It is difficult to imagine that a Han girl from the people will be sent to the palace and get the favor of the Heavenly Son of the Qing Dynasty, she has no children and no daughters in her life, but she has been crowned six times, and she has been posthumously named as an imperial concubine because of her adopted son inheriting the throne, this woman is enough to be called the big winner of the Qianlong harem, and she uses her harem career to declare to everyone: Solid favor does not have to rely on giving birth to children, but also can gain a foothold in the harem by seniority. Let's take a look at the last imperial concubine of Qianlong: The Qinggong Imperial Concubine.
1. The Qing Emperor's Way of Taking Concubines
Let's first look at the way the Qing emperors chose concubines:
The first is the triennial Outer Eight Flags Draft. The scope of selection is the daughters of those who are manchu, Mongolian and Han Eight Banners, and who have more than three pins. Generally speaking, these show girls have a better family lineage, and after being selected into the palace, the starting point is higher, and the first seal is a nobleman, for example, The Shu Concubine who was elected to the palace in the sixth year of Qianlong, the first seal is a nobleman.
The second is the annual palace women's draft. In order to fill the harem, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will hold a palace women's draft every year, commonly known as the small election, the selection scope is those of the three banners of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, most of the women who are selected into the palace will serve as palace women, and very few will be included in the harem by the emperor, such as the Qianlong Dynasty's favored concubines, which are from the palace women's draft.
The third is the daughter of a tribute nobleman of the outer domain. This situation was more common in the early years of the Qing Dynasty, in order to consolidate the Manchu-Mongolian alliance, the Qing court often included the daughters of some nobles of the Mongol alliance into the harem, such as the deposed Empress Xiaohuizhang of the Shunzhi Dynasty, the Concubine Rong of the Qianlong Dynasty, the Concubine Yu, and so on.
The above three are the normal ways for the emperor to choose concubines, in addition, there is another abnormal way, that is, there is a type of person, they are not eligible to participate in the draft, nor are they the daughters of the nobles of the clan alliance, but from the people, in this case, these women will be sent to the capital by foreign officials, and then selected to enter the palace.
According to some information, since the Shunzhi Dynasty, the imperial court has sent Jiangnan officials to purchase virgin boys and girls in the local area, and after training, they are either eunuchs or palace women, and some lucky ones will be included in the harem by the emperor. Of course, some foreign officials, in order to please the emperor, would also offer local beauties to the emperor, such as the unknown woman surnamed Pan in the Qianlong Dynasty.
2. Folk Han women from Jiangnan
Qinggong Emperor's noble concubine Lu Shi was born on June 24, yongzheng 2nd year, 13 years younger than Qianlong, and his father's name was Lu Shilong.
Regarding the family lineage of The Qinggong Emperor's concubine, the official historical records of the Qing Dynasty do not record, that is to say, Lu Shi entered the palace through abnormal channels, and she is most likely a Han woman from the folk, and some sporadic historical materials verify this statement.
For example, Suzhou Weaving once secretly played the situation of The Qingfei Lu's mother's family, saying that "Lu Niangniang's uncle" was a cowardly and incompetent person, worried that some good people would take advantage of this to cause trouble, immediately sent someone to escort him back to Changshu, secretly notified Changshu County to guard and restrain, and told Yang Chongying, the grain road in Changshu, to pay attention.
Through this historical material, it can be seen that the noble concubine Lu of the Qinggong Emperor was a Changshu person in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.
In addition, there is also a transcription about Lu Shilong' father, Lu Shilong, who is said to have donated official duties to Concubine Qing's father, Lu Shilong, and That Jiangsu Buzheng, the brother-in-law of the Concubine Dai Jia of Xin, felt that the matter could not be concealed and reported the matter to Qianlong.
In the twenty-second year of Qianlong, Qianlong ordered the family of Concubine Lu to enter the yellow flag under the leadership of Yinglian Zuo, and each person gave each person three or two dollars of grain and rice stones, and after entering Beijing, he rewarded the Concubine's family zhuozhou with seven acres and eighty-five acres of land. In addition, Qianlong also rewarded the Lu clan with ten rented houses along the West River outside the Zhengyang Gate and forty-three official houses in Suzhou Huyuan inside the Chongwen Gate.
