Of course, these are just general rules. In the Han dynasty, the emperor had strict standards for choosing concubines. Today, this seems incredible. Herry Liu, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, must be a man who loves scientific measurement methods. Every part of the harem concubines has a strict concept of size. The height must be seven feet one inch, the shoulder width must be one foot six inches, the hip circumference should be three inches smaller than the shoulder width, two feet seven inches from shoulder to palm, four inches from palm fingers, three feet two inches from thigh to toe and eight inches from foot.
After such a measurement, I really don't know how many girls can meet the standard. This is not harsh, it is simply unreasonable! At the same time, I can see that this space-squeezed cities must be a boring person. The beauty of women is that they are all different, fat and thin, and each has its own advantages. Once the three thousand concubines in the harem have become an assembly line product carved out of the same mold, what fun is there as an emperor?
Of course, you can imagine that even if you become Herry Liu's concubine, you must keep your original figure for decades, neither fat nor thin, otherwise your figure will not be standard, and you will taste the fall out of favor in the cold palace!
Ming dynasty harem: being a queen requires many exams.
In the Ming Dynasty, anyone who wanted to be a queen had to pass CET-4, CET-6 and CET-8, just like today's English major exam. Only after passing CET-8 was he qualified to be a master of the world. According to the Biography of Empresses in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang learned from the political chaos in the harem of past dynasties and compiled the Female Training in the first year of Hongwu as the "family law" for managing empresses. In the selection of concubines, in order to prevent collusion between the powerful officials of the DPRK and the harem, it is stipulated that "every son of heaven, prince, concubine and maid-in-waiting should carefully select good women for them, and those who enter will be blessed, so concubines are more popular."
Moreover, women who prefer to choose poor homes try their best to help the emperor be thrifty. Of course, this is just a good wish. However, the system of choosing a queen in the Ming Dynasty was very standardized, and the process was roughly divided into "eight customs", which were screened out step by step.
The first level is "auditions". When the emperor got married, eunuchs were sent to all parts of the country to select beautiful girls aged 13 to 16, and 5000 were selected by Zhonghai. These 5,000 people are equivalent to getting a beauty pageant "admission ticket". The royal family paid a number of silver coins as bride price and travel expenses, so that the parents of the selected girls could send their daughters to Beijing for election within the prescribed time limit.
The second level is called primary election. In this primary election, we will choose a big venue, and eunuchs will arrange a row of girls for every1000 people, sorted by age, and after reading them one by one, eliminate those girls who are slightly taller, shorter, fatter or thinner. 1000 people will be eliminated in this primary election.
The third level is called inspection. On the second day of the primary election, these girls who passed the primary election continued to line up. Eunuchs carefully examined everyone's facial features, hair, skin and, of course, very strict "size". As long as there is one violation, they are ordered to "stand aside". Then let everyone report their family status, name, age, etc. To examine their timbre and manners, and eliminate those who are hoarse, inarticulate and have poor manners. In this way, two thousand people were screened out.
The fourth level is choice. The eunuchs measured the girls' hands and feet with a ruler, and then asked them to walk dozens of steps to see their posture and charm. As a result, those with big feet and thick wrists were eliminated again. Finally, 1000 beautiful women were called into the palace to continue to take the "grading examination". And the eunuch's mission has come to an end.
The fifth floor is staying in the palace. Arrange the old palace moths separately, lead the beautiful women into the secret room one by one, explore their breasts, smell their armpits and inquire about their texture. Its physical examination is as strict as choosing an astronaut. Through physical examination, it was determined that 300 of them became palace maids who were selected to stay in the palace.
The sixth level is gold. These 300 beautiful women who stayed in the palace were carefully observed by the emperor's special correspondent for a month. According to their temperament and speech, they were judged whether they were gentle, honest, intelligent and virtuous. According to this, 250 people were screened out, and the remaining 50 people were automatically promoted to concubines.
The seventh level is "choose three". The so-called "three choices" means that the empress dowager or the toffee chooses three out of fifty people for the emperor to decide. This is somewhat similar to the "one armor and three places" posted after the imperial examination. Take the election of Emperor Mingxi as an example. At that time, Liu Guifei personally summoned 50 people, and selected three people, namely Queen zhangyan, Guifei and Duan.
