Let's talk about the level of this harem concubine first.
The highest leader of the harem is the queen, which is equivalent to the CEO of the harem. Generally, there are 1 person at the same time. The senior concubines in the harem are divided into three classes, namely imperial concubine, imperial concubine and concubine. Similarly, there are 1 concubine, 2 concubines and 4 concubines. Most people have the right to associate with the sixth house, and most people can't afford it.
The middle-level concubines in the harem are concubines, and there are at most 6 people at the same time. The inferior concubines in the harem are divided into four categories: imperial concubine, promise, constant waiter and official daughter. There is no fixed number of them, and the emperor can seal as many as he wants.
The level of concubines in the harem of the Qing Dynasty was very strict. What's the difference between seemingly verbatim positions?
In fact, there is only one word difference between the princess's position and the queen's position, such as princess and imperial concubine, imperial concubine and concubine. Although there is only one word difference between this and the next level, there is a big difference between them.
First of all, the imperial concubine has only one position, and the imperial concubine has two positions. According to the formula that things are rare, at first glance, the imperial concubine is more distinguished, because this position is so important that if the queen is still sitting in the palace, it is impossible to be alive, and only those who are dead or about to die will be named the imperial concubine. Among the older emperors in the Qing Dynasty, only the emperor shunzhi made this mistake, so it is really rare to really enjoy the treatment of imperial concubines in good health in the Qing Dynasty.
In modern times, the probability of the appearance of the imperial concubine is probably equal to your chance of winning the lottery, but the imperial concubine is different. The probability of an imperial concubine appearing is more than ten times higher than that of an imperial concubine. However, there is more than just a quantitative difference between imperial concubine and imperial concubine. If the imperial concubine has real power, it is to prepare for the queen, and any favored imperial concubine can suppress it for you. In this respect, the imperial concubine was completely defeated.
The cost of living is also much worse. Although Guifei and Guifei have eight maids around them, in terms of salary, Guifei's annual salary is 820, while Guifei only has 620, which is just the difference between silver.
There are much more jewelry patterns of the imperial concubine. For example, the imperial concubine can wear purple with tassels hanging over her shoulders, and even her royal clothes can be as bright yellow as the queen. However, these are all things that Guifeisheng is destined not to get. And even if the imperial concubine has no real power, she can use her position to suppress it. As the saying goes, the official level kills people.
In the same way, the imperial concubine can also crush other concubines by virtue of her position advantage, because the imperial concubine does not often appear, so once the emperor and queen have something to do, it will be the imperial concubine who represents the harem. Don't you think it was Hua Guifei who was in charge of the palace when Fourth Uncle and Yixiu went out in Empresses in the Palace? Judging from the situation that Hua Guifei punished Zhen Xuan at that time, even Jing Guifei couldn't persuade him. There was really a lot of gap between the princess and the imperial concubine.
Let's just say that this harem is the closest to the center of imperial power except the imperial court. There is no lack of power and ambition, but there are also many smart and cunning people. As the saying goes, three women's lives, think about the woman in this backyard. What would it be like if there were no rules?