Snow Color

Chapter 315 Fu Jin 23

"You are such a mischievous person, you are always so sweet-talking." The Queen Mother laughed, with a kind smile on her face.

Qiqige thought to herself that only Concubine Yi could joke so unscrupulously in front of the Empress Dowager.

Concubine Yi said coquettishly, "Empress Dowager, look, I came here with great difficulty, but as soon as the little princess came in, you couldn't see me anymore!"

The Queen Mother laughed and scolded, "You, only you dare to speak to me like that." As she spoke, the Queen Mother gently tapped Concubine Yi's forehead with her finger.

Qiqige chatted with the Queen Mother for a while, and when she saw that she was a little tired, she stood up and left. Before leaving, she gave the Queen Mother the leather and some precious items she brought from home as gifts to express her gratitude.

When Qiqige returned to her house in the capital, it was already three quarters past the hour of the si hour. The sun was high in the sky and the weather was getting hotter.

As soon as Qiqige entered the house, she saw a carriage parked at the door. She thought there must be guests coming. She guessed that it was probably the Ninth and Tenth Princes.

But Qiqige didn't want to go out and meet them. After all, Qiqige had just returned, and it was getting late. She wanted to eat, and no one could disturb her from filling her stomach. Although she didn't do much exercise today, Qiqige felt that it was more tiring than her martial arts practice, so she was already hungry, and she didn't eat much in the morning. Needless to say, she was even more hungry now.

The first thing she did when she came back was to ask Qingzhu to cook in the kitchen. Qingzhu had learned a lot of cooking skills from Qiqige over the years, and Qingzhu also learned some medical skills, so Qiqige sometimes asked Qingzhu to do it. Therefore, Qiqige freed herself, and Qingzhu was also able to make medicinal food.

Qiqige was lying on a recliner in the yard next to her yard, resting her eyes. She heard several footsteps coming towards her, one of which was very familiar to Qiqige. It was Bater Aha's footsteps. Qiqige was used to hearing it at home, so she knew who it was.

The other footsteps seemed a little unfamiliar. Qiqige muttered to herself, thinking that the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince should be among them.

As the footsteps got closer, Qiqige slowly opened her eyes and looked at the people who walked into the yard.

One was her Ahabatar, and the other two were thinner, but tall and handsome.

His clothes were also very gorgeous, with brightly colored clothes and various jewelry.

The other one was a bit stronger, with a more imposing figure and a heroic appearance, but there was a kind air in his eyes.

Qiqige also keenly noticed the strangeness in Yin'e's eyes. Although it was only a brief moment, she still clearly felt the unique clarity in the depths of Yin'e's eyes.

Yin'er and Yin'e had different impressions of Bater. They had just had a good chat with Bater and were immersed in a pleasant atmosphere when they suddenly heard the servants report that Qiqige had returned. Yin'e's eyes lit up immediately and he stared at Bater excitedly, as if he was expecting something. Seeing this, Yin'er shook his head helplessly and had to take the initiative to speak, saying that it was getting late and he had to disturb Bater. But he changed the subject and mentioned that he had not seen Qiqige for a long time and took this opportunity to meet her. After hearing this, Bater readily agreed and told Yin'er that Qiqige was in the yard near the kitchen at this time. So the group walked in that direction. In Bater's view, these were all commonplace things. After all, he was not bound by too many red tape. Moreover, the marriage between Qiqige and Yin'e had been basically confirmed, so Bater felt that there was no need to be too rigid about etiquette and could just take them there directly.

Yin'e walked slowly into the yard and saw Qiqige lying on a chair, her chin supported by her hands, her big eyes blinking at the birds flying in the sky. The sunlight shone on her, as if she was covered with a layer of golden gauze, making her look particularly beautiful.

Yin'e stood there quietly, staring at Qiqige, with an indescribable emotion in his heart. He suddenly realized that the girl in front of him was no longer the innocent little girl, but a graceful and elegant girl.

At this time, Qiqige seemed to notice Yin'e's gaze, turned around, and her eyes met Yin'e's. She smiled slightly, stood up, and walked towards Yin'e lightly. As she approached, Yin'e felt a strange breath, a light fragrance, mixed with the freshness of the grassland and the warmth of the sun, which made people intoxicated.

Yinzhen also followed, and looking at how Qiqige looked when she grew up, he couldn't help but sigh: "This girl has grown up, and she looks no worse than our Manchu noble ladies!" He turned to look at Yin'e, and found that Yin'e was actually staring at him in a daze. He couldn't help but find it a little funny, and reached out to touch Yin'e gently, reminding him to pay attention to his image.

/ / / /

Empress Hesheli, also known as Empress Xiaochengren, was a member of the Hesheli clan of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner and the first empress of Emperor Kangxi.

