Chapter 3 3. Ningshou Story

Although the Ningshou Palace was built for the Supreme Emperor, it is actually the residence of the Empress Dowager or Empress.Empress Yi'an, Emperor Tianqi, Empress Xiaohuizhang, Emperor Shunzhi, and Empress Dowager Cixi all lived here in their later years.Empress Yi'an and Empress Dowager Cixi were introduced above, and here we focus on Empress Xiaohuizhang. Empress Xiaohuizhang, of the Borzigit family, the daughter of Horqin Baylor Chuoerji, is the second empress of Emperor Shunzhi and is also of the same family as the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.In the eleventh year of Shunzhi (1654), Emperor Shunzhi abolished the first queen, and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang appointed Borzigit as the successor queen for Emperor Shunzhi.When Emperor Shunzhi was alive, even though she was a queen, she was neglected because the noble concubine Dong E was favored.Emperor Shunzhi wanted to make Dong E his queen several times, but his wish failed due to the intervention of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.Emperor Shunzhi died, and Emperor Kangxi was established. She was honored as the Empress Dowager, and later posthumously named Empress Xiaohuizhang, who lived in the Palace of Kindness and later the Palace of Ningshou.The happiest time in her life was the years after she entered Ningshou Palace.

Empress Dowager Xiaohui and Emperor Kangxi, mother kindness and son filial piety, especially filial piety, touched the world and have been passed down to this day. The "Book of Filial Piety" said at the beginning: "A husband's filial piety is the foundation of virtue." How to serve relatives with filial piety?Emperor Kangxi's filial piety to the Empress Dowager - "Respect for her when she lives, joy for her care, sorrow for her illness, and sorrow for her death." (The Tenth "Book of Filial Piety") ", "worry" and "sorrow" separately.

Say respect.Respect is two-way, mother kindness and son respect.Emperor Kangxi lost his mother when he was young, his grandmother Xiaozhuang Empress Dowager, concubine Xiaohui Empress Dowager, the kindness to his upbringing and teaching made him unforgettable in his life, and he will never repay him in his life.Although Emperor Kangxi was only 13 years younger than the Empress Dowager Xiaohui, he was exemplary in showing filial piety, respect and respect to the Empress Dowager.During the holidays, Emperor Kangxi always went to greet him.Empress Dowager Xiaohui also showed great love to Emperor Kangxi.

In the twenty-eighth year of Kangxi (1689), the construction of a new palace was completed on the old site of Ningshou Palace, and Empress Dowager Xiaohui moved.From then until the death of illness in the fifty-sixth year of Kangxi (1717), Empress Dowager Xiaohui enjoyed the sincere and filial support of Emperor Kangxi. Whenever he went hunting, Emperor Kangxi sent people to Ningshou Palace with the prey and precious fruits he got in the middle.In October of the thirty-fifth year of Kangxi (1696), Emperor Kangxi visited the north, and the Empress Dowager wished her a long life.The Empress Dowager sent an official to send the clothes, and Emperor Kangxi wrote: "When the river is not frozen, there is no need to set fire to the tent. When it is severe cold, you will be happy to wear it." Kangxi Thirty-sixth year (1697) February , Emperor Kangxi personally conquered Galdan and stationed in Labrak.On Emperor Kangxi's birthday, the Empress Dowager sent envoys to give gold and silver teapots, and Emperor Kangxi sent a letter to accept it.Galdan decided that the ministers asked Emperor Kangxi to add the empress dowager's emblem "Shoukang Xianning".Emperor Kangxi made four tours, often accompanied by the Empress Dowager.In July of the thirty-seventh year of Kangxi (1698), Empress Dowager Feng had the honor of visiting the mausoleum in Shengjing, and passed through Karaqin.The empress dowager's parents were buried in Mount Faku, two hundred miles away from Bilu, and the minister Suo'etu was ordered to choose a place, and the empress dowager set up a worship ceremony at a distance.In October, on the occasion of the Empress Dowager's longevity, Emperor Kangxi went to the palace to salute, and named the mountain where the Empress Dowager resides as Shoushan.In the thirty-eighth year of Kangxi (1699), Emperor Kangxi visited the south with the Empress Dowager, visiting and enjoying the scenery in the south of the Yangtze River.

Two talk about fun.Take the empress dowager's fiftieth, sixtieth, and seventieth birthdays as an example to see how Emperor Kangxi performed his filial piety. On the third day of October in the twenty-ninth year of Kangxi (1690), the empress dowager lived in the newly built Ningshou Palace for her fiftieth birthday.At that time, Emperor Kangxi suspended the imperial gate of the Qianqing Gate to listen to politics due to serious illness, and still led the kings Baylor, ministers of civil and military affairs, etc. to the Empress Dowager Palace to salute.According to Yi's decree, the banquet will be stopped. (Volume 149 of "Records of the Holy Ancestors of the Qing Dynasty")

