My 2021 version of the Palace Museum cover post, serialized as "Viewing Red Walls and Golden Tiles, Appreciating Ming and Qing Imperial Palaces" with seventeen pieces, has received many readers' generous reading. Some readers have put forward some opinions and suggestions, pointing out some fallacies. This revised version has been reissued, incorporating the opinions and suggestions of previous readers, enriching some content, correcting typos, and updating and supplementing some images. Although I dare not say that I have corrected all the fallacies, most of them have been corrected. Detailed appreciation of the top ancient Chinese palace architectural art seen in the Ming and Qing imperial palaces, some royal cultural relics exhibited in the Forbidden City, and traces of royal life in the Qing palace. It is also associated with some stories and legends that occurred in the Ming and Qing imperial palaces, and I dare not say "to entertain readers", but I just hope to share them with readers. thank you.

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Return to Dongyi Long Street from Yanxi Palace and continue north. The second entrance to the east is Guangsheng Left Gate, and turning inside is Dong'er Hengxiang. The first gate in this alley is Chengqian Gate, which is Chengqian Palace.

Inside Chengqian Gate is a wooden shadow wall.

Chengqian Palace was also built by Emperor Yongle and was initially called Yongning Palace. "Chengqian" means to follow heaven, to follow the will of heaven.

The architectural layout and structure of Chengqian Palace are the same as Jingren Palace. In front of the platform in the main hall, there is no White Marble railing on the Dandi Stone in the middle, which is carved with twin phoenixes.

The interior of Jingren Palace features the ceiling of Shuanglong Pingqi, while the interior of Chengqian Palace features the painted Tuan He Pingqi, symbolizing longevity.

Take a look at the east side hall of the front yard, the Chastity and Harmony Studio, and the ear room.

Take a look at the backyard.

The size of the rear hall is larger than that of Jingren Palace, and it has a front eave corridor. There is a well on the west side of the backyard, and traces of column foundations can be seen at the four corners, indicating that this is a well pavilion. There is a well pavilion in each of the Six Palaces of the East and West. I don't know when the pavilion here was destroyed. The well pavilion in Jingren Palace is also gone.

Chengqian Palace was once the bronze museum of the Forbidden City.

The exhibition inside is a collection of bronze artifacts from various dynasties in the Forbidden City, which dates back to the pre Qin period. Legend has it that Xia Yu cast the Nine Cauldrons, which have long been lost. The earliest complete set of Nine Cauldrons that can be seen now should be the Nine Cauldrons and Eight Guis unearthed from the tomb of Zeng Houyi in the early Warring States period. In fact, this was a violation by Zeng Houyi. The ritual system of the Zhou Dynasty stipulated that the emperor should use nine tripods and eight Gui, while the feudal lords could only use seven tripods and six Gui. Take a look at this pre Qin beast faced cauldron exhibited in the Chengqian Palace of the Forbidden City.

In the first year of Emperor Chongzhen of the late Ming Dynasty (1628 AD), a concubine named Tian Xiuying was appointed to reside in this Yongning Palace. In the fifth year of Chongzhen's reign, she was renamed Chengqian Palace. In less than a year, Chongzhen bestowed upon her a noble consort and moved to the Qixiang Palace, which is now the Tai Chi Hall. Tian Guifei is versatile, proficient in all aspects of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She also gave birth to four sons and was deeply loved by Chongzhen. Legend has it that there is a strange fragrance wafting in the palace of Empress Tian Guifei, all because she has the fragrance of Hengwu, which was a fragrant concubine of the Ming Dynasty. Due to the loss of three sons in a row, Empress Tian Guifei passed away in excessive sorrow in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen's reign, but she managed to avoid the humiliation of the country's downfall. After the death of Empress Tian Guifei, she was buried in the imperial garden of Chongzhen in the Thirteen Tombs. At that time, Chongzhen had not yet built a tomb. After the martyrdom of Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou, Li Zicheng entered Beijing to collect the remains of the emperor and empress. As there was no imperial tomb, the tomb of Empress Tian Guifei was opened and Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou were buried. After Qing Shunzhi entered the border, the ground building of the tomb of Empress Tian Guifei was built and named Mingsi Mausoleum. In the early Qing Dynasty, there were frequent "Zhu San Taizi" who launched anti Qing and anti Manchu activities among the people. In fact, the "Zhu San Taizi" was the fourth son of the emperor, Prince Yongwang Zhu Cizhao (Nian Zhao), who was claimed to be born to Empress Tian Guifei.

