Zhu Chao accompanied me to watch short videos

Chapter 180 Qing Dynasty Concubine

Unexpectedly, Ji Yun advised Qianlong not to provoke too much trouble, and used the example of Emperor Yang of Sui and Emperor Zhengde of Ming Dynasty playing around in the south of the Yangtze River. Emperor Qianlong was so angry that he cursed: "I regard you as a ghost, how dare you talk about state affairs!" After this incident, Ji Yun was nicknamed "Changyou University Scholar".

In 1786, the murder of the wife of Hai Sheng, the Minister of Rites, was originally a minor lawsuit, but it eventually involved important officials in the court, Agui and Heshen, and shocked the court and the public for a time.

Ji Yun, who was the Left Censor-in-Chief at the time, participated in the trial. He was angrily regarded as a useless minister by Emperor Qianlong because he failed to uphold justice. Ji Yun's life was not frugal, but rather extravagant and wasteful.

He seldom ate rice or vegetables, but had a special liking for meat. It was said that he could eat 10 plates of pork in one meal when drinking. In addition to loving meat, Ji Yun also loved women.

He had one wife and six concubines in his life, and countless other beautiful women. There was even a legend that he would have sex with his concubines. For this reason, when he was compiling the Complete Library in Siku, Emperor Qianlong specially gave him two palace maids so that he could concentrate on his work.

Ji Yun liked to smoke dry tobacco, and the ministers in the court secretly called him Ji Dayanpi. Once, Emperor Qianlong urgently summoned him to the palace. Ji Yun had no time to put out his cigarette, so he had to hide the pipe in his boots and hurried to see the emperor.

Slowly, smoke began to burn in his boots until it came out of his trouser legs. Qianlong asked him what happened, and Ji Yun calmly replied, "It's on fire." For a long time afterwards, Ji Yun went to court with a cane.

Ji Yun's career rose rapidly due to his contribution in compiling the Complete Library of Four Branches of Literature. After the death of Emperor Qianlong, Emperor Jiaqing also treated Ji Yun with great courtesy and conferred him a higher title. In 1805, Ji Yun died in Beijing at the age of 82.

When Emperor Qianlong was alive, Ji Yun once wrote a couplet: "Floating and sinking in the officialdom is like a seagull, and living and dying in the book world is like a bookworm." Ji Yun never left his books for a single day from the age of 4 until old age. For this talented scholar of the Qing Dynasty who served as an official until his death, this couplet can be said to be a portrayal of his life.

[A comprehensive review of the concubines in the Qing Palace, and a comprehensive understanding of the concubines and historical concubines of the Qing Dynasty in one go]

What kind of people were the concubines in Qing Dynasty palace dramas in history? Did they really have to fight to the death to get promoted? Write about whether their palace life was really like in the movies and TV dramas?

In this video, let us take stock of the concubines in the Qing Palace and look at the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty through their experiences.

The first one is the famous Empress Xiaozhuangwen, Borjigit Bumbutai. She was born in the Khorchin tribe of Mongolia and married Huang Taiji as a concubine in 1625 when she was 13 years old.

She shared a husband with her aunt Zhezhe and her sister Hailanzhu. In 1636, Huang Taiji officially proclaimed himself emperor and conferred titles on the harem. He conferred Bumbutai the title of Consort Zhuang, ranking last among the five palaces of Chongde.

Bumbutai had three daughters and one son. The three daughters were married to Mongolia and the son was Emperor Fulin of the Qing Dynasty. In 1643, Huang Taiji died suddenly, and the princes of the Eight Banners fought fiercely for the throne.

At least Dorgon took the initiative to propose a compromise plan, allowing the six-year-old Fulin to succeed to the throne, and Dorgon and Jierhalang to be regents, that is, Emperor Shunzhi. In order to better control the emperor, Dorgon also deliberately prevented Concubine Zhuang from seeing her son.

According to Jin Sheng Chuan, Dorgon and Bumbutai had an affair, and there was even a rumor that the empress dowager married him. In 1661, Shunzhi died of smallpox, and his third son Xuanye succeeded to the throne, changing the reign to Kangxi, and Xiaozhuang became the grand empress dowager.

Under Empress Xiaozhuang's careful training, the young Kangxi eventually grew up to be an emperor with great achievements. In 1688, Empress Xiaozhuang Wen Bumbutai died at the age of 75.