In October of the thirty-ninth year of Kangxi (1700), the empress dowager had her 60th birthday.Emperor Kangxi paid tribute to three statues of Buddha, a screen of "Imperial Wanshou Wujiang Fu", a branch of imperial Wanshou Ruyi Taiping flower, a pair of imperial tortoise and crane Xialing flowers, coral tribute of 1,440 cents, a chime bell, and Shoushan stone A group of immortals live together in a hall, a thousand-year-old foreign mirror, a hundred-flower foreign mirror, nineteen rosary beads such as oriental beads, corals, and gold amber, nineteen furs, nineteen rain satin, nineteen doraemons, and one jade machine satin Nine, Agarwood Nine Nine, White Sandalwood Nine Nine, Crimson Fragrance Nine Nine, Cloud Fragrance Nine Nine, Tongtian Rhinoceros, Pearl, Hanyu, Agate, Carved Lacquer, etc. Ninety-nine, small handkerchief ninety-nine, gold ninety-nine, silver ninety-nine, satin ninety-nine, six saddle horses, and ordered that during the birthday banquet, the imperial dining room counted 10,000 grains of rice to make "Jade Grain Rice of All Nations", and Dishes, fruits and other items are presented. (Volume 211 of "Records of the Holy Ancestors of the Qing Dynasty") But on the 50th birthday of Emperor Kangxi, the ministers entered the "Longevity Without Borders Screen" and were thanked.

In the forty-ninth year of Kangxi (1710), the empress dowager's 70th birthday, Emperor Kangxi held a grand ceremony for the empress dowager.The Manchurian traditional dance "Python Dance" is the dance with the highest etiquette when celebrating a grand banquet. It has always been performed by ministers to the emperor.In order to celebrate the 70th birthday of the Empress Dowager, Emperor Kangxi issued an edict: "Python dancers are a great ceremony in the Manchurian banquet, and a grand ceremony for grand celebration. All kings and ministers have always performed it. This year, the Empress Dowager is celebrating her 70th anniversary, and I am also five There are seven out of ten people who want to dance in person." On the day of the empress dowager's 70th birthday, a banquet was held in the empress dowager's palace. The empress dowager ascended the seat and performed music. into the wine. (Volume 241 of "Records of the Holy Ancestors of the Qing Dynasty") I wish her a long life without bounds.The Empress Dowager Xiao Huizhang lived a happy life and enjoyed all the filial support. More than fifty years are enough!

Three worries.In the twenty-sixth year of Kangxi (1687), the Empress Dowager fell ill. As the daughter-in-law, Empress Xiaohui served in front of the Empress Dowager from morning to night every day.The Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang collapsed, and the Empress Dowager Xiaohui cried and mourned, almost falling to the ground.On the third day of December in the fifty-sixth year of Kangxi (1717), the 77-year-old queen mother was seriously ill.This year, Emperor Kangxi was 64 years old and also seriously ill. For more than 70 days, he was dizzy, his feet were swollen, and he could not walk around.Hearing that the Empress Dowager was seriously ill, he bound his feet with cloth, took a soft sedan chair, and went to Ningshou Palace every day to visit the Empress Dowager.The queen mother was in a coma. Emperor Kangxi knelt down, held the hand of the queen mother and said: "Mother, I am here!"In order to take care of the Empress Dowager, although Emperor Kangxi was seriously ill, he still set up tents and lived temporarily in Cangzhen Gate on the west side of Ningshou Palace.

Four said mourning.On the 11th day of the first lunar month in the twenty-seventh year of Kangxi (1688), the Empress Dowager Zi Palace was moved from the Cining Palace to the Funeral Palace outside Chaoyangmen. Emperor Kangxi and other kings and ministers asked the Queen Mother not to go to pay respects, but the Queen Mother insisted. .She went weeping, weeping and mourning. (Volume 133 of "Records of the Holy Ancestors of the Qing Dynasty") This set an example of filial piety for future generations.On the sixth day of December in the fifty-sixth year of Kangxi (1717), the empress dowager died, and Emperor Kangxi mourned and mourned.During the mourning period of Emperor Kangxi, it was the middle of winter and the weather was very cold. Emperor Kangxi wore mourning clothes and still lived in a tent inside Cangzhen Gate. He did not return to live in Qianqing Palace until December 30th, New Year's Eve. (Volume 214 of "Manuscripts of Qing History Biography of Concubines") On the second day of the first day, he returned to live in Cangzhenmen, and did not return to Qianqing Palace until the fourth day, after 27 days.A 64-year-old old man, who was the emperor, was seriously ill, and it was the cold winter. He set up a tent in the open air, and kept filial piety for his mother. For twenty-seven days, he mourned and cried. , nothing can be added! (Volume 276 of "Records of the Holy Ancestors of the Qing Dynasty") How many people can there be in ancient and modern China and abroad?

Emperor Kangxi had to serve the Empress Dowager filially and serve the Empress Dowager filially for fifty-six years.It can be said that Emperor Kangxi spent almost all his life in filial piety to the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager. Among ethics, filial piety is the greatest. The "Book of Filial Piety" said: "The nature of heaven and earth is that people are the most precious; there is nothing greater than filial piety in the behavior of people." When a filial son treats his relatives, he "pays respect to his relatives, brings joy to him when he lives, worries to him when he is sick, and sorrow to him when he dies." sorrow".A filial son must be loyal to the country, and a filial son must love the people.How can you love the people if you don't even love your parents?Be proud of benevolence and filial piety, and be ashamed of unfilial piety: "The five punishments belong to three thousand, and the crime is no greater than unfilial piety!"