Nursing mothers, commonly known as nursing mothers, first appeared in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
The Book of Rites has a cloud: "The son of a scholar has a mother", which means that the son of a scholar has a nurse who is responsible for nursing.
The emergence of the profession of nursing mother has deep social roots: the prosperity of ancient people is one of the important signs of the prosperity of a family, and the feeding of new heirs is the top priority of family reproduction.
The wives and concubines of rich and noble families may be due to their superior care and poor physical fitness and insufficient milk. Or worry that breastfeeding yourself will make your body out of shape, and it is a laborious thing to carry a child, which will inevitably have a negative impact on maintaining a beautiful appearance in the long run.
It should be known that the status of women in ancient times was low, and posture was the biggest capital for them to gain the favor of their husbands.
Therefore, the profession of nursing mother came into being, they are responsible for feeding the host child and taking care of daily life.
The royal family, which was at the top of the ancient ruling class, had stricter requirements for nursing mothers.
As the last feudal dynasty in China, the Qing Dynasty, on the basis of summarizing the lessons of the previous generation, created a unique royal nursing mother system.
In the 276-year history of the Qing Dynasty, there have also been many stories of popularity between emperors and nursing mothers. Today, we will talk about the qing dynasty nursing mothers.
Lessons from the previous dynasty
If you want to talk about the royal nursing mother, you have to talk about the story of Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty "killing the mother and establishing the son".
It is said that in the later years of Emperor Wu of Han, liu Zhao, the crown prince who had been cultivated for decades, died young in the "scourge of witchcraft".
Because the other sons were not angry, he had no choice but to make 7-year-old Liu Fuling the crown prince.
Because of the dictatorship of Lü Hou in the early years of the Han Dynasty, in the early days of Emperor Wu of Han's succession, the government was controlled by his grandmother Empress Dowager Dou.
In less than a hundred years, the phenomenon of monopoly of foreign relatives of the Lü and Dou clans has appeared continuously.
In view of this, Emperor Wu of Han knew that time was short, and if Liu Fuling succeeded to the throne at a young age, his mother Lady Hook Yi would still be very young, "mother strong and young", unless Lady Hook Yi was a moral saint, the phenomenon of foreign relations dictatorship was inevitable.
In order not to fall into the hands of outsiders, Emperor Wu of Han ruthlessly executed his beloved Lady Hook Yi.
Although there was no more "killing children and establishing mothers" after the Han Dynasty, this policy was followed by the Xianbei regime northern Wei that entered the Central Plains.
Although this policy of exterminating humanity was not implemented in later generations, in order to prevent the emperor from having too close a relationship with his biological mother, resulting in the expansion of the mother's family power and the emergence of the phenomenon of monopoly of foreign relatives, the royal nursing mother system was established.
After the birth of the imperial heir, he lived separately from his birth mother and was entrusted to the nursing mother to nurse and care.
Although this policy inhibited the monopoly of foreign relations to a certain extent, the nursing mother became the closest person to the young emperor.
Some nursing mothers with political ambitions and bad morals, relying on the grace of the emperor, turned the clouds and interfered in the affairs of the dynasty, and their families became another phenomenon of "foreign relations dictatorship".
This is to say that Xianzong Zhu is deeply aware.
In 1449, Zhu Mishen's father, Emperor Mingyingzong Zhu Qizhen, was captured by the Walas during the "Tumu Fort Rebellion". His uncle Zhu Qiyu was soon put on the throne by the empress dowager, and the 3-year-old Zhu Jianshen was made crown prince.
It was at this time that his grandmother, Empress Sun, arranged for a palace maid, Wan Zhen'er, to take care of him.
After that, Zhu Jianshen was deposed as crown prince for only two years, and it was not until 1457 that Emperor Mingyingzong was restored in the "Change of the Gate", and Zhu Jianshen was once again made crown prince.
