Chapter 32 Anecdotes about the Anniversary of the Qing Palace

China has called the twelfth month of the lunar calendar Jiaping month since the Xia Yu era. Later, when some literati liked to be "elegant", they continued to call the twelfth month of the lunar calendar Jiaping month.The Qing Dynasty attached great importance to the two festivals a year at the time of the year, and it was ready to be busy as soon as the beginning of Latoma came. According to the custom of the Qing Dynasty: "Listen to the sages in Jiapingshuo, pay a visit to the Chanfu Temple, return to the Imperial Palace of Jianfu, open a pen to write the letter of blessing, to convey the new blessing, to the Xinuang Pavilion of the royal and upright officials, and to call for blessings and guards..." Qing Dynasty In the world in two hundred and sixty-eight years, the emperors of all dynasties abided by the ancestral system. When they returned to the palace, they wrote Dan to give blessings and choose them as gifts. This kind of blessing is a special honor. The rewards are limited to offerings in the inner court of the nearby princes (the masters of the upper study in the South Study Room).When the emperor picked up the stained tube, dipped it in thick ink, and wrote the Chinese character Yu Dafu on the vermilion cloud and dragon brocade paper, the princes and ministers who were gracious knelt down in front of the imperial case to receive the blessing. Exhibition paper.When starting to write, he kowtowed six times in a row. After finishing the last pen, he had to kowtow and prostrate himself. At this time, the ink was not dry. You need to be calm and calm, and the timing is just right, so that you can be graceful and decent.According to the internal eunuchs of the upright officials: "Master Weng Tongshuo sets up this kind of honor every year. He is quite familiar with it. He saluted and thanked him very calmly. One year, Wang Wenshao, a university scholar, also won this honor. This old listener is dazzled His legs and feet were not neat, and after he kowtowed, his crown just collided with the word "Fu", and the ink stained his eyebrows. Of course, he was very embarrassed, and made everyone in the hall laugh out loud." Blessings, but that is when the enshrined people of Ruyi Hall write the blessings well, make a funnel, and use fine powder to pour them on the painted brocade paper. As long as the writers are full of pens and ink, they will draw them down like a red model, and they will naturally be strong. Plenty of muscle, flamboyant and phoenix dancing on the paper.This is the so-called double-hook Fushou character in the palace, which is far less valuable than the real imperial brush.In the twelfth month of Gengzi, the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu (1900), it coincided with the Boxer Rebellion, and Cixi Guangxu left Beijing in a hurry, and was in the dust in Xi'an. When she was in shock, she suddenly remembered that this ancestral custom was made in the past. On December 28, I wrote the word "Fu" to reward my ministers.Originally, foreign officials were not the ones who founded the mansion, so they were not qualified to receive blessings. But that year, because of the foreign devils' vicious actions, the holy driver was away from home, and in order to appease the Sui government, he did not care about any custom. Even Feng Guangqian, the procurator of Shaanxi, Hu Xianglin, the chief minister, and Hu Yan, the fourth-rank magistrate of Xi'an Prefecture, all received the imperial pen blessing.According to the past situation, if the emperor is happy to write a few more blessings, he will seal it in the dry and upright officials, and wait until the next winter to reward the imperial attendants and military ministers. ", it is also a kind of special favor!

