The situation of the harem peers of the Qing Dynasty was: empress (eldest wife), followed by imperial concubines (eldest aunt, usually one person), followed by noble concubines (second aunt, usually two), followed by concubines (third aunt, usually four), followed by concubines (fourth aunt, usually six), followed by nobles (fifth aunt, the number is variable), followed by Chang Zai (sixth aunt, the number is variable), followed by promise (seventh aunt, the number is variable), and finally the palace maid.
Palace maids are the most special, their status is maidservants, unless they are favored by the emperor and "lucky", otherwise they can return to their own family and marry another when they reach the age of twenty-five.
Compared with previous dynasties, the number of palace women in the Qing Dynasty is generally less than about 2,000. In this regard, the Qing Dynasty had the most "benevolent government". Because, compared to the 40,000 palace women in the Tang Xuanzong period, of course, it is "Renzheng".
Palace maids can be upgraded, but it is difficult to skip levels. Like a maid as a lady, take your time. To be promoted to nobility or concubine, a palace maid must go through the stage of making promises and being present. For example, the concubine of Emperor Xuanzong Daoguang was born from the palace maidens.
However, as soon as the show girl comes in, she can directly achieve nobles and above. For example, the noble concubine of the Xianfeng Emperor of Wenzong (later Empress Dowager Cixi) came in by Xiunu, and as soon as she became a nobleman, she was promoted from a nobleman to a concubine, and when she was a concubine, she gave birth to a son (that is, the later Emperor Muzong Tongzhi), and when the emperor was happy, he promoted her to a concubine, and even a noble concubine (known as Yiguifei).
Except for the palace maidens, the others were the official concubines of the emperor and could never leave the court. Among them, the concubines and above lived in the eastern and western zodiac houses, and each had a special room. If it is a nobleman, they will be assigned to live together.
Their quota of palace maids is divided according to status, and the general situation is: the queen is assigned to ten palace maidens, the imperial concubine and concubine are assigned to eight palace maidens, the concubines are assigned to six palace maidens, the nobles are assigned to four palace maidens, and they are often assigned to three palace maidens, and promise to be assigned to two palace maidens.
After entering the palace, in principle, he is not allowed to return to his mother's house. If you want to go back to your mother's house, you have to go through special approval. When Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty was young, when Xiunu was selected to enter the palace and give birth to a boy for Emperor Wenzong Xianfeng, the emperor was happy, and only then "specially gifted" her to return to her mother's house for a few hours, which everyone thought was "absenteeism".
Although people can't go home, it's good that family members can visit in the palace. When the family comes to the palace, it is a great honor to be able to get off the sedan near the palace. According to Puland's "Waiji of Cixi", there is a rare description of such facts:
Cixi left his home in Thira Hutong and entered the palace, and has been isolated from his family ever since. There is an old woman who has served her for many years, and after the old lady entered the palace, she only returned to the province once, and her words are very interesting. The following is the month of Ying, 1,857, the sixth year of Xianfeng, which is the ninth month of the birth of the Tongzhi Emperor. Emperor Cixi was granted a special gift to return home to save his family once. On the day of his return to the province, a eunuch had already arrived at his home and told him to arrive at a certain time. His family and relatives were overjoyed when they heard of this absence. Neighbors and sidewalkers, the spectators are blocked. At that time, the eunuchs and the guards arrived from the yellow palanquin, and their mother led their family and relatives to line up in the courtyard and enter the inner hall, and the eunuchs asked the concubines to surrender public opinion and ascend to the hall. Except for the mother and the elders, they all knelt on the ground and kowtowed. At the banquet, his mother sat down, and the concubine was the mother of the prince. Although Cixi has been in the palace for several years, her temperament has not changed, and she talks and laughs as before, without any pride. He asked about everything in the family, especially his sister's study. Everyone saw that Cixi's measure was vast and gentle, and he could not fail to praise it. Cixi's questions and answers on all things, and the joy of the day. But winter days are short, and twilight is fleeting. The eunuch asked the concubine to return to the palace, and he was in love, and Yun was in a position where he could not see his family from time to time, and he was very concerned. But I hope that the emperor may send another favor and promise to return to Ning. Or have the opportunity to admit my mother to the palace. After speaking, he rewarded his family and returned to the palace. It has not been returned to the province since. Later, his mother entered the palace from time to time to see his daughter.
After the Manchus entered the customs, in order to show that they did not distinguish each other, they first said that the Manchus and Han could intermarry. The first emperor, Qing Shizu, announced in the fifth year of Shunzhi (1648) that the daughters of Han court officials "those who want to marry Manchuria" can be registered. Qing Shizu himself, in order to lead by example, specially asked the daughter of the Han household attendant Luanzhou Shishen to be a concubine. The "Yongping Fu Zhi" records that this young lady was quite favored, because she was given the residence of Yongshou Palace, she could wear a Han-style crown dress, and when her mother Shi Shen's wife Zhao Shuren came to see her, she could also get off a sedan nearby-"Enter the Xihua Gate on her shoulder to enter the palace under the inner right gate"!
In the harem of the second emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Qing Shengzu Kangxi, there are also Han surnames. This situation began to be common in the royal palace. Most notable is the fifth emperor, Renzong Jiaqing, whose biological mother Empress Xiaoyi, whose original surname was Wei, and was one of the three empresses (Empress Wei) of his father Emperor Gaozong Qianlong. According to the Qing Shi Record, she was specially ordered by her son to change the book "Wei Jia Clan" in the Yumu in the 23rd year of Jiaqing (1818), which seems to conceal that half of the current saint's blood is Han Chinese.