The second is Empress Xiaoxian, also known as Consort Dong E. Consort Dong E was born into a Manchu official family. She entered the palace at the age of 18 and was named Consort Xian. Soon after, she was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort.

Emperor Shunzhi doted on her, but Concubine Dong E did not become arrogant because of this. Instead, she was cautious and prudent. Not only did she serve the Empress Dowager and the Empress attentively, she would also go to take care of the concubines when they were sick.

In 1657, Dong Efei gave birth to the fourth son of the emperor. Shunzhi was overjoyed and called him his first son. However, the child died soon after, and soon after, the sad news came that Dong Efei's father and brother had passed away. Exhausted, Dong Efei finally died in 1660 at the age of 22.

The third one is Empress Xiaohuizhang, the second empress of Shunzhi. She was born in the Khorchin tribe of Mongolia and was the great-niece of Empress Xiaozhuangwen. She was made empress in 1654 at the age of 14.

However, although Xiaohui was the empress, she was not favored by Shunzhi. Under the protection of her great-aunt, Empress Xiaozhuangwen, she was not divorced. After Shunzhi's death, Kangxi ascended the throne, and Empress Xiaohui was honored as the empress dowager as his biological mother.

Kangxi's biological mother Tong Jia died early, and Kangxi always regretted not having been around his parents, so he was very filial to the Empress Dowager. In 1718, when the Empress Dowager was seriously ill, Kangxi, who was already 65 years old, took care of her personally. Soon after, the Empress Dowager died at the age of 77.

Fourth, Empress Xiaochengren, Hesheli, was a member of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner and the granddaughter of the regent Soni. In 1665, in order to check and balance Oboi, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang allowed the 12-year-old Kangxi to marry Hesheli as the queen.

This marriage made Oboi quite unhappy. Soni was actually listed as the first regent minister. However, the Soni family was not the leader of the Jurchen tribe, but the Manchus. Oboi even mocked that the daughter of a Manchu servant could not be crowned as the queen. After Oboi's fall, this became one of his crimes.

Kangxi and Hesheli had a very harmonious relationship when they were young. In 1670, Hesheli gave birth to Kangxi's eldest son Chenghu. Kangxi was ecstatic and loved this son very much, but the good times did not last long, Chenghu died at the age of 4.

The queen was deeply shocked and soon fell ill. A year later, Hesheli gave birth to Yinreng and then died at the age of 21.

The fifth is Concubine Yi, Guoluo Luo. Mingnarzhu was born in 1660. She was a member of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner and was born into a bondservant family. At the age of 17, she entered the palace and was named Concubine Yi. She was deeply loved by Emperor Kangxi and gave birth to the fifth prince Yinqi, the ninth prince Yinzhen, and the eleventh prince Yinzhen. In 1681, she was named Concubine Yi, ranking second among the four concubines.

In the later years of Emperor Kangxi's reign, nine sons competed for the throne. The ninth prince Yinzhen, born to Concubine Yi, was one of them. After Emperor Kangxi's death, the fourth prince Yinzhen ascended the throne. At Emperor Kangxi's funeral, Concubine Yi walked in front of the Empress Dowager without thinking, which made Emperor Yongzheng very dissatisfied and scolded her in public. The eunuchs in Concubine Yi's palace were also arrested by Emperor Yongzheng.

Before his death, Emperor Kangxi instructed that his concubines who were old and wandering around could leave the palace and live in his son's house. So in 1723, Concubine Yi moved to the house of Prince Heng, Yunqi. In 1733, Concubine Yi died of illness at the age of 74.

The sixth is the Imperial Noble Consort Dunsu, surnamed Nian. She was the daughter of Nian Xialing, the governor of Huguang, and the sister of Nian Gengyao, the general of Fuyuan. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, she married Prince Yong Yinzhen as a concubine and was deeply loved. She gave birth to three sons and one daughter, but none of the four children grew up.

After Yongzheng ascended the throne, Nian was canonized as a noble concubine, and Nian Gengyao was liquidated by Yongzheng in 1725. At that time, Nian was already seriously ill, and her brother's misfortune was a great blow to her.

