The Ming Dynasty drew lessons from the consorts of the former dynasty and strictly controlled the forces of the later dynasty. Therefore, most of the Ming empresses were folk jasper. According to the Biography of Empresses and Concubines in Ming Taizu, Zhu Yuanzhang had special rules when choosing concubines. In order to prevent the courtiers of the DPRK and China from colluding with the harem, "every son of heaven, prince, princess and concubine should carefully select good women." Anyone who enters must accept it. If you have more concubines, you need more concubines. "The Ming Dynasty also attached importance to selecting women from poor families and tried to help the emperor to be frugal. Although the post-family title is high, it basically has no real power.
The selection of concubines in the Ming Dynasty was very strict and required many steps.
Before choosing a wife, you should tell the world to stop all marriages, and then choose beautiful women from all over the country and send them to Beijing.
After the audition, the rest of the people lined up according to their age 100 and entered the palace in turn. The eunuchs looked at the ugly people from a distance and sent them back to their original places.
If appropriate, they will be grouped by age and enter the initial test. Relevant eunuchs observe the appearance, including recognition of voice, hair, ears, forehead, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, chin, shoulders, back, legs and feet. Those who fail are sent back on the spot.
At the second trial, the eunuch took a ruler to measure the woman's hands, arms, waist, legs and feet, so that the woman could walk normally. Anyone who is disproportionate and rude will be sent back to his hometown.
The third trial was conducted by female officials and elderly maids. The woman walked into the secret room naked alone, and the female officer and maid-in-waiting touched her breasts, explored her secrets, smelled her smell and examined her skin. Those who failed came back. Qualified personnel receive training in the palace for about one month. In the process of getting familiar with court rules and learning etiquette norms, female officials judge their intelligence and habits through investigation.
The Queen Mother is responsible for the final review and interviews women one by one. Women don't stand on their knees. Check her name, family status and academic ability. You can choose a princess or several concubines by looking up the shape and distinguishing the sound. The rest of the women were given to the prince, county king, prince and grandson, or stayed in the palace as "female officials" and maids.
Generally speaking, the queen selected through these processes will definitely have outstanding talents.
Among the Empresses of the Ming Dynasty, one named Zhang Yan lived in Zu E, nicknamed Queen Yi 'an.
Zhang Yan was born in Xiangfan. According to historical records, Zhang Qian was elected to the palace, with a beautiful face, like Guanyin, eyes like the sky, mouth like Zhu Ying, scary nose and fine and clean teeth. It is said that her neck is as clear and beautiful as a crystal screen, and she often knits her own feather clothes. She wore them on the balcony, and Joan Zixian seemed to want to leave the dust. She is familiar with ancient and modern literature and history, is good at listening to elegant voices, can make elegant suggestions, and her holy posture is spotless, which is called the national color.
In April of the first year of the Apocalypse, Zhang Yan was made queen. Because they live in the world, they love fighting and don't care about government affairs, which leads to the loss of power, giving wet nurse Ke and eunuch Wei Zhongxian the opportunity to walk around, gang up for personal gain and run amok. Empress Zhang hated the behavior of Hakkas and Wei Zhongxian, and revealed it to Zong many times.
Once, the queen asked her guests to scold her in person and advised her to turn over a new leaf, otherwise she would be punished for her crimes. Hakkas and Wei Zhongxian have scruples about the Three Empresses, but now they hate the Empress's guts and often seek revenge.
Zhangyan's father was Zhang Jiguo, and she was later called "Tai Kang Bo" because of her noble daughter. Ke's people say that Queen Zhang is not Zhang's own, but the daughter of a thief's grandson. Her family is poor and her background is unreliable, which is a disgrace to national dignity. She should be dismissed immediately. But Zong loved Queen Zhang very much and turned a blind eye to it.
On one occasion, Xizong met zhangyan and asked her what books she had read. So Zhang Yan's answer is Zhao Gaochuan, a metaphor for Zhao Gao in Wei Zhongxian, the eunuch who brought disaster to the country and people. Wei Zhongxian became angry from embarrassment, and the next day he ambushed a samurai to assassinate the queen. Fortunately, he was caught and failed.
Later, after Zhang Qian became pregnant, Kejia and Wei Zhongxian became more uneasy and secretly plotted to replace Zhang Qian's maid with cronies. One day, zhangyan had a backache, and the maid massaged her and hit her. A few days later, zhangyan had a miscarriage. In fact, the fetus has become a male. After this incident, Xi Zong survived, which is why the throne of the Ming Dynasty was inherited by his younger brother, the later Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian.
During Zhang Yan's serious illness, he repeatedly patiently advised not to trust Zhang Yan's side and tried to publicize his suggestion.
After Zhu Youjian succeeded to the throne, he respected his widowed wife very much. According to Ming History, in March of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng peasant rebels captured Beijing, and Zhang Qian was demoted at the age of 38.
In the first year of Shunzhi, Fu Lin, the ancestor of the Qing Dynasty, ordered the body of Queen Zhang Qian to be buried in the west of Zong Ling.