Ancient emperors had to get up early every day, because in ancient times, their homework was to go to the early morning court, and the time for going to the early morning court was about five o'clock, that is, from five to seven o'clock in the morning, but it took the emperor a lot of time from getting up to washing and dressing, and then from his bedroom to the place where he went in the early morning, so the ancient emperors usually got up at about four o'clock in the morning.
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Surprisingly, the emperor went to court early, usually from five to six in the morning. If the time of the lawsuit is extended to seven or eight o'clock, it will be quite late. Emperors of the Qing Dynasty often visited the palaces of the Summer Palace on the outskirts of Beijing. In order to arrive on time, many officials have to get up at midnight.
The diary of Yun, an official who once worked in Zhan City Hall, describes the early days of the court even more unbelievable. For example, when he went to court at three o'clock, because the road was muddy, it was already dawn when he arrived at Dong 'anmen. Emperor Guangxu first went to Zhonghe Hall to read bamboo boards. The so-called classes mean reading the documents written by some officials in advance and then summoning these officials.
In other words, it may take two hours or more from home to the court, and then there will be a long wait in the court. If it snows in winter, the road is muddy, fidgeting in the car, and lack of heating equipment, it is easy to catch a cold.
The implication is that the emperor's face is not good-looking, which is caused by the premature appearance of the court. This sigh seems to be empathy. If you want to attend the trial in the Summer Palace, you have to get up early.
Once, she celebrated Cixi's birthday. Yun Ding Yu got up at 1: 30, went to Master Zhan's tent outside the East Palace to have a rest, and then went to the Summer Palace. At this time, the Summer Palace was brightly lit and radiant, which also verified that the birthday ceremony should be held around dawn.
People's Daily Online-Historical Secret: Why did the ancient emperors not live long because they got up too early and went to bed too early?
Reference source; People's Daily Online-Officials of the Qing Dynasty had to go out at three o'clock in the morning to go home after the early dynasty ended.