Third Empress of Qianlong Was a Maid? Was Poisoned? | Consort Ling (Nara/Ruyi's Rival) 

True. In Yanxi, she was a heroine while in Ruyi, she was an antagonist. I wonder, which version is most true to the real person.

@@lovelydeath04 Probably neither. She is very clever but that's probably not her defining personality trait. Qianlong probably liked her because she was easy going and got along well with other women in his harem.

@@lovelydeath04 I think Ruyi, many of the male kids from the other concubines die very soon while her kids were ok and also the kingdom wasnt very prosper in later years

@@itzyinyourareat9763 Consort Ling’s kids were okay? Two of her sons died very young. She also suffered a miscarry at 8 months. That’s a total of 3 lives lost. This video is based on the historical figure. Not Wei Yanwan or Wei Yingluo. But I see Ruyi fans love to parrot the drama narrative which is made up by web novel writers who took liberties on who they wanted to be good guys and bad guys and not on historic records that indicates anyone was good or bad. You’re just biased against her now because of the drama. And Qing declines because of Qianlong’s own doing, the Harem couldn’t heed politics. Officials were becoming corrupt and involved in embezzlement, was that Consort Ling’s fault that they embraced corruption? Did she force them to embezzle? Or is it once again the Ruyi drama that made you biased and decided that everything had to be her fault and it’s so convenient to blame a woman and not the men who held and wielded their political power?

@@rosedream8702 It's more than that. If you notice the Ruyi series are more carefully done (costumes, background, poems etc) while Yanxi was done for comedy. Also the Ruyi series come from a book by a writer who has studied history. Unfortunately almost all of the available sources arent available in English but only in Chinese. I have commented before so it's tiresome for me to explain it again but you'll see other history lovers or Chinese commenters also mention some of the following. Consort Ling was most likely the cause of the downfall of the Empress Nara (aka Ruyi) since the Emperor was planning to make her Imperial Noble Consort although she and the Empress were both alive and well. The previous Imperial Noble Consort was Noble Consort Gao and was installed as such only 2 days before her death as a way to honour her. An Imperial Noble Consort is only a step below the Empress so promoting someone with humble origins such as Consort Ling to that position while she was still alive and well, could only mean that the Empress' position was being shaken. Another evidence that the Empress' throne was shaky in the time of Qianlong is the remark by the first Empress Fuca who likened herself to koi fish in a small pond and let her husband know that she was unhappy. Fuca later died from stress and sorrow after losing another prince. It was common for women to lose several children and previous Empresses left no heirs so all this evidence points to deeper reasons for Fucas unhappiness and death. Anyway, let's return to Consort Ling. Ling was encouraging Qianlongs bad habits (opium, drinking, taking prostitutes or local women) unlike Empress Nara who was a devout Buddhist. Qianlong started performing genocides in his latest years and acted in a very unrestrained and vicious manner even punishing his ministers and generals for not exterminating the Dzungars more effectively. All this happened after Empress Nara's death. Several of his own ministers kept insisting that honours are given to Empress Nara so he had them executed or exiled but decided to not make Consort Ling an Empress. Consort Ling was definitely not very appreciated by the ministers and probably seemed like someone who was trying to jump above her abilities and upbringing. However, there is no evidence that Consort Ling murdered other princes but after Empress Nara's death her son and other princes werent in much favour and they all died young. Apparently this fact inspired the writer of the Ruyi series for her depiction of Consort Ling. Empress Nara was always considered virtuous throughout her life and even immediately after her death but Consort Ling not so much. An interesting fact is that Consort Ling's bones were found intact because she died of cinnabar poisoning. Even 100s of years after her death the cinnabar is enough to maintain them. None of us should judge her without knowing, only God should judge but we should keep in mind some facts and learn from history. Personally I dont trouble my mind with her but I respect and am more curious about Empress Nara.

Yes, this was also what I've been thinking until I realized that it was the same case with INC Huixian and Chunhui, but I kind of understand that they came from more prominent Han backgrounds, compared to Consort Ling, specially Noble Consort Gao whose father was a high ranked official.

@@alexl.-a.1125 But Qianlong granted INC to both of them as consolation when they were critically ill meanwhile Qianlong granted Ling INC title after he stripped Step Empress’s authority which means he made Ling highest ranking consort and replacing Step Empress as the head of harem

@@alexl.-a.1125 The Imperial Noble Consort title was only reserved for concubines that could be elevated after death or if they were gravely ill on their deathbed as a gesture of good luck, blessings or honor. The title couldn’t be granted in any other case while an Empress was alive and ruling the harem and simultaneously have another consort hold such a rank while alive and well as INC was like vice Empress. Therefore Consort Ling being titled INC and actually ruling the harem while an Empress was still alive and capable herself was in fact a huge deal.

