In the eyes of the Han people in the ancient feudal society, the woman who gave birth to the eldest son was of course highly regarded. Even if it is not a wife, the status will be very high. However, among the Manchu magnates of the Qing Dynasty, this was not the case. They valued the ability of their children more, and later they were influenced by The Idea of Sinicization, and they gradually attached importance to their concubines. However, the eldest son and their mother still did not have special care.
Throughout the early Qing Dynasty, the eldest sons born to the royal family were almost all born from concubines with low status. Moreover, the status of the eldest son and their mother never changed. It was not until jiaqing's concubine Liu Jiashi of the Yu Emperor began that it changed.
Liu Jia was born very low, and her father, Liu Fuming, was just a Baitang'a in the Han army banner. The so-called Bai Tang'a, to put it bluntly, is a reserve official, and only when there is a vacancy in the low-level position of the imperial court will there be a certain opportunity to fill it. If this position is delayed, or if it is preempted by others, it may be necessary to wait for a lifetime.
In this capacity, when Liu Jia married Jiaqing, who was then the crown prince, his natural status was very low, and he was only a Gege. This title was understood in many ways in the Qing Dynasty, not as we imagine a princess, but as a concubine of the royal palace. However, Liu Jia's luck was very good, there were many women who started before her, and many women who were favored by her, but she gave birth to Jiaqing's eldest son in the forty-fourth year of Qianlong.
We began to say that the Manchus attach far less importance to the eldest son than the Han Chinese. However, this was, after all, Yongyan's first son. Qianlong was highly sinicized, and the importance attached to the eldest son increased. Therefore, the old emperor specifically decreed that Liu Jiashi should become Yongyan's side Fujin.
This is extraordinary grace. In the eyes of the Manchus, the side Fujin is not an ordinary concubine, and to some extent it can sit on an equal footing with the Concubine Fujin, which is equivalent to the equal wife among the Han people. At that time, the princes were only allowed to have two side Fujin. Because he gave birth to the eldest son, he was established as a side Fujin, and in the history of the Qing Dynasty, Liu Jia was the first to set a precedent. What's more, Yong Yan had been secretly made crown prince at this time, and Qianlong's degree of joy could be seen.
Since then, Liu Jiashi has been very different from ordinary concubines, which has affected her life. However, just two years later, Liu Jia's son unfortunately died. As a mother, the grief can be imagined, but she still has to restrain herself, because at this time she is pregnant again.
This time, Liu Jia gave birth to a daughter, Princess Zhuang Jing and Shuo, the third daughter of Jiaqing. Although this princess grew up and married the Mongolian Horqin tribe as a princess, her life expectancy was not long, and she died in the sixteenth year of Jiaqing, less than thirty-two years old.
Although Liu Jia's status was no longer what it used to be, second only to Concubine Fujin in the royal palace, she gradually fell out of favor. The reason is nothing more than old age and decay, but more and more young girls. However, when Jiaqing succeeded to the throne, she still got some comfort. The Concubine Fu Jin Xi Tara clan was naturally named empress, and although the other side Fu Jin Niu Hu Lu clan was made a noble concubine, she also became a concubine, second only to the two. With the Death of the Hitara clan after only two years as empress, the status of concubines in the six palaces was only below that of the successor empress Dowager Nuhulu.
After that, no matter what big or small things happened in the palace, she was calm, completely devoid of distractions, and did not argue with people. Perhaps it is this attitude of indisputable with the world that makes the Jiaqing harem also usher in a rare tranquility.
Thirteen years after Jiaqing, Concubine Liu Jia received a rare gift. Because Jiaqing's eldest grandson was born, he was overjoyed that he had many concubines. Theoretically, Liu Jia's clan is already unfavored, and the position is also very high, there is no need to be promoted. However, when Jiaqing saw the emperor's eldest grandson, he thought of the emperor's eldest son, who had died many years ago, and also had more sympathy for Liu Jiashi, and made him a noble concubine.
The Harem of Jiaqing was still relatively harmonious, and the mother of the eldest son, Mianning, died early and was raised by the successor empress Niu Hulu, and the two had a good relationship. This atmosphere led to the harem, and Liu Jia's relationship with Mianning was also good. Therefore, when Daoguang succeeded to the throne, he honored her as an imperial concubine on the grounds that "he served the imperial examination for the longest time and was also respected for her age".
Liu Jia lived to Daoguang for thirteen years, at the age of 73. Although she suffered many ups and downs, from having both children and daughters to being childless, it was not easy to spend the rest of her life peacefully with her stoicism and tenacity.