After Qing Shunzhi entered Beijing, Empress Dowager Dong lived here. Empress Dowager Dong E accompanied her father on a southern expedition from a young age and grew up in Jiangnan. She was greatly influenced by Han culture and excelled in both literacy and calligraphy. At the age of nineteen, Shunzhi conferred the title of Noble Consort Dong E, who was eighteen years old. According to legend, Shunzhi abolished the original empress and originally intended to appoint Empress Dowager Dong E as the second empress, but failed. The later empress was still a relative of Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Actually, it's not right. The second Empress of Shunzhi was named Empress Xiaohuizhang and was established in the eleventh year of Shunzhi (1654 AD). And Empress Dong E only entered the palace in the thirteenth year of the Shunzhi reign. Shunzhi was very fond of Empress Dong E, but he did not delay having children with her other concubines. Dong Efei grew up in Jiangnan and was also weak and sickly like Lin Daiyu. I finally gave birth to a son, but it turned out to be premature, causing Empress Dowager Dong to pass away heartbroken. Because the friendship between Shunzhi and Empress Dowager Dong spread outside the palace, it is said that Shunzhi could not bear the death of Empress Dowager Dong and became a monk. When I visited Mount Wutai, three different monks said that Shunzhi was in their temple. According to the legend in the palace, Shunzhi was going to Mount Wutai, but everyone refused to let him. Finally, he sent a eunuch to take his place. In fact, Shunzhi was busy with the funeral of Empress Dowager Dong E and often went out of the palace to supervise the practices of monks in the Jingshan Guande Hall. He was also busy pursuing Empress Dowager Dong E. In addition, due to his sadness and weakened resistance, Shunzhi was infected with smallpox by someone who killed thousands of dollars outside. Half a year after the death of Empress Dowager Dong E, Shunzhi also passed away. The two were buried together in the Xiaoling Mausoleum of the Eastern Tomb of the Qing Dynasty, including Kangxi's birth mother Tong Jia. Shunzhi believed in Buddhism, and he, along with Dong E and Tong Jia, were ultimately cremated. In the Xiaoling Mausoleum, the ashes of three people were buried. The jar that holds the emperor's body is called Zigong, and the jar that holds the emperor's ashes is called Baogong. Shunzhi did not want heavy burials, as there were not many accompanying burial items, so they avoided the Dongling bandits during the Republic of China era. The Xiaoling Underground Palace is the only tomb in Dongling that has not been stolen, and it is the only tomb in Chinese history that contains the ashes of an emperor.

During the reign of Kangxi, Empress Tong lived here. In the seventeenth year of the Kangxi reign (1768 AD), the second empress, Niu Kelu, passed away. After Emperor Kangxi did not establish her again, she remained as the empress and was the closest woman to him. In the 28th year of the Kangxi reign, when Consort Tong was finally critically ill, he saw that she had less air intake and more air output. Kangxi quickly conferred the title of Empress on her and passed away the next day. During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, the residents here were Lady Yu, who was later promoted to Lady Yu. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong, the first person to live here was Consort Shu. Later, Consort Wei Jia moved in and Consort Shu moved to the Yongshou Palace. After Empress Ling, Empress Wan lived here. The Empress Dowager of Qianlong also lived in Chengqian Palace, whether it was before or after the Empress Dowager. In January of the tenth year of the Qianlong reign (1745 AD), Wei Jia was granted the title of Wei Guiren. In less than a year, she was immediately promoted to the rank of Lingpin. Something must have happened that year that caused Qianlong's body to burn hot. In the 14th year of the Qianlong reign, the imperial concubine was conferred the title of imperial concubine by Jin. From concubines to superiors, there is a book called enfeoffment. After ten years, in the 24th year of the Qianlong reign, Empress Dowager Jin conferred the title of Empress Dowager and moved from Chengqian Palace to Chuxiu Palace; In the thirtieth year of the Qianlong reign, she was conferred the title of Empress Dowager. It is true that Empress Dowager was favored by the emperor. She gave birth to four sons and two daughters in ten years, and I think she was exhausted from having children. After the death of Empress Ling in the 40th year of the Qianlong reign, the emperor immediately posthumously honored her as Empress Ling Yi. "Yi" means "great beauty" and is usually used together with the word "De", called "Yi De". In October of the 60th year of the Qianlong reign, Lao Qian accomplished several major tasks. The first is to go to the tomb of Empress Fucha to sweep the tomb, which is something to say to his favorite empress. The second thing is to posthumously bestow the title of Empress Xiaoyi to Empress Lingyi after returning from the tomb sweeping. This means that Empress Lingyi will be buried alongside Empress Fucha in the future. The third thing is to announce retirement and give the imperial throne to Yongyan, the son of the imperial consort. The coronation of Empress Xiaoyi by Emperor Qianlong was a bit special. In the past, when conferring titles to concubines, the imperial edicts would all say "to be issued by the Empress Dowager.". When the Empress was conferred the title of Empress this time, the official text stated that "the mother was allowed to hang down the ceremony," because at this time, Empress Dowager Chongqing was no longer present and could not issue an edict. It is unclear how this was done.

