** of the Qing Dynasty concubine bedding process: the cruel design of the palace system.
The Qing Dynasty's dormitory system was very different from that of other dynasties, where concubines selected by the emperor entered the palace at night. The Qing Dynasty was somewhat special, not only did there be a special Rong Mansion, but the emperor no longer opened the door himself, but"Take turns"Concubines are selected, and the eunuchs send them to perform the prescribed tasks at the appointed time, and then send them back. The following is a detailed description of the process.
Deal"Decided to marry a concubine.
In other dynasties, the emperor would often choose which concubine to sleep with according to his own interests, and the result would be unfavorable to the concubines, and they would often not be favored, because the emperor would probably have forgotten about you and did not remember that there was such a person in the harem. Therefore, the Qing Dynasty adopted this unique"Flop"system to reflect fairness.
Every concubine in the Qing Dynasty had a green plaque on her head with the concubine's name written on it. When the emperor was eating, the eunuchs would make a list of these concubines on a green plate, and then place the green plate on a large silver platter, called a dinner plate. After the emperor had eaten, the eunuch knelt in front of the emperor and held up the silver plate. If the emperor is not interested, they will say"Go away", which means they don't want anyone to serve them tonight. If the emperor is interested, they pick a card and make a pin on it, which is called"Flop"。
It should be noted that the cards placed by the eunuchs are actually face up, but the emperor can choose to turn his back to the eunuch"Flop"。However, in the TV series, the eunuchs put the cards face up, so the emperor passed"Draw lots"To choose a bed partner is not correct.
This kind"Fold cards"The original intention of the system was to prevent some wives from having bad luck for a long time, but later there were some distortions, and some wives had peach blossom luck because of their good relationship with the eunuchs, so the possibility of the eunuchs playing cards was greatly increased. At the same time, the eunuch was also a ghost, and he thought in his heart which wives were beneficial to him, and these wives were naturally more likely to be beneficial to the emperor.
Overnight system. Legend has it that after the emperor chose the concubines to sleep in, a special eunuch would run to prepare for the concubines. To prevent assassinations between wives and concubines, concubines were usually wrapped in blankets or cloaks by several eunuchs and carried to the emperor's bedchamber naked.
In order to prevent his wife from catching a cold, a special room was set up in the palace not far from the emperor's bedchamber, and as soon as notified, his wife bathed, washed, and dressed under the guidance of the eunuchs. The eunuchs would then drape a red brocade blanket or cloak over her shoulders or back, allowing her to enter the emperor's chambers naked.
Before reaching the emperor's seat, the eunuch found a red brocade quilt or cloak wrapped outside. At this time, the emperor will first walk to the bed and cover the blanket with his bare feet, revealing the surface of his feet, while the concubines present will enter the blanket barefoot, and then climb into the blanket through their feet to complete the ** with the emperor.
Take the required action within the specified time.
It was also a rather unusual system, in which, on the one hand, the emperor and his concubine - the Imperial Historian - dealt with tricky matters, and on the other hand, the eunuchs - the camel consuls - stood guard outside the door to prevent the emperor from summoning him from the inside, and another important task was to strictly control the time.
Usually, after about half an hour, the waiter of the Ministry of Rites will remind him loudly"It's time"。If the emperor was not satisfied, he did not respond, and the governor would remind him again later, but the eunuch would remind him up to three times, and then the emperor had to stop. Remember, exaggeration is not allowed here.
When it was over, the wives slowly withdrew from the emperor's blanket as if they had taken off a quilt. Then the eunuch came and took them away wrapped in a red brocade blanket or cloak.
After the spouse left, the chief eunuch knelt down and asked"To stay or not to stay"。If the emperor said"Stay", the chief eunuch went to the concubine and pressed the back of the concubine's thigh to remove the dragon essence in her body and prevent pregnancy. If the emperor said"Stay", the chief eunuch wrote"On a certain day, in a certain year, a certain month, and a certain time, the emperor was fortunate to have such and such a wife", thus leaving a record of conception.