The eighth level is King James. Liu first told the emperor about the beauty of zhangyan and other three people, and then Xizong personally summoned these three people directly. Seeing three gorgeous beauties, Xizong was really in a dilemma, so he let Zhao make a decision. Agree with zhangyan, so zhangyan was appointed as the queen of the palace, Wang was named a good princess, Duan was named a pure princess. That year, zhangyan was fifteen years old. Generally, the two beautiful women who accompany the election after the "three elections" will be named imperial concubine, but some will be given gold and silver coins to return to China. For example, when Ming Guangzong was a prince, he chose the crown princess, and Liu Dagu and the Guo sisters entered the final round of competition. Brother Guo was elected as the crown princess, but his sister and aunt Liu were unsuccessful and returned to China after being given gold coins.
According to the report, Aunt Liu feels that she is worth a hundred times. After returning to her hometown, she didn't want to marry an ordinary person again and worked as an old maid all her life. It is a pity that the selected empresses failed to assist Zhu Yuanzhang's descendants and keep Daming Mountain because of such a strict post-election system in the Ming Dynasty.
How did ancient women have premarital physical examination? In ancient China, there was a very strict premarital physical examination system for the emperor's wife ("Empress").
According to the Book of the Later Han Dynasty, Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty wanted to make the daughter of the general Liang Shang a queen. Before marriage,
Emperor Huan sent Wu's female officer. Liang Nvying observed his walking posture as soon as he entered the door. Then, he told General Liang's family to invite Liang Nvying to enter the boudoir, take off his clothes and examine all parts of the microscope carefully.
Liang Nvying, the daughter of a wealthy aristocratic family, refused to die. Ai Wu had no choice but to show her "Fang Shangjian" and threatened that it was an imperial edict and a rule after the royal election. Liang Nvying, who wanted to be a queen, reluctantly went into the boudoir for examination.
First, check the breast in Wunv Palace to see if there is a tumor. At the same time, smell body odor and rhinitis with your nose. The next check is: look at the navel shape, shoulder width, waist circumference, arm elasticity, skin color and length of big and small legs, the colors of ten fingers in the palm, flat and concave feet and ten toes. Finally, gynecological examination and medical history inquiry.
No abnormalities were found. The facial features, hair thickness and color were re-examined, and the ears, teeth, nose bridge, eyes and eyebrows were examined. Finally, let Liang Nvying say "Hooray" three times to check the pronunciation of vocal cords.
1June, 47 (the first year of Emperor Jian), officially entered the palace; Queen of August. This may be the earliest recorded case of premarital examination of ancient queens in China.
The minimum age limit for girls is 1 1 year.
First of all, there are clear requirements for the age of women elected to the palace. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was required that 13 be under 20 years old.
However, the requirements of the DPRK are not consistent. During the Three Kingdoms period, Sun Hao, the Lord of the Kingdom of Wu, asked for "skimming at the age of fifteen or sixteen"; During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Northern Qi required people to be 14 years old and under 20 years old. When Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty was appointed, he was required to be over 15 years old, under 20 years old, and the minimum age could not be below 13 years old.
It seems that all men in China have a virgin complex. It used to be said that "the old cow eats the young grass". Generally speaking, girls over the age of 13 are at the age of flower season before and after menarche. Girls of this age are in line with the emperor's mentality.
However, some limit the age of girls to 1 1 year. Zhu Houzong, sejong of the Ming Dynasty, did such a thing. Although Zhu Yuanzhang's "15 years old or older" was restricted, the abnormal Zhu Houzong didn't consider it at all. According to the records, 300 folk ladies aged between 13 and 16 were chosen to enter the palace in three years (AD 1569), which is quite normal. Zhu Zaihou's predecessor, Ming Shizong Zhu Houzong, recruited 1 1 to 16-year-old maids into the palace and selected them many times. It is said that Zhu Houzong listened to the Taoist priest's words in order to take an aphrodisiac extracted from the menstrual blood of menarche girls. Some girls have not menstruated naturally, so they will urge menstruation and take blood by force.
