During the feudal dynasty, the emperor, as the supreme ruler of the dynasty, enjoyed great privileges in all aspects, including the possibility of having many concubines to pass on for himself. Although in ancient times, as long as there was money, they could take concubines, but the number was not comparable to that of the emperor.
Such a privilege also raises the question of where will the concubines of these former emperors go when the old emperor dies and the new emperor ascends the throne? Faced with this question, different dynasties have given completely different answers.
Brutal system of martyrdom
As the founder of Confucianism, Confucius had a deep obsession with etiquette and devoted his life to the restoration of the Zhou rites. In his view, a society that is broken and happy cannot be tolerated under any circumstances.
For the restoration of the Zhou Li, Confucius's attitude is not to copy the old system, everything is restored to the previous appearance. In fact, Confucius deeply resented a system in the Zhou Li. This system is the system of martyrdom.
During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, when the Son of Heaven or the princes died, a grand funeral ceremony was held to express the mourning of the courtiers and the people. The earliest period of martyrdom was due to people's deep longing for the monarch, and some people would voluntarily follow their masters by dying.
In ancient times, some kings could indeed win the hearts and minds of the people, such as Tang Taizong Li Shimin, whose open and inclusive policy made the kings of many vassal countries very admired, and when Li Shimin died, the kings of many vassal countries could not accept this reality and would follow him in the form of martyrdom.
But this was done on the premise that the person concerned willingly went with the king, and later a system was formed in which when the king and princes died, their favorite pets, servants and concubines were to accompany the martyrdom, forcing them to express their loyalty.
Especially in the feudal period, a woman's loyalty was regarded as more noble than her life. After the death of the former emperor, his concubines naturally became widows. The widows in these palaces were not allowed to remarry under any circumstances, and as concubines of the previous emperors, their loyalty was naturally more important.
In order for these concubines to maintain this loyalty, but also to show the personality charm of the former emperor, these concubines would be forced to go to the emperor's tomb to bury them. Many women, who were still in their prime, had to sacrifice their innocent lives under this cruel system.
A life where a mother is precious to a child
With the development of society, the burial system was gradually abandoned. The concubines of the former emperor finally no longer had to worry about the emperor's death, but their fate was still constrained by other men. And this man is no one else, it is his own son.
Since ancient times, women have been required to achieve three from four virtues, and the three from the refers to "from the father at home, from the husband to the husband, and from the husband to the son", which shows that the women of feudal society have long been arranged in their lives, from birth to death, each stage of life can not determine their own destiny.
Since the husband dies from the son, the son is particularly important. When the emperor is alive, the princes will be given the title at the right age and become the king of the domain. When the fief is divided, it will not only receive the title of prince, but also a fief as your own property.
So they were crowned as the prince of the prince, and their mother has been dependent on since then. After the death of the emperor, these concubines would go to their sons' fiefdoms, not only to be able to stay away from the open and secret struggles in the harem, but also to enjoy a rich life and a lifelong dependence. This is the most ideal ending.
If a concubine is unable to give birth to a son, then after the death of the former emperor, the strength of the concubine's family must be considered. As in-laws, this foreign power is sometimes the key to the stability of a dynasty.
If someone in the concubine's family holds great power, then after the new emperor ascends the throne, in order to maintain the stability of the country, he will also treat this concubine kindly and let her enjoy her old age in the palace in peace, in exchange for the support of foreign forces.
Without a strong family background to rely on, and without giving birth to a son and a half daughter, such a concubine will undoubtedly be very miserable in her later years.
Usually, they have two choices, one is to go to guard the tomb of the former emperor, and the other is to become a nun. Either way, they will live a cold life in the days to come, and the bustle and prosperity of the world will have nothing to do with them, and there will only be a sigh in the face of the lost youth.
The concubines in the deep palace
In the Qing Dynasty, the situation changed somewhat. Before the Qing Dynasty, after the princes were enthroned, they would go to their fiefdoms, and they could not enter the capital without the emperor's holy will. Otherwise, it will be regarded as a great rebellion, and it will not only be stripped of the throne, but even invite the disaster of killing.
The qing dynasty's regulations were very different. The princes of the Qing Dynasty would also be crowned princes, but they would no longer be granted fiefs, and at the same time, they were strictly restricted from leaving the capital, and could only leave the capital with the permission of the emperor, otherwise they would be regarded as secretly related henchmen and would also be stripped of the throne.
Under such circumstances, the concubines of the former emperor naturally could not go to their sons' fiefdoms to retire in peace like the previous dynasty. Therefore, for the placement of these concubines, the Qing rulers also adjusted accordingly.
After the new emperor ascended the throne, he would carry out a new round of canonization for these concubines. After receiving the canonization, these concubines were promoted to be concubines, which clarified the identity of these concubines. Only concubines who had obtained more than the title of concubine during the imperial period would be crowned as concubines.
These princesses would move to the pension area of the Forbidden City, and raise themselves with the empress dowager, receive good treatment, and still maintain the quality of life they once had.
Concubines who were not promoted to the rank of concubine during the imperial period could not be crowned as concubines. For these concubines, the new emperor will not be too embarrassed, and will still open up an area for them in the palace to support them, but the treatment will be slightly worse than that of the concubines.
It can be seen that although the Qing Dynasty is still a feudal dynasty, with the development of history, its attitude and policy towards the concubines of the previous emperors have been quite tolerant and perfect compared with the previous dynasties.
On the issue of dealing with the concubines of the former emperor, from the initial forced concubines to be loyal, to being able to properly provide for their old age, civilization has progressed, and the lives and safety of the concubines have been improved.
But even so, women in feudal society still can't control their own lives, and what kind of treatment they can get is still in the hands of the emperor, whether it is the former emperor or the new emperor, which is the root of their survival.