The Palace Life of the Prince in Qing Dynasty

Houmen is as deep as the sea, and the imperial palace is cold and strict. It is difficult for these young princes and princesses to get the feeling of calf and the friendship of brothers and sisters enjoyed by other children. The Qing dynasty stipulated that when the prince was born, the nanny gave it to the wet nurse. A prince usually has 40 people to wait on him, including 8 nannies, 8 wet nurses, as well as injection, starch washing, lighting and cooking stoves. After the prince was weaned, he went to the wet nurse and added some internal supervision. These eunuchs are responsible for teaching the prince's daily life, diet, manners, sitting posture and various royal manners. When the prince was 6 years old, he wore a small hat and boots and began to learn to be a policeman, and at the same time entered the "study". The little prince, like other princes and ministers, got up at dawn, dressed up, walked into the Gan Qing Gate and stood in front of the king. The prince is young and short, so it is difficult to cross the threshold of the palace, and he is often carried into the door by the chamberlain. When they entered the gate, the little princes were majestic and personable, which seemed completely different from the children who had just been held in their arms. This situation is very interesting.

It is difficult for a prince to get close to his mother from birth. Mother and son meet at a fixed time every year, and they can't say much when they meet. Prince/Kloc began to learn Manchu at the age of 0/2, and practiced archery at the age of 0/4. Princes usually get married at the age of 16 to 18. If the father is in power, the princes live in the palace, and the residence is commonly known as "Argo House"; If his father dies, the prince lives with his mother, wife and children. If the biological mother is the first queen, she still lives in the Forbidden City and is regarded as the queen mother. Some people have done statistics, from the birth of the prince to his marriage, mother and son met for more than 100 days; The situation of imperial women is even worse, with only a few dozen faces from being down and out to becoming a monk.

When the princess got married, the emperor gave her a special mansion and didn't live with her in-laws. When in-laws meet their daughters-in-law, they must pay homage to the monarch and his subjects. Xu lived in a house outside the princess's house and didn't meet until the princess called her. Every time I call, the princess and Xu spend a lot of money to get together. The nanny in charge of summoning is the person who marries the princess, commonly known as the "housekeeper", and has great power. If the princess doesn't bribe the nanny, even if she calls, she still can't see her husband under the heavy obstruction of the nanny. Most of the princesses are weak, so they dare not complain and are not allowed to make suggestions when they enter the palace to see their mothers. It can be seen that the fate of princesses in Qing Dynasty is very tragic, and most of them died of lovesickness. In the Qing dynasty, it was rare for a princess to have children, and almost all the children of the Xu family were born in the side room. If the princess dies before Xu, Xu will be expelled from the princess house, and all the houses in the princess house will be recovered and confiscated. The only lucky princess in the Qing Dynasty was Yi Yin's only daughter, Rong An Gong Zhu. Rong 'an Gongzhu was betrothed to Guaer's home, Gushan, which is really blessed. However, Rongan Gongzhu and her husband haven't seen each other for more than a year because they can't get the "care" of the nanny. One day, when he entered the palace, Rong An Gong Zhu knelt in front of his father and begged, "Who will father marry his minister and daughter?" Emperor Xianfeng said, "Isn't Fu Zhen a husband?" The princess replied, "What about Fu Zhen? I have been married for a year and I haven't seen it. " He said, "Why didn't you see it?" The princess said, "The nanny won't let the minister and daughter see you." The master said, "How can you manage your mother-in-law? You can be independent. " Rongan Gongzhu got his father's instructions and immediately went back to the house to repel the nanny and summoned Fuzhen. From then on, the couple lived a loving life and gave birth to several children.

Although the status of princes is higher than that of princesses, loneliness always accompanies their childhood. The academic work of princes is very heavy, which may make them forget loneliness for a while. Foreign journalists provided us with precious records about the study and life of the Qing emperors:

"The princes of the Manchu royal family received the most rigorous education and training when they were unfamiliar with personnel. They get up every morning and are taught by the only imperial teacher in the palace. The first class is China literature. When these royal students enter the classroom, the teacher will stand up from his chair and accept the students' "big invitation". He will return one and then sit down. If it is homework, a student will put the book in front of the teacher and then go back to his seat to recite it repeatedly. If you don't have to learn your lessons by heart, a surname will be used by a eunuch present to give you a correct demonstration again. Each prince is accompanied by eight students (Manchu "Ha ha Zhuzi" Ha ha Chu), who have to study the same textbooks as the prince. It is necessary to admonish the latter more severely. If the prince can't recite it, haha, Zhuzi will be taught for him. On the other hand, if the prince studies as well as other students, they will also be rewarded or rewarded. For the most unruly prince, as a last resort, only let him be trained. Although a surname only pays lip service most of the time, he can't bear it anymore and wants to take him to see the emperor. At this time, the Qing emperor would order the eunuch to twist his face. Empress Dowager Cixi punished the late Tongzhi emperor in this way. China has a literature class for two hours, and then writes a composition in Tungusic and Mongolian in Manchu. Teachers who are lower in rank than teachers are called "masters". He must greet and bow to the students at the gate before class, learn Manchu, Tungusic and Mongolian, and sometimes learn local dialects. The next lesson is to perform competitive sports such as horse, step and arrow under the guidance of "Anda" (Manchu, riding and shooting coach). The young princes spent the whole day training their brains and physical strength. They go to bed earlier. The daily diet is also regular and quantitative, and playing cards is never allowed. "