In ancient feudal China, the fate of women was extremely harsh. Some people thought that entering the palace as a concubine would lead to a better life. In reality, they were not at the lowest level of society, but they still had to endure hardships. During the day, they served the emperor, and at night, they attended to the eunuchs.
The lives of the palace women were filled with hardships
Women in the feudal era, in general, and rural women, in particular, lived extremely difficult lives due to strict and conservative prejudices. Rural women were covered in mud all day, believing that entering the palace could change their fates. They thought that palace women had light and high-paying jobs. Later, when they grew old, they could leave the palace and return to a normal life. In reality, the lives of palace women were filled with indescribable hardships.
Women who wanted to become palace women had to go through a rigorous selection process. They were evaluated based on their appearance, physical examination, body odor, and many other things before being chosen.
Inside the palace, they not only lacked freedom but also had to abide by countless rules and regulations. If they made their masters unhappy, they would be scolded, cursed, and beaten. In the end, palace women were the lowest-ranking group in the palace.
New palace women were subject to strict training, from how to walk, apply makeup, brush their hair, to even how to eat and sleep. Everything was strictly regulated. For example, during the Qing Dynasty, there was a rule that palace women had to sleep without facing upwards but had to lie diagonally with their legs crossed. They also had to frequently read “nü huàn” or “nü jiào jīng.” All this guidance came from older palace women.
The daily work of palace women was very demanding, from early morning until late at night. Their important task was to serve the emperor and the consorts. They not only served the emperors but also had to assist the older palace women in all their daily personal tasks, such as washing their faces, brushing their hair, washing their feet, and bathing. Even at night, palace women couldn’t enjoy a good night’s sleep. They had to attend to the eunuchs to maintain good relationships and avoid punishment.
They formed “real relationships” with eunuchs to alleviate the loneliness and coldness of the palace. The “real relationships” were simply eating together without sharing a bed. If they were lucky enough to marry a good husband, if not, they would become a dumping ground for their husband’s anger, dissatisfaction, and frustration. Throughout the history of China, it seems that most palace women who married eunuchs had tragic endings.
The lives of eunuchs had many hidden corners
In ancient times, those who wanted to become eunuchs had to become “clean” by cutting off their “precious parts” because the royal palace did not allow men in the harem. During the Ming Dynasty, there were up to 100,000 eunuchs, who wielded great power, causing future emperors of the Qing Dynasty to reduce their numbers and implement strict regulations in selecting eunuchs.
Inside the palace, eunuchs not only served the emperor but also had to attend to the concubines. From there, a relationship between the concubines and the eunuchs was formed. There were even many unspoken rules between them that shocked people and raised the question “Are eunuchs truly ‘powerless’ as rumored?”
As the ones who arranged the emperor’s affairs in bed, eunuchs were also subjected to quite a lot of stimulation. Some people believed that this was the reason why eunuchs wanted to get married. Looking from another perspective, the emperor had over 3,000 concubines, and they seldom had a chance to see the emperor throughout the year. The only thing they could do was to please the eunuchs and help them meet the emperor. Because of this, many daring eunuchs took advantage of the opportunity to engage in “deviant” behavior with the concubines.
In the Qing Dynasty, the emperor would choose the favored concubines by drawing cards. The person responsible for directly drawing the cards for the emperor was none other than the eunuchs. Conversely, when the concubines were favored by the emperor once, they would start having desires, even “overeating” and seek out the eunuchs around them for secret encounters. Therefore, the act of eunuchs sleeping with concubines in the past was not uncommon. Even though they no longer had their ‘precious parts’, they were still enough to satisfy the sexual desires of the concubines.
Why did eunuchs in the past get married even though they couldn’t have children?
There is a common misconception that eunuchs never get married, but the reality is that most of them do. The truth behind it is quite heartbreaking.
Silence rule forces Qing dynasty concubines to keep quiet during intimate activities
During the Qing Dynasty, imperial consorts were expected to maintain silence and refrain from making any noise while being attended to by the emperor.
Unspoken rule stops Qing dynasty concubines from making noise during intimate moments
During the rule of the Qing Dynasty, concubines were required to maintain absolute silence during their encounters with the emperor. They were forbidden from making any sound at all.
Unspoken rules that forced Qing dynasty concubines to stay silent while being inspected by the emperor
When in the presence of the emperor, all concubines must maintain silence. This is a mandatory rule, and no one is allowed to disobey.
Why does a concubine need to be led back to the palace after being favored by the emperor?
This was the rule in the ancient harem. Once they were favored by the emperor, the concubines were escorted back to the palace to rest.
