A little-known custom of ancient emperors when entering their bridal chamber

"Spring night is worth thousands of dollars, flowers have fragrance and moon has shade. The sound of the singing hall is soft and the night is heavy in the swing courtyard." This is a popular poem by Su Shi, a famous poet in the Northern Song Dynasty. "A moment of spring night is worth a thousand dollars", which is true for ordinary people in the world, and it is also true for those empresses and concubines who are "once elected to the king's side." Especially those empresses selected for the main palace, they cherish this hard-won wedding moment, the wedding night.

When a beautiful woman enters the emperor's harem and becomes the queen of the world, the procedures for marrying the people are basically the same. She generally has to abide by the "six rites" agreed in the Book of Rites, namely, accepting, asking for names, accepting, accepting, announcing, and welcoming. The difference is that the royal wedding ceremony is more solemn and meticulous. The woman who is elected as the queen can also receive a betrothal gift sent by the emperor, but the emperor will never go to greet the bride in person, but let the queen's family members solemnly deliver it to her door. Even if the emperor wanted to tie the knot a few more times, it would not be so casual and would cost a lot of money.

When the queen and the emperor get married, they also have to enter the "bridal chamber". However, unlike the folk customs of the wedding chamber, the wedding chamber where the queen and the emperor get married is not in the emperor's original bedroom, nor is there a fixed wedding chamber. Generally, the place where the ceremony is held is regarded as the wedding chamber on the night of the wedding.

The weddings of emperors in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were generally held in the Kunning Palace. The Kunning Palace is the third of the three rear palaces in the royal palace. In the Ming Dynasty, it was the queen's bedroom. During the Qing Dynasty, the two rooms in the east were used as bridal chambers for the emperor's wedding, and the five rooms in the west were used as shrines for offering sacrifices to Shamanism. The etiquette of the Qing Dynasty emperors marrying their empresses was quite solemn and extremely particular. The newly married queen was carried in from the Qing Gate, passed through Tiananmen Square, Meridian Gate, and reached the harem. However, when ordinary concubines enter the palace, they can only use the back door of the Forbidden City, namely Shenwu Gate.

Empress Dowager Cixi, who was a high-ranking queen in the late Qing Dynasty, failed to walk through the Qing Dynasty, which became a lifelong pain in her heart. Cixi was only a concubine at the beginning. In 1851, she was selected into the palace as a beautiful daughter and was named Yi Zhu Zi. Because of her favor by the Emperor of Xianfeng, she was granted the title of Yi Consort in 1854. Although the mother is more important than the son, and her son Zaichun later became the emperor, it also changed her marriage history with Xianfeng. Therefore, later, the daughter-in-law, Araut, who was also the empress of Tongzhi, angered the Empress Dowager Cixi by saying,"The slaves were brought in from the Qing Dynasty Gate." Shortly after Tongzhi's death, Cixi forced her to commit suicide and be buried.

1. What should we do first on the night of the emperor and queen's wedding chamber?

On the night of flowers and candles in the wedding chamber of the emperor and queen, the so-called "wedding ceremony" is indispensable, which is what the people call "drinking wine from a cup of wine." After the wedding ceremony, it is time to go to bed below. But when the emperor is a bridegroom, he cannot just go to bed casually. He must be in order. The Tang Dynasty emperor accepted the queen into the bridal chamber and went to bed like this: Shang Yi knelt north and wrote: "After the ceremony, Xing will be celebrated." Both the emperor and the queen rose. The Shanggong led the emperor into the east room, took off his royal robe, and put on his usual clothes; the Shanggong led the queen into the tent and took off her clothes. The Shang Palace invited the emperor in. The dishes were always served in the east room, as before. The queen's followers ate the emperor's food, and the emperor's attendants ate the queen's food.

In the Qing Dynasty, shortly after the queen entered the wedding chamber, the emperor also wore a dragon robe and auspicious clothes and was escorted from the Qianqing Palace to the Kunning Palace by Prince Kinji. After removing the veil from the queen's head, the emperor and the queen sat on the dragon and phoenix wedding bed. The female official of the Internal Affairs Office placed a copper basin on the bed and held the "posthumous cakes of descendants" in a round box. This "descendants cake" is a kind of pasta, a special small dumpling.