Through these two pieces of information, it has been made very clear that the Qinggong Emperor's noble concubine Lu Shi was indeed a han woman of chinese nationality who was not in the flag, and she was not eligible to participate in the draft, so it is very likely that lu shi was presented to the Qianlong Emperor by officials from the Jiangnan region.
According to the data, Lu Shilong, the father of the Qinggong Emperor's noble concubine Lu Shilong, had a total of nine children, Lu Shilong was the eldest daughter, in addition to Lu Shi's five younger brothers Lu Yudeng, Lu Tingrong, Lu Chaoyuan, Lu Chaobao, Lu Qibao, and three younger sisters.
3. Endure the honor and favor for twenty-six years
There is also a doubt about the Qinggong Emperor's noble concubine, that is, the time of her entry into the palace is uncertain, and the historical records are not recorded.
According to the situation that The Qinggong Emperor's concubine was born in the second year of Yongzheng, she could already enter the palace as early as the first year of Qianlong (when Lu was 13 years old), but the first time Lu appeared in the historical data was in the thirteenth year of Qianlong.
"The Ministry of Internal Affairs said that Cha Dewan concubine was a nobleman who was promoted to the title of nobleman on May 12, 2002, and that Qing Concubine and Ying Concubine were promoted to nobleman on April 12, 1313 of Qianlong" ("To the General Administration of internal affairs for the purpose of repairing the banners of Concubine Yu and Consulting Concubines and other banners and the family name of Shu Concubine's father")
According to this historical data, in the thirteenth year of Qianlong, Lu Shi was named a nobleman (Lu Guiren), which was the first time that Lu Shi appeared, and before that, she may have been Chang Zai, that is, Lu Chang Zai.
However, we must not forget that Lu Shi is a Han woman from the folk, and her age of entering the palace is not as strict as that of Xiu Nu, that is to say, Lu Shi is very likely to enter the palace within one or two years before Qianlong thirteen years ago. At that time, Lu Shi was already in his twenties, and it was obvious that he had passed the age of marriage, so it was not excluded that Lu Shi entered the palace as a widow.
In fact, later, there were two older people in the Qianlong Harem who entered the palace, they were Concubine Yu and Concubine Rong.
Let's take a look at Lu's harem jinfeng resume:
Before April of the thirteenth year of Qianlong, Lu Changzai.
In April of the thirteenth year of Qianlong, he was enfeoffed as a nobleman.
In June of the sixteenth year of Qianlong, he was enthroned as a concubine.
Concubine Book:
"Xuan Xuan is transformed. Ling Yi Pi was written by Heng Huang. Elephant service is divided into glory. Maodian-style light in Lunzhi. It is advisable to add a place number. Use Xi Yao Zhang. Ergui Lu clan. Be careful. Diligent and competent. Serve deep in the palace and slacken off. The rules of poetry. Bear the pot tuck to the flow emblem. The office of Kezo Ping. I hereby honor the Empress Dowager's edict. With jin jinfeng'er as a concubine. Erqi respectfully accepted the manifest destiny. Scoop to add brilliance. Mao Rushed to Hongxi and hurriedly replaced. Thanks. ”
In November of the twenty-fourth year of Qianlong, she was enfeoffed as a concubine.
Qingfei Album Text:
"The middle palace rises up. Crete apple. Serve internally to declare service. Yiguang Lun silk. Edict of the Commandments. Sealed with Jin Rong. Erqing concubine Lu Shi. Dreaming of Rou Jia. Su Xian Etiquette. Early elephant suit. Be careful of the Ghou Fu Ci Palace. Jiu Shi Xuan Min. Ling De was passed down from female history. I hereby pay homage to the Empress Dowager. She was enthroned as a concubine. Shang Qiqin accepted the Sundanese order. Yi Jingfu was salty. Yang Zan Kunning. He Hongyu was in Yimao. Thanks. ”
In June of the 33rd year of Qianlong, he was enfeoffed as a noble concubine.
