Preface
Seven concubines compete for favor, harem disputes, this is a classic picture in many palace plots. However, what is even more surprising is that among the seven concubines, two of them disappeared without a trace and disappeared into the pages of history. What twists and turns did these two mysterious women experience in their backgrounds and court careers, and are there any unsolved mysteries in their disappearance?
1. Empress Xiaochengren died, and the two queen candidates surfaced
In the thirteenth year of Kangxi (1674), Empress Hesheri died of dystocia at the age of 22. She is Kangxi's wife, the two are in love, Hesheri is gentle and considerate, and takes good care of Kangxi. Her sudden death not only made Kangxi grief-stricken, but also made the position of the entire harem housewife vacant.
This position should have been inherited by Tong Jiashi, the biological mother of the 6-year-old crown prince Yinren. She is Kangxi's cousin, and the two have been childhood sweethearts since childhood, and they have long had feelings for each other. If it weren't for the majesty of the queen mother, Kangxi would have made her the queen a long time ago. However, when Tong Jia's family carefully planned and prepared the Zhengguo household service, two queen candidates came out.
One is the daughter of Curb Pilon, Niu Hulu, not only from a top family of powerful ministers, her father Curb Pilon can be described as the first hero of the founding of the Qing Dynasty, holding great power, she herself is also quite scheming, very much loved by the Queen Mother.
The other is Kangxi's cousin Tong Jiashi, the two have been childhood sweethearts since childhood, and they have long been in love with each other. Seeing the two of them getting closer and closer to the queen's throne, Tong Jia's heart was anxious. She understands that although the relationship between herself and Kangxi is deep, it is really not enough to get together with the ruling and opposition parties.
Second, the rebellion of the three feudatories broke out, and Niu Hulu became the empress
At this moment, news came from the south that shocked the government and the opposition -- the rebellion of the three feudatories broke out! The three feudatories, who originally seemed to be as stable as Mount Tai, rebelled against the Qing Dynasty one after another, and even the Aixin Jueluo clan such as the king of Pingnan also participated in it.
Now the Queen Mother and Kangxi are anxious. There was an urgent need for an empress candidate who could stabilize the situation, unite the Manchu and Han officials, and reassure the radical Manchurian Eight Banners. So, under the leadership of the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, the Niu Hulu clan, which had the support of a strong power to contain the dynasty, finally became the queen of Kangxi as she wished.
3. Kangxi named Tong Jiashi as a noble concubine and gave birth to two princes successively
Although he failed to become the queen, Kangxi's love for his cousin Tong Jiashi did not diminish at all. He immediately named her a noble concubine and ranked first in the harem. Not to mention that the queen Niu Hulu is frail and sickly on weekdays, even when she is healthy, she is unable to compare with the energetic and intelligent Concubine Tong.
And Concubine Tong soon proved that she was not only capable, but also able to give birth. In just a few years, she gave birth to two sons to Kangxi in a row. As the eldest son, Yinren was made the crown prince three years ago; The second son, Yinxiang, had just been born. Now that Concubine Tong Guifei has given birth to two princes, her identity has become more and more solid, and even the queen mother has looked at her differently.
Fourth, Kangxi sealed the seven concubines of the harem and the forces were entrenched on one side
In 1677, the rebellion of the feudatories and the war with the northeastern Tatars were at an end. Kangxi decided to seal the first harem to appease the Manchu and Han officials and stabilize the morale of the army. In addition to the queen's Niu Hulu clan and the noble concubine Tong Jia's clan, seven concubines were also canonized. Most of them are the daughters of prominent dignitaries and magnates, and they occupy almost all the key positions in the harem.
Among them, An Concubine Li is the descendant of Taizu's grandson-in-law. She has been in the palace for the longest time, has won the trust of the queen mother, and is in charge of the food division of the head of the twelve divisions of the harem. Ma Jia's family, as a concubine and Wulanala's concubine, gave birth to six and two princes to Kangxi successively, and they also occupied a very high status.
At this point, these newly promoted seven concubines have firmly controlled the power of the harem, and even the queen sighs powerlessly. THEY JOIN FORCES, AND EVEN THE QUEEN MOTHER HAS TO RETREAT. Concubine Tong was indignant when she saw that her desire to dominate the harem for many years was restricted by these concubines. She secretly decided that she had to completely defeat these concubines!
Fifth, Concubine Tong and the seven concubines fought fiercely
Since then, Concubine Tong has put down her gentle and considerate coat and turned into a ruthless politician. She started with the strongest An Concubine and Ma Jia's family, and designed An Concubine's sister to be given death by the emperor, and Ma Jia's sons also died one by one. Then he united with Concubine Dong Jiashi to set up Concubine Rong and Concubine Hui, and let them kill each other.
For a time, the harem was stormy, and the endgame was everywhere. These seven concubines who had just entered the palace were defeated and retreated in the face of Concubine Tong's fierce attack. fell out of favor one after another, and no one dared to compete with it anymore. At this point, Concubine Tong finally became the master of the harem as she wished, and even the queen could only be subservient to her. However, when she reached the pinnacle of power, she found herself lonely.
Sixth, Concubine Tong died, and Kangxi remembered deeply
Just when Concubine Tong Guifei was in the harem, her body was getting weaker and weaker. Finally in 1681, the fourth year she became a concubine, she died of illness at the age of 30.
When Kangxi heard the news, he was in pain. With tears in his eyes, he personally called Concubine Tong "Emperor Concubine Xiaoyiren", and personally dressed her in mourning clothes, knelt in front of the spirit and cried. This scene has never even been seen by the Queen Mother.
After the official memorial ceremony, Kangxi fell into deep sadness. He hugged Concubine Tong's clothes and cried all day long, and he didn't even care about political affairs. However, just when Kangxi was grief-stricken, the queen mother and the ministers were secretly rejoicing. They were glad that this cruel and vicious Concubine Tong had finally died, and the Qing Dynasty would never be disturbed by her again.
Seventh, Kangxi forgot Concubine Tong and opened a harem for Xinbao
There is no resurrection from the dead. When Kangxi's grief was past, he also understood that Concubine Tong had become a distant memory in his life that could never be touched. In order to seek spiritual comfort, he began to frequently visit the harem to find a new concubine. Soon, he was fascinated by the two young and beautiful palace maids.
At this time, Kangxi was no longer the young emperor who simply pursued sincere love. He spent a lot of money just to win the hearts of these two women. The harem is full of gold, silver and jewelry, wine and delicacies are constantly going on day and night, and singing and dancing are peaceful for a while.
However, when Pengzi and also aged and fell out of favor one after another, Kangxi was once again distraught and worried. It seems that he will never be able to find a woman who can really replace Concubine Tong's position in his heart. Although during her lifetime, Kangxi promised to love Concubine Tong forever; But after her death, she was quickly forgotten. There are many palace maids in the harem, Kangxi mechanically seeks pleasure, trying to numb himself, but he can no longer find his original sincere and warm love......
Life is like morning dew, and the changes in the harem are even more unpredictable. Those beautiful concubines back then, how could they have thought that they would eventually become forgotten resentful couples......
epilogue
Countless palace maids and talented women have tried every possible way to enter the palace, wanting to show their palace fighting methods and seek a half-official position. But from the first day they entered the palace, they were destined to go through endless ups and downs, and they were restrained by power and emotion.
In the harem, no one can be left alone; Every woman who rises means the decline of others. When power and status are far away from them, and their feelings become thin, what is left of them?