Since ancient times, it has been said that the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is an auspicious day for Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism.On the day of Laba, Buddhist disciples will use beans, fruit and millet to cook porridge for Buddha. They say that after drinking Buddha porridge, they can invite Buddha to bless them.Since Buddhism came to China from India, all major Zen monasteries have cooked porridge for Buddha on the morning of the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Qibao five-flavor porridge.Chinese folks drink Laba porridge, which began in the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the custom of eating Laba porridge during the Laba Festival was once very popular.In the Qing Dynasty, people believed in Buddhism. In the middle of Kangxi, the world had been peaceful for a long time, and the people were prosperous. Kangxi especially worshiped the Hanwu Zhenguan. Show honor and favor.It is said that before making porridge, the empress dowager or empress should check the quality and weight of the porridge, rice and porridge one by one. When the time comes, the porridge will start to be cooked. Laba porridge made by the palace is made of glutinous rice, millet, and red beans. , corn grits, sorghum rice, barley kernels, coix rice, and porridge fruits include dried lily, dried lotus seeds, hazel pulp, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, chestnuts, longan, dried red dates, etc. First, wash the red beans into bean paste, and wash the red dates Boil, peel and remove the pits, wrap the jujube skins and pits with gauze and boil water, clear the soup and pour it into the porridge, cook the porridge together, the jujubes are fragrant and soft, and the entrance is pleasant.The lilies, lotus seeds, and chestnuts in the porridge should be put into the pot together with the porridge ingredients. As for other porridge fruits, such as red dates, pine nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, and dried longan, they should be peeled and put aside when drinking porridge. Then get what you need.According to the regulations of the palace, the containers used for worshiping the ancestors of the Buddha are rewarded to the officials. If there are no bowls, porridge cans should be used.At the same time, only brown sugar is allowed in the porridge jar, and white sugar is not allowed. No one can tell what the reason is.At the same time, because of the large area of ​​the porridge pot, the porridge noodles are easy to stretch. There are skillful concubines and concubines who use mountain red, lychee, longan, and pine nuts and melon seeds to make various styles of flowers, birds, insects and fish, as if steaming dove scales. The hyena is just like it, put it on the porridge skin, it is really the jade food above, it is amazing.After Yongzheng ascended the throne, every Laba gave porridge, and ordered the official kiln to make a special blue and white porcelain porridge jar with white ground to reward relatives, nobles and close officials.Later, someone accidentally discovered that this kind of porcelain pot, filled with clear water to cultivate dwarf peonies, can last longer than ordinary sundials and sundials.This legend doesn't matter, those porcelain porridge jars that were usually ignored by people have become treasures in Liulichang antique shop.After offering sacrifices to the Buddha and the ancestors, all palaces with empresses and concubines, old trees and soft branches outside the porch front sill, must pour a spoonful of Laba porridge on the dried flower roots, and tie a wisp of rice porridge on the branches of flowers and trees. It is said that the colored ribbons can not only ward off evil spirits, but also produce spring in the new year, with vigorous stems, luxuriant leaves and flowers. Whether it is true or not, only God knows.The porridge given in Laba was distributed by the eunuch and Sura carrying boxes to the mansions. When the eunuch Sura came, the whole family paid tribute according to the size of the population and gave a share of car power.So at that time, the red eunuchs specially selected large mansions with large populations to deliver porridge. , Just have a fat year!In addition to Xie En receiving the porridge, the prince of the nearby branch, Jiaofang Guiqi, also presented the Laba porridge made by his own family to the inner court for tasting.Rewarding Laba porridge, the kindness comes from the top, you can have a can of fruit porridge alone, and you have to kowtow like a ritual.The Laba porridge offered as a tribute is to be decorated with algae, and it also needs to be accompanied by two dishes and two points.Therefore, the dishes are purely vegetarian. Although it doesn't matter to some nobles and nobles, it is indeed a big burden for the officials from poor families!

