If you ask: Who has the highest background among all the concubines of Qianlong?
Presumably, the first thing that comes to everyone's mind is the filial piety queen Shaji Fucha clan, the Shaji Fucha clan is indeed from a very noble background, from the Kangxi Dynasty Empress Xiaoxian's grandfather Mi Sihan (the ancestor of the flag is Wang Jinu, the granddaughter of the Wangjinu tribe is the second concubine of Emperor Taizu), father Li Rongbao, uncle Ma Qi, uncle Ma Wu and uncle Muscat are all extremely noble, because of this, Empress Xiaoxian's maiden family first appeared in the Qing Dynasty during the peak of power, and this is not the most prominent period of the Wangjinu family.
However, during the Yongzheng Dynasty, the Shaji Fucha clan had become a very prominent family, not inferior to the Hesheri family, the Tong Jia clan, and the Niu Hulu family. Because Ma Qi, the uncle of Empress Xiaoxian, is a bachelor that Yongzheng trusts very much, and Ma Qi's niece was selected as Hongli's concubine, Yongzheng is also the result of careful consideration.
And the results of history prove that Yongzheng's choice is correct.
Empress Xiaoxian's maiden family not only allowed Hongli to sit on the throne completely, but also her mother's family produced many generals with outstanding military achievements in the Qianlong Dynasty, especially Fu Heng's father and son are the most prominent branch.
In addition to Empress Xiaoxian, there are also Shun nobles (originally Shun Concubine, who was favored for a while) and Cheng Concubine, both of whom were born in the Hongyi family and the descendants of Kangxi's father-in-law.
In terms of origin, Shun Guiren and Cheng Concubine are not inferior to Empress Xiaoxian, and even more prominent than Empress Xiaoxian's background, after all, they are the descendants of the founding hero Eyidu and Princess Mukush, the fourth daughter of Taizu.
However, in the Yongzheng Dynasty and the Qianlong Dynasty, although the Niu Hulu family was still a noble family, it was no longer as important as the Fucha clan in the Yongzheng and Qianlong dynasties. The status of the concubine in the harem has always been linked to the mother's family, and the status of the mother's family in the court is directly related to the degree and position of the concubine's favor in the emperor.
Shun nobles and sincere concubines are good proof.
After all, in the Kangxi Dynasty, Shan Ji Bilong was married to Kangxi by three daughters (a queen and a concubine, and both sisters had become the masters of the harem to manage the six palaces).
Among all the concubines of Qianlong, there are concubines who are worse than the nobles and concubines of Shun, who are obviously from a prominent family, but they were snubbed by Qianlong because of their mother's family, and they were demoted from nobles to Changzai, and they have been in the position of Changzai for 47 years. After his death, he was buried in the Yuling Concubine Garden, in a very inconspicuous position in the last row.
01
In the eleventh year of Yongzheng, the noble Xilin Jueluo clan was born, and the birth of the noble family happened to be the most prominent time for his family.
Xilin Jueluo's father, Emin (Ele Shun), achieved the position of governor of Zhejiang, and was a veritable feudal official.
In fact, what really made the Xilin Jueluo family rise was not the father of the nobles, Emin, but the uncle of the nobles, Ortai, the reason why Emin was able to rise to prominence was actually inseparable from his uncle Ortai.
Ortai's ancestors returned to the Qing Dynasty during the period of Taizu Nurhachi (Later Jin), and were awarded the title of world administrator by Emperor Taizu.
It's just that before the Yongzheng Dynasty, the Xilin Jueluo family could only be regarded as a medium-sized official family:
Emin's great-grandfather, Tuyantu, sat in Tobe Langchu's place
Emin's grandfather, Obai, sat in the seat of the country's priest
As for Emin's father, E Lintai, he is the third son of Ebai and is the secretary of the cabinet
And Emin's uncle Ortai, the fourth son of Ebai, only sat in the position of Wailang of the Internal Affairs Office during the Kangxi Dynasty. And Ortai was 41 years old when Kangxi was 60 years old, so Ortai was very pessimistic about his future. At this time, Ortai didn't expect that he would have the opportunity to enter the picture.
