The Qing Dynasty was very strict in its management and precautions against harem concubines, more than any previous dynasty, the emperor rewarded concubines with silver and silver and objects, and the harem concubines only had the right to use. The concubines were not eligible to reward their mothers with money or goods, and the high palace walls locked not only the personal freedom of the concubines, but also their right to know about the outside world and communicate with the outside world. The plaques hanging in the palaces where the concubines lived, and even the decorative utensils, were not allowed to move or be stored without the permission of the emperor. Therefore, although the concubines had different concubines according to their respective ranks, they were limited to internal recycling, but the queen's expenses were often ten times that of the concubines, where did they need to spend money?
According to Guangxu's Concubine Jin's income and expenditure bills, during the New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Empress's birthday, and the birthday of Concubine Jin, Empress Longyu had to reward Concubine Jin with ten silver every time, and on Princess Jin alone, she would reward fifty taels a year, although it was not much, but in the dynasty where there were many concubines, it was also a great expense for the empress. For example, in the nineteenth year of Qianlong, the harem had two noble concubines, three concubines, and five concubines, and if the annual reward was fifty taels per person, it would take together to five hundred taels of silver, and the empress's palace share was only one thousand taels. During the Guangxu period, there were only one and two concubines in the palace, and there were no crown princes and grandchildren, nor concubines to give birth to children, if it was the Qianlong period, so many concubines gave birth to children, washing three, full moon, one year old, birthday, and the birth of the emperor and grandson, the empress had to reward money, according to the archives, Daoguang's eldest brother married, and Empress Xiaoshen rewarded fifty taels of silver.
According to the guangxu period archives, Empress Longyu used each year to reward silver two, sporadic food, needlework, calligraphy paper, cats, dogs, birds and insects, coal tea miscellaneous uses and used for sacrifice incense offerings, Empress Dowager Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor to eat and clothing, and to give fruit and clothing with concubines in the palace and princes outside the palace, often amounting to 10,000 taels, and at least 8,900 taels. Such expenses of the noble concubines ranged from about one thousand hundred taels to two thousand hundred taels of silver per year. Concubines, concubines, nobles, constant presence, and promises are used differently in turn, and brothers and princesses also have different scales of consumption due to different age levels. According to the records of the archives, Qianlong's successors rewarded the temple with five or two incense sticks when they followed the southern tour. The fourth brother born to Empress Xiaoquan of Daoguang sent a pox to the saint, and she rewarded her eunuchs with a total of ten taels of silver.
Therefore, the expenses of the empresses are very large, and one thousand and two taels are often not enough, and if the empress dowager or the emperor does not have additional rewards or subsidies, there will often be a situation where the income is not enough. Empress Longyu was well aware of this, so after Guangxu and Cixi died, considering the difficulties in the lives of the concubines, they greatly increased the income of the concubines, and rewarded them with five hundred taels of silver every month to improve their later life: the regent faced the emperor and empress dowager. Emperor Qi's noble concubine. Noble Concubine of Emperor Yu. Emperor Xun's noble concubine. Concubine. Jin Guifei. They all rewarded 500 taels of silver at public expenses every month. It was handed over by the Department of Guangdong Andrea of the Ministry of the Interior.