Queen Zhou was chosen as Princess Xin at the age of sixteen. At that time, it was Zhang, the enlightenment queen, who presided over the selection of concubines for Zhongjun, now Queen Yi 'an. Among the many girls to choose from (1), I believe I have taken a fancy to a girl named Zhou. She is really beautiful, dignified and gentle. Queen Zhang asked him in a low voice, "What do you think of this girl named Zhou?"
Xinwang replied in an embarrassed low voice: "Please ask your wife to make a decision. She looks beautiful, only a little thinner. "
Queen Zhang said with a smile, "She is only sixteen years old and hasn't grown up yet. She won't be too thin after two or three years. " It's settled that the loyal monarch chooses a concubine. Half a year later, the Emperor Apocalypse died, and at the suggestion of Queen Zhang, he was welcomed into the palace that night to inherit the throne.
These trembling words, as well as the tears flashing in Zhou Fei's bright eyes at that time, deeply shocked his heart, and now they reappear in his heart after the vivid memory of 17 years.
Note: ① Good girls —— In order to prevent consorts from going into politics in the Ming Dynasty, it was forbidden to choose concubines from the families of nobles and officials, and only ordinary girls with innocent family members were selected.
Second, the harem anecdote
After Chongzhen succeeded to the throne, Zhou was made queen, and Tian and Yuan were made concubines. Queen Zhou was from Suzhou, and later moved to Daxing. The Apocalypse Sect was elected to the government. Queen Zhou is strict and cautious. Once the enemy was in an emergency, she tactfully said to Chongzhen, "My family still has a home in Nanzhong." Chongzhen wanted to ask the wise men again, but Queen Zhou refused to say. Maybe she meant to avoid moving south. As for other political affairs, Queen Zhou never participated.
Tian Fei was spoiled by Chongzhen, because her amazing self-reliance gradually brought some pride. The concubines of the Sixth Palace never take it seriously, even the Empress Zhong Gong Zhou and Yuan Guifei, who are equal to her, don't take it seriously. Empress Zhou has always been strict and cautious. Seeing that Tian Fei's behavior became more and more arrogant, she decided to crack down on her arrogance.
On New Year's Day, it was freezing outside, and the cold wind cut my face. Tian Fei followed the practice in the palace and worshipped the Queen in the Palace of Kunning. When she arrived outside the Palace of Kunning, she stopped to wait for the Queen's call. Unexpectedly, no one came out after waiting for a long time. At that time, the cold wind almost frozen her into an ice sculpture. After a long time, she asked the palace supervisor, only to know that Yuan Guifei had gone to Queen Kunning Palace before her. At this time, Queen Zhou was having a heart-to-heart talk with her. When two women were together, they had endless gossip, so they had forgotten it.
When Yuan Fei quit, Tian Fei was called in. Empress Zhou actually wore royal clothes and sat on the throne to accept Tian Fei's bow. After worship, ignore her and let her out at once. At this point, Tian Fei was tearing his hair out about it, ashamed and resentful, and angrily returned to the palace.
When I saw Chongzhen the next day, I immediately burst into tears and accused Queen Zhou of deliberate abuse. Chongzhen is distressed. So I tried my best to encourage her. It took a long time for Tian Fei's heart to break.
In spring, flowers bloom in Shanglinyuan overnight, and Chongzhen leads all the concubines in the harem to enjoy flowers in the garden. Tian Fei met Queen Zhou, touched the scar in her heart, and turned away from seeing her. Zhou is angry again. She went to see Chongzhen and complained that Tian Fei was rude. Chongzhen also pretended not to hear, and Queen Zhou was still standing on the ground talking. Chongzhen hated Queen Zhou because of what happened, and at this time provoked old grievances. He waved his arm and slammed the Queen Zhou to the ground. Queen Zhou sat down on her back, and the imperial secretary hurried forward to help her. Empress Zhou sobbed and said, "Your Majesty forgot that when he was king, Wei Yan was worried day and night because of his work. Only my concubine and your majesty have gone through hardships. Now that you are an emperor, you treat scum like this? " Say that finish, he turned back to the palace of earthly tranquility. Chongzhen has no taste in his heart. He remembered the scene when he was isolated and helpless, and he regretted his behavior. Three days later, Chongzhen called the maid-in-waiting of Kunning Palace and asked about the daily life of Queen Zhou. The maid-in-waiting replied, "The queen doesn't touch rice for three days." Chongzhen was saddened by it and immediately hit the queen with mink, euphemistically apologizing. Queen Zhou just got up and ate something. Chongzhen trusts Zhou Yanru's record very much. When Qing soldiers entered the country, Zhou Yanru went out to resist. When I got to the front, I drank and entertained myself all day, and I dared not play. Foot-binding was popular among women in Ming and Qing dynasties, and three-inch golden lotus was the most expensive. The so-called "three inches of scarlet soft shoes", "three inches of bow shoes before lotus" and "three inches of bow shoes with phoenix mouth" are the best standards for small feet. Women's feet should not only be small, but also bow and be wrapped in the shape of corn. Chongzhen loves Tian Fei the most, followed by Yuan Fei, followed by Queen Zhou, because Tian Fei has the smallest feet, Yuan Fei is bigger than Tian Fei, and Queen Zhou has the largest feet. Li's lotus hook in the palace is slender, and Chongzhen often plays with it. On this day, he saw that Tian Fei's embroidered shoes were beautifully embroidered. He studied them carefully for a long time and praised them. Suddenly I saw a line of words "Zhou Yanru Gong Jin" embroidered with gold thread on embroidered shoes. Chongzhen's face immediately sank down and said, "As a concubine, how dare you communicate with the foreign minister for no reason? ! "Tian Fei quickly kowtowed to apologize, and Chongzhen ignored her and left.