress Ulanara Shulan.That was the baby girl of Fei Yanggu, the infantry commander, who was promoted from the prince's concubine to queen, and it felt a bit like a pie in the sky.

Emperor Qianlong's first filial and virtuous pure queen was married by order when Emperor Qianlong was still a prince.The second one, Ulanara Jingxian, is the daughter of Zuoling Naerbu, who started from Cian Fujin.The third queen of filial piety and purity, Wei Jia Xiaoyu, is the daughter of Qingtai, the leader of the inner management.

Let's look at Empress Xiao Shurui of Jiaqing, who is the daughter of the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Deputy Dutong, Cheng Engong and Er Jinger.The second Empress Xiao and Rui is the daughter of Gong Ala, Minister of Rites.

Daoguang, Xianfeng and subsequent emperors also had more than one queen.

Larry, I gave so many examples, but I actually want to tell you a truth. If you don’t have a glorious Eight Banners ID card and a high-ranking father, then you don’t have to look at the Queen’s seat. After the re-establishment happened, but such a high-ranking queen would have to bear great pressure, and the possibility was not too great.

Even if she really became a queen, she would have to catch up with a good time before the big wedding ceremony could be held.After the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, only four emperors who had ascended the throne when they were young had actually held a big wedding in the Forbidden City. In other words, only four empresses had experienced the grandeur and extravagance of a big wedding.If you really become one of them, then you have to pay attention, behind this extreme extravagance is extreme cumbersomeness, every step, every detail, even if there are countless people around you to remind you, but in the end to operate The only person is you, you must not go wrong.

Don't be nervous, let's see what is going on with this big wedding first.

This emperor's big wedding is incomparable to ordinary people, it is "the mission of heaven", so we must trace the origin of etiquette. "Rituals·Scholar's Wedding" is the most important reference book for the emperors of all dynasties.The book records the wedding procedures since the Zhou Dynasty - Nacai, asking names, Naji, Nazheng, asking for a date, and welcoming in person. The ancient saying is also called "six rituals".However, these six ceremonies are mainly aimed at the wedding of scholars, and they are the etiquette before marriage.Then, as the emperor with the highest status, the etiquette before marriage must be higher than these six rituals.

When the big wedding developed to the Qing Dynasty, it was integrated into the habits of the Manchu people. According to the chronological order and process, the big wedding at this time can be divided into three parts, namely, the pre-wedding ceremony, the wedding ceremony, and the post-wedding ceremony.

What, you have already started gearing up and eager to try?Well, if you are really the Queen's order and you have been "introduced" at a certain age, you will be ready to get married when you turn thirteen.According to the rules of the first item of the pre-wedding ceremony, "Na Cai Li", your family can receive gifts from the palace. These gifts are in the name of the emperor, that is, your future husband. ——The Ministry of Internal Affairs will make arrangements in advance.You have to remember the House of Internal Affairs first. Once you enter the Forbidden City, you will find that your life is closely related to the House of Internal Affairs.

You will definitely be secretly happy in your heart, guessing that this gift from the royal family should be expensive and rich, right?But girls, don't expect too much. Compared with the previous dynasties, the wedding ceremony of the emperor of the Qing Dynasty was the least category. There were ten horses with saddles and bridles, ten sets of armor, two hundred pieces of cloth, Hundreds of satin.Only Emperor Shunzhi's Na Cai gift included a gold tea pot and two silver basins.But counting them in detail, the types are really pitifully small, not to mention that the cloth and satin are also a system and can be combined.Add it, add it, that is, four kinds, and almost all of them are related to riding and archery, which can fully explain the country's traditions, that is, martial arts and riding and archery.

