The "First Sacrifice of Princess Yu" once said: "Cherish and admire, but Yu Yifan remains." "In the Qianlong harem, there were countless talented women, but in many years of strife, Princess Yu was able to be alone and accompany the emperor for sixty-five years.
In ancient society, the emperor sat in the harem three thousand beautiful ladies, enjoying a luxurious life, through the analysis of ancient history, it will be found that not all harem beauties can get the emperor's favor, some women even have a lifetime to see the emperor's side, only lonely around. In the deep palace, all those who can get the emperor's favor have a certain outstanding talent, if not, they will not be able to stand out from the many beauties.
During the Qing Dynasty, there was such a special concubine in the Qianlong harem, she accompanied Qianlong for about 65 years, until the age of 79, she was still "flopped" by Qianlong, in addition, in her lifetime, she also gave birth to the best brother of the Qing Dynasty. Who is this concubine who has been favored for more than sixty years? Compared with other concubines in the harem, what is her special feature?
This concubine, who had been favored by Qianlong for more than 60 years, was Concubine Yue. In ancient Chinese society, those who could become the emperor's concubines generally had a more prominent lineage, but this was not the case for Concubine Yue.
By understanding Princess Yu's family background, it can be seen that her father was just an ordinary official in the imperial court, and the reason why she was able to enter the Qianlong harem was also based on the preferential treatment of the Manchu-Mongolian marriage policy.
Before the Qianlong Emperor ascended the throne, Concubine Yu had already entered the Wangye Mansion and became a low-ranking concubine. In her daily life, Princess Yue was well aware of her low status and had never competed with other Fu Jin for favors. Affected by this situation, princess Yu in the early years was ignored by the Qianlong Emperor, and her status in the palace and palace was relatively low.
However, by chance, Princess Yu was blessed by the Qianlong Emperor and gave birth to a son in one fell swoop. In the context of feudal society, all the concubines who can give birth to a prince will live a good life with their mothers and children, and Concubine Yu is no exception.
As an easy-going concubine, Princess Yu did not compete with other concubines for the emperor's favor in the harem, but she was extremely serious about her son's education. Under the careful teaching of Concubine Yu, the Fifth Brother Yongqi became the most outstanding of many princes and received great attention from the Qianlong Emperor. Looking at the entire history of the development of the Qing Dynasty, it will be found that the Five Brothers Yongqi are among the best beings.
It was precisely because Yongqi had such outstanding abilities that the Qianlong Emperor would entrust many administrative affairs to Yongqi. As a crown prince, Yongqi was first awarded the title of prince, although Yongqi was not the eldest son, but he already occupied the most important position in Qianlong's heart.
However, it was such an excellent prince who died at the age of 25. More than 20 years after Yongqi's death, Qianlong, when talking with the British emissaries, even stated that if Yongqi did not die, he would pass on to him, which showed Yongqi's position in his heart.
For the Qianlong Emperor, Yongqi's death dealt a huge blow to him. In the days that followed, he often accompanied Princess Yue and shared the pain of losing his son.
For a long time after that, Princess Yu lived a relatively lonely life, after all, in the harem of ancient society, the prince was an important reliance on the queen concubine, and if there was no help from the prince, the status of the queen concubine in the harem naturally declined.
Although Yongqi had passed away, Princess Yuefei did not complain about herself, and for Qianlong, when she thought of what Princess Yuefei had taught Yongqi before, she had a certain compassion for Princess Yue. Compared with other younger concubines, she accompanied Qianlong for 65 years since Princess Yu entered the Qianlong mansion.
Although there were other favored concubines in Qianlong's harem, their time with Qianlong was not as long as that of Concubine Yu. Until the age of 79, Princess Yu could still be summoned by the Qianlong Emperor's "flop", and it could be felt from this situation that Princess Yu had become one of the most important women in the qianlong emperor's life.
As a concubine who began and ended well, although The life of The Princess Yue was unremarkable, it was stable and plain, and through understanding the experience of the Concubine, you will find that the concubines in the ancient harem who can really laugh to the end are not the most favored people, but the most sober people. It is precisely because Princess Yu can reasonably recognize herself that she can become a person with a more satisfactory ending among the concubines.
epilogue
Unlike the traditional impression of favored concubines, the feelings between Princess Yu and Qianlong are not as deep as the world imagines, and the reason why Princess Yu can be favored for a lifetime is also because there is no strong family behind her, and she knows how to grasp the size and avoid being suspected by the emperor.
It can be seen that the real environment of the ancient harem is not as beautiful as depicted in literary, film and television works, and many concubines are walking on thin ice, just to survive smoothly and avoid being punished by the emperor. As a concubine who has been able to die well, the wisdom, thoughtfulness and ability of Concubine Yu are worth learning from future generations. Although today, China has shaken off the feudal social system, the wisdom of the ancients is also of great help to the development of the country.
Reference: Draft History of the Qing Dynasty