This kind of game was popular in the courts of the Qing Dynasty, and it was called Bingxi among the officials. It is said that it existed in the Northern Song Dynasty as early as 900 BC in the Republic of China. In the history of the Song Dynasty, there is a record of "lucky Houyuan watching flowers and making ice plays".The Qing Dynasty not only regarded ice skating as a kind of sport and entertainment, but also paid attention to the exercise and competition. The Yilan Hall in Beihai Park in Beiping was the place where Qianlong watched the ice play. On the plaque, hung in the main hall of Yilan Hall, the note to the imperial poem said: "In the national customs, there are people who play ice, protect their knees with Fu, wear shoes with Wei, or have double teeth on the bottom, so that they can bite without hesitation, or trample on them. The iron is like a knife, which makes people step on the ice more quickly." He also pointed out: "Every winter, Taiye ice is hard, and the three banners of the Eight Banners' Internal Affairs Office are ordered to practice ice skills, take turns to read and watch, and reward according to each other, so simple martial arts and Cultivate national customs." From this point of view, although ice skating in the Qing Dynasty was called ice play, it actually contained the implication of practicing on ice battle formations.Qianlong watched Bingxi, and sometimes when he was happy, he went to the Taiye Pool where the waves were as condensed as a mirror and the snow was piled up with clouds, watching the grand occasion of the Eight Banners athletes racing on the ice and vying for the first prize.There is a kind of ice bed that slides on the ice for the royal driver to ride. It is called sleigh in the palace and ice paddle among the people.After the winter solstice, when the Tianchi is condensed, and the north, central and south seas, there are ice beds arranged by Neiyuan running on the ice. Once the beginning of spring, all the cars will stop, otherwise the spring ice will be brittle and fall into the ice cave, and there will be no rescue.Princes and ministers who were called to visit the garden were also allowed to ride on the ice bed. Yantai's "Zhu Zhi Ci" wrote: "Once the jade rainbow passes over the valley, there is a slight sound of crackling, and the short rope can't be stopped alone. Walk in the mirror." The snow is sunny and the sun is warm, and the snow is drifting, and the jade dragon is more interesting. Those who have never sat on the ice bed will not appreciate it.Qianlong was filial to his biological mother, Empress Shengxian, who was very interested in watching ice games. Every year after the winter solstice, Qianlong would accompany his mother-in-law to watch a grand ice game in Sanhai, Xiyuan, led by the imperial guards. The soldiers of the Eight Banners, with their red headbands and crowns, their bows and arrows, their teeth, their fangs, their flags, their snails, their snails, and their drums, gallop on the ice, as fast as flying, attacking and defending, turning sideways, changing and blurring.The empress dowager rides a sleigh with yellow satin as the building, fox fur and mink mattresses, and nine-color spotted dragons. It is also a boat or a chariot, and it is pushed or pulled by eight ice athletes.For participating athletes and rewarding them for their skills, Qianlong had an imperial ice bed couplet poem: "Shi bed is crushed out of the military parade, the team bows the five-color flag, the yellow building is in the middle to worship the chariot, and the mink sits in Yunchi to relax." The poem describes Bingxi very concretely and vividly, which fully proves how lively it was at that time.After the old man Shiquan, Cixi wanted to have fun the most. Every winter, she also wanted to watch ice games. She asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to train a group of ice athletes and divide them into red and yellow teams. Agile, striding to the fore, transcending the dust, not only winning the championship race, but also combat exercises, skating on the ice, like a purple swallow on a dragonfly on the water, the skills are amazing, which is fascinating.There is also an ice hockey competition game, also called Cubing. "Emperor Beijing Sui Shi Ji Sheng" said: "Jinhai made a play of kicking on the ice, set up flag gates, and reorganized teams. They will fall, and the group will fight for it, and the winner will win. Or the people of one team will win, and the people of the other team will be far away. Chasing with joy, using convenience and bravery, soldiers used it to practice martial arts. The Yellow Emperor used the kicking game to practice martial arts, so as to capture his legacy." According to the above, Chinese ice hockey is like modern football, basketball, and rugby. Wouldn't it be more colorful.It's a pity that Chinese people admire Western methods, and a set of Chinese ice hockey skills has been annihilated and lost.In the 16th year of the Republic of China, Beihai was opened to the public and turned into a park. In winter, the Taiye Pond was frozen three feet, and there were ice skating rinks in Wulong Pavilion, Yilan Hall, and Shuanghong Pavilion. Skills, colorful sleeves and Dan clothes, velvet clothes and leather shoes, are amazing and beautiful.Among them was an old man with a beard and hair, with a pair of special ice skates under his short jacket and narrow trousers, circling and wandering in the pink, white, black and green. "Phoenix Flying", "Wild Horse Splitting its Mane", "Golden Rooster Standing Alone", "Guiding Inside and Outside", "Walking Up and Down", there are many tricks and unpredictable changes.His kind of incoherent dancing provoked some good players on the ice to stop skating, with red sleeves holding up the threshold and brown sleeves leaning on the railing, standing and watching.After the old man had exhausted himself and left the field, everyone resumed the pursuit on the ice. This old man was the ice athlete who was trained by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to watch in front of the imperial court, and occasionally came to the court to relax his muscles and bones.This old man has not shown up since the rise of the Anti-Japanese War Army, and now many years later, it is expected that this old man has already returned to Daoshan.

