Qianlong's mother Zhen Huan: The difference between history and drama
In recent years, costume court dramas have become very popular, whether it is "The Legend of Zhen Huan", which set a ratings record, or the contest between "The Legend of Ruyi" and "Yanxi Raiders", these dramas are based on the harem life of the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods. In these plays, there is a female character with a very high status and great power, that is, the mother of the Qianlong Emperor, Empress Xiaoshengxian. She played the role of power to manipulate the harem in "Huan Zhu Gege", "Yanxi Raiders" and "Ruyi's Legend", and even became the prototype of Zhen Huan's image in the big heroine drama "The Legend of Zhen Huan". However, is history really as described in the play?
In history, when Zhen Huan first entered Prince Yong's mansion, she was just a gege, equivalent to an ordinary concubine. Moreover, according to the fact that after she gave birth to Qianlong, although the child was favored by the Kangxi Emperor, her status was not promoted, which shows that she was not particularly valued by Prince Yong at that time. After Yongzheng ascended the throne, despite the large-scale canonization of the harem, Zhen Huan's rank was only Concubine Xi, which was far from the favored image created in the play. She was not named because she was favored by the Qianlong Emperor, but simply because she was a mother and son.
Although Zhen Huan is the biological mother of the Qianlong Emperor and shows that she is full of power and scheming in the play, in fact, Qianlong is quite wary of her mother. On the third day of his accession to the throne, he issued an edict explicitly ordering that gossip should not be spread inside and outside the court, so as not to upset the Empress Dowager. Qianlong made it clear: "Don't let me hear gossip from the outside world, otherwise violators will be punished." "After Zhen Huan became the empress dowager, she was always restricted by her son, and her actions and words were monitored. Qianlong even warned: "Do not pass on any major state affairs to the inner court without reason, so as not to violate the law." By punishing the people around Zhen Huan, Qianlong clearly conveyed his attitude towards his mother's non-interference in political affairs.
Although the historical Zhen Huan may not be as scheming as the image in the play, she is by no means a fool. She understood that her son could not be touched, so she had to endure in silence. In the eyes of outsiders, some of Zhen Huan's behavior may not be much, but it is taboo in the eyes of the Qianlong Emperor. For example, in 1736, Qianlong discovered that Zhen Huan had summoned several nuns into the palace, and although she thought it was a good act, Qianlong punished those around her and warned her mother not to interfere in political affairs. Since then, Zhen Huan has understood that her son is a wall that she cannot touch, and can only wait for the years to pass. She lived to be 84 years old, and perhaps for her, whether she enjoyed a little more or endured more, only she knows.