Nursing mothers played an important role in the Qing royal family, not only to provide milk to the princes, but also to care for and educate the princes. The selection of nursing mothers is strictly selected and must meet specific conditions, such as age, appearance, personality and family background. The influence of nursing mothers cannot be ignored, and they can even influence the emperor's decision-making. However, there are also some problems with the nursing motherhood, such as restrictions on the relationship between princesses and colts. In general, the nursing mother system played a role in the governance of the Qing Dynasty, but there are still some areas for improvement.
In the Qing Dynasty, the job of nursing mothers was not only to breastfeed, they also took on the responsibility of caring for and educating the princes. Ancient women generally had a shortage of milk, and princes needed more milk to meet their growing needs. Therefore, nursing mothers have become the best choice for princes. Although the concubines also want to have a child, they are more concerned with competing for favors and do not have the time and energy to take care of their children. Therefore, nursing mothers became the main caregivers of the princes, and their influence on the princes even exceeded that of their biological mothers.
The job of nursing mothers is not only to breastfeed, they are also responsible for taking care of the daily life and education of the prince, which directly affects the growth of the prince and the ability to govern in the future. In the selection of nursing mothers, the Qing Dynasty adopted a method similar to drafting. First, the grassroots level will report the list of eligible women to the central government, and then the palace will carry out layers of screening. Selecting nursing mothers is a huge system project that needs to meet a series of conditions. First, nursing mothers must have less than three months into their third child to ensure that they have adequate milk. Secondly, the nursing mother should have a dignified appearance, a gentle personality, and a harmonious family member.
The purpose of these conditions is to ensure that nursing mothers can provide a good care and educational environment. In the early days, the nursing mother must also be a banner man and be able to write Manchu. However, over time, these conditions were gradually relaxed, and women who were above the level of clothing in the Ministry of Internal Affairs could become nursing mothers. This is because the Qing emperor had many heirs and needed a large number of qualified nursing mothers to take care of the princes, and it was no longer enough to choose among the bannermen. The status and influence of nursing mothers in the Qing Dynasty should not be underestimated. They can influence the emperor's decisions and, in some cases, change the emperor's decisions.
For example, during the Shunzhi period, Zheng successfully captured Nanjing, and the Shunzhi Emperor was very angry when he heard the news, and even wanted to personally go to war. However, the nursing mother rushed to advise after hearing this, although it did not change the emperor's decision, but this showed a certain influence of the nursing mother in decision-making. In addition, the nursing mother is also responsible for the daily life of the princess, which restricts the interaction between the princess and the colts. The colt can only meet the princess on a fixed date of each month, otherwise it will need to bribe the nursing mother. Such restrictions make the life of the princess and the colt unhappy. However, there are some problems with the nursing motherhood system.
Although the nursing mother system successfully avoided the interference of foreign forces in the imperial court, the nursing mother force replaced it and became a force in the court. The Qing emperor Kangxi used his nursing mother, Sun's husband's family, and gave special treatment to Sun's sons. This shows the problem with the nursing motherhood, which is that the nursing mother power can abuse its power. In addition, the nursing mother system places restrictions on the relationship between the princess and the colt, resulting in their unhappy lives. In general, the nursing mother system played a role in the governance of the Qing Dynasty, but there were also some problems. Nursing mothers are not only the ones who breastfeed, they also bear the responsibility of caring for and educating the princes.
The selection of nursing mothers is strictly selected and must meet certain conditions. The nursing mother has a certain influence in the emperor's decision-making, and can even influence the emperor's decision-making. However, there are also some problems with the nursing motherhood, such as restrictions on the relationship between princesses and colts. Therefore, the nursing mother system is reasonable to some extent, but it still needs to be improved. How do you think the nursing mother system should be further improved? Please leave your comments.