Want to know how difficult it was to live as a harem concubine in ancient times? The competition, pressure, treatment, and bonus mechanism between them are eye-opening
In the ancient court, the harem concubines must not be messed with at will, and the competition between them is also quite fierce, many people will think that the harem concubines live a very comfortable life, but in fact, they are also under great pressure.
Ancient emperors attached great importance to childbirth, and if the concubines could not give birth to the prince, they might be beaten into the cold palace or worse, so the concubines would also compete with each other to give birth to the prince to keep their status.
The status of the harem concubines is also inseparable from their family background, which fully reflects the deep impact of the social hierarchy and family concept on people's lives at that time.
In the history of the great Eastern countries, the harem treatment of the Qing Dynasty can be said to be very generous, not only for food and clothing, but also for wages and labor protection supplies.
According to records, during the Qing Dynasty, the concubines could get 500 taels of silver every year, although it is nothing now, but it was a very high income in that era. According to the price of modern ordinary rice, it is about 3-3.5 yuan, which means that one tael of silver in the prosperous period of Kangqian is about equivalent to 450-550 yuan in modern times.
Moreover, during the Qing Dynasty, the rank of the harem concubines was also strictly stratified, and the harems of different levels enjoyed different levels of treatment, and even the salaries were different.
Their ranks are divided into eight levels: queen, noble, concubine, concubine, constant presence, promise, gege, and zig.
These eight grades determine not only how much they receive each year, but also what kind of treatment they are entitled to.
Although they are well paid, their fate is still in the hands of the emperor, and if they are not favored by the emperor or give birth to a prince, even if they are originally nobles or concubines, their status will be reduced.
Although the harem concubines during the Qing Dynasty could get 500 taels of silver per year, in modern times, it is not a high income.
Moreover, the salary of the harem concubines in the Qing Dynasty was not fixed, and if the prince was born, there would be a corresponding bonus.
According to records, during the Qing Dynasty, the emperor gave an additional 100 taels of silver every year to the concubines who gave birth to the prince. But this reward is not guaranteed to be obtained, it depends on whether the emperor likes the prince or not.
During the Qing Dynasty, the housing of harem concubines was allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. When he first entered the palace, he could only live in the six east and west palaces in the Forbidden City, and changed his house once a year.
Generally speaking, when you first enter the palace, you live in Cining Palace, and you can only move into the Forbidden City after you die. But even so, the harem concubines could not escape the influence of the hierarchy and the emperor's preferences on their lives.
It is recorded that during the period of Emperor Qianlong, there was a concubine who was originally named a nobleman and gave birth to several princes, but in Qianlong's later years, she was thrown into the cold palace and finally did not know whether she was alive or dead.