The Tragic Fate of Ancient Concubines: Why they Suffered Despite Indulging in Luxurious Delicacies

Despite living in luxury and enjoying delicious food, the concubines in the palace often had weak health, were prone to illness, and had a low lifespan. What were the reasons?

Competition in the harem:

Each concubine in the harem desired the emperor’s favor, so they often resorted to various means to undermine each other. The position of the empress, who was at the top of the hierarchy, was constantly threatened by other concubines who schemed and even attempted to murder her to seize her position. However, it wasn’t just the empress who faced such dangers; any woman who received the emperor’s favor was also susceptible to the schemes of others. Some concubines would use various methods to drive their rivals out of the harem or even eliminate them entirely.

If a concubine became pregnant, the risk of miscarriage was high because giving birth to a child would elevate her status and affect the favor of other concubines. Therefore, some concubines would secretly use toxic substances like musk to induce a miscarriage. In traditional medicine, musk is not only used as a medicine but also has the effect of expelling any remaining material or a dead fetus from the womb. Thus, ancient concubines took advantage of this property to harm their rivals.

Emotional distress:

Despite feasting on delicacies every day, the empress and concubines never seemed truly happy. Serving the emperor was not easy, as even a slight mistake could lead to the emperor’s displeasure and the possibility of being punished or even affecting their families. Because of this, they had to be extremely cautious in their words and actions and couldn’t relax or be genuinely happy.

Furthermore, some concubines could go for months or even years without being favored by the emperor, which resulted in them constantly having negative thoughts. The prolonged state of emotional distress affected their mental well-being, weakened their bodies, and made them susceptible to illness.

Constant vigilance:

In Chinese history, many concubines resorted to ruthless means to advance and gain the emperor’s favor. Once they had achieved a high position, it meant their hands were stained with countless acts of violence and the burden of their sins was never lifted. Therefore, they were always restless and could never find peace or have a good night’s sleep.

In addition to their daily efforts to win favor and serve the emperor well, concubines also worried about the jealousy of other concubines, who might harm them. If they were lucky enough to be favored by the emperor and bear his child, they also had to worry about others trying to harm their child. Those who didn’t have children constantly thought of ways to make the emperor like them and were always anxious about being compared to others.

Forced burial tradition:

A brutal tradition known as “forced burial” existed in ancient China. When the emperor died, many palace women, including concubines and even their attendants, would have to commit suicide or be killed to be buried with him. Some even had to be buried without ever having met the emperor.

To gain the emperor’s favor, concubines had to take care of their appearance using cosmetics. However, many of these cosmetics contained toxic substances such as lead, mercury, and musk. Regular exposure to lead can lead to lead poisoning, which in the long term can cause kidney damage, brain damage, and anemia. Inhalation of mercury can be harmful to the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, causing lung and kidney damage and even death. Daily exposure to these substances put concubines at a high risk of poisoning and increased the likelihood of various illnesses. Although there were imperial physicians in the palace, their medical knowledge was limited, so most severe illnesses couldn’t be cured.