After Emperor Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, Ortai's life completely changed:
In the first year of Yongzheng, Ortai was ordered to go to Yunnan to serve as the deputy examiner of the township examination, and was later directly promoted to the political envoy of Jiangsu. Those who have watched "Yongzheng Dynasty" should know that Li Wei, a favorite minister of Yongzheng, once served as a political envoy, and the political envoy was a second-class official, from a small outsider to the position of political envoy, and Ortai only took two or three years.
In the fourth year of Yongzheng, Ortai had already served as the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, responsible for changing the land and returning to the stream.
Only four years after the new emperor ascended the throne, Ortai became a feudal official, and it is conceivable that Yongzheng not only favored Ortai but also valued it very much. It is no wonder that Ortai will become one of the three favorite ministers of the Yongzheng Dynasty (as well as Li Wei and Tian Wenjing).
When Ortai finally returned to the capital in the tenth year of Yongzheng, he not only entered the cabinet to pay respects to the prime minister, but also surpassed Zhang Tingyu, who had been accompanying Yongzheng in the capital, and became the first assistant. And because of the merit of changing the land and returning to the stream, he was promoted to the earl, and it is conceivable that Ortai's status in the court at this time is not just as simple as a very human minister.
After all, Ortai is Yongzheng's most trusted confidant.
Therefore, in the thirteenth year of Yongzheng, when Emperor Yongzheng was seriously ill, Ortai and Zhang Tingyu were appointed as ministers to assist the emperor's fourth son, Hongli, to ascend the throne.
Moreover, Yongzheng personally gave Ortai and Zhang Tingyu posthumous honors, so that the two could enjoy the Taimiao after their deaths.
Enjoying the temple is the highest honor as a minister, and if you can enjoy the temple, you can be remembered and sacrificed for generations.
02
It is in the process of the rise of Ortai that the Xilin Jueluo family also rose completely, most of Ortai's brothers, sons and nephews entered the court as officials, and sisters, nieces, and daughters either married to the children of the clan or married to the families of noble heroes:
It was in this context that Emin successively served as a scholar, editor, prefect, and political envoy, and finally sat in the position of governor;
and Emin's own sister, that is, Ortai's niece, was married to the fourth son of Prince Yinxiang of Heshuo Xianyi, born to the Fu Jin Zhaojia clan, and Wang Hongyan of Doroning County;
Ortai's nephew Echang, who served as a political envoy and governor during the Yongzheng Dynasty, and became the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu during the Qianlong Dynasty;
As for Ortai's own six sons, they are not simple:
His eldest son, Erong'an, was the governor of Liangjiang
The second son, Eshi, successively served as a second-class guard, a first-class guard, the deputy capital of Mongolia's Zhenghong Banner, the deputy capital of Manchuria's blue flag, and the counselor minister, and finally died on the battlefield of the Heishui camp. married the sister of Gao Jia, the concubine of Emperor Qianlong Huixian, as his wife, which means that Qianlong and Eshi are still brothers-in-law.
His third son, Ebi, married Guerjia, a direct descendant of Fei Yingdong, one of the five great heroes of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the daughter of Xinyong Gong Hadaha. And Ebi's daughter, Xilin Jueluo, was promised by Emperor Qianlong to the fifth elder brother Yongqi born to Yu Guifei Keriette as his concubine. Yongqi Fujin gave birth to only one son for Yongqi, and he died not long after.
His fourth son, Euning, married the daughter of Haiwang, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, and Haiwang's other daughter married Kangxi's youngest son, Yinji, as his concubine
His fifth son, Emo, married the granddaughter of Maizhu, a scholar of Wuyingdian University (Maizhu's daughter married Omo's father, Ortai)
His sixth son, E Xin, married Ai Xinjue Luo, the daughter of Kangxi's sixteenth son Yinlu
After Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, at least ten years before Qianlong, he attached great importance to Ortai and Zhang Tingyu, two old ministers. The two are still the existence of extremely human ministers, and during the Yongzheng Dynasty, Ortai was not in the capital most of the time, so even if he and Zhang Tingyu were not in harmony, they could basically ignore the party struggle between the two.