Emperor Shunzhi's favorite Empress Dong E lived here, Emperor Kangxi's closest Consort Tong lived here, and Emperor Qianlong also arranged for his favorite concubine to live here. Chengqian Palace seems to be the place where favored concubines lived. During the reign of Emperor Jiaqing, it was during the reign of Niu Kelu, a noble consort of the Jin dynasty, that she resided. In the fourth year of Jiaqing (1799 AD), she was appointed as the second empress, Empress Rui. During the reign of Emperor Daoguang, there was a concubine named Lin who made a mistake and was demoted to a noble position. After correcting her mistake, she was re conferred the title of concubine. In the 24th year of the Daoguang reign (1840 AD), Empress Lin gave birth to the seventh son of the emperor, Yixuan (Nian Yixuan), and was granted the title of Empress Lin and moved into the Chengqian Palace. Later, she gave birth to another son and was granted the title of Empress Dowager. This seventh son of the emperor, Yixi, was later known as Prince Chun and the biological father of Emperor Guangxu. During the Xianfeng period, several concubines lived here.

After leaving Chengqian Palace, continue eastward along Dong'er Hengxiang and cross Dong'er Changjie to reach Yonghe Palace, which was called Yong'an Palace in the early Ming Dynasty. In the 14th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, Yong'an Palace was renamed Yonghe Palace, which was still used in the Qing Dynasty.

Entering the gate of Yonghe Palace, there is not a screen inside, but a wooden screen door. Passing through the wooden screen door leads to the main hall.

The layout of Yonghe Palace is similar to that of other palaces, and its most special feature is that three open pavilions are built on the platform in front of the main hall, with ound ridge roof hanging on the top of the mountain. When the Yonghe Palace was repainted in recent years, some old marks were still preserved for you to see the contrast between the old and new.

There are two wisteria trees in the front courtyard of Yonghe Palace, which bloom in spring and are very beautiful, attracting countless Beijing photos.

During the Ming Dynasty, it has been lost who lived in the Yonghe Palace. The most famous tenant of the Qing Dynasty was the Empress Dowager of Kangxi, Wu Ya. In the 14th year of the Kangxi reign (1675 AD), the Uya clan selected female candidates to enter the palace. In the 17th year, they gave birth to the fourth son of the emperor, Yin Zhen. The following year, they were granted the title of Empress Dowager, which was quite impressive. In the nineteenth year, he gave birth to the sixth son of the emperor, Yin Zuo, and in the following year, he was conferred the title of Empress Dowager. In the 27th year of the Kangxi reign, he gave birth to the 14th son of the emperor, Yin Yin. The fourth son of the emperor, Yin Zhen, ascended to the throne and became Emperor Yongzheng. Consort De became the Empress Dowager and moved to the Shoukang Palace. The fourth son of Emperor Yongzheng, Hongli, had a concubine named Hai, who was conferred the title of Hai Guiren by Hongli after ascending the throne to Emperor Qianlong. Hai Guisheng, the fifth son of the Emperor Yongqi, was granted the title of Empress Dowager Yu and resided in the Yonghe Palace. In the sixth year of the Daoguang reign (1826 AD), a concubine named Jing, who was thirty years younger than Emperor Daoguang, was admitted to the Yonghe Palace. She was promoted from a noble position to become a concubine due to pregnancy. She gave birth to the second son of the emperor, Yi Gang, in the Yonghe Palace. The following year, she passed away and was promoted to the title of Empress Jing by Empress Jing. In the twelfth year of the Daoguang reign, Consort Jing gave birth to the sixth son of the emperor, Yixin. This time, she survived and grew up to become Prince Gong. In the 20th year of the Daoguang reign, Jin conferred the title of Jinggui Consort and moved to the Zhongcui Palace behind her. The concubine of Emperor Xianfeng lived in this Yonghe Palace.

