In the Qing Dynasty, it was not the eunuch who read the decree to the harem, so who was it?
The answer is first, and it is not the eunuch who reads the decree to the harem.
When it comes to reading the holy decree, most of the images that appear in my mind are: a eunuch, holding the Buddha dust in one hand and the holy decree in the other, chanting in a sharp voice: Fengtian carrier, the emperor's edict said...
This is not right, and it could not be more wrong.
In the harem of the Qing Dynasty, there were special female officials who were responsible for reading the holy decrees. Their duty is to announce or convey the emperor's decree, or the arrangements in the court, to the relevant personnel of the harem.
For example, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, the process of Jin Feng Jingmin's concubine:
First of all, the will of this Jin Feng will be issued to the Ministry of Rites to approve the title, but whether it is called Emperor Wen Xian's concubine or Jingmin's imperial concubine, and reported to the emperor for permission. After the title is set, the Ministry of Industry will make the corresponding book, which is equivalent to today's certificate, and engrave the corresponding seal, also known as the treasure seal.
According to the regulations of the Qing Dynasty, the queen mother, queen, imperial concubine, concubine, and crown prince, prince or prince's son, the official seals used by these people are all made of **. After the book and seal are completed, they will be sent to the cabinet for examination.
Everything is correct, and on the day of canonization, the imperial court will appoint one scholar and one monk to serve as the chief envoy of the canonized imperial concubine, and then one bachelor and one squire to serve as the deputy envoy of the canonization.
This group of people must first go to the Taimiao to inform the ancestors, and then the Luan Yiwei will carry the books and treasure seals to the palace where the imperial concubine lives, and set up incense cases at the door. And the main and deputy canonization envoys can only go outside the Jingyun Gate, and do not enter the inner court of the harem. The specific reading of the contents of the book is done by the wife of the Minister of Internal Management, that is, "reading the female official".
The imperial concubine who was promoted should wear a ceremonial dress, kneel in the direction of the north to listen to the seal, and perform three kneels and nine bows. When the decree and the book were read, all personnel exited the palace gates. On the second day of being enthroned, the imperial concubine first went to the palace of the queen mother, and then to the palace of the emperor and the empress, and performed three bows and nine bows. This process is over.
It can be seen from this that it was the "female official" who read the decree and the book, and there was nothing to do with the eunuchs from beginning to end.
So were there any female officials in the Qing Dynasty court?Well, there is, and there are none.
Why do you say that there is, because in the actual operation of the Qing Dynasty, there were indeed female officials, and they can indeed be seen in the records, and there are quite a few.
For example: According to a list of people to be rewarded in the first year of Yongzheng's succession, there are female officials who are rewarded with canonized concubines and read the holy decree
In the first year of Yongzheng, on December 12, reward, Xuanbaowen female officials: a total of 34 people, Langzhong Erda women, Dai Ze women, Balsai women, Wuladai women, 1800 taels of silver, 180 satin.
In the above record of rewards, the word "female official" is used in the holy decree, and it can be seen that the person who reads the holy decree is also a "female official", which confirms that there is a "female official" and that it is not a eunuch who reads the holy decree, and these two inferences are valid.
But why don't you say there is?Because of these official positions, the specific names and grades cannot be found in the "Great Qing Huidian", but the ceremonial nature of the lady can be found. Therefore, these may be the so-called positions of the wife, which are more of a temporary nature of public office, and are a kind of existence between the "lady of the commandment" and the "female minister".
Therefore, in Yongzheng's holy decree, there is no specific name and position of the relevant person, but only the name of her husband is used to refer to a certain woman, but these "female officials" have a monthly salary. It's kind of like today's incumbent and not incorporated.
Most of the ** of these "female officials" are taken by the wives of the internal managers. The so-called "internal management leader" was a management body set up under the internal affairs government in the Qing Dynasty. It is mainly responsible for the clothing, food, housing and transportation of the harem of the inner court, as well as various repairs of the inner court, and the level is five products. During the Kangxi period, there were a total of 30 internal rulers in the inner court, and the wives of these people were the people who read the holy decree.
In the Qing Dynasty, it was impossible for outsiders to enter the inner court, and with the strict management of the harem in the Qing Dynasty, even the mother concubine who was not born or raised was forbidden to meet the prince under the age of 50. Not to mention that a certain prince and elder brother have a love affair with the concubine, this is pure nonsense.
In fact, if you think about it, you can understand that for example, the canonization of the queen or the concubine, etc., how can a eunuch be asked to read the holy decree for such a major event in the court. Qing Dynasty society, especially the imperial court, was very strict in its recognition of identity.