What is even more tragic is that these gifts are symbolic.What?The Ministry of Internal Affairs sends photos instead of real objects?That's not so symbolic, there are horse armor and satin cloth, and they are all delivered to the woman's house, but when the acceptance ceremony is over, "the internal affairs officer will withdraw the armor, and the satin cloth will be received by the eunuch in charge, and temporarily stored in the mansion. Second, when the dowry is put in, it will be packed in the box...the horses, saddles, bridles and armor will be handed over to the yamen to take them back."From this point of view, except for the satin cloth that can be finally deposited in the dowry, the rest of the things are put on display and withdrawn after the work is done. In short, the symbolic meaning of riding and archery is fully expressed.

Are you disappointed?This is just the beginning. If you don't adjust your mentality, there will be many disappointments in the future.

The Manchu people emphasize riding and archery, which is reflected in all aspects of the wedding.If you really become the queen-to-be, you will still live in your own mansion while you are waiting to be "welcome into the palace". Instead of red lanterns, guns, sacks, bows, plum needles and arrows, etc., are all tough utensils. How can there be any festive feeling of a big wedding.

However, there is one thing that you will definitely feel very relieved. In the Manchu concept, there is no such thing as the Han people's idea of ​​"men are superior to women". Women, like men, can ride on horseback, bend bows and shoot arrows.Therefore, there is no wild goose, which symbolizes the superiority of men and inferiority of women in the Han people's tradition, in the Manchu Nachow ceremony.But this is only in the conventional wisdom.Even if you are an "aunt" who is more important than a man at home, it will be different after entering the palace. You revolve around the king and want to get rid of the restrictions of male superiority and female inferiority. You haven't woken up yet, have you?

Okay, let's move on to the marriage thing.After the Na Cai ceremony, there should be a meal procedure, called "Na Cai Banquet".The traditional nacai banquet is hosted by the empress's mother's family. The main purpose is to entertain the envoys who sent things on behalf of the palace. I am grateful and know how to behave. Naturally, I have to flatter them in advance. Who knows if these people will send them in the future? What's the use, don't forget, they are all people who work for the emperor.

But in the Qing Dynasty, this habit changed, and the relationship between the guest and the guest was reversed. For example, when Emperor Guangxu got married, the ceremony was held on the second day of the first month of November, and a banquet was held at the end of the day.This meal was organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and set up in the palace. The emperor specially ordered the ministers, bodyguards, princes of the Eight Banners and below, and officials of the second rank of Manchuria and the second rank of the Han Dynasty to "feast the queen father in the outer hall, and the step father is the guest table."After eating, "all the officials went to the hall, stood in order by looking at the temple, listened to praise, and knelt down three times and kowtowed nine times".

Look at this situation, it's not like a normal family banquet, it has already risen to the level of a state banquet, and everyone is so polite, no matter what delicacies, if you eat it for a long time, it will be tasteless.The most important thing is that this reversal of the guest-of-host relationship highlights a strong hierarchical color. How can the supremacy of imperial power be surpassed?In the past, it was the man who came to give the dowry, and the woman gave a treat, and the courtesies were reciprocated, and both sides had face.It's different now, the man's betrothal gift has been given, but who is the person in charge of delivering the betrothal gift?It was an imperial envoy, and it was under the sole control of the emperor. He only listened to the emperor. If the emperor asked him to go back to the palace for dinner, how could they dare to delay outside?Besides, traveling on behalf of the emperor, how could it be possible to accept rewards from others?So it became - "I give the dowry, I take care of the meals, and my territory is up to me!"

But from a national point of view, it also makes sense.The emperor is about to marry a wife, and he should thank the other's parents for giving birth to a woman who can be called the mother of the Qing Dynasty, so that the emperor can "choose the virtuous as a match, assist the palace, and assist the emperor with the help of Kunyi".Of course the emperor had to send someone to thank him on his behalf. After all, this was the mother-in-law and the old man.Therefore, this Nacai banquet is also very ostentatious. The emperor will send 99 pastry tables, [-] wine banquet tables, [-] sheep, [-] bottles of glutinous milk wine and rice wine to the old man. He will also send the princess and his wife When we entertain the mother-in-law alone, we also have to offer pastry table, wine banquet table, sheep and wine, but the quantity is slightly smaller.But this scene is also staggering.

