Dong E, a legendary name, set off a lot of waves in the Qing Dynasty court. At the age of 18, she was promoted to a noble concubine at an astonishing speed and became the first noble concubine of the Qing Dynasty, what is hidden behind this?
The Dong family has a daughter
Dong Eshi in the Eight Banners of Manchuria, a rare talented woman like a morning star. She was born in the fourth year of Chongde in the Qing Dynasty (1639), born in a noble family with a white banner, and her father E Shuo was a leader in the army.
Immersed in the Han culture in the south of the Yangtze River since childhood, Dong E's talent has been fully revealed: she is extremely intelligent, obsessed with history books, exquisite calligraphy, and her gentle and understanding demure temperament is unforgettable.
Enter the palace and become a concubine
Emperor Shunzhi searched for a soulmate, and finally found a spiritual fit in Dong E's body. Only in August of the thirteenth year of Shunzhi (1656), she was canonized as a "virtuous concubine".
Only a little more than a month, in September of the same year, Emperor Shunzhi promoted her to the imperial concubine on the grounds of "sensitive, wise and good, not above the Dong E's family". Such a rapid promotion is unprecedented in the history of the Qing Dynasty.
In order to celebrate this grand event, Emperor Shunzhi did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to reward the parents of the imperial concubine with rich gifts, including gold, silver, tea tubes, satin, horses, etc.
What's even rarer is that Dong E's concubine ceremony was extremely grand, and Emperor Shunzhi even issued an edict for her to grant amnesty to the world. This is the only time in the nearly 300-year history of the Qing Dynasty that the empress concubine was ordained and amnesty was granted to the world.
This year, Emperor Shunzhi was 19 years old, and Dong E was only 18 years old. The amnesty of the world expresses Shunzhi's importance to Dong E's family.
The "Edict" that erects Dong E's as the imperial concubine is quietly placed in the First Historical Archives of China proves the authenticity of this history.
Amnesty to the world
During the Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, the royal family ushered in a great event - the birth of the fourth son of the emperor. This little prince was the son of the imperial concubine Concubine Dong E, and his birth made Emperor Shunzhi extremely happy.
According to historical records, when the fourth son of the emperor was born, Emperor Shunzhi was so happy that he held a grand celebration. The first ministers offered horses and satin silk to congratulate the emperor's newborn son.
Emperor Shunzhi even issued an amnesty edict to show his love and expectations for the little prince.
贤妻治家
Whenever Emperor Shunzhi ended his busy court, Concubine Dong E always prepared delicious food and wine for him with her own hands, and took care of his life carefully.
Shunzhi was still reviewing the chapter in the dead of night, and Concubine Dong E was studying ink and pouring tea for him on the side, silently accompanying him. This is not simply a deep love between husband and wife, but more of a rational mutual assistance between the two.
After Emperor Shunzhi listened to the lectures of the officials of the Hanlin Academy, Concubine Dong E would always listen patiently and listen to the knowledge that Emperor Shunzhi told her again, and her interest and concentration gave Shunzhi great encouragement.
And she not only helped Emperor Shunzhi's life, but also often persuaded him to handle government affairs carefully and serve the people with his heart. She also often interceded for the palace ladies and eunuchs when they made mistakes, and her tolerance and benevolence were respected both inside and outside the court.
On her deathbed, Concubine Dong was still concerned about the fate of the prisoners in the Autumn Execution, and although she did not believe in Buddhism, she developed a strong interest in the Zen scriptures. Emperor Shunzhi explained to her the deep meaning of the Heart Sutra, which made her interested in Zen.
She is good at thinking, and has been thinking about the question of "where to settle down if you don't take a breath".
Whenever she mentioned this sentence to Emperor Shunzhi, Emperor Shunzhi always smiled and did not answer, and the tacit understanding and understanding between the two were conveyed in a wordless manner.
Virtuous and loyal
Dong Eshi, the empress favored by Emperor Shunzhi, was known for her rigorous self-discipline, diligent attitude and selfless dedication. Even in the midst of her illness, she was still obsessed with assisting in housekeeping, and she did everything herself.
Although she lingered on the sick bed for nearly three years, she never stopped comforting and encouraging Emperor Shunzhi, and always said in a peaceful tone: "The body is fine, everything is ready." In terms of etiquette, she is even more consistent, rigorous and warm.
For the service of Empress Xiaohuizhang, Dong E's family is even more careful. In the winter of the fourteenth year of Shunzhi, when Emperor Shunzhi made his southern tour, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was sick and bedridden.