Qing Guifei Album:
"Xiang Xiang is the only one in the palace." Exclusively funded Shude. Yao Enguang ascended to the lofty rank of Pi Zhao in Yuan Zhai. YiLun Yin's carrying tin. Erqing Concubine Lu. Be cautious. Table Fan Gentle. Lanye Chenghuan. There is a sign of mercy and there is a george. The body is not violated. The Class of the Nine Emperors of the Jia Style has been diligent in setting an example. The Order of the Four Stars. Ying Jin was praised by his husband. Hereby honored empress dowager as a noble concubine. Shang Qizan declared his internal post. Miyang Elephant Costume Hua. Mao Yi Fangyi. The weight of the Yonghe Dragon Chapter. Thanks. ”
As you can see, from the first appearance of the Lu clan in the thirteenth year of Qianlong to the promotion of Qianlong to the title of Qing Guifei in the thirty-third year of Qianlong, in the past twenty years, Lu's name in the harem has always risen steadily, and by the thirty-third year of Qianlong, he has become the second in command of the harem of the Qing Dynasty, second only to the imperial concubine Wei (Lingfei).
In addition, Lu also participated with Qianlong in the southern tour of the twenty-second year of Qianlong, the twenty-seventh year of Qianlong, and the thirty years of Qianlong, which shows that Lu is relatively favored. But one thing is more strange, she has never given birth to children for Qianlong.
In October of the twenty-fifth year of Qianlong, Ling Guifei gave birth to the fifteenth son of the Emperor Yongyan in the spring of the Tiandi family in the Yuanmingyuan, considering that during the Qing Dynasty, concubines rarely had the opportunity to personally raise their parents, plus Ling Guifei often accompanied Qianlong.
Therefore, Qianlong handed over the young fifteenth brother Yongyan to the Lu clan who was then a concubine to raise. From this, it can be seen that Lu's personal relationship with Ling Guifei Wei should be very good, otherwise Qianlong would not have given Yongyan to Lu to raise.
What Lu Shi did not expect was that it was this little brother who would bring great glory to himself and his family.
4. After death, he was honored as an imperial concubine
In February of the 36th year of Qianlong, The Qinggui Concubine Lu Shi accompanied Qianlong to the east of Mount Taishan, and only three years later, that is, on July 15, 39, Qianlong Died at the age of 51.
From the sentence "Empty quest for three years" in the first festival text, it can be seen that Concubine Qinggui died after three years of illness. That is to say, it is very likely that Lu Shi fell ill after Qianlong's thirty-six years of eastern tour of Mount Taishan, and has been ill for three years. During this period, Qianlong visited all the famous doctors for Lu Shi, but unfortunately none of them worked.
According to records, before Lu's death, Qianlong had arranged for her to recuperate in the West Garden on the west side of Changchun Garden, so Lu Shi should have died of illness in Changchun Garden, Qianlong ordered to quit the dynasty for five days, and from the fifth day, Lu's golden coffin was moved from Ji'an to Jing'an Zhuang Funeral Palace, and the prince and princess also rushed to Jing'an Zhuang Funeral Palace to wear filial piety.
The Qianlong Emperor ordered the sixth son of the Emperor Yongyao, the eighth son of the Emperor Yongxuan, the twelfth son of the Emperor Yongxuan, the fifteenth son of the Emperor Yongyan, the King hengchang of Shuncheng County, the King of Hejun Mianlun, the king of Guojun, and the ninth daughter of the Emperor, Princess Heshuo and Princess Ke, to wear filial piety for Concubine Qinggui.
It is worth mentioning that the fifteenth son of the Emperor Yongyan was dressed for the Lu family alone in the north small garden on the east side of the Shenwu Gate, why is this?
Because Yongyan had been secretly appointed crown prince by Qianlong in the thirty-eighth year of Qianlong, according to the regulations, the crown prince generally would not openly wear filial piety to a certain concubine or prince, but this Yongyan was also the adopted son of the Lu clan, and it was impossible to say that he could not wear filial piety without filial piety, so Qianlong had to let him wear filial piety for the Lu clan alone in the palace.