The other concubine we remember who lived here during the Qing Dynasty was Empress Jin of Emperor Guangxu. In her dowry, there was a good thing, which was the emerald cabbage, an unparalleled treasure, now in the Forbidden City of Taipei. Empress Jin and her younger sister went to the palace as concubines in the past, and later both of them were appointed as concubines. Her younger sister is the famous Empress Zhen, who lives in the Jingren Palace in front of her. The two sisters are separated by a alley. Although Jin Fei had liberated her thoughts, she was still a stubborn royalist. After the abdication of the Qing Emperor, she also carried out various activities to restore the throne, married her niece to Pujie, and encouraged Pujie to continue playing around outside the palace. At the age of fifty, Empress Jin invited a performer from the North China Quyi Lianhualuo to perform on her birthday. Later on, she often performed in the Yonghe Palace, where the theater troupe was very famous. A year later, during the Mid Autumn Festival, Empress Jin ate too many mooncakes and even raw crabs, but ended up stopping eating and catching a cold before turning back. Yonghe Palace used to be a haunted place in the imperial palace, but in fact, it was because no one lived there after the death of Empress Jin, and eunuchs secretly went in to exchange money for things outside. When someone comes over, these eunuchs pretend to be ghosts and scare people. It is said that the Forbidden City will decorate the Yonghe Palace in the same way as when Empress Jin lived, and then reopen it. You can go and see a replica of that jade cabbage then.

Since Yonghe Palace is not open, we can only retreat to Dongyi Long Street and continue north. The next door to the east is Dacheng Left Gate.

The streets and alleys all have boxes on the pillars, but only two forks on the top and bottom. Look at its box.

After entering the left gate of Dacheng, walk east along Dongsan Hengxiang, and the first gate is Zhongcui Gate. The Zhongcui Gate must be the Zhongcui Palace, and "Zhong" is the gathering place; "Essence" is the essence; As Wang Xizhi once said, "When all the wise men are accomplished, the young and the wise gather together.".

From the outside, this Zhongcui Gate is basically the same as the other gates of the East Sixth Palace; But looking inside the door, this place is completely different from the previous few palaces. There is a gate hall inside this door, without any shadow walls. Behind the gate hall is a screen door, which can be closed to block the view of outsiders. Go inside and take a look.

Originally, it looked like a typical one hall, one coupon hanging flower door from the inside, but the outside was connected to a glazed door. A hanging flower gate with one hall and one coupon is usually connected to a circle of handmade corridors, which is also available here.

Zhongcui Palace was called Xianyang Palace in the early Ming Dynasty, and was renamed Zhongcui Palace in the 14th year of Jiajing (1535 AD). The layout of the Zhongcui Palace in the Ming Dynasty was the same as that of other palaces, and the circular copying corridor in the front courtyard was added after the 12th year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1873 AD). The main hall of Zhongcui Palace is five bays wide and three bays deep, while the main halls of the six palaces in the east and west are five bays wide and three bays deep. The main hall and the east and west side halls both have front eaves corridors, so it is necessary to add a circle of handmade corridors during the renovation. The ear room outside the north wall of the East West Side Hall was demolished and replaced with a corner corridor, so that the corridor could be connected in a circle. Between the eaves and pillars of the corridor, there is a step by step brocade lattice flower sitting stool lintel below, and a step by step brocade lattice flower hanging upside down lintel above. The walls of the corridor are adorned with ink, flowers, birds, insects, ants, pine, bamboo, plum blossoms, and orchids, exuding an elegant style.

Although there is a front eave corridor in the main hall, there is no Danshi stone in the middle of the hanging strap and stomping on the front. The plaque under the eaves of the main hall reads "Cheng Xin Zheng Xing", and the seal seems to be "the treasure of Empress Dowager Cixi's imperial pen.". Here, "cheng" is pronounced as "cheng", which means "cheng", with clear and calm water; This plaque has a Zen like connotation. The horizontal hanging of lattice flowers behind the plaque is also a step-by-step brocade; The glass window lattice under the plaque is called ice crack.

The roof beams and frames of this main hall were all from the 18th year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the interior of this hall was completely exposed and there was no ceiling or ceiling. In that case, the inner eaves, beams, purlins, and trusses should be painted. In the mid Ming Dynasty, a relatively high ceiling was installed in the hall, and some of the painted works were sealed above the ceiling for preservation. The painted works were redrawn below the ceiling. In the early Qing Dynasty, during the renovation, the Ming Dynasty ceiling was removed and a lower ceiling was reinstalled. The new and old Ming Dynasty paintings were sealed above the ceiling for preservation, and the paintings were repainted below the ceiling. In the mid Qing Dynasty, a layer of silver paper called the White Hall Grate was added under the ceiling to seal the early Qing Dynasty paintings inside. In 1961, when the main hall of Zhongcui Palace was renovated and the ceiling was opened, different colored paintings from the early Ming Dynasty, mid Ming Dynasty, and early Qing Dynasty were discovered. Under the same roof, royal paintings from different periods over the past six hundred years are arranged together, which is very precious and rare. It is also extremely rare in the Forbidden City. Currently, only Changchun Palace has such Ming Dynasty paintings. Because Zhongcui Palace is the residence of concubines, these colorful paintings are all spiral paintings. The current ceiling has been renovated according to the height of the mid Qing Dynasty, and we will definitely not be able to see those ancient colored paintings. However, it's useless for us to watch it, at most let out a light sigh, "It's been a long time.". We need to show it to experts in ancient architecture, so that they can see the differences and evolutionary ways between the royal spiral painting of different periods.