Yongzheng was worried that Nian Gengyao's affairs would affect Nian's condition, so he slowed down the treatment of Nian Gengyao. He also specially promoted Concubine Nian to Imperial Noble Concubine. Eight days later, Nian died and became Imperial Noble Concubine Dunsu. In April, Nian Gengyao was sentenced to death.

The seventh is Empress Xiaoshengxian, Niuhulu. Born in 1693, she was the mother of Emperor Qianlong. She was a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner of Manchuria and the daughter of Ling Zhu, a fourth-rank official of ceremonies. In her early years, she was a princess of Prince Yong’s mansion. In 1711, she gave birth to Yongzheng’s fifth son, Hongli.

After Yongzheng ascended the throne, she was canonized as Concubine Xi, and was promoted to Concubine Xi in 1730. She was born at the age of 37, and Yongzheng died five years later. When Qianlong ascended the throne, Concubine Xi was honored as the Empress Dowager because of her son. Qianlong was very filial to his biological mother. He would take his mother with him every time he went on tour. He died in 5 at the age of 1777.

The eighth is Empress Xiaoxianchun, Fuca, who was born in 1712. She was a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner of Manchuria and the daughter of Li Rongbao, the governor of Chahar. In 1727, Yongzheng arranged for her to marry Hongli. In 1730, she gave birth to Hongli's eldest son, who was named Yonglian by Yongzheng himself.

After Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, he made Fucha the empress and Yonglian the crown prince. Unfortunately, Yonglian died soon after. Emperor Qianlong and his wife were very sad. Eight years later, Empress Fucha gave birth to another legitimate son, Yongcong.

However, the child died of smallpox at the age of 2. The loss of a good son was a great blow to Empress Fucha. Three months later, Empress Fucha died of illness during Emperor Qianlong's eastern tour at the age of 37.

Ninth, Empress Dowager Cixi of Qianlong. Born in 1718, she was betrothed to the fourth prince Hongli as a concubine during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng. After Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, she was named Empress Xian.

In 1745, she was promoted to Consort Xian. After Empress Xiaoxian's death, Consort Xian was chosen as the next empress and was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort again. In 1750, she was made empress.

Before this, Nara had never given birth. After she was made queen, she gave birth to two sons and one daughter. One of the sons and one daughter died young, leaving only the twelfth son, Yongqi.

As the number of concubines in Qianlong's harem increased, the relationship between the emperor and the empress gradually became distant. In 1765, Qianlong had a complete falling out with the empress during his southern tour. Nara cut her hair and broke up with Qianlong. There have been many different opinions about the reason. After returning to Beijing, Nara was placed under house arrest and died the following year at the age of 49.

The tenth is Empress Xiaoyichun Wei Jiashi. She was the mother of Emperor Jiaqing. She was born in 1727 and was a bondservant of the Plain White Banner of Manchuria. She was 16 years younger than Emperor Qianlong. She was named Wei Guiren at the age of 19 and gave birth to four sons and two daughters. She was one of the most prestigious concubines in the Qing Dynasty.

In 1759, she was promoted to Noble Consort Ling. After Empress Nara cut her hair, Emperor Qianlong promoted Noble Consort Ling to Imperial Noble Consort, in charge of the affairs of the six palaces. She died in 1775 at the age of 49.

The eleventh is Rong Fei Hezhuo. Also known as the legendary Xiang Fei, she was a Uyghur who was sent to Beijing because of the rebellion of the Hezhuo brothers. She was first named He Guiren at the age of 26, and was promoted to Rongpin two years later. She was named Rong Fei in 1788 and died in 1788 at the age of 54.

No. 12, Empress Xiaohe Rui, Niuhulu, was a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner of Manchuria and the second empress of Emperor Jiaqing. She was 16 years younger than Jiaqing. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, she was married to Prince Jia Yongyan as a concubine and was given the title of Imperial Concubine after Jiaqing ascended the throne.

Soon after, the former Queen Sitara died of illness, and Emperor Qianlong made her the Queen in 1799. In 1821, Jiaqing died suddenly, and he could not find the secret decree to establish the crown prince.

Although Empress Xiaohe already had her own son, she still announced that Minning, born to Empress Sitara, would be the emperor, namely Emperor Daoguang. After Daoguang ascended the throne, he was extremely grateful to his stepmother, who was six years older than him, and was very filial to her. In 6, Empress Xiaohe died at the age of 1750. Daoguang was also nearly 74 years old at that time, and he died of illness not long after.