Hesheli was born into a noble family. Her grandfather, Suo Ni, was one of the founding heroes of the Qing Dynasty, and her father, Gabula, was the Minister of the Imperial Guard. In the fourth year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1665), Hesheli was canonized as empress and married Emperor Kangxi.

Hesheli and Emperor Kangxi had a deep relationship. After marriage, she gave birth to two sons for Emperor Kangxi, the eldest son Chenghu and the second son Yinreng. Unfortunately, Chenghu died at the age of four, which was a huge blow to Hesheli and Emperor Kangxi.

In the 1674th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (21), Hesheli died of complications during childbirth when she gave birth to Yinreng at the age of . Emperor Kangxi was deeply saddened by her death. He held a grand funeral for her and posthumously named her Empress Xiaochengren.

The death of Hesheli had a great impact on Emperor Kangxi, who was immersed in grief for a long time. In order to commemorate Hesheli, Emperor Kangxi showed special favor to Yinreng and appointed him as the crown prince when Yinreng was one year old.

As the first empress of Emperor Kangxi, Hesheli's status and influence in the history of the Qing Dynasty cannot be ignored. Her death also had a profound impact on Emperor Kangxi's politics and family life.

Empress Xiaoyiren (? - August 1689, 8), surnamed Tonggiya, was a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Manchus. She was the third empress of Emperor Kangxi. She was the daughter of Tong Guowei, Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, Duke Cheng'en, and the emperor's brother-in-law. She was also the niece of Empress Xiaokangzhang, Emperor Kangxi's biological cousin and his half-sister, Noble Consort Hui.

She was crowned as the empress on the 1689th day of the th month in the th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi () and died the next day. She was actually the empress for less than a day, becoming the empress with the shortest reign in Chinese history. Her husband, Emperor Kangxi, was the emperor with the longest reign in Chinese history. Her full posthumous title is: Empress Xiaoyi Wencheng Duanren Xianmuheke Cihui Fengtian Zuoshengren.

Imperial Noble Consort Hui (1668-1743), a member of the Tonggiya clan, was a member of the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Manchus and a concubine of Emperor Kangxi.

Tong Jia was born in the seventh year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, fourteen years younger than Emperor Kangxi. She was the daughter of Tong Guowei, the Minister of the Imperial Guard, the niece of Empress Xiaokangzhang, and the sister of Empress Xiaoyiren.

In the 39th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, Tong Jia was granted the title of Imperial Concubine. At that time, the position of Empress of Emperor Kangxi was vacant, and Tong Jia, as the Imperial Concubine, was in charge of the affairs of the six palaces, and her position was honorable.

In the 61st year of Emperor Kangxi's reign, Emperor Kangxi passed away and Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne. Emperor Yongzheng honored Tong Jia as the Imperial Noble Consort of the Emperor's Father.

In the first year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, Emperor Qianlong honored Tong Jia as the Imperial Grandfather Shouqi Imperial Noble Consort. In the eighth year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, Tong Jia died at the age of seventy-six and was posthumously named the Imperial Noble Consort Hui.

Imperial Noble Consort Hui lived through three dynasties and witnessed the prosperity and development of the Qing Dynasty. She held a high position in the palace and was deeply respected by Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Yongzheng.

Defei Uya was a concubine of Emperor Kangxi and the biological mother of Emperor Yongzheng.

Uya was born in the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner and entered the palace through the Imperial Household Department. She was canonized as a concubine in the 1673th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign () and was gradually promoted to Depin and Defei.

Defei was fertile and gave birth to three sons and three daughters for Emperor Kangxi, including the fourth son Yinzhen (Emperor Yongzheng) and the fourteenth son Yinzhen. Her status in the palace was also improved.

Concubine De was gentle and cautious, and was deeply favored by Emperor Kangxi. Her life in the palace was relatively peaceful, and she did not participate in too many court struggles.

In the 1722st year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (), Emperor Kangxi passed away and Emperor Yongzheng ascended the throne. Concubine De was honored as the Empress Dowager and moved to the Yonghe Palace.

In May of the first year of Yongzheng's reign (1723), Consort De died at the age of . She was posthumously named Empress Xiaogongren and buried with Emperor Kangxi in Jingling Mausoleum.

Throughout her life, Concubine De witnessed the prosperity and glory of the Kangxi Dynasty, and also experienced the changes in the court. She survived in the palace in her own way, and gave birth to an excellent son for Emperor Kangxi, which had a certain impact on the history of the Qing Dynasty.

Concubine Liang (?-December 1711, 12) was a member of the Wei clan. She was a member of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner and the daughter of Abunai, a fifth-rank internal official. She was a concubine of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. On the tenth day of the second month of the 29th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, she gave birth to the eighth son of the emperor, Yinsi. In December of the 40th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, she was canonized as Concubine Liang and later promoted to Concubine Liang. Concubine Liang was one of the five concubines (excluding the noble concubine) who were granted the title of concubine during the early and middle period of the reign of Emperor Kangxi. She was also the one with the least experience and the last one to give birth to a son among these five concubines. She died on November th of the th year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, and she should have been over years old. On February th of the nd year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi, she was buried in the concubines' mausoleum of Jingling Mausoleum.

