Preface
"What's the emperor's favor, how can my sauce elbow attract people!" The person who said this was Emperor Guangxu's concubine Jin.
You may not know this character alone, but when it comes to Concubine Zhen, you must understand. Concubine Jin is the sister of Concubine Zhen's mother, although they are two sisters, but the appearance of these two is far from the same.
Concubine Zhen can be called the first beauty in the Guangxu harem, but this Concubine Jin is obese, with prominent eyes, a collapsed nose and thick lips, and there is no beauty at all. Probably because she is not good-looking, Guangxu doesn't like her, but spoils her sister, Concubine Zhen.
Although she is not favored, Concubine Jin's ending is much better than her sister, so why can't it be regarded as a blessing in disguise.
The sisters entered the palace at the same time, and the treatment was very different
Concubine Jin, Tatara clan, is the daughter of the right attendant of the household department, Changxu, and officially entered the palace in 1889. Although she became a concubine, Concubine Jin clearly knew that Guangxu chose herself completely because of her family background and did not have any feelings.
So Concubine Jin doesn't expect to be favored, she just wants to live a stable life in the palace. Although Concubine Jin is a woman, before entering the palace, she and her sister have been living in Guangzhou with their second uncle Changshan.
Guangzhou is relatively open and inclusive, so it also allows them to see a diverse world. Although Concubine Jin and Concubine Zhen are only Changshan's nieces, Changshan treats them like their own daughters.
Specially invited a generation of famous scholars Wenting style as teachers for the two sisters to teach them knowledge, and under the teaching of Wenting style, the sisters came into contact with the essence of Chinese culture. In addition to teaching his poetry and songs, Wen Tingshi will also guide the two to pay attention to social dynamics and think about life philosophy.
In a relatively free and open environment, taught by excellent teachers, the two sisters are exposed to new ideas and new concepts, so they pursue happiness in their hearts and advocate freedom above all else, but it is a pity that since entering the palace, the two of them are destined to be trapped in the four corners of the palace, and they will not be free and happy in their lives.
When the two sisters of the Tatara clan first entered the palace, they were named Jin Concubine and Zhen Concubine, and on the 60th birthday of the Empress Dowager Cixi, they were named Jin Concubine and Zhen Concubine.
Since Concubine Zhen entered the palace, she has been very favored by Emperor Guangxu, while Concubine Jin is often ignored. She was not salty or indifferent to this matter, and the emperor's favor could not be forced, so she did not fight.
During her days in the palace, except for greeting the queen mother and the queen, she spent most of her time in her palace, learning court etiquette, reading, and writing. Or embroider and chat with the palace ladies.
For Empress Longyu, Concubine Jin is not like Concubine Zhen, but always maintains respect and respect for the queen, and has never done anything disrespectful. Empress Longyu was in the palace, and she was not treated well by Emperor Guangxu, so she could understand Concubine Jin's situation very well, so she did not criticize her too much.
But there is a saying: I don't look for me for everything. Because she and Concubine Zhen are sisters, and Concubine Zhen is not treated by the Empress Dowager Cixi, Concubine Jin is often affected.
Concubine Zhen has suffered two court battles, one of which has affected Concubine Jin. Because Concubine Zhen is favored by Emperor Guangxu, she has become unpopular and too public, so she will naturally be disliked by others, and some people want to catch Concubine Zhen's handle.
And Concubine Zhen knew that countless pairs of eyes in the palace were staring at her, but she still didn't know how to restrain herself, and she sold her official title many times for personal gain, and later after this incident was exposed, the Empress Dowager Cixi was very angry.
The Empress Dowager Cixi gave a court battle to Concubine Zhen, and even Concubine Jin was innocently shot, not only was she beaten by the board, but also with Concubine Zhen, she was demoted to a nobleman. Poor Concubine Jin has always been cautious and behaved in a proper manner, obviously not doing anything wrong, but she was implicated for no reason.
After this incident, Concubine Jin had a new understanding of the cruelty in the palace. If you want to live safely in the palace, you have to learn to protect yourself and find a stable backer.