How about it, are you hiding and snickering?That's right, the marriage with the emperor is truly established when the ceremony is completed, and the emperor can "go up to serve the ancestral temple, and go down to pass on to future generations."How about you?Just wait for the completion of the complicated marriage procedures and enter the middle palace.

It stands to reason that after the acceptance ceremony, there should be a name asking ceremony, but in the Qing Dynasty, this name asking ceremony had already been carried out in advance, because the selection of the queen also started from the draft, and there was no exception for the primary election and the reelection. It has been registered, not only your name is recorded, but all related matters of your father, grandfather, and great-grandfather have been archived in the Ministry of Household Affairs.Therefore, this question can be skipped.

Then, officially following the Nacai ceremony is the Dazheng ceremony, which is the ancient "Nazheng" ceremony, "Zheng, Cheng also makes the envoy accept coins to form a faint ceremony".What are the gifts of the Qing Emperor's Da Zhengli? "Great Qing Huidian" records: "200 taels of gold, 5000 taels of silver, one gold tea pot, two silver tea pots, two silver pots, one thousand satin horses, twenty Wen horses, forty idle horses, and twenty pack armors. In addition, one hundred taels of gold, one gold tea pot, 400 taels of silver, one silver tea pot, one silver basin, five hundred pieces of satin, one thousand pieces of cloth, six saddles and bridles for six horses, and one pair of armor were given to stepfather and stepmother. , one bow, one arrow, two court clothes each, two clothes each called winter and one summer, one sable fur collar each, and a bunch of high-quality exquisite belts; give the younger brother forty pieces of satin, one hundred pieces of cloth, and a horse Two sets of saddles and bridles for two horses; [-] taels of silver will be given to the servant."

Please pay attention to the order in this, "200 taels of gold, [-] taels of silver, one gold tea pot, two silver tea pots, two silver basins, one thousand satin horses, twenty Wen horses, forty idle horses, and twenty pack armors" These most authentic gold and silver utensils are all ranked first, and they are all gifts for the queen, and the latter are all "gifts", that is, "grace".

Of course, the emperor is going to marry you, so he should give you gold and silver to please you and make you happy, but you should look at these things happily, because soon, the eunuchs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will deal with these things , pack them up, and carry them back to the palace untouched when the time comes.

Pick up the bride, the floats will follow soon | Only queens are qualified to hold a wedding ([-])

After going through many etiquettes before marriage, it is finally time to formally step into the wedding ceremony.Among them, the canonization and welcome ceremony are also the most important ceremonies in the emperor's wedding.After passing this level, you and the emperor can establish a husband and wife relationship.

The emperor got married, of course it couldn't be the same as that of the folks.After the folks give the dowry, the groom should come to greet the bride in person, which is called "personal greeting ceremony". No matter how male and female are inferior in the future, at the very beginning, there will still be a cutscene.The royal welcome to the bride is called "welcome ceremony", what does it mean?That is, the emperor sent envoys to pick up the queen, and the envoys were ordered to work, so it was "welcome".

Of course, before flattering the queen, there is another crucial step, and that is the registration.You have to establish the queen first before taking it back, right?Don't shake your head, what?It's decided to be the queen, why do you still do so many things?

In the Qing Dynasty, the rules are greater than the sky. If you make a verbal agreement, you have to get a marriage certificate to be considered a legal couple, right?Then she became a "quasi-queen", without a queen's book treasure, gold seal, etc., and there was no guarantee.

Therefore, the emperor's canonization of the empress will be issued next, and the minister of the Ministry of Rites has to rush to the cabinet to undertake the system, select an auspicious day, and notify the various departments to do various preparations, and then the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Industry will form a working group , began to make book treasures, engraved book texts and treasure texts.

When it comes to the selected festive festival, it can be said to be celebrated by the whole country. If you are the queen-to-be, it will be really beautiful.You see, because you are going to get married, the streets in the capital are all cleaned up;This is the capital, not to mention the palace.

(End of this chapter)