It should be noted that the selection of imperial concubines is a large area. But when it comes to individual phenomena, age does not have to be considered. As long as there are beautiful women, even widows can choose to enter the harem after the emperor sees them. If you accept a princess from nowhere, there is no age limit. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", as long as the emperor likes it.
Conduct a "comprehensive physical examination" before officially entering the palace.
Obviously, the age requirement for girls is only the most basic condition, but it is not the main condition. Appearance and personality are two main criteria. Appearance refers to physical condition and personality is subjective. Usually, the emperor pays special attention to the physiological condition of his concubine.
Does the emperor's concubine need a physical examination when she enters the palace? The answer is, of course, yes.
How did ancient women have premarital physical examination?
When Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was in power, he sent a minister to help him find a harem. "After Ji" (volume 10) records:
(Liu Xiu) Send Dr. China and Ye Tingcheng to work together to watch the girl in Luo Yang Township. Those who are over 13 years old and under 20 years old, with beautiful appearance, are legally sent back to the harem, and the choice is whether they can.
The "optional" here includes the medical examination procedure. At that time, all the girls were very attractive, and finally they were all dragged to the harem for selection. After the selection, there will be another selection, mainly a physical examination, to see if she is a virgin and has physical defects, and to pick out the most beautiful girl to give the emperor luck.
Should I undress for the physical examination? The answer is, of course, yes. What aspects should be checked for naked inspection? According to historical records, the size and symmetry of * * should be a routine project, and the shape of * * * *, the shade of * *, the amount of armpit hair, and whether * * has hemorrhoids can not be ignored. Ancient men thought that girls with no hair or less hair under their armpits were top grade, and such girls were the most favored. And if you have hemorrhoids, you must be eliminated.
Perhaps some readers will ask, is the eunuch responsible for the physical examination? Yes, it is an experienced female eunuch, that is, a female official in the palace.
The Secret Symphony of Han Miscellaneous Affairs is an ancient note about the secret history of the court in the Han Dynasty, which records the "naked inspection" of Liang Yingchu, the queen of Herry Liu in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Although some people have verified that it was written by Amin Yang Shen in the name of Han people, it still has certain value. I now transcribe it as follows-
In April of the first year of Jian 'an, Ding Hai and Bao Linwu wrote a letter to Bing Xu and took office. He said: "I heard that Hezhou is gentle and pleasant, and I learned to think about clothes and chose a sage as my wife, which is the first in my generation." So the general took advantage of the girl left by his loyal Hou Shang, who was virtuous and quiet, and was forbidden to talk about it. The sum of it and business is the first, and it moves in a week, but it is hidden. If you don't hide it, I will adopt it. "
That is, with the super imperial edict, it tends to be the first, the first. When eating, Shang Nvying walked from the cupboard to the bed, which was in line with the imperial edict. Stay outside, take the imperial edict as the jade swallow, screen the waiter, and close the neutron.
When the sundial is thin, wear a window; The light shines on the jade-like surface, such as the morning glow and snow, and you can't look straight. Eyes are clear and fresh, eyebrows are curly, mouth is bright, ears are suspended, and the position is appropriate.
Looking for jade-like stone, stepping and shaking, stretching hair, like a beard. About eight hands, half holding when landing. It's over, it's over. Shiny, stopped.
Gao Ying said, "It's time to stop the official ceremony. It's time to add a bow! "
Ying cried a few times, closed her eyes and turned inward. For the sake of slow hands, holding the sun, fragrant air blowing, greasy and clean texture, I will not leave my hands. Before and after the rules are correct, healthy and fat. The breasts are all hairy, the navel is half an inch full of beads, and the private parts are buried. In order to show two strands, the sewer is full of Dan and the fire is vomiting. This ceremony is rigorous, virgin! Slightly like a jade body, blood is full of skin, skin is full of meat, and meat is full of bones. Seven feet and one inch in length, from top to bottom; The shoulder width is one foot six inches, and the hip and shoulder width are reduced by three inches; From shoulder to finger, it is two feet and seven inches long, and from finger to palm, four inches. Small stone pillars are sprouting. The moustache is three feet two inches long and the feet are eight inches long; The shin is beautiful, the bottom is flat and refers to the convergence, the socks are forced, and the bundle is as small as forbidden, so it can't be long.
