Chapter 4 An ancient auspicious plaything of the Qing Palace

To celebrate the new year and spring, everyone greets each other with congratulations and auspicious words. I would like to write down some old and antique mascots that I know personally, to join in the fun, and it can be regarded as a New Year gift to everyone! "blessing".In the former Qing Dynasty, from the emperor down to the common people, when it came to Jiaping New Year's Day, everyone wanted to win a good word, get in touch with some mascots, and hope to see auspiciousness, and everything went smoothly throughout the year.According to the regulations of upright officials, every year in the early morning of New Year's Day, Qin Tianjian first selects an auspicious time for travel. The emperor first goes to Chanfu Temple to burn incense and pay respects to Buddha, then returns to Jianfu Palace to write a book of pills to make a new joy, and then the emperor goes to Xinuang Pavilion, an upright official. The princes of the nearby branches, the inner court worshippers, and the Manchu and Han masters in the upper study room were called to bestow the word "blessing" on spring strips.According to the description in Weng Tongshuo's diary, when the emperor wrote the last stroke of the word "Fu", he kowtowed six times in a row, prostrated himself on the ground, and two eunuchs held the word "Fu" over his head.For this movement, the timing must be accurate, and the coordination must be calm and calm, so that it can be just right.After thanking him, he personally held the word "blessing" and withdrew, thinking that he was the most honorable favor.As for the ministers of the Han Academy and the imperial guards, they were happy to meet the emperor, and they also rewarded Yunlong with the word "Fu" in Zhujin. Although the black is bright and round, those are the handwriting of the worshipers of the Ruyi Hall.After writing, use the double hook technique to make a powder leak, and print it on the brocade paper. The emperor dipped it in thick ink, and traced it according to the double hook.In addition to rewarding people with a part, they also need to seal up a part and reward them in the coming year.Those who get it are all the most popular military ministers in front of the emperor, and they call it "blessings" = those who get it are all regarded as supreme favors, and even the obituary after death, they have to write a special book !

"Appreciate spring strips".It is very popular to enjoy spring strips in the palace during the New Year.Except for empress dowagers, empresses, and imperial concubines who have seals, which can be rewarded with the word "longhu" and "longevity", other concubines can also write spring notes to reward people.This kind of spring strip is about two feet long and six inches wide. It is mounted on a wooden frame with sprinkled gold and cinnabar paper. The Ruyi Museum uses double hook powder to leak out four-character auspicious words. It is suitable for old and young, such as "Fushou Kangning", "Biershoukang", and general auspicious words such as "Driving blessings and Chengxi", "Fulu Zhenxiang", "San Duo Jiu Ru", and "Bamboo Reports Peace".Fortunately, the calligraphy is all from the famous masters of Hanyuan. Qin Ban is in the style of pavilions. As long as someone who can write and describe red, he is omnipotent and graceful.After Xuantong left the palace, the Rongbaozhai South Paper Shop of Beiping Liulichang purchased a batch of discarded cartons from the Forbidden City. Two silver coins are sold, which are much more elegant and delicate than the Spring Festival couplets bought on the street.

"Deliver Ruyi".Handing Ruyi is a kind of ceremonial note for the Manchu nobles to pay respects to their elders.Now the Palace Museum has a special room for displaying Ruyi, which is larger in size, such as three-inlaid jade Ruyi, Qibao enamel jade Ruyi, cluster gold inlaid jade and mother-of-pearl Ruyi, plus a red sandalwood seat glass cover, which is placed on a long table or hidden. Furnishings on the bed table.As for the Ruyi meeting the elders, because it is convenient to hold and hand, the size is small and compact. In terms of quality, it is indescribable that gold, sandalwood, copper and pearls are so rich.According to an inner court eunuch named Comb Liu: "Cixi has four beloved ruyis. One is a Dongrong Ruicao in Changbai Mountain, Jilin, also known as Ganoderma lucidum. It grows naturally into a ruyi, with cloud patterns on its face. It is purple and red, and its age should be more than a thousand years. One handle is Ruyi of agarwood wood. The chest and diaphragm are immediately comfortable and comfortable. One handle is a jade Ruyi that is not more than a foot long, which is produced in Jianshan, Yunnan. Presented by Ma Leji, the number one scholar on the list, it has been displayed in the Duobaogeli of the Imperial Study Room through the four dynasties of Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. This ruyi handle is dark in color, neither gold stone nor horn wood, and mosquitoes and gnats can't see it in summer. Invasion, if there is murder news and can warn in advance. Empress Dowager Cixi hangs the curtain, this Ruyi has become the love tough next to the throne of Lafayette. Unfortunately, the Boxer Rebellion in the Gengzi Year, the foreign soldiers harassed the inner court for a period of time, and waited to return from Xi'an Luan, the whereabouts of this rare treasure are also unknown."