Take a look at the backyard again.

Jingting is still intact. This is the only well preserved well pavilion in the Eastern Six Palaces, and it is unknown whether it is an original or a reconstruction. The vast majority of the well pavilions in the Forbidden City are topped with yellow glazed tiles and single eaves, with hollow roofs above, except for the two well pavilions in the Imperial Garden. The special feature of the backyard is that there is a platform corridor connecting the back door of the main hall and the main door of the back hall, which is unique in the Six Palaces of East and West. If you pay attention, you will find that the main hall in front and the back hall in this backyard are both red pillars and windows; And the side halls are all green pillars and windows.

I love this Zhongcui Palace the most among the Eastern Six Palaces because of its circular copying corridors, ink paintings on the walls of the corridors, and the green columns and windows of the East West side halls. These elements dilute the grandeur and rigidity of the palace, appearing relaxed and lively, making people feel happy.

In the early Ming Dynasty, this place was also inhabited by the imperial concubines, while in the later period it was the imperial palace. Zhu Cigui (Nianlang), the eldest son of Emperor Chongzhen, once lived here. In the 20th year of the Kangxi reign (1681 AD), Rong, a concubine who gave birth to five princes, was granted the title of Rongfei and moved into the Zhongcui Palace. Rongfei entered the palace in the early years of Kangxi, and only the third son of the emperor, Yinzhi, survived among the five sons. After the death of Kangxi, Empress Rong moved out of the palace according to her will and entered the Chengqin Prince's Mansion in Yinzhi, where she eventually grew old. In the 20th year of the Kangxi reign, Emperor Kangxi bestowed his fourth son Yin Zhen with the legitimate blessing of the Ulanara family in Jin. When Yin Zhen ascended to the throne of Emperor Yongzheng, the Ulaanara clan was appointed as the Empress of the Central Palace, also known as the Empress Xiaojing Xian. She lived in the Zhongcui Palace and passed away in the ninth year of Emperor Yongzheng's reign. In the twelfth year of Emperor Yongzheng's reign, he selected a concubine named Gao Jia from the side of Fu Jin for his fourth prince Hongli. After Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, he conferred the title of Gao Jia as the High Consort and lived in the Zhongcui Palace. Later, he was granted the title of Imperial Consort by Jin. Consort Gao passed away in the tenth year of the Qianlong reign, and later Consort Xin, who was granted the title of Jin, moved into the Zhongcui Palace. After Emperor Daoguang ascended to the throne, the grandson of Emperor Qianlong, Minning, selected a fourteen year old girl named Niu Kelu, who had comprehensive moral, intellectual, and physical development, in the first year of the draft. She was immediately appointed as a full concubine and moved into the Zhongcui Palace. This is rare in the history of the Qing Dynasty. Within less than a year of entering the palace, all the concubines were conferred the title of Empress Dowager at the age of fifteen. Once she became a concubine, she immediately became pregnant, but to no avail. After a year, she became pregnant again and gave birth to the third princess. Emperor Daoguang was overjoyed and bestowed upon Empress Quan the title of Quan Guifei. The noble consort indeed became pregnant again like she had wound up, giving birth to the fourth princess. In the end, Empress Dowager Quan became pregnant and gave birth to the fourth son of the emperor, Yi Heng (who read the will). Because the first two princes had both died early, Yi Chong was the eldest son of Emperor Daoguang, who later ascended to the throne and became Emperor Xianfeng. Two years later, Empress Tong Jia of Emperor Daoguang passed away, and Empress Quan Guifei was conferred the title of Empress. Empress Quan's first pregnancy was unsuccessful and her health was affected. She was weak and sickly, and passed away in the thirtieth year of the Daoguang reign at the age of only 33. She was posthumously honored as Empress Xiaoquan, and Emperor Daoguang did not appoint any more empresses thereafter. As the old saying goes, "When a person reaches thirty-three, a broken ship crosses a dangerous beach." It may have been from the death of the entire empress thirty-three. After Empress Quan, Consort Jing moved into the Zhongcui Palace and raised the ten year old Yi Chong. The sixth son of Empress Jing, Yi Xin, and Yi Chong, grew up together in the Zhongcui Palace. Emperor Daoguang issued two edicts in the brocade box behind the Zhengda Guangming plaque, one of which was to appoint the fourth son of the Emperor, Yi Chong, as the Crown Prince; The second is to confer the title of Prince Gong on the six sons of the emperor. In fact, the sixth son of the emperor, Yi Xin, is smarter and more clever than the fourth son of the emperor, and he is unwilling to become emperor. After becoming emperor, Yi Xiong bestowed the former residence of Prince Qingjun of Heshen to Yi Xin in the twelfth year of Xianfeng (1862 AD), which is now known as Prince Gong's Mansion.

