How did the concubines of the Qing Dynasty sleep? Why carry it in? Mainly for the convenience of the emperor.
In film and television works, you can often see the plot of the emperor flipping the brand, once selected, the concubine has the opportunity to spend a good night with the emperor, but this process is that the little eunuchs wrap her tightly and send her to the emperor like a big meat dumpling.
So, who made these seemingly bizarre regulations? And why did the concubine be carried into the emperor's bedroom so "naked"?
Since the Ming Dynasty, it has become a system to send concubines into the emperor's palace naked, and this practice has been carried forward in the Qing Dynasty. In contrast to the scenes depicted in film and television works, these concubines were returned to their palaces intact after their bedtime, and rarely had the opportunity to spend a night with the emperor.
This practice was actually closely related to the idea of the inferiority of men and women at the time. In ancient times, the emperor, as the Emperor of the Ninety-Five, was the most noble man, and in order to show his dignity, these wives had to be honest with each other when serving him, showing the meaning of ice and jade.
Wrapping these beauties in quilts and sending them to the emperor and letting them appear naked is actually to consume the self-esteem of these concubines to the greatest extent, so that they can put down their identities and serve the emperor obediently, so they can reflect their respect for the emperor in an absolute sense.
At the same time, it was also a way to prevent the emperor from being assassinated.
During the Ming Dynasty, the repressive rule made many people stay away, especially the mediocrity of the Jiajing Emperor, which caused the concubines and court ladies to be extremely dissatisfied with him. One night, a concubine took advantage of Emperor Jiajing's inattention and plucked her own hairpin, trying to kill him.
When the palace maid next to her saw this scene, she was also enraged by the emperor's tyrannical behavior and joined the ranks of plotting to kill the emperor. However, in the chaos, someone reported the news, and Emperor Jiajing escaped.
In order to prevent such incidents from happening again, Emperor Jiajing ordered the eunuchs to thoroughly check the concubines for dangerous items and ensure that their whole bodies appeared in front of him.
This practice was also followed in the Qing Dynasty, where the emperors washed the concubines and wrapped them in quilts and sent them to their own palaces. The eunuch in charge of the emperor's clean room would present the green cards of the concubines every night, which would be selected by the emperor.
Only the concubines who have been turned over have the opportunity to serve the emperor, otherwise they will not have the opportunity to serve the emperor. For the sake of their own safety, the emperors can be said to have done enough.
When a concubine is chosen by the emperor, she needs to undergo elaborate preparations, such as washing her whole body to ensure that she is in the best condition. You also need to dress up in order to look your best in front of the emperor.
But they can't wear any ornaments on their heads in case of accidents. After being ready, they will be wrapped in a quilt and sent to the emperor's bedroom, waiting for the emperor's favor after handling government affairs.
When serving the emperor, they had to follow the rules and show respect by burrowing out from the bottom of the quilt. The chief eunuch at the gate would record their time in the dormitory, possible fertility, and whether there were any inappropriate voices during the service.
In ancient times, the emperor's concubines had to keep absolute silence while they were sleeping, so as not to disturb the emperor's mind and make him indulge in the gentle countryside and unable to extricate himself. Therefore, the eunuch court maid would supervise the emperor at the door and remind him of the time so that he would not indulge in it.
At the end of the bed, the concubine will be carried back to her dormitory intact. If the emperor is willing to have children with the concubine, she can quietly return to her palace to rest.
But if the emperor doesn't want her to keep the dragon seed, he will give her a bowl of dodge soup. Or the eunuch hangs her upside down and expels the tadpoles from the emperor's body.
In this way, both parties can save trouble. After bedriding, the emperor would return to his own palace to rest, and only the queen was entitled to spend the night with him, and the other concubines could only enjoy a moment of grace.
Although in the eyes of everyone, the concubines of the palace are infinitely beautiful, but in fact, in front of the emperor, they are extremely humble. They had no choice but to become the emperor's concubines.
Even if you are pampered, you can't spend the whole night with your beloved. This was not because the emperor was addicted to wine, but because he was concerned about the emperor's health. In ancient times, emperors often went to the morning court and worked more than a dozen or even twenty hours, and if they could not even guarantee sleep time, they would look very tired the next day.
Therefore, in order to ensure the emperor's sleep, these concubines were forbidden to spend the night with the emperor. Therefore, for the women of the imperial palace, it is a blessing to be favored and favored by the emperor, but if there is any mistake in the process of sleeping in the palace, not only may they lose the opportunity to have children, but they may also be imprisoned in the cold palace.
The glory and wealth and the life of ordinary people all lie in the emperor's thoughts. These concubines not only had to endure unbearable humiliation, but also learned to understand and meet the needs of the emperor.
Therefore, these concubines are not something that anyone can do. What do you think of the ancient rules of concubines' bedchambers? If these rules were put into modern times, would you accept them?