Now the Palace Museum has a special room to display Ruyi. Although there are not many fine works, there are many types and styles, which fully proves how important Ruyi was in the court. "Betting on the purse".In addition to court clothes, the emperors of the Qing Dynasty always wear a tartar belt on their casual clothes for banquets, so that they can be tied to various tasks.Ordinary people hang things on their belts such as purses, fan covers, girdles, beard combs, handkerchiefs, spoon holders, glasses sets, fire sickles, etc. The emperor usually only hangs handkerchiefs, jade seals, and talismans (more than three inches) Long, more than two inches wide, shaped like the head of a sword, engraved with the four characters of heaven, earth, sun and moon (Jade Chilong Niu), plus a fire sickle that ignites when rubbed.According to the records of the Qianlong Dynasty archives of the Qing Palace, from the New Year's Eve to the second day of the first lunar month, the emperor wore it with four small purses on the left side. Among them, the yellow engraved coral bean purse bag contained a piece of "Niannian Ruyi", red satin and gold thread There is a "Double Happiness" in the turquoise bean purse, and a small purse containing eight gold treasures, eight silver treasures, eight precious stone treasures, two gold lockets, two silver lockets, and two money coins. Two silver coins; a total of six small purses are attached to the right, three of which are green satin and gold silk coral bean purses. Three coral bean purses in yellow satin multicolored thread are empty.These coins are as big as bean grains and are exquisitely prepared. The gemstones are even more emerald and crimson chi. , I'm afraid it's not very good!

"Nianhua".Every winter, as soon as Laba is handed in, the gardeners of the imperial garden (called Huabashi in the palace) get busy. Citrons and bergamots are cultivated into pairs of brilliant branches and displayed in the palace.As for the noble and refined plum blossoms, such as wintersweet, red plum, purple plum, white plum, green plum, Yuancai plum, one-cut plum, and mandarin duck plum, are decorated in colorful clusters on the threshold of Wenxuan Hall, which is in the Royal Garden. Danyuan's winding path is also ingenious and ingenious, and the layout is simple and scattered, making it a beautiful place.The narcissus offered in the Sui Dynasty is an indispensable favorite in the Dingyi Ring Wall and the Moon Palace Cloud Hall.There are already many varieties of narcissus, and some gardeners in the inner court are experts in cross-breeding. It is not uncommon for the people to believe that the most expensive marigold silver table is in the court.The narcissus raised in the palace can be divided into apron narcissus, funnel narcissus, and spiral narcissus by shape, and orange-yellow narcissus, red-mouthed narcissus, and emerald-light narcissus by color.It is said that these strange narcissus were introduced from Britain, France, Germany and Italy during the Kangxi and Qianlong periods, and it is rare for folks to see them.

