As an emperor above 10,000 people, life must be extremely luxurious, right? But in fact, they have a set of strict rules to follow every day, and their work and rest time are clearly arranged. For example, Emperor Qianlong had to get up at 3 o'clock in the morning, isn't it surprising? And even the time to spoil the concubine is limited to 1 hour, this rhythm of life is too tight for ordinary people. So how did Emperor Qianlong spend his day? What did he do? Let's find out.
Royal routine: Move on time, it's boring
Inside the nine-fold battlements, the bells of the Forbidden City are never silent. Emperor Qianlong grew up in this imperial city since he was a child, and never a day was free. Every midnight and three watches, the eunuch will come to knock on the door and ask the emperor to get up.
At three o'clock in the morning, the brothers had already come to Qianlong's dormitory by candlelight. Although Qianlong is not young, he is the son of the dragon body after all, and he still has to get up early.
"Long live the Lord is about to get up, the hour is not early. The eunuchs gently shook the emperor awake.
Qianlong frowned and turned over, although it was the death of an early riser, it was really uncomfortable. Sleepy-eyed, he complained casually: "I've only slept for a few hours, and this rule is too rigid." ＂
Having said that, Qianlong still got up obediently and let the palace maid wait to dress properly. After the care stopped, the palace people began to light a fire and warm the pot, and made a cup of fragrant high-grade Longjing and sent it to Qianlong. Qianlong held the teapot and smelled it, and his spirit gradually improved.
"Come, what is the good news today? Qianlong asked the eunuch beside him.
"Back to the words of the Long Live Lord, today is an auspicious day, and it is just right to give the princess a nickname. The eunuch's face was overjoyed.
Qianlong was also very happy when he heard it: "That's really a very happy event, the princess has been worrying a lot over the years, and I feel that she should receive some rewards." ＂
It turned out that Qianlong's eldest son Jiaqing was made a prince since he was a child, and his wife Meng Jiashi naturally became a princess. Meng is virtuous by nature and is deeply loved by Qianlong, and now that the son is getting older, he just added a nickname to her as a token of appreciation.
Qianlong drank tea and waited for the hour. And this short morning inevitably made him sigh about his royal life.
As a nobleman, Qianlong has lived under strict rules since he was a child. The clock rings on time three times a day, and you can't slack off at all. Even princes and princes who hesitate at the slightest will be punished.
In Qianlong's impression, the government and the opposition all moved on schedule and were too restrained. If it is replaced by an ordinary person, maybe you can better appreciate the joy of life. However, as an emperor, he is destined to be unfree and restrained by rules. This is the so-called "involuntarily self-sufficient".
Little by little, the sun was rising, and the sunlight was already pouring into the room through the window lattice. When the palace maid saw that the time had come, she began to wait for Qianlong to change his clothes and travel. Qianlong will also go to the Taihe Hall today to meet the emperor and ancestors, and then start the day's government affairs.
New rules of the court: after research, special additions
After Qianlong's noon gate, he also issued an edict to add some new rules to the palace. Although these new rules may seem counterintuitive, they are also carefully considered and specially made for the life in the palace.
A few years ago, once Qianlong traveled far away from Beijing and encountered heavy rain on the road. The eunuchs were busy sheltering from the wind and rain, but Qianlong was still inevitably wet by the rain. After returning to the capital, Qianlong contracted a serious illness and was plagued by illness for two months.
The imperial physicians worked hard to find a prescription through the classics. But who knows, an old imperial doctor finally told the emperor about being wet in the rain that day. It turned out that the rain was colder at that time, and Qianlong was wet with rain, and poor blood circulation caused such a serious disease.
When Qianlong heard this, he couldn't help but feel surprised. As an emperor, he was highly educated as a child, so how could he be ignorant of such basic common sense? So Qianlong thought about it again and again, and issued an edict to add a new rule in the palace: even if the emperor is above 10,000 people, he must still follow the laws of natural physics.
The rules of the palace are always strict, but they are often too mysterious and profound, so that people can misunderstand that they are completely different from the worldly laws. In fact, otherwise, the emperor is also flesh and blood, and following the operating principle of all things in nature is the right way, and should not be overly deified.
Qianlong had a deep understanding of this, so he added teaching subjects such as "Tianhuai Arts and Sciences" in the palace, so that the concubines and princes should be fortunate to study. Qianlong personally wrote the preface to "The King James Literature, Science and Literature", hoping that in the future, the royal children would be able to get involved in museums and know the laws of heaven and earth.
As time went by, Qianlong became more aware of the inappropriateness of some old rules, so he issued orders to bring forth the new, so that life in the palace had more humane considerations.