Two years in one night, two years in five.The court pays more attention to the resignation of the year than the New Year's greetings.As early as before and after the sacrifice to the stove, the Meat Affairs Office issued an order from the emperor and the empress, and notified the personnel who entered the palace to resign. Most of the resignations were relatives of princes and ministers in the immediate branch, and they were in the palace with their families. Most emperors and empresses were in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Casual clothes accept everyone's resignation.Kneel three times and kowtow nine times to bid farewell to the old age. Each person will be rewarded with a pair of small flat gold or embroidered purses. In the purses are six or seven cents long gold and silver, one small wishful stick, one red bean, one big gold and silver ingot, and one small ingot, although the weight is not heavy. , but they are all cast exquisitely.After receiving the reward, you have to hang it on your lapel at that time, so-called returning home with blessings, and then go to the palaces in order to bid farewell to the new year.Entering the palace at dusk and rushing out of office, the lights of thousands of houses are already on.The emperor and the empress have always ate separately, except on New Year's Eve, when the emperor and the empress dowager are still alive, the emperor and empress will also attend the banquet to show the meaning of reunion.In the Qing Dynasty, every New Year's Day and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the emperor would be seated in Qianqingfu in court clothes and crowns. After the imperial ministers knelt down and praised the auspiciousness, the guards would bring auspicious milk tea. The Hall of Saints on the east side.In fact, it’s just a small room that is not very spacious. After a great ceremony was performed in front of the throne of Dacheng’s most holy teacher Confucius, and then I went to the hall to worship the gods, and the gods were returned to the palace to receive the congratulations from the princes and ministers. Finally, it was the turn of the concubines to hand Wishful Song auspicious! "Hanging Yuanbao" is called eating dumplings in the folks, and boiled dumplings in Manchuria. It takes five days to eat boiled dumplings in the palace from New Year's Day.It is said that on New Year’s Day, all the gods are sacrificed, especially Niuhuanzhaoji and Wudu Benbeizi believed in in Manchuria, who are naturally vegetarians.In the south of the great river in China, the God of Wealth is worshiped on the fifth day of the first lunar month. In the north, the God of Wealth is worshiped on the second day of the first lunar month. The God of Wealth is sacrificed to eat meat and boiled pastry, which is also called holding Yuanbao. This meal of Yuanbao dumplings must be led by Empress Longyu. The two concubines, Zhenjin and Concubine Yu, were made by Princess Ji Gege, and the court wives around the constant servants, saying that they pinched the little people's mouths so as not to talk nonsense, and at the same time put a special Xiaojin Ruyi, Wrap it in a boiled pastry at will.The eunuchs who are good at flattering like An Dehai and Li Lianying have long remembered the colorful boiled pastry in their hearts. The golden ruyi must have been eaten by the Queen Mother Lafayette, and everyone cheered Lafayette's lucky star, Wishful and auspicious all year round, and Lafayette is more confident and blessed than others.On the second day of the first lunar month of the Guangxu Wushen year, Lafayette did not eat the ingots as he wished. Of course he felt uncomfortable. I asked everyone, and they all said that they did not eat them. In fact, Queen Longyu ate them by accident. She did not dare to say anything and handed them secretly. To Li Lianying, Li said that some of the boiled buns might be broken and fell into the pot, and Li would pick them out and present them in the pot, and then forget about the case.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, although playing mahjong became popular among the people, it never entered the inner court. The first month pastime in the palace was mainly playing cards, or fumbling or playing ten hu.The playing cards are printed by the inner court itself, the paper is smooth and flexible, and the pattern of strips and patterns is even more magnificent, and occasionally one or two cards are popular among the people, and those who love to play regard them as treasures.When playing Tianjiu, fewer people play Tianjiu, more people push Pai Gow, and dice rolls have more tricks. Sometimes they compete with Gege brothers for the number one prize and throw the official map.However, from the Lantern Festival to the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, even if the year is over, if there are internal eunuchs playing cards and throwing dice, even if they violate the gambling ban, they will be punished with a stick or expelled from the court if they are serious. Bet, it's much stricter.After the festive lanterns are over, the year is over. If you want to watch the fire trees and silver flowers, you have to wait for the next year.