Then a seating mattress and a banquet table were set up. The princess and female officials respectfully invited the emperor and queen to sit opposite each other, and the four people of Fujin would respectfully serve on the banquet. At the wedding banquet, the emperor and the queen drank and exchanged glasses of wine. At this time, at the window outside the temple, a couple of hair-haired guards sang "The Song of Friendship" in Manchu. The wedding ceremony is completed, and then the table is settled. In the evening, female officials of the Internal Affairs Office, Fujin and others waited on the emperor and queen to eat longevity noodles. After the noodles were finished, the queen took off her clothes and went to bed according to the rules, and then the emperor took off her clothes and went to bed, so that the queen and the emperor could begin to enjoy the sex between men and women.

On the night of the wedding house, when the golden list is awarded, it is a long time to meet the sweet rain and meet old friends in other places. These are the four great joys of life. But for the queen, a wedding is often a political marriage. Sometimes it is very painful and helpless, and it is difficult to experience the joy of fish and water on the night of the wedding house.

The emperor had "three palaces and six courtyards and seventy-two concubines", which means that there are many wives and many beautiful women in the harem for sexual intercourse. However, although the emperor has so many women, he can only marry once in his life, which is the so-called "big marriage." However, there are exceptions. If the emperor divorces and deposes his wife who should be the queen, he may get married again. For example, the emperor of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty, after his original wife, Borzijit, was "at odds with me" and was demoted to Consort Jing, he married another woman. This latter woman was Empress Xiaohui.

No matter how many concubines there are around the emperor, he will not be able to enjoy the pomp of marriage. For example, the emperor of Shunzhi, although he dared to depose his original spouse, he could only quietly "welcome" the beloved Consort Dong E into the palace rather than "marry" him. He did not even dare to exceed the system of canonization. When canonization,"there will be no pot books or music will be played, and kings, Baylor, Beizi, Gong, etc. will not pay tribute to the court." Therefore, women who are sons of heaven, except for the queen, are all second mistresses and third mistresses.

The procedure for an emperor to find a wife is no different from that for the people. Generally, he must abide by the "six rites" stipulated in the Book of Rites, namely, accepting a bride, asking for a name, accepting a levy, announcing an appointment, and welcoming him in person. The difference is that the ceremony is more solemn and meticulous. In order to marry a daughter-in-law, the emperor also sent a betrothal gift to his father-in-law's family, but not in person, but sent suitable courtiers to go there. He would not go there in person to marry him. It was delivered to his wife and family members.

This betrothal gift was a truly generous gift to the emperor's father-in-law. For example, in the Han Dynasty, more than 10,000 kilograms of gold alone were given. When Liu Zhi, Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty, married the daughter of a powerful minister Liang Ji, he followed the example of Emperor Xiaohui's gift."He hired 20,000 kilograms of gold, collected jade and rode horses to bundle silk, just like the old code." The gift was doubled. In fact, in every process of completing the "Six Rites", the Tianzi family had to send a betrothal gift. Even if the emperor wanted to tie the knot a few more times, it would not be so casual and would cost a lot of money.

2. How was the wedding chamber of the emperor carefully arranged?

The bridal chambers of the emperor and the empress are much more high-end and luxurious than those of ordinary people, but they are not exempt from the custom of posting red double happiness and festive couplets. The theme of the bridal chamber is also bright red, forming a red light reflecting and joyful atmosphere. A "hundred children's tent" will be hung in front of the bed, and a "hundred children's quilt" will be placed on the bed, which is, curtains and quilts embroidered with a hundred children with different looks; a bed curtain embroidered with red satin embroidered with dragon and phoenix happiness will be hung at the bedside. The emperor's family also hopes to "have more children and more blessings." During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the bridal chamber in the imperial palace not only had to be paved with carpets, but also had to be set up with multiple barriers. There were cloth curtains around the dragon and phoenix wedding beds. It can be seen that the privacy of the royal palace was very good at that time. There were naturally no rules for the wedding between the queen and the emperor to make a wedding, but etiquette was indispensable.

