The Virtuous Concubine

The Empress Dowager had just passed away, and the harem was still shrouded in a sad atmosphere.

However, the previous dynasty had already been arguing fiercely over the burial location of the Empress Dowager.

According to the Qing Dynasty regulations, the emperor and the empress should sleep in the same bed and be buried in the same tomb after death. According to the rules of etiquette, the Empress Dowager should be buried with Huang Taiji in Zhaoling outside the Great Wall.

But for unknown reasons, before her death, the Empress Dowager asked Kangxi to bury her in Zhaoxi Mausoleum, west of Shengjing. This request, which went against reason and etiquette, triggered many speculations among the ministers of the previous dynasty.

Kangxi claimed that when the Empress Dowager was leaving, she held his hand and said that her husband, Huang Taiji, had passed away for a long time and the gate of the mausoleum had been closed. If he was buried in the Qing Zhaoling Mausoleum, the gate of the underground palace of Zhaoling Mausoleum would have to be reopened, and she could not disturb Huang Taiji, who had passed away for many years. After all, the humble should not disturb the noble. If a mausoleum was built for her alone, it would be a waste of money and labor. She was very worried about her son Shunzhi and grandson Kangxi, and did not want to be too far away from her son and grandson. It would be better to be buried near Shunzhi's Qing Xiaoling Mausoleum, so that she would die without regrets.

Kangxi repeated to the court officials in tears, saying: "When the Empress Dowager left, she personally told me, 'The coffin of Emperor Taizong Wen has been enshrined for a long time. I don't want to move the emperor. It's not convenient to bury him together at this time. If we build a separate tomb, it will be a waste of manpower and it is not the meaning of burying him together. I miss you and your son so much that I can't bear to leave. Please make sure you bury him in Zunhua. I will have no regrets.'"

After listening to Kangxi's retelling, the court officials looked at each other, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

But no matter what, everyone saw Emperor Kangxi's respect and filial piety for the Empress Dowager, and no one dared to raise any objections at this time. They could only kneel down and talk about the Empress Dowager's deep understanding of justice. In order not to waste time and money and to not disturb the late emperor, they would rather give up the ceremony of joint burial.

Of course, there were also many "tactless" ministers who still strongly opposed it.

It is only natural that the emperor and the empress should be buried together. The Empress Dowager... had married Dorgon for the sake of the Qing Dynasty, which was already a great offense against the world.

Later, she made major revisions to the materials and records to silence the public. Now she is even unwilling to be buried with Huang Taiji, which is really against the code of conduct for women and disrespectful to human ethics!

Although those opposing ministers did not dare to mention this matter again, their words were still fierce. They believed that the laws of the ancestors could not be violated and that the joint burial of the emperor and empress was a tradition of the past dynasties. If the Empress Dowager was not buried with Huang Taiji, it would break the rules and disrupt the etiquette, and it would be impossible to prove the legitimacy of the royal family.

Emperor Kangxi listened to these objections and his face gradually darkened. He knew what these ministers meant, but he could not ignore the wishes of the Empress Dowager.

So he stopped these people.

Kangxi scolded everyone and asked them to quiet down before explaining: "The Empress Dowager devoted her whole life to the Qing Dynasty. Her achievements are indelible. I will do my best to fulfill her wishes. As for the laws of our ancestors, I will also weigh them properly and find a solution that satisfies both sides."

After hearing this, all the ministers stopped arguing.

Having tested their attitude, Kangxi decided not to mention the burial for the time being and instead brought up another matter.

That means he would have to mourn for his grandmother in the palace for three years.

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the court, even greater than when the burial site was discussed before.

All the ministers knelt down and begged the emperor to reconsider. The emperor was naturally moved by his filial piety, but his health was more important, how could he bear to observe mourning for three years?

In fact, the ministers also have their own selfish motives. The emperor is in mourning, and they have to accompany him!

Could it be that the emperor wears plain clothes and eats plain food, while he himself eats meat and fish lavishly, wears gorgeous clothes, sings, dances and feasts?

Not to mention all this, the marriages of my children and my own wedding ceremony will all have to be put on hold during the period of mourning for the Emperor. What should I do?

Kangxi looked at his kneeling ministers with a solemn expression: "I have made up my mind. The Empress Dowager has been very kind to me. I will mourn for three years to show my filial piety."

Seeing the emperor's firm attitude, the ministers dared not persuade him anymore and could only retreat silently, but they all had their own thoughts in their hearts.

When the news reached the harem, the high-ranking concubines were fine since they had already given up vying for favor, but the noble ladies below them were extremely anxious.

Originally, the treatment of low-ranking concubines in the Qing Palace was very poor. After the Imperial Concubine and the Four Concubines joined forces to manage the palace affairs, there were fewer cases of overt deductions, and life could still be managed.

Those who were unwilling to compete for favor could also have enough food and clothing. Those who had ambitions or good family backgrounds could wear gold and silver. In short, the harem was relatively harmonious.

But now, Kangxi is in mourning, and Kangxi's women must follow him - is it possible that when the emperor summons you, he will kiss you and find that you taste meat in your mouth?

So, does the emperor eat vegetarian food or meat?

But if the emperor is filial and simply doesn't summon his concubines, then they - they should just say goodbye!

For a time, the court and the harem were in a state of panic. Some ministers began to discuss privately, trying to find a way to persuade the emperor to change his mind. However, they also knew the emperor's deep feelings for the Empress Dowager, so they did not dare to speak out easily.

As time passed, everyone realized that mourning was a foregone conclusion.

Originally, according to the Great Qing Code, "grandparents, great-grandparents, brothers and sisters, children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces, uncles, aunts, and uncles all mourn for 50 days."

This rule is the minimum limit. If there is filial piety, according to traditional etiquette and rules, the mourning period for parents is three years, and for grandparents is twenty-seven months.

But Kangxi actually strictly abided by the rules of etiquette and mourning for his grandmother, without any compromise.

He really took it seriously and served the major merit for nine months, the minor merit for nine months, and the mourning period for nine months, which is a total of twenty-seven months.

The ministers had no choice but to follow the emperor in wearing plain clothes and eating vegetarian food, and being cautious in their words and deeds. However, as time went on, various problems gradually emerged.

Some ministers had to postpone their wedding dates which had been scheduled; some ministers' health gradually failed, but they did not dare to complain.

There were also ordinary people who couldn't help but secretly break the rules and even started "secret marriages".

During the period of national mourning, no entertainment activities were allowed, and no marriages or births were allowed. But if someone really couldn't wait, the red sedan chair would be replaced with a blue one, and there would be no need for noisy gongs and drums, or grand banquets for guests, but just a small banquet would be the ceremony.

The royal family was also not allowed to have children. If there was such a phenomenon, Kangxi would hand it over to the clan affairs office for severe punishment.

The concubines in the harem also fell into a cloud of gloom.

The concubines who were used to competing for favor and beauty on weekdays also lost their former vitality at this moment. They didn't know how to spend these long three years, and they were even more worried that their status in the emperor's heart would gradually fade away.

A girl’s blooming period is so short, and the three most beautiful years of her life are wasted just like that?

Some clever concubines began to think about how to demonstrate their virtues during the mourning period in order to win the emperor's favor.

They followed the emperor's example, wearing plain clothes and eating less to show their respect for the Empress Dowager and their support for the emperor.

And those concubines, who were already low-key, became even more cautious and silently prayed that these three years would pass quickly.

Those who are ostentatious and do whatever they want will be demoted, beaten, and have their allowances reduced!