Yi Xiong became Emperor Xianfeng, and in the second year, he selected a candidate named Niu Kelu. He entered the palace in February, was granted the title of Zhen Pin in April, and lived in the Zhongcui Palace; In May, she was granted the title of Empress Dowager, and in October, she was appointed as Empress at the age of sixteen. Empress Zhen was the fastest rising empress in the Qing Dynasty, even faster than a helicopter. Empress Zhen did not have any children, but the concubine Yi of Emperor Xianfeng, who lived in the Western Chu Xiu Palace, gave birth to the only prince Zaichun and was granted the title of Yi Guifei. In the eleventh year of the Xianfeng reign, the emperor passed away. Empress Zhen became the Empress Dowager of the Eastern Palace. Zaichun succeeded to the throne and became the Emperor of Tongzhi. He was promoted to the position of Empress Dowager of the Western Palace by his mother, Consort Yi, and was given the imperial emblem of Ci'an in the Eastern Palace and Cixi in the Western Palace. In the seventh year of the Guangxu reign, after the death of Empress Dowager Ci'an, Empress Dowager Xianfeng's consort stayed at the Zhongcui Palace for a period of time. For some reason, after the death of Emperor Xianfeng, his concubines lived in the harem instead of going to the Shoukang Palace. Emperor Tongzhi had a difficult fate, and at the age of nineteen, he contracted smallpox before giving birth to a son. Empress Dowager Cixi was afraid of losing power, so she chose Prince Chun and her legitimate Fujin's son and cousin of Emperor Tongzhi, Zaitian (Nian Tian), as the successor emperor. Prince Chun's legitimate Fujin was Empress Dowager Cixi's biological sister. Zaitian ascended to the throne as Emperor Guangxu, and in the fifteenth year of Guangxu's reign (1889 AD), he was appointed by Empress Dowager Cixi as his cousin. My cousin stepped on the scorched earth of the Taihe Gate and entered the palace in January, and was carried to the Zhongcui Palace to rest for a while. Afterwards, Emperor Guangxu and his cousin were bowed with their heads pressed by Empress Dowager Cixi in the Kunning Palace, and then locked up in a new room in the East Warm Pavilion for three days. Three days later, Emperor Guangxu and his cousin went back to their respective homes. Guangxu went to the Hall of Nurturing the Heart, and his cousin came to Zhongcui Palace to be her Empress of Prosperity. During this period, Empress Dowager Longyu was ordered by Empress Dowager Cixi to frequently visit the Hall of Nurturing the Heart. Then he stayed in the east ear room of the Heart Nourishing Hall, which was the residence of Empress Yongzheng during her reign. Empress Dowager Cixi originally intended to have Empress Longyu take over the dragon seed and give birth to a prince, but in vain, Emperor Guangxu held onto the dragon seed as soon as he saw Empress Longyu. On the contrary, Empress Zhen often goes to the Palace of Nurturing the Heart and stays in the west ear room of the rear hall without returning. However, it seems that Guangxu did not give the dragon seed to other concubines, and it is also possible that Guangxu's dragon was not originally bred. After Guangxu's death, Longyu became the Empress Dowager and moved from Zhongcui Palace to Changchun Palace. Empress Dowager Longyu was the last empress and empress dowager of the Qing Dynasty, and also the last tenant of the Zhongcui Palace. Longyu also pulled down the curtain to listen to the policies of Emperor Xuantong for several years, but ended up losing sight of them. In the end, he signed an abdication edict. When Longyu signed the abdication edict, Xuantong was still too young to have a concubine at all. If he had one, he would have been a child bride, which was not counted in the Qing palace. So Longyu was the last empress of China. As mentioned earlier, Wanrong's official title is Lady Pu. Although she once served as a pseudo empress in Changchun, she was not the empress of China. It is completely wrong to call Wanrong the last queen of China. Because the last Empress of the Qing Dynasty, Longyu, lived in Zhongcui Palace, which is the last Empress Palace, it is relatively well preserved and well preserved. The Hanging Flower Gate, Shuo Shou Corridor, and Jing Ting are all located, and there are also platforms connecting the front and rear halls that are not found in other palaces.

The Zhongcui Palace has not been restored to its original state. When I came, there was an exhibition of the ancient qin collected in the Palace Museum, the earliest of which was the Tang Dynasty ancient qin.