Note: According to this regulation, sometimes the minister will judge which prince is the crown prince based on the record of the prince's filial piety. Therefore, Qianlong left a hand, in order to confuse everyone, there was a prince, neither for Qing Guifei to wear filial piety, nor for Emperor Yi's concubine to wear filial piety, he was the eleventh son of the Emperor Yongxuan, therefore, in Qianlong's later years, many people speculated that the crown prince should be produced between the eleventh son of the Emperor Yongxuan and the fifteenth son of the Emperor Yongyan.
In addition, on April 27, 39, Qianlong, the 15-year-old Yongyan married the Hitara clan (Empress Xiaoshurui), and less than three months later (July 15), Qingguifei died, but fortunately, before her death, Qingguifei saw that her adopted son Yongyan had married an adult, and she should be at ease.
In the forty-second year of Qianlong, three years after the death of Qingguifei, Yongyan wrote a poem to mourn her:
Ju Yu'en has been deep for fifteen years, and the day of sadness and death is sad. With compassion for thousands of years, shed tears in the vast sky.
In each reminiscence, the orchid hall is free to worship the laurel drapery. Look up at the clouds and climb the difficulties, and admire the lifelong admiration.
Through this poem, it can be seen that The Lu clan raised Yongyan (Jiaqing Emperor) for 15 years, that is to say, from the birth of Yongyan in the twenty-fifth year of Qianlong to the marriage of Yongyan in the thirty-ninth year of Qianlong, it has always been taken care of and raised by the Lu family. Moreover, through this poem, it can also be seen that there is a deep affection between Yongyan and his adoptive mother Lu Shi, so that "tears are spilled in the sky".
On October 26, 40 years of Qianlong, Qing Guifei Lu was buried in the Pure Hui Emperor's Noble Concubine Garden, that is, the Yuling Concubine Garden.
On the fourth day of the first lunar month of the fourth year of Jiaqing, just the day after the Jiaqing Emperor succeeded to the throne, he immediately issued a decree posthumously honoring his adoptive mother Lu Shi as an imperial concubine, with the courtesy name of Qinggong.
"Self-inflicted age. Raised by Princess Mengqing's adoptive mother. No different from the birth mother. Le Edron Ceremony. Jia Jin Chongfeng. He is posthumously honored as a noble concubine of the Qinggong Emperor. All ceremonies should be performed. The yamen checked the example and played it. (Records of Emperor Renzongrui of the Great Qing Dynasty)
Qinggong Emperor's Noble Concubines:
"Zhonglu Helps Virtue, And Manifests the Benevolence of Things." Manifest Yang Fen, the canon of the change of name of the Yun Association. Fang Liu Tong Shi, Hui Yi Jin Han, Emperor Kao Qing Guifei, Yi Qian Han Zhen, Wan Xin Di Zhe, Qi Ru Yin Yu Ji Mi, Hua Zuo Chengtian, Yan Qing Zuo Yu Yao Men, Gong Tong Wing, Ci Zhen Ru Mother, Mo Fu You Qi Zhi Xiang, Yun Zhi Qi, Remembering the Day of Young Chong, Remembering the Beauty Report, Special Jin Chongfeng, Honoring the Treasure, Posthumously Honoring the Emperor Kao Qing Gong Emperor Gui Concubine. Yu Drama! Internal thriftiness, retrospective of the emblem of the wind of the order model. Affectionately, Zhao Hui asked Yu Infinity, sincerely. ”
Zichen said:
Qinggong Emperor Guifei can be said to be a big winner in the Qianlong harem, considering her origin of a Han woman, it is already a miracle that she can be crowned a noble concubine, but she was fortunate to raise the Great Qing Tianzi (Jiaqing Emperor), so that after 25 years after her death, she was still posthumously awarded the title of Imperial Noble Concubine, and her family also received great glory, not only raising the clan into the flag, but also obtaining a knight lieutenant's position. These are all brought to them by a woman, and it is exactly in response to that sentence: who said that women are inferior to men.
References: Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, Records of Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty, Imperial Classics, etc