During this period, although Wan Zhen'er, as a nurse, did not feed Zhu Jianshen, she was the one who did not abandon zhu Jianshen in the most lonely and helpless days of Zhu Jianshen.
Therefore, Zhu Jianshen developed a deep attachment to Wan Zhen'er, and this feeling changed subtly as he grew older.
When Zhu Mishen was 16 years old, the two broke through the taboo and had the reality of husband and wife.
After Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne, there were three thousand harem beauties, and he favored Wan Zhen'er alone, and several of her brothers were also added to the rank of knight.
Empress Wu was furious and beat Wan Zhen'er, and Zhu Jianshen directly deposed her as empress and entered the Cold Palace.
Since then, Wan Zhen'er has become more and more arrogant, and the officials of the Fly Camp in the DPRK have also competed to seduce her, and her family has been unable to do some fish and meat people's affairs all day long.
Not only that, Wan Zhen'er also directly influenced the succession to the throne.
At the age of 38, Wan Zhen'er gave birth to a boy, Zhu Jian Shenlong Yan Dayue crowned her as a noble concubine, I don't know if she was punished for her evil deeds, her son soon died, and she was never able to conceive a child after that.
She could not give birth to a child herself, and the concubines and palace ladies in the palace were spoiled and pregnant, and she wanted to use various vicious methods to make the family abort.
Later, a palace maid Ji Shi was pregnant with a dragon seed, or a loyal eunuch Zhang Min, poor Zhu Mishen had no heirs, secretly dumped the abortion pill, and only then did he save the child (that is, the later Ming Xiaozong Zhu Youfan).
It can be seen that although the nursing mother seems to be of low status, she actually has a close relationship with the emperor and has a great influence on the heir to the imperial throne.
The nursing mother accompanied the royal heirs day and night during their infancy, although not related by blood, but close to each other. The words and deeds of the nursing mother have had a profound impact on the establishment of the three views of the imperial heir.
If the emperor's nursing mother is a person of bad moral character, she will not only raise the child, but also cause great harm to the country by virtue of her close relationship with the emperor after the emperor ascends the throne.
As the last feudal dynasty, what role did the Qing Dynasty royal nursing mother play?
Selection criteria for nursing mothers of the Qing Dynasty royal family
The Qing Dynasty, as a political power established by ethnic minorities, on the basis of summarizing the lessons of the previous dynasty, the royal nursing mother system had its own characteristics, and the selection criteria were very strict.
The first is physical condition, when a nursing mother's most basic requirement is good health, sufficient milk, preferably 15 to 20 years old, giving birth to the third child less than three months of women, they have experience in raising babies, in the lactation period of sufficient milk, and young and energetic, can better take care of the royal heir.
The second is birth, the requirement is that the family is a good family woman, and the family has not committed a crime. In the early Qing Dynasty, it was also required that he must be from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and be proficient in Manchu.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs was a specialized agency that managed the affairs of the imperial family, and the so-called wrappers were the household slaves who served the eight banner nobles in the Qing Dynasty.
Cao Xueqin, the author of "Dream of the Red Chamber", his family originated from the wrappers outside Guanwai.
The third is appearance, the choice of nursing mother is not to choose a concubine, do not need to look beautiful, but after all, to serve the royal family, too ugly to damage the majesty of the royal family, and all day in front of the eyes also affect the mood of the royal family members.
Royal nursing mothers are usually dignified and kind-looking, seemingly blessed people.
In order to cope with unexpected situations such as sickness and insufficient milk of nursing mothers, there is a special nursing mother selection bank, "it is advisable to choose 15 boys and girls each", and there are sufficient reserve nursing mothers.
In addition, there is a peculiar rule, that is, according to the gender of the royal baby, the "male nursing woman, the female breastfeeding man" is used to treat differently, that is, the gege are fed by the nursing mother who has just given birth to the boy, and the brothers are fed by the nursing mother who has just given birth to the girl.
The requirements are strict, and the treatment is naturally generous.