"Kangqian Tongbao".The copper coins cast in the Kangxi and Qianlong dynasties are thick, heavy and pure, and are still valued by people who collect ancient coins.The Qianlong copper coin also engraved the province where the coin was minted with a word on the coin for identification, and it can be used to assess whether the officials of the province pay attention to the currency system.A total of twenty pieces were cast in different provinces and became a poem.In the Jiageng era, it was said in the market that if you put together twenty coins made by Qianlong and thread them with red threads, it would not only exorcise evil spirits, but also suppress shocks.At that time, in Rugao, Jiangsu Province, there was a Fox Immortal Building in the ruined garden of a fake home. A child was catching crickets among the dome and rocks. God asks divination.Later, he obtained a spiritual lottery in front of the seat of Emperor Fumo, Guan Shengdi, and instructed the child to bring the full twenty-character copy of Qianlong Tongbao, so the ghost fox would naturally not come.Sure enough, after bringing the copper coins, the fox fairy stopped pestering him, and the child's mind returned to normal.Later, the palace manufacturing office wove Qianlong Tongbao into a sword with red silk thread. For all the underage elders who bid farewell to the emperor and queen on New Year's Eve, in addition to rewarding a pair of Ping An Ruyi embroidered purses, there is also a money sword. Hanging on the head of the bed, it is not allowed to take it off until the Lantern Festival is over!Although exorcising evil spirits and avoiding epidemics is nonsense, after the early years of the Republic of China, there were still money and swords for sale in the small antique shops around the Gulou, and a sword cost ten or eight silver dollars!

"Money tree cornucopia", regardless of the north and the south, every family in the folk will use glutinous rice to make a money tree cornucopia, and the royal family is no exception.Every New Year's Eve, the money tree cornucopia is brought in from the manufacturing office and displayed on the left side of the throne of the Compassionate Ning Palace.Thin pottery vat, decorated with gold leaf, steamed and long glutinous rice, dyed into five colors according to the orientation of the five elements, in the middle is planted with a multi-knotted five-bearded pine, the height is not full of feet, the purple silk red thread is the rhinoceros of the valley, and the root is qiu Galls are also filled with jade foil as treasures.Panasonic glutinous rice is spread flat, covered with nuts of various colors wrapped in brocade and silver, and there is a muddy fringe dancing with money strung on the golden toad. This cornucopia will not be removed until the sunset on the eighteenth day of the first lunar month!

Promotion map.When the palace keeps the old age, the emperor sometimes plays with his elder brothers who are not divided into civil and military champions or promotion pictures when he is happy.Weng Song Chan Xiangguo once said: "There are upright and upright officials with complicated ranks, ups and downs and dismissals, and there are many changes. There are those who rise and fall with eyes and ears, and there are those who demote the real ones. From playing the map of promotion, you can get a glimpse of the mystery of the desolation. "The promotion map that the author played at the beginning was to use "twisting and twisting" to twist out the merits and merits of virtue and talent to determine the promotion and promotion. It is simple and clear, and there is no mystery at all.One year, they celebrated the new year in Sheqin Li’s Mansion in Shanghai. Everyone observed the new year. They took out a picture of promotion to play, six dice, and rolled them with a treasure jar. Double red is virtue, double six is ​​talent, double five is merit, double three is Good, double two is the reason, and double one is the stolen goods.Each person first throws his birth, and then each person uses two symbols, one official and one difference, and then they take turns to shake out the ideas for promotion and promotion.If you are born as a monk or nun, you can only be promoted to Seng Gangsi and you will be given up; if you are not born in the imperial examination, you will not be able to enter the pavilion to worship the minister no matter how you turn around. The production is extremely ingenious.After playing it a few times, I finally figured out the ranks of official positions in the Qing Dynasty. From this, I realized that even though it was a game in the court, playing promotion pictures in the palace had deep meanings.Later, we became very interested in this kind of official promotion map, so we asked for the official promotion map of the past dynasties in "Shen Bao" and "News", and traced back to the Han Dynasty. It will not be so blind that you can't tell the difference between the superior and the inferior, especially for reading history books.Two years ago, the "Hansheng" magazine's children's play album had half a page of this kind of promotion picture on the back cover.The author once asked Ms. Wu Meiyun and the others to find and photocopy the whole picture, but it was a pity that they were not congratulated.I think there are remnants of the map, and you can definitely find it in the whole map of Taiwan. If you can find it, redraw it, and let everyone come and play during the Spring Festival. It may be better for middle-aged people than playing electronic toys. Interested too!