What does the "golden melon seeds" given by the old emperor represent? Why can all the concubines in the Qing Dynasty put it down?

This melon seed is not a melon seed, and golden melon seeds cannot be eaten. This is real gold. Because there were no molds and related technologies in ancient times, craftsmen could only exercise by their own hands when making them, so they didn't look like the melon seeds we eat now. Nickname? Golden melon seeds? In fact, its origin is only from a distance, and you will find that it looks like a watermelon seed. The ancients named it golden melon seeds for the sake of image.

It is often seen in TV series that the emperor rewarded the minister, but he generously grabbed a handful of golden melon seeds and sent eunuchs to hand them to the minister. The rewarded minister knelt on the ground, folded his hands and shouted? Thank the emperor for his gift! ? But is this really the case?

Let's talk about the value of golden melon seeds first. According to the standard of Qing dynasty, the exchange of gold and silver is about 1 to 10. The weight of a golden melon seed is about 20 to 30 grams, which is close to one or two at that time, which means that a golden melon seed is equivalent to about 8 ounces of silver. You know, at that time, the sheriff's annual salary was only 45 A Liang. For ordinary families, Liang's silver is even more? Rare things? .

If the emperor really caught a handful of golden melon seeds as a reward in reality, it would be equivalent to the salary of a county magistrate for ten years. Therefore, this will never happen. Usually the emperor will only bring a few, or at most a dozen. The number actually depends on how much credit you have and the mood of the emperor. After all, the value of gold is precious in ancient and modern times, and even the emperor can't do it forever.

How much is a golden melon seed equivalent to now?

The exchange rate is different in each period, so we can only compare the prices in a short period. The highest quality rice in the late Qing Dynasty is about 10 words per liter, and one or two pieces of silver is equal to 1000 words, which means that one or two pieces of silver can buy 150 Jin of high quality rice; Look at the house price again. At that time, a house with a square meter of 100 was sold for 70 taels of silver, that is, 89 golden melon seeds. Back to the society with high housing prices, 100 square meter is worth at least 5 million.

Therefore, the value of a golden melon seed is about 20 thousand yuan, and it is small and easy to carry, so you don't have to put copper coins in a small sack when you go out.

What is the use of golden melon seeds?

Although valuable, it is just a novelty to the imperial concubine in the palace or the minister in the DPRK. After getting the golden melon seeds, they were mostly used for collection, and some concubines gave them to eunuchs for bribery.

During the Qing Dynasty, golden melon seeds were the imperial objects of the emperor, representing the authority of the emperor. On a private visit, Ganlong saw a woman who sold herself to bury her father in the street. Out of emotion, Qianlong took out a golden melon seed and threw it into the bowl, but failed to do so. The accompanying officials did not notice the golden melon seeds on the ground and stepped on them. So he flew into a rage and directly ordered him to leave his post.

From this story, we can know how much royal authority a small golden melon seed represents, and its significance is far higher than its own value. He is like the first place in the school exam, the praise of the boss at work, and the worship of your wife.

Today, there are still some descendants of Manchu nobles who are still collecting golden melon seeds. The reporter also interviewed them and asked them if they had any plans to auction in the future. They replied:? No matter how hard my life is, I will not betray the glory of my ancestors. ? These words are enough to prove the position of golden melon seeds in their hearts.