After coming out of Zhongcui Palace, continue walking east along Dongsan Hengxiang and cross Dong'er Changjie to reach Jingyang Palace. In the early Ming Dynasty, this place was called Changyang Palace, and in the 14th year of the Jiajing reign, it was renamed Jingyang Palace. Jingyang means admiring the sun.

There was a famous person who lived in Jingyang Palace during the Ming Dynasty. One day, Emperor Wanli Zhu Yijun went to visit his mother Empress Dowager Li at the Cining Palace, and as a result, he congratulated Empress Dowager Wang. At that time, Emperor Wanli had not yet suffered from polio and could still walk normally. It was not a problem to bring down the two palace maids. Miss Wang was pregnant and gave birth to a son named Zhu Changluo, who was conferred the title of Wang Gongfei. This son was the eldest son of Emperor Wanli. Two years later, Consort Wang Gong gave birth to the Fourth Princess. Emperor Wanli moved Consort Wang Gong to Jingyang Palace, and his son Zhu Changluo grew up and lived in Ciqing Palace outside the harem. Emperor Wanli did not like Empress Wang Gong, who came from a palace maid background, but preferred Empress Zheng Guifei. In fact, Empress Dowager Li, the mother of Emperor Wanli, also came from a palace maid background. The Jingyang Palace where Empress Wang Gong lived became a cold palace, and she received thirty years of cold treatment inside. Emperor Wanli and Empress Dowager Wanli suffered from polio, making it inconvenient to walk. Therefore, he never went to Jingyang Palace or took Empress Wang Gong to Qianqing Palace. According to the Ming system, Zhu Changluo must be appointed as the crown prince, and Empress Dowager Li and the ministers all supported him. But Empress Zheng also wants to make her son the crown prince. Due to the establishment of the crown prince, Emperor Wanli and his ministers became one, from vice ministerial level to ministerial level. Over a hundred ministers were demoted and some were inscribed on plaques, which is called the national capital dispute. During this period, Zhu Changluo had a son named Zhu Youxiao, who was the grandson of Emperor Wanli Zhu Yijun. As a result, Emperor Wanli, with the support of Empress Dowager Li, appointed Zhu Changluo as the Crown Prince and conferred the title of Empress Wang Gong as the Imperial Noble Consort. He continued to eat cold meals in the cold palace of Jingyang Palace, and the dispute over the foundation of the country was finally settled. In the 39th year of the Wanli reign (1611 AD), Wang Gongfei, who was 46 years old, passed away after being suppressed in the Cold Palace for thirty years. In the 43rd year of the Wanli reign, a shocking stilt attack occurred. Although it was a suspected case, it was a struggle between Empress Zheng and Crown Prince Zhu Changluo. After the death of Emperor Wanli, Zhu Changluo became Emperor Taichang, the forgotten Ming Guangzong. Last time I said, in less than a month, Emperor Taichang died in the Red Pill case. His son Zhu Youxiao was carried by the ministers to the Wenhua Hall to fight against Li Xuanshi, and successfully took over as the Emperor of Tianqi. Then, a palace relocation case broke out, driving Li Xuanshi out of the Qianqing Palace. After Zhu Youxiao took office, he posthumously honored his grandmother Wang Gongfei as Empress Xiaojing and was buried in Dingling with Emperor Wanli and Empress Xiaoduan. The Empress Wang Gong, who lived in Jingyang Palace, was the saddest concubine of the Ming Dynasty. She was sent to a cold palace and although her children and grandchildren became emperors, they did not live long.

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, Jingyang Palace was rebuilt as the Royal Library, and the back hall became the Imperial Study. The layout of Jingyang Palace and other palaces in Dongliu Palace is basically the same, except that the front hall is only three rooms wide instead of five. And the front hall has a yellow glazed tile roof, not a resting peak. The back hall is a yellow glazed tile top, not a gable roof. The roof specifications of the front and rear halls are one level higher than others. Jingyang Palace is located in the farthest corner of the East Six Palaces, which makes people feel a bit gloomy, so it is not open now. Opening it up is also a temporary exhibition of Royal Treasures.

In the past, there were twelve "Palace Instructions" paintings hired by Emperor Qianlong in Jingyang Palace, with one painting for each of the six palaces in the east and west. These pictures discuss the twelve virtues of women, such as reading and propriety, diligence and frugality, mutual education, diligence and bravery, and the courage to innovate. Qianlong also provided a matching piece of "Palace Training Poetry" for each painting. Every year on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, poems are hung on the east wall of the main hall and pictures are hung on the west wall. It was hung until the day when the second dragon looked up in February, and after hanging it, the dust was collected and stored in the backyard of Jingyang Palace.

