Preface
In ancient times, it was not easy to become a colt, and it was not only an honor, but also a test. Imagine that in addition to the need for brave martial arts and outstanding family background, it is also necessary to go through a special marriage ceremony - trial marriage. This ancient and mysterious custom was not uncommon in the society of the time, and the woman who tried to marry became a unique existence of that era.
The term trial marriage may sound reminiscent of some kind of trial life before marriage, but the story behind it is so colorful. What is the identity of those women who participated in the trial marriage?
Behind the trial marriage is a history full of legends and mysteries, let us travel through time and space, into the ancient ritual of the horse trial marriage ceremony, to unveil the mystery of this ancient tradition.
Pony: Changing roles from the emperor's charioteer to the princess's husband
Originally, "驸马" was just an official title, and the full name was "驸马都尉". It already existed during the Qin Dynasty, and its role was to take care of and dispatch the chariots and horses needed by the emperor for travel, and its status was low.
Because at that time, in order to protect the emperor's whereabouts, fake cars and stand-ins would be used to confuse the enemy. The term "horse" is the abbreviation of the official in charge of these "auxiliary vehicles".
In the Wei Dynasty of the Three Kingdoms, an official named He Yan married a princess, and the position he held at that time was that of the Commander of the Horse. Since then, "concubine" has become a term that refers exclusively to the husband of the princess or princess. In later dynasties, the status of the horse gradually improved, and it became an important part of the royal family.
So, in this long period of historical changes, what are the differences and changes in the standards and requirements for the examination of the character, knowledge, and family rank that the horses have to face? We might as well start with the Tang Dynasty horses who were born in famous families.
Tang Dynasty: The family and family are supreme, and love is inevitable
In the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, becoming a colt attracted much attention. Many sons of famous families flocked to participate in the selection of horses. Taking Princess Taiping as an example, at that time, there was a famous disciple Xue Shao who intended to propose to the princess, and he was not only handsome and chic, but also won the princess's favor. However, his brother-in-law's background is very ordinary, which is simply unacceptable in Wu Zetian's eyes.
So, Wu Zetian categorically rejected this family business. Xue Shao also missed the throne of the horse because of this. It can be seen that if you want to marry your beloved princess home, you can imagine how difficult it is. The family and background all attach great importance to the royal family, even if it is the first love, it may not be the final destination.
We can imagine that when Princess Taiping learned that her favorite man was vetoed by the queen mother, she must have been stunned and tears rained down. As a princess, she is powerful, but she has no opinion on marriage matters, and can only be at the mercy of the queen mother. This also reveals the cruelty and ruthlessness of the feudal imperial society, and no matter how noble a woman is, she can only be slaughtered by others on the issue of marriage.
Compared with Princess Taiping's grief, Xue Shao's own pain was even worse. He was originally full of confidence in himself, and when he saw the woman he liked, he proposed marriage with lightning speed, but because of a family letter whose marriage was rejected, all his sharpness was dissipated. After that, why did he have the luxury of ascending to the position of a concubine? he could only spend his time in frustration, watching the former princess marry another woman.
Song Dynasty: The marriage blind box of the Jinshi
The Song Dynasty's admiration for literati was also reflected in the criteria for selecting horses. Many Jinshi will be arranged to marry a certain princess or princess after the high school entrance examination. For them, the probability of marrying a princess like buying a lottery ticket has become a great uncertainty.
Some talented people with excellent character and learning happened to draw a princess with good looks and intelligence, and they also achieved outstanding achievements in the future; Other Jinshi were not so lucky, their wives were either mediocre in appearance or had tricky personalities, and they themselves died in disgrace, and they did not do much in life.
For example, Guo Jingming, the champion of the year, was unlucky, his royal wife not only looked extremely ordinary, but also had a perverse personality. After marriage, Guo Zhuangyuan really learned what it means to "not publicize family ugliness", so he could only force a smile and be hazy all day long. In later generations, no one mentioned the most sought-after Jinshilang at the moment, as if his deeds on the gold list had never appeared.
In contrast, in the same year, the wife of Jinshi Wang Dajin Ming was generous and graceful, not only knowledgeable, but also played a role in promoting Wang Sheng's high school jinshi back then. The two are very affectionate, Wang Da Jinming has been promoted to the middle of the court since then, and later added the title of Hanlin Bachelor. At that time, everyone envied Wang Dajinming's unique good life.
Therefore, the horses of the Song Dynasty were playing the game of "marriage blind box" in the real sense. Even if they get fame, they can't control their marriage fate. Luck has become the biggest variable in whether they can be happy. There must be no shortage of helplessness and pain during this period.
Ming Dynasty: Princesses are frequently deceived, and the horses are "civilianized"
After the ban on princesses not marrying into official families in the early Ming Dynasty, the marriages of princesses embarked on the road of "commoners". However, due to the fact that the emperor and the eunuchs still had extremely high selection criteria for the horses, they wanted them to be knowledgeable and good-looking, and they could not interview in person, so the princess was frequently deceived by unscrupulous people.
The most typical case is the "marrying the wrong person" incident that happened to Princess Yongning. The eunuch in charge of selecting the horses accepted a bribe and married the princess to a man suffering from lung disease. The princess committed suicide after being widowed for several months. This incident became a big scandal for the government and the opposition, and sounded the alarm for the marriage system of the Ming Dynasty.