Agree. The point I tried to make is that I thought a Han woman in the harem didn't have access to become INC or even NC but realizing that INC Ling was Han, also the others I mentioned and some of those after them got to be Dowager INC even if they were Han women, so I guess Han ethnicity was not a limitation.

She was related to Nara.

Absolutely she was even placed on the rightside of qianlong so i dont believe ruyi drama at all

@@geolinotag9502correct!

@@geolinotag9502 what does the right side means?

Yes

Actually, there is no confirmation of any kind of what actually happened between them at all. But it could be possible due to the power balance struggle and political message a decision like this could have send to the Court, who knows.

anyone can guess what happen , for emprore to make ex maid into 2nd highest rank in palace after the empress , everyone can guess why she did it

That and it also involved him wanting a prostitute to be his new wife. All we know for sure is that it involved a boat, a whore, and Wei that caused the Step Empress to have enough of this bullshit.

In Wikipedia they write she was angry because ling granted a rank same as the empress nara. She already was jealous of her become close to the emperor .so that high rank was the last straw. Otherwise she didn't have to cut it.

@@shaikhaalsaedi965 however, why would she be jealous of Ling guifei becoming huangguifei when Qianlong did the same thing for Chun guifei? Step-empress Nara did not become enraged and did not cut her own hair when Chun guifei was promoted (with a grand ceremony that rivalled the empress's). There is evidence that Qianlong tried to find a reason to punish her when she refused to allow him to bring brothel workers back to the Forbidden City. The same thing happened for his first empress whom died on one of his trips to Jiangnan.

You replied to me but I couldn’t reply you under my comment so I replied here. You said things like “the emperor did not rule alone, he had to respect the nobility and those big Manchu noble families like Fuca and Ulanara by only marrying a Manchu empress so as not to make those families upset.”I have never heard of Ulanara aiding the emperor Qianlong. It was of no prominence at that time. Fuca had the glory because of the emperor. Do you know what Qing dynasty was like? That the Emperor had to give way to the BIG NOBLE FAMILIES? No. Ever since the establishment of Jun Ji Chu (軍機處), a council controlled by the emperor where all things in government were handled and approved of, the emperor became the only one who could control everything. When Qianlong started his reign, he even further tightened his absolute power by only allowing the most trustworthy official, the one and only, to meet with him to discuss the government affairs and pass down his orders for him. Qianlong would not even discuss anything with anyone like a parliament. No, no such thing. The nobilities had no power, or army or weapons. Many cases have been found where the nobilities were sometimes severely punished, even deprived of their titles for displeasing the emperor. The nobilities had to rely on Qianlong for wealth and glory.

And yes, including granting titles to the consorts and making an Empress, those were handled in Jun Ji Chu. All of those had to handled by the Emperor. What you said that the nobilities would make the emperor give way is no doubt a serious offence to the imperial power. Emperor Qianlong even prevented any member of the imperial family from interfering with the affairs in Jun Ji Chu. Qianlong was so concerned about his power.

@@elizabethbennet8569 What’s wrong with you? Why are you so obsessed? 😂 I saw your comment in your own thread why are you coming here to repeat yourself again. You’ve written like 20 comment under your original comment by yourself. Calm down

That alright as long as you can bring glory and fortune to you clan...or prolong you clan glory...

@@dewdew8321 I am more sad for the maids and eunuchs they had to work their whole life and if the emperor die they had to be burned alive to continue serving him jn afterlife 💀🤦🏾

@@sakurakou2009 first time knowing that

You know he had other women after her yes she was favored but she wasn’t the last one. You should research about concubine rong

@@rqinytxars5654 Maybe it's you who should do your research. The Emperor's treatment of Consort Rong wasn't because he was madly in love with her, as dramas usually show. It was more of a political wooing than a personal one. The Emperor honored Consort Rong and allowed her concessions not given to other women in the harem due to her family's position in quelling any rebels against the Qing Dynasty in Xinjiang. It was a matter of cooperation and respect, rather than some crazy obsession.

@@rqinytxars5654 Additionally, the legendary Fragrant Concubine--which is often the figure that people refer to when they say 'Consort Rong'--is just that, a legend. Her tale was based on Consort Rong's, but wildly romanticized, that there is barely any trace of fact left.

@@anthyavila9726 so then I’m still right even if it was just for show she was still highly favored

@@anthyavila9726 my point was that Consort Ling wasn’t the only one he had favored even if it was for a political reason or not he still had women right after her

Isn't it wei yinglous story from the legend of yanxi palaca..I don't know but it seems like that

I've been watching Yanxi palace but thehbare 2 different stories 2 separate emperors

@@florvaquera7145 what do you mean by different stories and different emperors?