But the Qianlong Dynasty was different, Ortai and Zhang Tingyu were both in the capital and were officials in the court.
Ortai is a Manchu minister, and Zhang Tingyu is a Hanchen, the two of them are divided into courts, and no one will let anyone.
Therefore, in Qianlong's court, the "Hubei Party" and the "Zhang Party" were formed.
Most of the Manchu officials in the court were headed by Ortai, while the Han officials were attached to Zhang Tingyu.
The party struggle between Hubei and Zhangzhou intensified in the Qianlong Dynasty.
As the king of a country, how could Qianlong allow party strife to threaten the imperial power?
And it was in this context that the daughter of Governor Emin and the niece and granddaughter of Ortai entered the palace through the Eight Banners draft, and Qianlong became Qianlong's concubine for ten years.
03
As a beautiful girl from such a prominent family, Xilin Jueluo naturally entered the palace and was named a nobleman.
(In the following, the nobles will be called Xilin Jueluo)
Maybe even Xilin Jueluo himself didn't expect that although he was a noble person when he first entered the palace, it was nothing more. Because before Xilin Jueluo entered the palace, Qianlong decided to get rid of the Ezhang party dispute, and in the year that Xilin Jueluo entered the palace, his uncle Ortai died of illness.
As an old minister who has gone through three dynasties, Qianlong still gave Ortai the honor after his death, not only giving him the nickname "Wenduan", worthy of enjoying the Taimiao, but also enshrined in the Xian Liang Temple. This is already the highest honor for a courtier.
In the thirteenth year of Qianlong, Xilin Jueluo had been demoted to Changzai, and his status in the harem had been ranked after Changzai and Zhongzai, and it was at the bottom of Changzai. For Xilin Jueluo, who was born in a prominent family, it is really "wronged" to be at the end of the permanent presence.
If Xilin Jueluo could be born more than ten years earlier, it would not be impossible to be in the position of concubine and concubine. After all, in the early years of Qianlong, Ortai was Qianlong's minister, and the Xilin Jueluo family was at its peak.
However, history cannot be assumed, only regretted.
And this is just the beginning for Xilin Jue Luo, Xilin Jue Luo was demoted to Chang Zai and never restored to the position of noble, and he has been in the position of Chang for 47 years. It was not until the 60th year of Qianlong that Yongyan was named the crown prince, and Xilin Jueluo was symbolically promoted to a nobleman.
And Xilin Jueluo's father, E Min, was given by Qianlong to commit suicide in about 20 years of Qianlong.
And the reason why Emin was given to commit suicide was also because Emin took it upon himself, and he actually relied on the power of his family to ask for silver from the salt merchants. If Ortai did not die, Qianlong did not start to deal with the matter of the Ezhang party dispute, and even if Emin was convicted, he would not be directly given death. But Emin didn't realize that after the death of his uncle Ortai, the family began to decline.
If you can keep to yourself, you may be able to start and finish well.
But Emin obviously didn't realize Qianlong's true attitude towards the Xilin Jueluo family, and ended up digging his own grave.
His father was convicted and committed suicide, and for Xilin Jueluo, who was snubbed by Qianlong, he couldn't do anything. On the contrary, because of his father's guilt, the situation in the harem is becoming more and more difficult, and it is basically impossible to restore the position of a nobleman.
In fact, the reason why Emin was given death was related to his failure to keep to himself, but in fact, the main reason was that Qianlong was deliberately weakening the power of Xilin Jueluo in the court.
Although Ortai is dead, the Ezhang party struggle has not ended, because the Xilin Jueluo family is still very powerful in the court.
