introduction
The Xunzi Ritual Treatise records that "the nursing mother, the one who eats and drinks." In ancient times, if the birth mother of the child of the noble family did not have enough milk, in order to ensure that the child could grow up safely, the family would find a nursing mother to feed the child, in addition, some nursing mothers also had the opportunity to continue to stay in the noble family, responsible for taking care of the child to grow up as a full-time nanny.
And nursing mothers in the palace is also extremely common, the emperor's concubines are more, children are more than ordinary people, some children after birth because of various problems, can not be raised by their birth mothers, so at the time of birth need nursing mothers, royal nursing mothers are not arbitrarily selected, need to go through layers of screening, will choose the right nursing mother, the threshold is still relatively high.
01
China's last emperor Puyi also had a nursing mother, and has been taking care of him until the time of weaning, only to leave, her name is Wang Lianshou, Hebei Jiaoyuan people, when she was 13 years old, her hometown suddenly encountered floods, and her family fled to Beijing with her.
Relying on his brother who made a living in Beijing, Wang Lianshou married a servant under his brother's arrangement, but he had bad luck, and after marrying this errand boy, he gave birth to a daughter, but his husband left mother and daughter because of illness. For a time, there was no income for the family's expenses.
At this time, just when the Prince of Alcohol gave birth to the eldest son, at this time it was necessary to recruit a nursing mother into the palace, this news immediately spread in the city of Beijing, and it was mentioned that the nursing mother's food and accommodation would be wrapped up, and there would be a monthly salary of two or two silver. This was a very good treatment at the time, so many mothers who had just given birth hoped to seize the opportunity and attract a group of people to sign up.
Wang Lianshou had no choice but to apply because of the death of her husband, and finally under the screening of the housekeeper, 20 better candidates were left, and it was fortunate that Wang Lianshou was not eliminated.
02
Wang Lianshou won the battle against these 20 men and was given the position of Puyi's nursing mother. As the fifth time in the "Complete Biography of the Flying Dragon" said, "I am glad that today I am meeting the auspicious period of the zodiac, which is exactly the wish of heaven." "Wang Lianshou was able to win for two reasons, one is that her milk is thick, and the other is that she herself is dignified and qualified.
However, it is not so simple to be the nursing mother of the young master of the palace, and it is also necessary to accept the requirements of the nursing mother in the palace, and cannot go out of the house to go home at will, in addition, in order to ensure the pure diet of milk, you cannot eat salt and soy sauce. This means that during Wang Lianshou's time in the palace, not only could he not visit his daughter, but he was also indifferent in terms of diet.
In the book written by Puyi in "The First Half of My Life", he mentions his nursing mother, he said so, can not eat salt and soy sauce, this is the "most humiliating request",
Emperor Puyi chose a wet nurse, one of the 20 women to choose, it is a fortunate thing to be selected, but it is also a little difficult to accept what Puyi said "the most humiliating demand", but for the sake of his family's life, Wang Lianshou also agreed one by one, and from then on he stayed in the palace to take care of Puyi.
03
In 1908, the Guangxu Emperor died, and Puyi, who was only 3 years old, was carried into the palace and left his birth mother, without a relative around, only his nursing mother Wang Lianshou, who fed himself from childhood, accompanied him, so during this period of time in the palace, Wang Lianshou became his only relative and became a shoulder he could rely on.
The two did not spend too long together, after Puyi was weaned, the concubines discussed sending Wang Lianshou out of the palace, and finally secretly drove her out of the palace by Puyi, who was only 9 years old.
After being expelled from the palace, Wang Lianshou's life was also very miserable, and when he returned home, he found that his daughter had died long ago, because of malnutrition, the children of others he fed, and his own children left so early, which was a very heavy blow to Wang Lianshou, even if it was like
As the Wu Yue Chunqiu says, "Weep day and night; qi does not belong to sound." ”
It was also difficult to resist the grief in Wang Lianshou's heart.
Puyi was only nine years old when Wang Lianshou was sent away, and he did not have the strength to do anything, nor could he undo what had happened. In his eyes, Wang Lianshou was his own relative, so it was time for the later Emperor to take his own nursing mother Wang Lianshou to live together, and within a few years, he was killed by the Japanese army
finish.
epilogue
Looking back at Wang Lianshou's life, wang's life was tragic, his daughter died prematurely, and he himself was not able to enjoy his old age in peace.
For Puyi, the appearance of Wang Lianshou is a fortunate thing, if there is no Wang Lianshou, the young Puyi will need to be alone. Fortunately, with Wang Lianshou, when facing the unfamiliar environment of the palace, she was his only reliance and his most trustworthy person.
Without Wang Lianshou's presence, the last emperor's early experience might have been even more tragic and helpless.
bibliography:
The Legend of the Flying Dragon
"Wu Yue Chunqiu"
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