The royal nursing mother nursing and taking care of the heavenly nobles, the treatment is naturally higher than that of the ordinary nursing mothers of the people.
Nursing mothers have ten silver per month, and everyone may not have a concept of ten silver at that time. Horizontal comparison, at that time, the shop in the restaurant running hall of the shop small two, the monthly income of about one or two silver, and one or two silver can buy 20 pounds of pork.
It can be seen that the monthly income of nursing mothers is equivalent to ten times that of the low-level civilians.
In order to ensure that the nursing mother has sufficient high-quality milk, eat and drink well on weekdays, and a variety of high-protein pork knuckles are continuously flowed every day, which are provided by the royal family for free.
In addition, if the nursing mother feeds the imperial heir white and fat, the master is happy, and all kinds of rewards are continuous.
The treatment of royal nursing mothers was very rich at that time, and many low-level women, in order to supplement the family, endured the pain of separating from their families and competed to enter the palace as nursing mothers.
Good treatment, the responsibility is even greater. After entering the palace, the nursing mother is not allowed to go home, and can only take care of the master's child wholeheartedly.
If the nursing mother is not well cared for, resulting in an accident and injury to the imperial heir, the family will "distribute Ninguta and enslave the armored people", or kill the head.
Kangxi and the nursing mother Sun
Cao Xueqin's great-grandmother Sun Shi was the nursing mother of the Kangxi Emperor, and Kangxi grew up eating Sun's milk.
The prototype of Jia Fu in the book "Dream of the Red Chamber" is his Cao family.
The Cao family's ancestral home was in the area of present-day Tieling, Liaoning, and before the Qing army entered the customs, they defected to the Eight Banners nobles, and his family was the so-called Internal Affairs Office.
Kangxi had a nickname in the folk, "Kang Mazi", because he had smallpox when he was a child, and after he recovered, he left a dense scar on his face.
Smallpox was a terrible infectious disease in those days, and the likelihood of an infected person surviving was low. At that time, the Sun clan took good care of Kangxi, and Kangxi was able to survive, and Sun's credit was great.
Sun shi can be said to be Kangxi's second mother, and in order to repay the sun family's nurturing grace, Kangxi took great care of the Cao family.
Sun's husband Cao Xi (曹西) was also the governor of Jiangning Weaving and the Inspector of Salt in Lianghuai. The salt tax was an important revenue of the ancient government, and Jiangning Weaving was responsible for the manufacture and procurement of royal silk fabrics (and also in charge of secret service work during the Kangxi period), both of which were fat shortages at that time.
Cao Xi's son Cao Yin (曹寅), a companion of Kangxi, grew up together and gained Kangxi's trust, and later succeeded Jiang Ning Weaving.
The prototype of Wei Dongting in the TV series "Kangxi Emperor" is Cao Yin.
Four members of the Cao family served as Jiangning weavers, and Kangxi went down to Jiangnan six times, four of which passed through Nanjing and lived in Cao Province. The Cao family in the Kangxi Dynasty can be described as enjoying all the glory and wealth, and the scenery is incomparable.
Puyi and the nursing mother Wang Jiaoshi
Puyi, the last emperor, was the nephew of the Guangxu Emperor.
In 1908, his uncle, the Guangxu Emperor, was terminally ill and childless. Empress Dowager Cixi knew that her time was running out, and in order to stabilize her power, she must immediately set up a crown prince.
In terms of blood relations and long-term and young concubines, Puyi is the most suitable candidate for the imperial succession.
At the age of three, Puyi was taken to the palace by Cixi, and was forced to be separated from his biological parents at an ignorant age.
This was the first time the two of them met, through the thin curtain, Puyi saw this old dragon bell and the eyes of the stranger, could not help but cry out in fright: "Mama, Mama." ”
Cixi was very displeased and said coldly, "Take him down." ”
The accompanying nursing mother Wang Jiaoshi, that is, what he called "Mama", quickly took Puyi in his arms and fed him in full view of everyone, which made Puyi quiet.