In order to completely end the party struggle between Hubei and Zhang, after Ortai's death, Qianlong made it difficult for Zhang Tingyu in every possible way, and Zhang Tingyu prayed for retirement in the thirteenth year of Qianlong, but Qianlong did not agree; In the fourteenth year of Qianlong, Zhang Tingyu prayed for retirement again, and Qianlong agreed this time, but because Zhang Tingyu did not personally thank Qianlong for his anger, he blamed Zhang Tingyu, and Zhang Tingyu was stripped of the earl title.
In the fifteenth year of Qianlong, the eldest son of the emperor Yonghuang had just died of illness, and Zhang Tingyu asked for retirement again, and Zhang Tingyu was Yonghuang's teacher. As soon as Yonghuang died, Zhang Tingyu wanted to return to his hometown to retire, which angered Emperor Qianlong again, and Qianlong issued an order to cancel Zhang Tingyu's qualification to enjoy the Taimiao and return to his hometown for the elderly. As a result, it didn't take long for Zhang Tingyu to be implicated in the Zhu Quan case, and his house in the capital was taken back by the imperial court.
Moreover, in addition to the items rewarded by the imperial court over the years, Zhang Tingyu also handed over 200,000 taels of silver.
In this way, Zhang Tingyu lived to the twentieth year of Qianlong in fear, and died of illness in March of the twentieth year of Qianlong at the age of 84.
Although Qianlong wanted to end the party struggle between Hubei and Zhang, and made it difficult for Zhang Tingyu everywhere, he finally gave Zhang Tingyu the honor after his death and let him enjoy the Taimiao
While embarrassing Zhang Tingyu everywhere, the Hubei Party was naturally a thorn in the side of Emperor Qianlong.
Sure enough, about 20 years after Qianlong, Qianlong launched the Hu Zhongzao case. Hu Zhongzao is Ortai's protégé, and there is such a sentence in the poem "Jian Mo Sheng Poems":
"A handful of heart-to-heart turbidity.
Qianlong believed that Hu Zhongzao added the word "turbidity" before the word "Qing", which was a complaint against the imperial court.
In the twentieth year of Qianlong, Hu Zhongzao was beheaded.
Ortai, who has been dead for ten years, has been removed from the Xian Liang Temple.
Also implicated in this case was Ortai's nephew Echang, who was given death by Qianlong because the Mongolian were called Hu people in the poem "Saishang Yin".
Since then, the Xilin Jueluo-Ortai family has completely declined.
Although Ortai's two sons, Erongan and Eshi, were both killed on the battlefield and were able to start and finish well, they could no longer stop the decline of the Xilin Jueluo family.
It was in the process of the decline of the family that Xilin Jueluo was lonely in the palace for the rest of his life.
epilogue
After Emperor Jiaqing ascended the throne, Xilin Jueluo was known as the nobleman of E.
In the first year of Jiaqing, Xilin Jueluo has been in the palace for 55 years, and among the surviving Qianlong concubines, Xilin Jueluo's qualifications are second only to Wan Guifei Chen.
After the death of Wan Guifei Chen in the twelfth year of Jiaqing, Xilin Jue Luo personally went to Jing'an Zhuang to bid farewell to Wan Guifei.
The reason why Wan Guifei Chen can occupy the position of a concubine is not because she is favored, but because she is the concubine who has accompanied Qianlong for the longest time. Because she was not favored, she had nothing to do in her life, and she was named Concubine Wan in the fifty-ninth year of Qianlong; In the sixth year of Jiaqing, she was honored as a graceful concubine by Emperor Jiaqing.
Perhaps it is precisely because Xilin Jueluo and Concubine Wan Guifei are connected to the same fate, and they are not favored and have nothing to do, so they become best friends in the harem. The reason why Concubine Wan was able to live a long life at the age of 92 is actually related to her character of not fighting or grabbing, and Xilin Jueluo has the same heart as her best friend, so she was also able to live a long life.
However, the year after his best friend died of illness, the lonely Xilin Jueluo also died of illness at the age of 76.
Xilin Jueluo was the last of the concubines who was canonized as Qianlong before the Jiaqing Dynasty, and died of illness.