As the princess concerned, a noble and delicate girl like Princess Yongning should have a husband who looks like a flower and a happy married life. Unbeknownst to her, her life's events had become a complete game of eunuch trading and profit-seeking, and her fragile happiness was immediately shattered.
The brightly lit cave room on the wedding night is a sign of the upcoming feast of happy events. However, the princess's husband is a terminally ill man whose life is on the verge of death, which is tantamount to casting a shadow of bad luck on the princess's life. What kind of despair and grief will the princess feel in the face of her unfamiliar husband and cold bed? Later, she chose to commit suicide, and she must have experienced unimaginable pain and torture.
This is also a wake-up call for countless innocent women like the princess. How terrible is the uncertainty of marriage, and the happiness or unhappiness of their lives is all up to people. How much helplessness and powerlessness can be done!
Qing Dynasty: The "trial marriage system" appeared, and the palace maid became the biggest victim
In order to prevent the princess from being deceived again, the Qing Dynasty implemented a "trial marriage system". The queen would choose a woman from among the palace maids who were not striking, and let her live with the prospective concubine for a month to observe her behavior. A month later, the "trial marriage" was required to submit a report to the queen.
If the prospective horse is well evaluated, he can officially marry; Gege would also leave with the princess as a dowry maid. But if he is not approved by the empress, Gege will be forced to marry a failed quasi-concubine, or leave the court with a silver tael. They lost the opportunity to marry normally, and many of them ended miserably.
It can be seen that the biggest victim of the trial marriage system is not the man, but these innocent palace maids. They became the price of a happy life for the horses and princesses. As women at the bottom of the imperial society, they have no control over their own destiny.
From the moment they were chosen to marry in a trial marriage, they were destined to take a huge risk: either to marry into the home of a man they didn't know about as maids, or to marry a man who was embarrassed by failure and resentful to serve for the rest of their lives. How much helplessness and despair there is!
During the trial marriage, Gege also had to tense his nerves at all times, strictly observing and recording the pony's every move. For fear that if she is a little careless, her evaluation will be biased, which will doom her and another woman. The delicate people in the court are under unimaginable mental pressure.
But even if they complete the "task" and marry away with their beloved princess, the future is not optimistic. Helpless and blinded in the outside environment, he became a plaything for the princess to pass the time. Their lives are like only making wedding clothes for others, and their true happiness will never reach their own.
Ancient and modern horses: There are still many hurdles to face
From the above combing, it can be seen that the ancient colt wanted to finally marry the beloved princess and go home, and the difficulty was far beyond ordinary people's imagination. Not only do they have to face layers of selection in terms of family background, knowledge, appearance, etc., but the favor of princesses is even more elusive. The slightest mistake will fall short.
And even if he passes all kinds of tests, the man who finally succeeds in the position of the colt may not be happy. Like the "trial marriage system" of the Qing Dynasty, it also cast an uncertain shadow on their married life. On the wedding night, the beloved wife is accompanied by a woman who has been with him day and night, which will inevitably become a knot.
Taking Emperor Kangxi's sixth brother Zengzhuang as an example, the princess he married was beautiful and graceful in her trial marriage. And Zengzhuang himself is particularly fond of beautiful women with both talent and appearance. This will undoubtedly arouse his suspicions, and living in such a complex relationship, growing stronger must also be stressful and fearful.
Wang Yuyan was a well-known female lyricist in the Qing Dynasty, and she was once a princess's trial marriage. According to Wang Yuyan's autobiography, after the trial marriage expired, she could have remarried another man.
However, due to the loss of virginity, it was difficult to remarry under the social concept of the time. Wang Yuyan had to live a poor and lonely life with the emperor's favor, and her beautiful words and chapters are a portrayal of her punctuality. This is also a true portrayal of countless trial marriages.
Therefore, the life of the colt is full of dramatic ups and downs. Not only do they have to overcome many hurdles on the way to the princess, but they also have to face all kinds of worries after becoming a colt. This is much the same in ancient times.
Contemporary "Crown Princess": The Different Fates of Eastern and Western Concubines
Having said that, in today's society, the identity of "colt" is still coveted by countless men. Prince William of the United Kingdom and Emperor Naruhito of Japan were the focus of everyone's envy. It's just because they married the beloved princesses Diana and Michiko respectively.
Compared with the harshness of the lintel of the horse in the feudal dynasties of the East, the Western royal family of today is significantly more lenient in choosing a spouse. The concept of love first, talent and beauty gives ordinary people the opportunity to win the honor of royal family.
Therefore, today's horses do not need to face the same difficulties as the ancients, but once the marriage is established, they also have to bear huge responsibilities and pressures. We must always test our words and deeds to be worthy of the status of the emperor's relatives and relatives. Once there is a mistake, the attacks of the media and public opinion will also hit like a tidal wave.
Therefore, as the other half of the royal family, the modern version of the colt is by no means high-minded and at ease in the true sense. Low-key efforts and caution are always their fate. Isn't this so similar to the ancient horses?
epilogue
History and reality are cruel, but there are always some men who are still willing to eat. For them, even if it is difficult to get the glory of chrysanthemums for a lifetime, they will not hesitate.