Opening the history books, it is not difficult to find an interesting phenomenon: all the ancient emperors married early and had children early.
Let's start by looking at real cases in history. Empress Changsun, the daughter-in-law of Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, married Li Shimin at the age of 13, and gave birth to Li Chengqian, the eldest son of Tang Taizong, the following year. Wu Zetian entered the palace at the age of 14 as a talented person, was promoted to Zhaoyi at the age of 15, and gave birth to his daughter Princess Taiping at the age of 16. Empress Lonely and Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian were only 14 years old when they got married, and gave birth to four princes in a row, including Yang Yong and Yang Guang.
Look at the emperors of the Qing Dynasty. Emperor Shunzhi was 13 years old and took the Nalan family as a concubine, and gave birth to the emperor's third son, Niu Niu, that year. Emperor Kangxi's biological mother, Tong Jiashi, gave birth to Kangxi at the age of 14. Emperor Yongzheng married the 13-year-old Fucha at the age of 15, and the following year he had the emperor's eldest son, Hongli. Emperor Qianlong's biological mother, Niu Colu, was pregnant at the age of 17 and gave birth to the emperor's fourth son, Hongli, the following year. From the emperor to the empress to the prince, they have been married early from generation to generation.
What is the reason why these ancients entered the marriage hall so early and couldn't wait to have children?
This starts with the values of ancient societies. It is written in the "Book of Rites: Duyi": "Those who faint will combine the two surnames, go up to the temple, and go down to the future generations." This means that the purpose of marriage is to pass on the family lineage. "Mencius: Lilou Shang" also emphasized: "There are three unfilial pieties, and no queen is great." It can be seen that in the eyes of the ancients, no offspring is a great unfilial piety. Therefore, from top to bottom, both the emperor and the common people regard having children as a top priority.
The emperor attached great importance to succession. First, it is to inherit the throne and consolidate the country's society; Second, it is also to set an example and drive the whole country to have children. In ancient times, the number of people represented productivity and national strength, and the emperor naturally wanted the people of the world to prosper. From the early Han Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court issued decrees requiring women to marry early, and violators were punished. The emperor took the lead in setting an example, marrying a wife and having children, which will undoubtedly play a good role as an example.
Then why did the emperor favor thirteen or fourteen-year-old girls alone? This is related to the physiological and medical concepts of the ancients. "The Yellow Emperor's Neijing" believes that when a woman is 14 years old, "Ren Pulse is Tong, Taichong Pulse is prosperous", and her body has matured and can give birth. Around the age of 12 to 14, it is the first period of menarche in women, marking the arrival of sexual maturity. "Zhu Zi's Family Motto" also believes that women should marry at 14 and 15. Affected by this, the age of 14 is the marriageable age, as evidenced by the saying "women do not stay in the fifteenth year". As a role model in the world, the royal family naturally has to lead by example.
In addition to succession, political factors are also an important consideration in the emperor's selection of concubines. Most of the emperors of previous dynasties would contain important ministers through marriage, or encircle local tycoons. Young and beautiful imperial concubines are often from powerful families. For example, Wu Zetian entered the palace at the age of 13, with the support of his eldest grandson Wuji behind him; Yang Guifei was elected to the harem at the age of 14, thanks to Yang Guozhong's recommendation. For the ambitious relatives Haoqiang, the fact that his daughter can enter the palace as a concubine as soon as possible is undoubtedly conducive to soaring. For the emperor, accepting these girls as concubines can not only win the hearts of the people, but also strengthen the imperial power through marriage.
In order to envelop important ministers and stabilize the harem. is different from ordinary people, take Empress Xu, the queen of Zhu Di, the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, as an example, she was born in a famous family, and her grandfather Xu Da was the founder of Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Di married Empress Xu, named "Corporal Lixian", which actually won the hearts of the people. And allowing young women to enter the harem can also prevent them from colluding with foreign ministers and threatening the imperial power. During the reign of Xuanye, the Qing Dynasty, it was stipulated that women from the Eight Banners of Manchuria aged 13 to 16 must be selected by the imperial court. This move is not only to choose a concubine for the emperor, but also to "encircle the woman with a different surname into the city" and cut off her connection with the clan.
Of course, in the short-lived era of ancient times, too many objective factors were also "forced to marry". The ancients lived a short life, wars were frequent, and if they were not careful, they might die. Rich families can't wait for their daughters to get married, for fear of delaying their youth. Once the elders in the family die, according to the funeral, they will not be able to get married for three years without filial piety, which is even worse. Therefore, both the royal nobles and the common people hope that their daughters will marry as soon as possible to avoid accidents. The reason why Lin Daiyu in "Dream of Red Mansions" had a marriage contract at the age of 15 was also because her grandmother Jia Mu was afraid that she was old and that her death would delay her granddaughter's lifelong event.
Since ancient times, China has had the concept of "there are three unfilial pieties, and no queen is great". If the emperor has no heirs, the throne will fall to his family. According to the Book of the Old Five Dynasties, Wuzong Li Yan was forced to pass on to his nephew Li Congyi because he had no children. Although Song Renzong Zhao Zhen worked hard all his life, he had no children and no daughters under his knees, and finally had to make his nephew the prince. It can be seen that the heirs are important to the inheritance of imperial power. In ancient medical conditions, the infant mortality rate was extremely high, and only early marriage and early childbearing could leave as many offspring as possible. As Mencius said: "The year of parents must be known, one is joy, the other is fear", the emperor married a wife and had children, which was "an example for parents in the world".
However, most of the ancients had short lives, coupled with the backwardness of medical conditions, and the premature mortality rate was extremely high. If the emperor wants children and grandchildren to be around his knees, he must have more children as early as possible. As the so-called "early birth of noble sons", only by continuously giving birth to heirs can we ensure the inheritance of the throne and the solidity of the country.
In ancient times, such a marriage system was undoubtedly a heavy burden for young brides. Although ancient medical texts believed that 14-year-old women were physically mature and able to give birth, their minds had not yet grown and they had to bear the heavy responsibility of serving the king and giving birth to offspring. The perennial bedtime has given birth to a child, not only is his body devastated, but even his feelings cannot be cultivated. The reason why many queens have no children under their knees is because they have sex too early, resentment, and can't open their hearts to the emperor.
Today, freedom of marriage and equality between men and women have become a social consensus. Looking back at the marriage of ancient emperors, although it can be understood from the level of politics and heirs, it is an indisputable fact that the harm to the parties, especially young women. As modern people, we should be sympathetic to the difficulties of the ancients in the spirit of humanitarianism, but we should also learn the lessons of history to create a more civilized and progressive tomorrow.
Let's say goodbye to the old palace. I hope that in the future, the marriage will no longer be kidnapped by politics, and there will be no more young girls who will be wronged. Let's work together to create a new era of freedom and fraternity, so that the flower of love will bloom forever.