Wang Jiao was a native of Baoding, Hebei Province, and came from a poor family. When I was a child, my hometown was constantly in turmoil, floods and droughts, and I lived a life of upheaval and displacement.
At the age of 14, her parents died, and she had no choice but to go to Beijing to join her brother, a shaver.
My brother's life was not good, and in order to eat less, he took some dowry money by the way, and it didn't take long to marry him to a man surnamed Wang who was a servant.
The two married and had a daughter, and it didn't take long for her husband to die. She is a woman and a Taoist family, she has no livelihood skills, and it is not easy to raise her daughter in that chaotic world.
At that time, it was just the Prince of Alcohol's palace to recruit a nursing mother, and after physical examination, she was able to stay in the palace to take care of Puyi, who was born recently, because of her plump body and sufficient milk.
As mentioned earlier, when the nursing mother of the royal family enters the master's house, she cannot go home to visit her relatives at will. In fact, Wang Jiao's daughter died not long after she went to prince's palace.
The people of the palace only wanted her to take good care of Puyi, and in order not to let this news affect the quality of her milk, they blocked the news of her daughter's death for many years.
Wang Jiaoshi could not meet his daughter for many years, so he poured his mother's love into Puyi.
She not only fed him and took care of his daily life, but also used the kindness and simplicity of the people at the bottom to impress and educate Puyi.
Puyi was born into the royal family, ascended to the emperor at a young age, and was pampered from an early age, and everyone around him circled around him. Whatever it was, the people would follow his wishes.
"Born in the deep palace and grown by the hands of women", he did not know the sufferings of the people, and no one taught him a correct view of right and wrong, and lacked compassion.
The biological parents were not around, and only Wang Jiao's words Puyi could listen to.
When Puyi abused and tortured the palace people to eat sand, he would advise him: "Your Majesty, his teeth are also teeth, you let him eat sand, how painful those teeth are." ”
She really regards Puyi as her own child and hopes that he will become a kind person.
She has no culture and does not speak big truths, but she uses simple language to let Puyi learn to feel the difficulty of people and learn to sympathize.
Allowing them to have a "mother-son relationship", within a few years Wang Jiao was expelled from the palace by the Guangxu Emperor's empress concubine (Puyi's nominal mother).
At this time, Puyi was still a child, and he could not decide these things, he could only bear it.
After Puyi became an adult, although the Qing Dynasty was destroyed, due to the preferential treatment policy of the Republic of China government, Puyi was still an "emperor" in the Beijing Imperial Palace, and at this time he could still be the master in his own acre and three points of land.
He immediately sent someone to take the nursing mother Wang Jiaoshi, who was missing day and night, into the palace to live, and asked for warmth and care.
After that, whether it was as a puppet emperor of "Manchukuo" in the northeast or fleeing to the road after japan's defeat, Puyi always took Wang Jiaoshi with him, and he really regarded her as his mother.
Sadly, this kind old man was killed by the rebels in 1945. Puyi couldn't help but cry bitterly when he heard the news.
postscript
It is said that it is the most ruthless imperial family, in the royal family, fathers and sons and brothers are suspicious of each other, fighting for power and profit, and the people closest to blood relations are often the people who are the most threatening to their own power and life safety.
The emperor can only find a trace of warmth in the nursing mother who nursed and cared for him from an early age.
The qing dynasty's imperial nursing mother system has positive significance for the healthy physical and mental growth of imperial heirs and for the establishment of the correct three views.
Although the qing dynasty declined in the late period and was bullied by the great powers, the people lived in a fiery aquatic life.
However, strictly speaking, no Qing emperor was lazy and lazy, but the political system that had been followed for more than two thousand years was difficult to adapt to the new situation, and the Qing Dynasty, which was weakening day by day, was already accumulating a lot of difficulties.
If the phrase "no emperor in the Qing Dynasty" is true, then there is also a credit to the nursing mother.