The Forbidden City now has some so-called exhibitions in their original state. Apart from the front three palaces and the back three palaces, the West Six Palaces have also been restored and displayed in their original state during the Qing Dynasty, while the East Six Palaces do not. The Dongliu Palace has established an exhibition hall, some of which are themed exhibitions, such as the Bronze Museum; There are also special exhibitions, such as the Guqin Exhibition. The West Six Palaces have two palaces and one palace, while the East Six Palaces do not. They are still six palaces and basically maintain the architectural layout of the early Ming Dynasty. Only the Yanxi Palace was rebuilt after the fire and turned into a abandoned building; A circle of hand copying corridors has been added to the front courtyard of Zhongcui Palace.

The Dongliu Palace was the residence of the concubines in the imperial harem. In the early Ming Dynasty, several courtyards were built outside the Qianying Gate behind the Dongliu Palace, called Qiandong Wusuo, and now called Beiwu Suo. Qiandong Wusuo refers to the area east of Qianqing Palace. Of course, there are five courtyards for the princes to live in, arranged from west to east. These five courtyards have the same layout, all with three courtyards. There is a glazed door in the front yard, and the entrance is a wooden shadow wall. Behind the shadow wall is the front hall, with side halls on both sides. The second courtyard is also a main hall with two auxiliary halls, and there is a well pavilion in the courtyard. The three courtyards only have a rear hall and no side halls. These buildings are now mostly intact, but they are not open for visitors.

There are also some buildings east of the Eastern Six Palaces, among which the most important is the Heavenly Vault. There is a small north-south street outside the east wall of Dongliu Palace, and further east is Dongtongzi Street. The Tianqiong Treasure Hall is located at the northern end between these two streets. The Tianqiong Treasure Hall was called Xuanqiong Treasure Hall during the Ming Dynasty, and was renamed Tianqiong Treasure Hall during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty to avoid taboos. This is the largest Taoist temple in the imperial palace, and the Qin'an Hall in the imperial garden enshrines the Northern Xuanwu Emperor, who is also a Taoist temple. The Heavenly Treasure Hall here enshrines the Haotian God, as well as Lv Zu and the Heavenly Sovereigns, who regularly hold religious ceremonies. Haotian God is the Heavenly Emperor, also known as the "Heavenly God" in folk. On the platform in front of the main hall, there are copper cranes and turtles, as well as copper incense burners, all made by Emperor Qianlong. Every year on the first day of the first lunar month and the new year, the Tianla Daoist Temple, one of the Five Labs, is held here. On the ninth day of the first lunar month, the Tiandan Daoist Temple is held for the birthday of the Haotian God, and the Wanshou and Ping'an Daoist Temple is held for the birthday of the Emperor. The dojo is no longer open, but it is still not open for visitors.

To the south of the Tianqiong Treasure Hall and to the east of the Yanxi Palace were the office buildings of palace officials in the Ming Dynasty, equivalent to the current office or general affairs management bureau. To the east of Yanxi Palace is its main entrance, which is small and inconspicuous, and is currently closed.

During the Hongwu period of the early Ming Dynasty, six bureaus and one department were established, which were called the Six Shang Bureau. "Shang" means to be in charge. Including the Imperial Palace, Imperial Etiquette, Imperial Clothing, Imperial Food, Imperial Sleep, and Imperial Merit, these six Imperial Schools are responsible for mastering the various etiquette and skills of eunuchs and palace maids. The First Division is the Palace Zhengsi, which is the organization responsible for managing palace personnel, integrating public security, procuratorate, and law. During the Qing Dynasty, this was a royal warehouse called the Inner Warehouse, which included silk and satin warehouses, tea warehouses, fruit warehouses, and so on. Every morning, without waiting for the emperor and empress to apply, eunuchs line up from the inner warehouse gate of this east alley, carrying various snacks and condiments to the entrance of each palace. At the entrance of each palace, there are eunuchs from the main palace, and then the second palace maid is responsible for placing them in designated positions in each room. The Grand Palace Maiden doesn't do this. At this moment, the Grand Palace Maiden is busy wiping the master's pancreas and washing his face. These warehouses are not open because no one has cleaned them for many years.

Continuing eastward along the east side alley in front of the Yanxi Palace, there is a wall facing gate called Cangzhen Gate on the palace wall. After leaving this gate, you will find Dongtongzi Long Street, which runs north-south. This long street is even longer than Dongyi Long Street. To the south, you can reach the Arrow Pavilion Square outside the Jingyun Gate on the east side of the Baohe Hall, and to the north, you can reach the Shenwumen Square outside the Shunzhen Gate. It is the road for the eunuchs working in the palace.

After seeing the East Six Palaces, go and take a look at the West Six Palaces.

(To be continued)