@@florvaquera7145 its the same emperor for ruyi and yanxi and same consorts but different plotline if thats what ur talking about

They are both dramatized, but Ruyi's Royal Love follows history and cultural aspects of those times far more closely than Yanxi Palace. The story presented in this video as well is also based on rumors and not fact.

They were all his wives from before he became Emperor and all were from high ranking clans. Even in Ruyi's they may have been villans, but they were still his wives and he loved them at one point or another (he probably knew some of them from very young). Of course no one should take take a tv drama as being perfectly historically accurate, but they very much so (at least in the case of Ruyi's Royal Love) can use it to educate themselves on some aspects of history, as the show does portray many different cultural and historical things that are based on real history.

However, there are some dramas that are based on a real historical event and a real situation in someones life

I know that too. But i can't help but to question the history. Cuz it was written by the journaler working for the emperor himself. There is no way the emperor allow such unlawful event recorded in the books. Therefore no matter how accurate it was, it still one person perspective. About Ruyi, for an empress to cut her hair despite knowing well the meaning, that made me doubt the harem. Ruyi was raise in high ranking court. For taking such action, the emperor must had cross the line.

@@ducky4021 I couldn’t agree more

@@ducky4021 did I say never question history? History should always be questioned and debated. These dramas are adapted from web novels, and in order to make them popular the authors of these novels took great liberties at twisting facts and creating exciting plots that engage readers/viewers. That’s the point of a web novel. Example, First Prince Yonghuag being eliminated as a potential successor to the throne would hardly be as exciting of a plot if not for adding in a twist that a consort had her hand in manipulating him. I mean anything was possible it could’ve been his own doing, he could’ve been instigated, but who or what instigated depends on who the web novel writer wants it to be and not on evidence or clues left in historical records. Of course, Qianlong crossed the line. That’s obvious. No Manchu woman of her caliber cuts her hair on a whim. It’s interesting to debate and read theories on what pushed her over the edge and eventually caused her downfall.

I agree! I see many drama fans flooding these kinds of videos which has nothing to do with dramas, it’s simply commentary on the real historical people that once lived and makes no crossover into drama land. Drama characters are drama characters, they’re portrayed in whichever way according to what the writers of these dramas want it to be, not based in historical fact. I don’t have much to say on her personal character, there’s just no proof of anyone being good or bad. But I must say I’m really impressed by how a Han girl with little political backing managed to gain such glory in the Qing dynasty considering Han people were seen as lower and lesser than Manchu’s at the time.

Well, let us be rest assured that Ms.Ling didnot make it to the empress chair and Ms.Xian is not resting at the left side of the qianlong tomb. The 2nd empress somehow got her wish....that is she didn't want to be part of the emperor( by cutting her hair) ...meanwhile ms.Ling made her son the emperor which was her alltime aim.....Wonder how come Ms.Ling get to raise her children while others didnt. Maybe thats why she managed to keep 50% of her children alive and made one them the emperor.....meanwhile others totally lost their sons...wonder how that was possible....so the emperor must hv been watching over Ms.Ling's sons...on the other hand onyhe Ms.Ling kept the emperor to her bedside and the emperor just forgo his duty to safe guard the lives of his other princes. ( maybe thats what Ms.Ling wanted and planned...boy she did know how to keep the emperor all happy and boozy) Wonder why Ms.Ling did not save the others' princes like she saved her own sons....unless that IS HER alterior motive. Well since the world hv got her bones to look at,wonder why the Fuca emperess's bones has no reports.... Did they ever find Ms.Xing's tomb?...just that the 2nd emperess made the Qing dynasty a mistery till to date....if its not for her, who cares about any one of the Qianlong emperor's sex life....let alone Fuca clan or the Han maid.

@@sumathyretnam7694 The TV dramas distort the "killing" of the royal children. The truth was most died of disease though a few may have been murdered. The water surrounding the Forbidden City, and the rest of the capital was polluted by human waste. It was the same in all the large cities in the world till the development of modern sanitation methods. In this period you were most likely to die from a fly or infected insect bite than from poison laced food. The official records clearly show this as versus the massive murders made up by TV drama fantasy.

@@sumathyretnam7694 I see you’ve crossed over into dramaland a few times which has no evidence of all these so called murders. Of course if you choose to believe that, it’s entirely your choice to to believe drama murders which has no real record. And fyi, Miss Ling didn’t make her son the Emperor, Qianlong chose her son his successor in 1773 while he still had Empress Nara’s son , 13th Prince Yongji to choose. He chose that Han maid woman (as you refer to her) son as his successor instead.

@@rosedream8702 boy...you are the dramaland person aren't you? Tell you what, recently, Ms.Ling's tomb was opened and bones were examined and found out that..her PELVIC BONES WERE TOO NARROW FOR CHILD BIRTH. Any way..you go ahead and keep pushing your agenda of backing the Ms.Ling left...right and centre for all i care.....an empress IS always an empress no equal to a 'keep'....for whatsoever reason ....ops....