In the Qing Dynasty, the bridal chamber was generally located in the Dongnuan Pavilion of Kunning Palace, and the walls were decorated with red paint and silver shu tung oil. There is a large palace lantern hanging in front of the wedding chamber. There are double happiness characters stuck with gold and powder on the golden red door. Above the door is a large cursive character "Shou". A long couplet falls straight to the ground on the wall next to the door. From the main entrance of Kunning Palace to the entrance of Dongnuan Pavilion, and in the east corridor outside the bridal chamber, a red and golden wooden shadow wall is erected, which means the marriage between the emperor and the queen and "opening the door to see happiness".

The gold and jade treasures in the bridal chamber are magnificent. The Dongnuan Pavilion has two open rooms, with the north wall on the east side being the throne of the emperor, and on the right side there is a jade Ruyi handle symbolizing "auspicious Ruyi". The front eaves is connected to a large kang. On both sides of the kang are red sandalwood carved with dragons and phoenixes. On the kang are porcelain bottles, precious weapons and other furnishings. On the long table on the left side of the kang are a pair of double happiness table lights. In the northwest corner of the Dongnuan Pavilion, there is a dragon and phoenix wedding bed. The wedding bed is covered with thick red satin dragon and phoenix double happiness characters. The bedding includes wedding quilts and wedding pillows made of bright yellow satin and vermilion colored satin. The design is beautiful and the embroidery is exquisite. It is extremely rich. There is a festive couplet hanging on the wall in the bed, a picture of peony flowers in the middle, and a pair of Baibao Ruyi cabinets are placed against the wall. Now that the Forbidden City is open, you can visit this wedding room of the emperor if you have the opportunity.

3. What etiquette should the emperor and queen pay attention to after entering the bridal chamber?

According to the records in the Book of Rites and Music Eight, the article "The Emperor Accepts the Empress" records that the marriage of the Tang emperor and queen was quite complicated. After entering the bridal chamber, they had to worship the gods and pay tribute to the heaven, earth, and ancestors. In fact, this kind of worship activities start before entering the wedding chamber, and they have to be admitted to the same prison seat. Worship activities of different nature are also required several days after marriage. There is a dining table under the west window of the new landlord's room. At the table are beans, dishes, Gui, basket, and dishes that symbolize the couple's dining together. This meaning is the same as the folk meaning of "having a pot of rice in the future."

The worship activities after entering the wedding chamber are held before the wedding ceremony. At every sacrifice, the newlyweds would have to have a meal together, so that their stomachs would be full before going to bed and would not be hungry. Because you drink a little wine, you can also adjust the interests of both parties in place, which can be regarded as a means of flirting before going to bed.

After the emperor and the queen drank and exchanged cups, the emperor was taken to the room by the palace attendant, took off his royal robe and changed into plain clothes; the queen was first led into the house by the palace attendant, and the palace attendant first took off her dress, and then he brought the emperor in plain clothes into the house. He slept in the same bed with the queen to spend the beautiful night with flowers and candles.

In the Qing Dynasty, the emperor paid more attention to it before going to bed in his wedding chamber. The Qing Emperor was a Manchu and believed in Shamanism, but it was also indispensable to worship the gods, such as crossing the fire basin. Before going to bed, you must go to the shrine next to the west of the wedding chamber to worship the gods. The memorial ceremony was presided over by an old shaman woman.

Not long after the queen entered the wedding chamber, the emperor also wore a dragon robe and auspicious clothes, and was escorted from the Qianqing Palace to the Kunning Palace by Prince Kinji. After removing the scarf on the queen's head, the emperor and the queen sat on the dragon and phoenix wedding bed together. The female official of the internal affairs government placed a copper basin on the bed and presented it with a round box containing "descendants cake". This "descendants cake" is a kind of pasta, a special small dumpling.