For example, the daily routine is to wake up at 3 a.m. However, Qianlong felt that the lack of sleep was not good for his health, so he postponed his work and rest time to four o'clock. The nap time has also been changed from one hour to two hours. These adjustments are all to allow the concubines and princes to sleep well and be refreshed.
Another example is the meal, the court used to have the rule of "three bites and stops". This means that you can only eat a maximum of three bites of each vegetable to prevent poisoning and injury. However, Qianlong believes that despite the prudence in order to protect the body, it also makes the meal tasteless. So Qianlong ordered the imperial dining room to make all kinds of delicacies of the mountains and seas in time, and asked the palace ladies to prepare dishes according to each person's taste, so that there were delicacies of the mountains and seas to taste.
However, although Qianlong made many humane rules, he still retained some traditional rules. For example, the old example of "rain and dew are evenly wet", although Qianlong secretly has a little favor, he never shows it on serious occasions, and still adheres to the old system and repeats the cycle.
Although such new regulations are contrary to common sense, what is so bad? After all, it was formulated to make life in the palace more humane and closer to the laws of physical and psychological health.
A day of racing against time
Since Qianlong's childhood, his life has been divided into small time periods. There must be an arrangement every hour of the day, and it will never be wasted. Even if he is a powerful emperor, he is not free.
At the beginning of Qianlong, he was young and vigorous, and there were some complaints. It wasn't until I grew up that I understood the truth that "politics is in the people, a rich country and a safe country, and safety is related", and I gradually understood the hardships and burdens of royal life.
The plan of the day is really in the morning. The one who waited for Qianlong to start in the early morning was a provincial prince, Xie Shiquan's brothers. They had to get up at two o'clock in the morning every day to get dressed so that they could go to the emperor's dormitory on time to serve. And although Qianlong started an hour later than them, he could only barely squint for a while before getting up.
As soon as Qianlong opened his eyes, the eunuchs were already lined up to serve, for fear of any slackness. After Qianlong had breakfast, he would first go to the Taihe Hall to meet the emperor and ancestors, and then return to the upper court to deal with government affairs. In addition to the monthly Shuowang Dynasty, Qianlong also had to personally give favors to his ministers every day when he went to court.
Sometimes, in the event of an emergency military situation or other important matter, ministers would make an exception to ask for an order in the middle of the night. In this case, Qianlong stayed up all night and waited for the report at any time. However, Qianlong never complained, after all, as an emperor, he was destined to have such a life and rest.
Even for food and living, the emperor's free time was extremely limited. At noon every day, Qianlong could only take a short rest, eat some light meals, dry snacks and satisfy his stomach. In the evening, it is even busier, and you have to review and fold until late at night.
Qianlong reigned for 60 years and left a large number of annotations. One year, he read more than 126,000 copies. This amount of work is so staggering that it is indeed unimaginable to ordinary people. According to later statistics, Qianlong had to review at least three or four hundred copies of the book on average every day.
What's more, there are many varieties of these twists and turns, ranging from military affairs to civil trivialities. Qianlong had to read them one by one, and if he encountered a confidential report involving military intelligence, he had to give instructions in person before he could do anything. Therefore, Qianlong had to burn out the last twist of wick every day before he could rest.
On some hurried days, Qianlong didn't even have time to eat. At this time, he had to let the small kitchen make some quick snacks, and after a few quick sweeps, he had to continue his work. Working so hard all day long, Qianlong's schedule is full, and there will be no extra time to waste at all.
The gold returned to the pure, and calmly retreated
The years passed like a white horse, and in a blink of an eye, Qianlong was over eighty years old. Although he is still in good spirits, it is inevitable that there are some signs of aging. Qianlong knew that he was not far from the rest of the world, so he decided to prepare for his death in advance.
One day, Qianlong summoned hundreds of civil and military officials to Kunning Palace to discuss matters. Only a few close ministers were with him, and the others were excluded. Qianlong looked sad and said earnestly: "Old ministers, I am already highly respected, and it is really time to take care of my future." ＂
The officials were all startled, and they all knelt down and begged Qianlong not to worry too much. Qianlong raised his hand to silence everyone, and then said slowly: "Although the old man has done some good things in his lifetime, it is inevitable that there will be many mistakes and regrets. I was afraid that one day I would not be able to see my ancestors and ancestors, so I planned my future in advance for the future. ＂
Qianlong's words were extremely pious. Seeing this, the officials did not dare to say much, so they had to obey the emperor's will. So Qianlong sent hundreds of civil and military officials to build mausoleums and various sacrificial facilities, and at the same time ordered the compilation of historical records and other historical books to show his life's merits.