Concubine Liang was the first concubine in the Qing Dynasty to be granted the title of concubine from a position of internal governor. According to the "Records of Emperor Kangxi" and "Register of Daily Life during the Kangxi Dynasty", Emperor Kangxi went to pay tribute to Concubine Liang twice. Among the concubines of the Kangxi Dynasty, only Concubine Wenxi had such treatment.

The selection system of the Qing Dynasty was one of the important systems of the Qing Dynasty court. Its purpose was to select suitable women to enter the palace and become the emperor's concubines or palace maids. The following are the main contents of the selection system of the Qing Dynasty:

Selection range:

The selection system of the Qing Dynasty mainly included women of the Manchu, Mongolian and Han nationalities. Among them, Manchu and Mongolian women were the main targets of the selection, while Han women were only selected into the palace under specific circumstances.

Draft Age:

The Qing Dynasty's selection system stipulated that the selection age of women was generally between 13 and 17 years old. However, in the actual selection process, the selection age would also be adjusted according to the emperor's preferences and the needs of the court.

Draft process:

The selection procedure of the Qing Dynasty's selection system was very strict, mainly including the following steps:

1. **Registration**: Women need to register with the local government before the draft and submit their birth date, family background and other information.

2. **Preliminary selection**: The local government will conduct a preliminary selection of the women who have registered, screen out those who meet the requirements, and report their names to the court.

3. **Re-selection**: The palace will re-select the women who have passed the preliminary selection. The content of the re-selection includes appearance, moral character, talent and other aspects.

4. **Final selection**: The emperor will conduct a final selection for the women who have passed the re-selection. The content of the final selection is mainly based on appearance and moral character. Women who pass the final selection will be selected into the palace and become the emperor's concubines or palace maids.

Selection criteria:

The selection criteria of the Qing Dynasty's selection system mainly include appearance, morality, talent and other aspects. Among them, appearance is one of the important criteria for the selection, and the emperor usually chooses women with outstanding appearance to enter the palace. Morality is also one of the important criteria for the selection, and the emperor usually chooses women with noble morality, gentleness and virtue to enter the palace. Talent is also one of the important criteria for the selection, and the emperor usually chooses women with certain talents, such as singing, dancing, painting, etc.

Draft results:

There were two main results of the Qing Dynasty's selection system: one was to be selected into the palace and become the emperor's concubine or maid; the other was to fail and be sent back to their hometown. The women selected into the palace would be given different ranks according to their selection results and the emperor's preferences, such as empress, noble concubine, concubine, imperial concubine, noble lady, maid, maid, etc.

In short, the selection system of the Qing Dynasty was one of the important systems of the Qing Dynasty court. Its purpose was to select suitable women to enter the palace and become the emperor's concubines or palace maids. The selection system of the Qing Dynasty had strict regulations on the selection scope, selection age, selection procedure, selection criteria and selection results. These regulations ensured the fairness and authority of the selection system.

The Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty were the fundamental system of the Qing Dynasty, founded by Nurhaci in the 1615rd year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty ().

The Eight Banners originated from the hunting organization of the Manchus (Jurchens). It was the military organizational form of the social life of the banner people in the Qing Dynasty and also the fundamental system of the Qing Dynasty.

The Eight Banners include the Plain Yellow Banner, Bordered Yellow Banner, Plain White Banner, Bordered White Banner, Plain Red Banner, Bordered Red Banner, Plain Blue Banner, and Bordered Blue Banner. Among them, the Plain Yellow Banner, Bordered Yellow Banner, and Plain White Banner were led by the emperor himself and were called the upper three banners, and the other five banners were called the lower five banners.

The Eight Banners system has the following characteristics and functions:

1. **Military organization**: The Eight Banners were the main military force of the Qing Dynasty. Bannermen were civilians in peacetime and soldiers in wartime.

2. **Administrative management**: The Eight Banners system is also a kind of administrative management system, and the bannermen enjoy certain privileges in politics, economy and other aspects.

3. **National integration**: Promoted the integration of Manchuria (Jurchen) and other ethnic groups.

4. **Social stability**: It played an important role in maintaining the rule of the Qing Dynasty and social stability.

As time went by, the Eight Banners system gradually declined. In the late Qing Dynasty, the Eight Banners' children led corrupt lives and their fighting power declined.

The Eight Banners system had a profound impact on the history of the Qing Dynasty. It was not only the military pillar of the Qing Dynasty, but also an important part of the Qing Dynasty's political, economic and social life.