In front of the set mattress and banquet table, the princess and the female official should respectfully invite the emperor and the queen to sit opposite each other, and the four Fujin people should respectfully attend the banquet. At the wedding banquet, the emperor and the queen drank and exchanged glasses of wine. At this time, at the window outside the temple, a couple of hair-haired guards sang "The Song of Friendship" in Manchu. The wedding ceremony is completed, and then the table is settled. In the evening, female officials of the Internal Affairs Office, Fujin and others waited on the emperor and queen to eat longevity noodles. After the noodles are finished, there is no need to talk about the next things. Men and women can enjoy the light of fish and water.

4. What special sex education should the emperor have before his wedding?

Ancient emperors had to have sex education and learn sexual knowledge before entering their bridal chamber. In the past, emperors usually married at the age of 16. Before that, most of them had "sex education" at the age of 14, or even earlier, with adult and experienced palace maids serving as sex intern teachers for the young emperor or the prince. The palace maids, known as emcee, door secretary, bedroom secretary, and accountant secretary, are the emperor's sexual intern teachers and are specially provided for him to attend the palace. Of course, these "teachers" are all paid and receive monthly salaries. Ordinary palace maids are not allowed to do such a "good thing".

Sima Zhong, the most foolish emperor in China's history, was the first to get married. He married at the age of 13. His father, Sima Yan, Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty, knew that his son was foolish and sent Xie Jiu, a beautiful scholar in the harem, to enlighten him. Xie's guidance was in place, but Sima Zhong made a hit and made Xie Jiu pregnant. Sima Zhong himself was still in the dark. Even the stupid emperor's premarital sex education is so successful that the emperor with normal intellectual development does not need to be taught at all. Don't worry about not understanding it in the wedding chamber.

Before the emperor's wedding, not only did he teach them to see "Spring Painting", or "Spring Palace Painting", he would also have a special master to take him to see "Joy Buddha". In the Ming Dynasty, there was a secret room in the Forbidden City where Joy Buddha was dedicated. The Joy Buddha in the secret room was a Buddha statue of man and woman, and it appeared to hug each other. There is a mechanism on the Buddha's body. When the mechanism is pressed, the Buddha begins to make love and changes various movements. When you first enter the Buddha Hall, a "ceremony" will be held to burn incense and bow to the Joy Buddha. After that, the newly married emperor could touch the privacy of the Buddha's body and practice his movements. Only after that did the "wedding ceremony" take place.

However, there are exceptions. Many emperors became emperors after getting married, so they cannot hold weddings. For example, there were 10 emperors in the Qing Dynasty, but only Shunzhi, Kangxi, Tongzhi and Guangxu held weddings during their reign.

On the night of the wedding house, we meet with sweet rain for a long time and meet old friends in other places. These are the three great joys of life. But for the emperor, a wedding is often a political marriage. Sometimes it is very painful and helpless. He can only relieve his depression by neglecting the queen, and it is difficult to experience the happiness of the wedding night. The emperor and queen did not live together every day, but there were regulations in the Qing Palace that after the marriage, the emperor and queen should live in the Dongnuan Pavilion of Kunning Palace for a full month before they could return to their own chambers.

But Kangxi was the only one who truly lived for a month among the Qing emperors. Tongzhi stayed for 2 days and Guangxu stayed for 6 days. It was held only after the abdication of the last emperor Xuantong Puyi, but it was also held in the palace, no different from the marriage of the emperor. But he moved to Tishun Hall in Yangxin Hall that night and said that he was not used to the wedding chamber. Among the emperors of the Qing Dynasty, Guangxu was the most miserable in his wedding chamber. He was worried in his wedding chamber and did not want to marry the queen, who was also his cousin Longyu. It is said that in the end, he lay in Longyu's arms and cried loudly, saying that he could only respect her forever. Guangxu would not sleep with Empress Longyu for a long time after his wedding. It turned out that Guangxu's favorite Consort Zhen, but the Empress Dowager Cixi forced him to marry his cousin.