After the start of these projects, Qianlong personally supervised the construction and strive to achieve perfection. He not only set the shape and decoration of the mausoleum, but also ordered the craftsman to carve a mantle and two coffins for future use.
At the same time, Qianlong was also personally repairing his mausoleum. He ordered people to rebuild a Chongling in addition to the mausoleum, and together with the mausoleum, it was called "Yuling". Chongling is large-scale, covering an area of more than 70,000 acres, and the layout is rigorous and orderly. The building adopts a variety of Hui and Han styles, which is not only unique, but also skillfully integrates Chinese and Western cultures.
Over the years, Qianlong has been revitalized in all kinds of wastes, so that the mausoleum has been renovated and renewed. Yuling can be said to be the most majestic mausoleum at that time.
However, it is not enough to repair the mausoleum. Qianlong also specially sent craftsmen to build a small residence here, so that he could live in person when he came to worship and sweep a hundred years later. This pavilion is known as the "Qin'an Office", and the layout inside and out is exquisite, which is not inferior to the palace of ordinary princes and nobles.
In addition to the mausoleum, Qianlong also set out to repair the royal cemetery. He rebuilt a number of mausoleums in Shouling for the burial of the emperor's ancestors. This is also known as the "Changquan Mausoleum" project, which took more than ten years to complete.
In his spare time, Qianlong often took his staff to the cemetery. Sometimes the mausoleum of the former emperor is opened, and the furnishings are detailed to commemorate it. Qianlong was very respectful to his ancestors, and would personally go to the tomb of the emperor every once in a while to pay respects.
Until a few years before his death, Qianlong's mind was still tied to the arrangements for the future. During his reign, he spent a lot of money to repair the mausoleum and devoted all his money to the needs of posthumous sacrifices, which can be said to be exhaustive.
Regret is not closed: I ask future generations to make a point early
Although Qianlong had made preparations for his death early, no one expected that in the last month before his death, a series of changes would occur, so that he could not get his wish in the end.
It was in the autumn of Qianlong's eighty-seventh birthday, and Qianlong, who had always been alive and well, suddenly felt that his body was not as good as before. After carefully checking the pulse, the imperial doctors found that Qianlong's yang energy had begun to decline, and I was afraid that Shouyuan was approaching.
After Qianlong learned of this, he was not angry at all, but seemed very calm and calm. He summoned hundreds of civil and military officials to the martial arts training ground and announced his decision to abdicate in public.
The ministers present were all surprised, and they all knelt down and asked Qianlong to think twice. Qianlong shook his head with a smile and said, "The old man is old, and he should really let someone who is virtuous to preside over the government." Besides, the treasury is empty, and the territory has fallen, and I am really not in a good position. ＂
This speech was extremely humble, and all the officials were embarrassed after hearing it. Seeing this, Qianlong hurriedly reassured everyone: "My lords, I don't want to abdicate completely, but I want to make a point as soon as possible and distribute the authority to the prince to see the aftermath." As for my advanced age, please be considerate and don't talk too much. ＂
Although Qianlong's decision was unexpected, it was really convincing. An emperor who was once in power and the opposition was so humble and introspective when he was dying, it is undoubtedly an example for the country and the people.
So Qianlong ordered the prince of Jiaqing to act as the government agent, and he retired to live in Kunning Palace. However, Qianlong still often gave advice to the young emperor and taught him some ways to run the country.
But not long after Qianlong's abdication, suddenly one day his physical condition took a sharp turn for the worse. Qianlong is already old, coupled with the recent lack of diet, Yang Qi has suffered a big loss, and the imperial doctors have nothing to do. So Qianlong summoned Jiaqing and a group of cronies, left a poem as a will, and left an explanation for himself.
He said at the time: "The old man is now dying, and I am afraid that he will not live for this month." You are all good hands that can be handed over, the old man has a few last words, please keep them in mind.... ＂
Qianlong then told some of the government's major plans and family legacies. He earnestly exhorted Jiaqing to remember to cherish the people and be diligent in political affairs. As for the sparse and unfinished projects he left behind, he instructed that they should continue to be repaired and completed.
In the end, Qianlong talked about his death, and he did not see sadness, but seemed to be a little relieved. He said: "The old man's farewell can be regarded as fulfilling his life's wishes. It's a pity that it didn't come before the wax moon, according to the Buddhists, the wax moon is the 'closed moon', if you can survive until then, you can end this remnant. ＂
end
As soon as Qianlong's words fell, he couldn't stop coughing, and it seemed that it was the end of the crossbow. Seeing this, Jiaqing hurriedly supported Qianlong, and the imperial doctor on the side also hurriedly stepped forward to check Qianlong's pulse. It's a pity that Qianlong's illness is really severe, and now these words may be his last words.