However, during this period, Empress Xiaohuizhang turned a deaf ear to Dong E's hard work and did not ask about it.
In the first month of the fifteenth year of Shunzhi, a news came out of the Qing Dynasty court that shocked the government and the public. Emperor Shunzhi, the young emperor, had the idea of abolishing the queen because of Empress Xiaohuizhang's loss of filial piety, and planned to change his favorite concubine Dong Eshi as the new queen.
When she learned that Emperor Shunzhi wanted to abolish the throne and establish a new one, she did not secretly rejoice or worry like others, but firmly refused the throne, and knelt in front of Emperor Shunzhi, begging him to keep the position of Empress Xiaohuizhang.
Although the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang also came forward to stop it, it was not done in the end. However, in order to punish Empress Xiaohuizhang, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang ordered her not to visit Cining Palace for three years. Soon after, Empress Xiaohuizhang fell seriously ill, and Empress Xiaoxian took care of her personally, regardless of her previous suspicions.
Honors after death
When Dong Eshi was dying, he left a will: "Do not decorate with gold and jade, and all funerals should be frugal." However, before she could finish her sentence, she closed her eyes forever. Emperor Shunzhi was heartbroken, but he still decided to treat her as a queen and soothe her regrets.
On August 21, the third day of Dong E's death, Emperor Shunzhi issued a heavy order to the Ministry of Rites: "The imperial concubine Dong E passed away on August 19. The Queen Mother has ordered her to be posthumously crowned Empress in recognition of her outstanding contribution to domestic affairs and the beauty of her virtues.
Deeply saddened by the loss of a good companion, I decided to follow the Empress Dowager's mercy and posthumously confer on her the title of 'Filial Piety and Dedication to the Empress of Xuanren and Gentleness'. In the process of formulating the nickname, the courtiers failed to meet the expectations of Emperor Shunzhi.
What is even more touching is that Emperor Shunzhi actually wanted to give 30 eunuchs and palace maids to death, hoping that they would continue to serve Dong E's family in another world. Such affection is really moving. Who provoked the eunuch and the palace maid?
On August 27, 1660, Shunzhi deliberately asked the ministers of the second and third grades of the Manchurian Eight Banners to carry the Zi Palace, which was enough to show that Shunzhi attached great importance to her.
In order to rest the souls of his beloved dead, Emperor Shunzhi did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to hold a large-scale water and land dojo. The festival was unprecedented, and 108 monks were invited to chant and pray for blessings to express Shunzhi's deep affection for Dong E's family.
On the eighth day of October, Emperor Shunzhi came to Shouchun Hall for the fifth time and held a ceremony for her to break the seventh. In November of the same year, he also followed Dong E's last wish and ordered the suspension of the autumn decision of the next year to show his remembrance and respect for her.
On the eighth day of November in the seventeenth year of Shunzhi, the two mountains of Xiyuan Guangji held a filial piety to the queen at the same time, and continued to pray for her excessively.
The Emperor is in eternal pain
In the Qing court, there was a traditional custom: the emperor usually used a red pen to read the recitals when dealing with government affairs, but when the emperor or the empress dowager died, he would use a blue pen to mourn.
However, after the death of the filial piety empress Dong E, Emperor Shunzhi used a blue pen to approve the chapter for an unusually long time, from August to December, a total of four months.
In order to express his reverence and nostalgia for the filial piety queen Dong E, Emperor Shunzhi decided to record her deeds in the annals of history forever. He ordered Jin Zhijun, a university scholar, to write "The Biography of the Empress of Filial Piety" to spread the queen's virtues, good words, and good deeds to the world.
In addition, he appointed Hu Zhaolong and Wang Xi, who were scholars of the pavilion, to compile "Quotations of Empress Xiaoxian", and vigorously searched for the wisdom quotations of Dong E's during his lifetime.
However, these are still not enough to express Emperor Shunzhi's longing for the empress. He personally splashed ink and wrote "Filial Piety to the Queen" with deep affection.
In this line, Shunzhi skillfully uses a large number of texts to mourn the empress, and integrates vivid examples from the "Imperial Book of Mourning" and "Imperial Lines" into his narrative.
summary
It not only records a historical story of the Qing Dynasty royal family, but also shows the deep love and endless nostalgia of Emperor Shunzhi for the filial piety queen Dong E. Do you want to have that kind of relationship, and are you happy with your current marriage?