No. 13, Empress Xiaoquancheng, Niuhulu, was the second empress of Emperor Daoguang and the biological mother of Emperor Xianfeng. She was 26 years younger than Emperor Daoguang. She was named Quanpin at the age of 15, and then rose all the way to become a noble concubine at the age of 17.

In 1833, Empress Xiaoshen died of illness, and Concubine Quan was promoted to Imperial Concubine. The following year, she was made Empress. During the reign of Emperor Daoguang, concubines were promoted and demoted frequently, and even Empress Xiaoquan, who was once in great favor, was no exception. In 1839, Emperor Daoguang issued an edict to seize the Empress's management of the harem. Six months later, Empress Xiaoquan died at the age of 33.

The 14th, Empress Xiaojingcheng, also known as Oujit. This empress's situation is similar to that of Consort Dong E. She was neither the emperor's principal wife nor his biological mother. Empress Xiaojingcheng was born in the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner, but her ancestors were direct descendants of the Golden Family.

At the age of 14, she was selected into the palace and given the title of Jing Guiren. Because she had a son and a daughter, she was promoted twice and given the title of Jing Fei. In 2, she gave birth to the sixth prince Yi Xin, who was the late Qing Dynasty's important official, Prince Gong. The following year, she was promoted to Gui Fei, but she was never made empress during the reign of Emperor Daoguang.

In 1850, Emperor Daoguang passed away. Emperor Xianfeng honored his adoptive mother as the Imperial Noble Consort and took her back to the palace to take care of her as the Empress Dowager. Emperor Xianfeng was very filial to his adoptive mother, but he never gave her a title. In 1855, the Imperial Noble Consort was seriously ill, and Emperor Xianfeng officially issued an edict to honor his adoptive mother as the Empress Dowager. She died eight days later at the age of 8.

No. 15, Empress Xiaoqinxian, Yehenara, also known as Empress Dowager Cixi, was born in 1835 and entered the palace at the age of 18 as Lan Guiren. Later, she was promoted to Yipin. In 1856, she gave birth to Zaichun, the Emperor Tongzhi. As the mother's status increased, she was promoted to Yifei. The following year, she was promoted to Yi Guifei, whose status was second only to that of the empress.

In 1861, Emperor Xianfeng died and appointed eight ministers to assist in the administration. Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci'an joined forces with Prince Gong to launch the Xinyou Coup, overthrowing the eight ministers who were in power behind the scenes and starting a half-century-long rule.

In 1875, Emperor Tongzhi died of smallpox, and Cixi appointed Zai Tian, ​​son of Prince Chun Yihuan, as emperor and continued to rule the country from behind the curtain. After the failure of the Reform Movement of 1898, Cixi imprisoned Guangxu in Yingtai.

In 1908, Cixi was seriously ill. Before her death, she appointed the three-year-old Puyi as the new emperor, sent someone to poison Guangxu, and died the next day at the age of 3.

No. 16, Zhenfei Tatara, was a favorite concubine of Emperor Guangxu. She was born in 1876 and was selected into the palace with her sister at the age of 13 and was named a concubine. In 1894, she was promoted to Zhenfei.

However, the good times did not last long. A few days later, Zhen Fei was demoted to a noble lady for disobeying the Empress Dowager. Although she was restored to the throne three or four years later, Cixi had already held a grudge against her.

After the failure of the Reform Movement of 1900, Concubine Zhen was also imprisoned. In 24, Cixi fled Beijing with Emperor Guangxu. Before leaving, she asked the eunuchs to push Concubine Zhen into a well and drown her. She was only years old.

No. 17, Empress Longyu, of the Yehenara clan, was named Jingfen. She was born in 1868. She was the daughter of Cixi's brother Guixiang and the cousin of Guangxu. In 1888, Cixi arranged for her to marry Guangxu as the empress, but Guangxu hated this cousin empress. Even Cixi didn't like Longyu very much.

In 1908, after the death of Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi, Empress Dowager Longyu became the Empress Dowager and ruled the country from behind the curtain. She was the last Empress Dowager in Chinese history. Three years later, the Qing Dynasty fell. According to the preferential treatment regulations for the Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Longyu continued to live in the Forbidden City until her death in 1913.