A fat who loves to eat elbows
Concubine Zhen is so favored, the emperor still can't guarantee her that everything is worry-free, so in this harem, only the Empress Dowager Cixi is the most powerful person, and only the Empress Dowager Cixi is the most stable backer.
Therefore, Concubine Jin decided to side with Cixi and save her life. Therefore, she went to curry favor with Cixi whenever she had the opportunity, and as long as she got any good things, especially the Western things that Cixi liked, she immediately gave them to Cixi, hoping to win Cixi's favor.
It's just that Concubine Jin's presence in the harem is not high, whether it is in Guangxu or in the Empress Dowager Cixi, she is an insignificant existence. Coupled with Concubine Zhen, Cixi didn't want to see Concubine Jin at first.
She felt that Concubine Jin had ulterior motives to please her, and she might even ask for forgiveness for her sister. However, after a long time, Cixi finally let down her guard and fully accepted Concubine Jin.
In the twenty-first year of Guangxu, the Empress Dowager Cixi restored the positions of Concubine Jin and Concubine Zhen, and this was all because of Cixi's love for Concubine Jin, and Concubine Zhen belonged to her sister's light.
In addition to restoring her position, Cixi often rewarded Concubine Jin with some gold and silver treasures for various reasons, and it can be said that although Concubine Jin was not favored, her life in the palace was prosperous.
Concubine Jin has no hobbies in her life, the only thing she likes is to eat, and her favorite dish is sauce elbow. Concubine Jin never restrained her appetite, so as to achieve the effect of maintaining her figure.
In terms of eating, she has always eaten how she wants, and what she wants to eat. If the money of other concubines is used to buy rouge gouache, then Concubine Jin's silver is used to eat.
In order to eat, she will also open a small stove in her palace. The imperial chef in the small kitchen of her palace has extremely high cooking skills, and the delicious dishes she makes far surpass those of others in the palace. In addition to what she made in the palace, she would also ask people to go to the Tianfu restaurant outside the palace to buy her sauce elbow, and since then the sauce elbow has become her favorite in her life, and it is used as breakfast.
Concubine Jin, who had been unknown in the palace for most of her life, finally turned into a serf and sang after the death of the Empress Dowager Cixi.
Concubine Jin, who had been cautious all her life, finally became the imperial concubine and became the person with the highest status in the harem except for the Empress Dowager Longyu.
Once people have power, they are easy to float, but at the beginning, because of the existence of the Empress Dowager Longyu, Concubine Jin still maintained her character of not listening to things outside the window and only knowing what to eat. But after the death of the Empress Dowager Longyu, Concubine Jin didn't pretend at all.
In order to control Pu Yi, Concubine Jin placed a henchman eunuch beside him as eyeliner, and even was very harsh on the palace maids and eunuchs around him, beating and scolding him at every turn and driving him out of the palace.
Jin Niangniang, who used to be the best to get along with and treat people the most, has now become the most terrifying existence. Concubine Jin's control over Pu Yi involves all aspects, even what Pu Yi wears, and because of this, she knows Pu Yi's biological mother Guerjia.
For the candidate of Empress Puyi, Concubine Jin personally decided Wanrong and pushed Wanrong into the abyss of the royal family with her own hands.
Because of her long-term loneliness and fear, Concubine Jin changed to "chest paralysis", and she was tormented by illness in her later years. Although I also tasted the joy of power later, I couldn't completely let go of myself after all.
In 1924, Concubine Jin died of illness in the Lama Temple at the age of 51, and her coffin left the Forbidden City half a month later. As the concubine of Duankang Emperor, she was buried in the Concubine Garden Mausoleum next to the Guangxu Mausoleum.
epilogue
Concubine Jin's life is unfortunate, but it is also lucky. The deep palace is a place where people eat people and don't spit out bones, but she yearns for freedom, but she has been trapped here all her life. But compared with Concubine Zhen who was thrown into the well and Queen Longyu, who was infamous for losing the country, Concubine Jin's life is much simpler.
At least she stayed away from right and wrong, enjoyed happiness, and was in power, much luckier than other concubines. But I believe that if there is a choice, Concubine Jin may not be willing to enter the palace.