Ancient palace maidens were often infertile, difficult to give birth, where did the reason come from?

Many people still believe that the courtesans were recruited to the palace to have a more luxurious and fulfilling life than the majority of workers in feudal society.

However, according to Sohu, ancient Chinese courtiers had many "hidden corners", in contrast to the glamour we often see in historical films. The courtesans are usually the ones with the lowest status in the harem. One of them is facing the situation of not being able to have children after leaving the palace, or when being recruited by the emperor as a concubine.

Most of the courtesans were chosen from the common people. In addition, the part of the courtesans who commit crimes by their families will be forced to work as courtesans specializing in low-level jobs. In addition, there are a number of courtesans donated by local officials or smaller countries. They are very beautiful, can dance, sing, embroider...

The palace maidens entering the palace must be taught and trained by the group of managers. They are trained from walking, combing their hair, putting on makeup to eating and sleeping. All actions are very strictly regulated. If they make a small mistake, the courtesans can be beaten, kneeled, and even given deat.h by the emperor and the concubines.

Not only the servants of the cabinet masters, the new courtesans also have to serve and be under the management of the old courtesans. All the daily personal work of the old courtesan, such as washing her face, combing her hair, washing her feet, bathing... are all in charge of the new courtesans.

If the courtesan during the service does not make any major mistakes until the ag.e of 25, she can leave the palace. However, leaving the palace does not mea.n that they are freed, on the contrary, a bigger "thunderstorm" is waiting for them outside.

In Pu Yi's autobiography My Half Life Ago, the last emperor of the Chinese feudal dynasty, wrote that the courtiers did not dare to marry after being expelled from the palace. They mainly live the rest of their lives in tragedy, poverty, and rarely return to become civilians who can integrate into society.

The reason is that in ancient times, the imperial court often selected female courtiers who were 13-14 years old, but it was not until they were 25 years old that they could leave the palace. At that time, this ag.e was too old, because the ancients often got married and gave birth to children at the ag.e of 15. Therefore, after the courtesans leave the palace, it is difficult for them to find a single man, they only have 2 choices: become someone else's concubine or stay there.

The second reason is that their health is seriously affected, especially fertility.

The work of the courtesans in the palace is often extremely hard. They are required to be on duty at all times to serve members of the royal family no matter day or night, so much so that they hardly get a break. Standing, walking, and working for long periods of time every day exhausted their bodies.

Moreover, there are a lot of regulations in the palace. If not careful, the courtesans may face severe punishment, which puts a huge amount of mental pressure on them.

Under such intense physical and mental pressure for a long time, most of the courtiers experience endocrine disorders, affecting fertility.

The living environment in the palace is not everywhere gorgeous and fully equipped as many people mistakenly believe. Although this may be true if talking about the residence of the emperor and members of the royal family.

However, the residence of the courtiers and slaves is completely the opposite: Cramped, crowded and poorly ventilated. In addition, the number of servants in the palace is very large, so diseases are easy to multiply.

Moreover, the food of the palace maidens is often not well guaranteed. With limited food sources, they can only get basic supplies and unbalanced nutrition. Living in such a harsh environment for a long time will reduce the body's resistance, making it susceptible to many diseases, which also affects fertility.

Not only that, but once the courtesans entered the palace, they would be almost isolated from the outside world. They can't love or marry freely, causing their emotions to be suppresse.d for a long time. This leads to an emotional state of loneliness and depression, and has a negative impact on physical and mental health.

As a "worm, an ant", the courtesans often have to endure many acts of abus.e and injury. If a courtesan has a beautiful appearance, they will suffer more abus.e because they attract the attention of men, even the emperor. This makes them accept abusive behaviors and intentional injuries, especially damage to the genitals, affecting fertility.

According to Sohu, it is no coincidence that most of the courtiers in ancient times were infertile after leaving the palace. It is the result of many causes, from intense work and mental pressure, harsh living environment, as well as always facing the risk of abus.e and physical damage.

Không ai dám cưới cung nữ dù trẻ đẹp, lý do đằng sau khiến ai cũng sốc! Thảo Mai17:09:13 27/03/2024Trong hoàng cung thời cổ đại của Trung Quốc, cung nữ (thị nữ hay a hoàn) là tầng lớp có số lượng áp đảo vì họ là những người đảm nhiệm các công việc tạp vụ, giặt giũ, bưng trà nước và lo việc ăn uống, sinh hoạt cho chủ nhân.