Because of the changes of the times and the development of science and technology, modern social life has been very different from ancient life. In the process of understanding history, people also slowly learned how the ancients lived.
The Qing Dynasty is the closest feudal society to modern society, so what is the life of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty? How is their day arranged? In fact, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty had to follow this rule for many things. When to get up and when to flip the card are also stipulated by time.
First, the royal ancestral family law
In ancient society, there were strict classes, and there was a great difference between the life of the ordinary people at the bottom and the life of the ruling class at the top. Among them, the biggest difference lies in their requirements for rules.
Ordinary people, busy all day long for survival and food and clothing, they have little time to think about things other than material things, nor do they have the energy to set up some rules to limit their words and deeds. The upper ruling class, on the other hand, does not have to worry about not having enough to eat, what they need to do is to maintain their position.
Those families that are called "good family style" are often able to gain the respect and praise of others, and they also have a more social status. To maintain this "good family style", it is necessary to have a clear "ancestral family law" to stipulate the words and deeds of family members.
The higher the status of the family, the greater the desire for the glory of the lintel and the inheritance of family glory, and the more they value the observance of the "ancestral family law". In the Qing Dynasty, no family attached more importance to the observance of the "Ancestral Family Law" than the Ai Xin Jue Luo Royal Family.
The Ai Xin Jue Luo family was originally just an ordinary family in the Jurchen clan in the northern grasslands, and it was able to unify the Jurchen tribes and then unify the Central Plains because there were many talented figures in the Ai Xin Jue Luo family. Successive generations have been able to cultivate very good characters, which has a lot to do with the "rules" in their families.
Nurhaci, Huang Taiji and others established political power in the Mongolian steppe. While they ruled over their subjects and people, within the family, they were also constantly formulating and improving the regulations of the "Ancestral Family Law", and using these "rules" to strictly regulate the words and deeds of family members.
Therefore, after the Entry of the Qing Dynasty, every member of the royal family must abide by the "Ancestral Family Law" formulated by the ancestors. Even the emperor, who is called the "Son of Heaven," must obey. Therefore, there are rules for each emperor of the Qing Dynasty, how to arrange his day, and what he should do.
2. The Emperor's Morning Arrangement
The ancients often said: The beginning of the day lies in the morning. Morning is the beginning of the day. For this reason, the morning is given a special meaning. When it's time to get up, you have to get up. If you "lie in bed" for no reason, you will be blamed. Even as an emperor, you can't lie in bed.
Almost every emperor of the Qing Dynasty was about to get up at four o'clock. The Yangxin Hall is the emperor's sleeping hall. When the emperor slept, there would be eunuchs guarding the door of the palace, and these eunuchs would perform their duties. Among them, there were eunuchs who checked the hour and told the emperor to get up.
Whenever it was almost four o'clock, the eunuch would make some movements to remind the emperor, so that the emperor could slow down and be mentally prepared to get up. When it was time, the eunuch came to the emperor's dragon bed and told the emperor to get up, which is also called "please drive". At the same time, the palace eunuchs who were responsible for washing and changing the emperor's clothes also entered the palace and began the day's service work.
After the emperor had everything in order, he sometimes needed to go to kunin palace for pilgrimage. When everything was done, it was almost five o'clock. At this time, in order to allow the emperor to replenish his physical strength and energy, the imperial dining room would often provide the emperor with some exquisite snacks, or drinks such as bird's nest porridge to pad his stomach.
At 6 o'clock, it is time for official breakfast. The emperor's breakfast, what dishes are on the recipe, how many dishes there are, are all prescribed. Before the emperor officially ate, there would be a eunuch who specialized in "tasting dishes", and after trying each dish on the spot to make sure that the dishes were not poisonous, the emperor could start eating.
After breakfast, the Emperor also needed to see the Hadith. Every emperor would leave a hadith to his successor as a way to encourage future generations. The emperors of the Qing Dynasty, on the other hand, attached particular importance to the hadith. They would recite the hadiths left by the emperors very respectfully in order to show the officials that they were a qualified king.
After reciting the hadith, it was time for the Upper Morning Dynasty. The early dynasty, since the founding of the Qin Dynasty, has existed for more than two thousand years. During these years, there were also many changes in the early dynasty system. Generally speaking, the frequency of the early dynasty was determined by the emperor. Some very diligent emperors would demand that every day go to the early dynasty.
Other emperors, on the other hand, would open an early dynasty every two or three days. During the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, there were two to three early dynasties in a week. At the imperial meeting, the courtiers told the emperor about the recent administrative affairs, or took some things that they did not have the ability to make decisions to the imperial meeting to discuss, and finally the emperor decided.
When the time of the pilgrimage is very long, in the middle of the way, the emperor will also have a short rest time. After the end of the court, the emperor would read the notes handed by the courtiers in the Yangxin Hall, or receive the courtiers who came to see them.
III. The Emperor's Afternoon Arrangement
After waking up at 4 o'clock and going through a busy morning, the emperor was already very tired. Therefore, at noon, the emperor would have an hour of rest. At this time, they will take a nap or relax by enjoying recreational activities such as paintings and calligraphy.
Compared with the morning, in the afternoon, the emperor was free to arrange more time. If there is still a backlog of government affairs in the morning, the emperor needs to deal with the government affairs first. After that, the emperor was free to arrange it. They can take a walk in the royal garden, or go to the harem to visit the queen concubines and children.
The Qianlong Emperor had a deep fascination in calligraphy. He specially arranged a place in the palace and named it "Sanxi Hall" to place the famous literary treasures he had collected. Therefore, after the government affairs were handled, Qianlong would often stay in the Sanxi Hall to admire the calligraphy and painting treasures he had collected.
At seven o'clock in the evening, it is time for dinner. Between meals of the emperor, there would be eunuchs in the worship room, who would take the green head card engraved with the names of the harem concubines, and let the emperor flip the cards and choose the concubines who would sleep at night. At nine o'clock in the evening, it was time for the emperor to start sleeping.
summary
The day of the ancient emperor was both unusual and very ordinary. The unusual thing is that the emperor holds the power of life and death, and his one decision can determine a person's life and death. The ordinary thing is that the emperor also needs to eat, also need to rest, and also need to work. They are no different from ordinary people.