To thank the Emperor Wan Nian, Won was called the Emperor Wan Nian. If the breeze vibrates the flute, you can hear it. No hemorrhoids, no choice, no spots, no mouth, nose, armpits and private feet. Male and female servants are ignorant and speechless. This book doesn't fit. I want to keep this secret and die.
Herry Liu heard that Liang Ying, the daughter of General Liang Shang, was beautiful and virtuous, and wanted to accept her as the queen. Herry Liu sent Wu Cong, a female official, to Fu Liang to learn about the situation and observe Liang Ying's walking posture. Later, Liang Ying was asked to have a naked inspection. Liang Ying refused at first, and Wu Xun took out the imperial edict before agreeing. Wu Xun went to her boudoir, closed the door and took off Liang Ying's clothes.
Wu Xun let her go naked first, and then let her lift her hair and show her ears. Next, Wu Xun touched her body again, a pair of * * * modest appearance. And checked her navel, * * *, * *, confirmed to be a virgin, no hemorrhoids. Finally, don't forget to check her voice and ask her to call "Emperor of Ten Thousand Years" to check her vocal cords. At that time, Liang Ying blushed at Wu Xun's physical examination and covered her private parts with her hands from time to time.
This kind of naked inspection is similar to the "internal cutting" before the final of modern beauty contests. The difference is that modern beauty pageants don't need to be exposed in bikini briefs, which avoids the embarrassment of * * *.
The secret of Zhu Youxiao's concubine selection by Ming Xi Zong.
Naked inspection is a royal secret. As a system, it has always existed in the process of selecting empresses in various dynasties. What is recorded in Hanshu Miscellaneous Symphony may not be the truth of choosing a concubine in the Eastern Han Dynasty, but Ji Xiaolan's works make up for a regret.
In the Ming Dynasty, when women lived in Yang Shen, the physical requirements before entering the palace were extremely strict, even to the point of being harsh, and even a hair should be carefully looked at. Ji Xiaolan, a scholar in Qing Dynasty, wrote a biography of Ming Yi's nunnery, which recorded in detail the whole process of Zhu Youxiao's choosing concubines.
Zhangyan is from Xiangfu County, Henan Province. In the first year of the apocalypse, Zhu Youxiao 16 years old, reaching marriageable age. Ming Taizu/kloc-getting married at the age of 0/6 was also a rule set by Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming emperor. Liu, who presided over the wedding at that time, presided over the wedding, and selected a group of girls aged from 13 to 16 in China in advance. At that time, officials paid travel expenses and asked their parents to personally accompany them to meet in the capital in the first month of that year.
At that time, there were 5,000 girls in Beijing, including zhangyan.
During the primary election, only a rough look was made, and the eunuch was in charge. A group of 100 people stand well according to their age. Eunuchs walked past them, shutting out all the tall, short, fat and thin people, thus eliminating 1000 people.
The next day, the eunuch was still in charge of facial examination. As on the first day, 100 students stood up and carefully observed each girl's ears, eyes, mouth, nose, hair, skin, waist circumference and shoulder width. Those who fail in one place will be eliminated even if there is a mole. Let the girl re-register and listen to her voice. Is it stuttering? In this way, another 2,000 people were washed away.
On the third day, borrow tools to measure whether the figure is proportional and see how temperament is. Anyone with short wrists, fat toes and frivolous manners can't pass the customs. In this way, 1000 people were washed away.
The fourth step-"naked inspection". The remaining 65,438+0,000 girls were all called into the palace for the harem to choose from. By the old eunuch to the chamber of secrets, press the press * * *, look very not quite; Smell the smell under your armpit. Finally, touch the whole body and try to see if it is developed. In this way, another 700 people were washed away.
The fifth step is long-term observation, focusing on temperament. 300 selected girls stayed in the palace for a month to observe their living habits, speaking attitude, intelligence and personality. The first four procedures focus on observing "body", and this level focuses on observing "morality" and "intelligence". Fifty girls with good morals, intelligence and physical fitness were selected, and they all became Zhu Youxiao's concubines in the end.
From 5000 people, 50 people were finally selected. From this point of view, it is the saying "one in a hundred". Once in the Ming dynasty, it is estimated that this "elimination method" was used to select palace ladies.