A real womanly figure i presume, who wouldn't love a caring, kind, generous,wonderful woman huh? All throughout the ages Men's mindset haven't changed. On the other hand the step empress is kinda wild lady to cut off her hair like that without thinking of the repercussions and dim sighted,lacks the ambition and patience.

Even while she was pregnant😄 ??? She had 6 children in 10 years, was exclusively favored during that time, she came from a humble background so there was no political reason to elevate her, her son became emperor and she's buried beside him. That's not what I'd called favored, I'd call that love.

Yeah I'd be way more impressed if a pregnant wife served her poor husband like that. He's the dam emperor

@Avolution ..and yet Qianlong fell in love with Concubine Rong and also had local women of louse morals brought to him especially during the trip where Empress Nara cut her hair.. Apparently he even had a male lover. Even his favourites were corrupt politicians like He Shen who bankrupted the country. Considering everything known about Qianlong he had, what we would call, many narcissistic tendencies and therefore unless you constantly gave him narcissistic supply in the form of extravagant attention, he was likely to kill or exile you..

I discovered Yanxi Palace first on Netflix last year and recently discovered on RU-vid a few months ago, a much longer one with 70-80 episodes. I'm so far on episode 30 and I haven't yet seen any of the scenes from the Netflix version.

@@AK_The_Legend the one on Netflix is a sequel to the drama

@@m0iiworld Oh really? Had no idea. So that's why there was no sign of empress Fuca in the Netflix version. Either way, I think Ruyi is way better and shows a lot more of the Qing dynasty Manchurian customs.

@@AK_The_Legend Actually, Ruyi is a bit more inaccurate than Yanxi since it portrays both Empress Fuca and Consort Ling as fairly wicked people when in reality, Empress Fuca was considered very virtuous and Ruyi was never that beloved/favoured by the Emperor. There are many other things that Ruyi is inaccurate on about- Consort Ling’s title was written in a different Hanzi from the original one and they got the overall clothing wrong.

@@thesleepybiscuit4203 They got the clothing wrong? Really?? The clothing in Ruyi is more in line with Empresses in the palace and is so detailed, so I assumed it is closer to the real deal. What is your source on the clothing styles? I'd love to find out more.

But it was consort ling who gave him many children,surpassing other concubines. That was pleasing to the emperor.she proved herself fertile so the emperor always spent time with her at nights.lol

@miriam tiuseco How do you know the emperor spent more nights with her? Only by judging the number of pregnancies, she only got to spent seven nights with the emperor over those ten years. Use your logic, if you do have logic, 😂😂😂😂some other consorts who didn’t bear children for the emperor or even just one daughter, they were still better off than Consort ling in terms of their rewards from the emperor. Lol Lol

@@user-bd2pg4zt5l Your logic is faulty. Had he not rapidly promoted her and even had her buried next to him, we might all be as ignorant as you into assuming she was the only super fertile concubine who somehow got pregnant seven times by sleeping with the Emperor only seven times (does that even make sense to you?). As you were

I think so too.

In reality Ruyi maybe the bad guy, how can she chop off her hair like that huh?(considering that,that act is a taboo in her time) it shows her lack of virtue,lack of ambition,dim sighted,and vindicative , qualities that lacks to become someone who can weild power and authority.

@@thisnthat7760 We don't know the reason why the empress cut her hair. and how are you so sure about that empress nara may be the bad guy?

In Qing's era, there was no power placed into the harem woman’s hand. They mostly spent their time being bored. I doubt she was able to scheme at all.

@@Cantfeelthepain I think you need to study Chinese history more to find out that there were notable women in Chinese History who were scheming and manipulative like Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Wu Zetian. Take Empress Dowager Cixi for example who was able to rise from her low ranking concubine status to 3rd ranking consort and eventually becoming the Empress Dowager Cixi who ruled China with an iron fist behind the curtains. Empress Cixi was known to be shrewd manipulative and ruthless. She staged a coup and had her enemies and rivalrys murder. Empress Cixi even had Consort Zhen put under house arrest and order her to commit suicide which Consort Zhen refused / eventually Cixi order her eunuchs to throw Consort Zhen into a well where she was killed. Oh and let's not forget the time where Empress Jiashun criticized Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Dowager Cixi flew into a rage. Cixi pulled Empress Jiashun hair and bitch slapped her and order her eunuchs to take Jiashun away and seperated from the Emperor Tongzhi . So clearly there lives weren't all that boring because there was alot of drama going inside the inner courts. And i could go on and on about how Evil Empress Cixi was and how she even murder her nephew Emperor Guangxu with arsenic poisoning / i'm just stating this to make a point. These types of women like Empress Wu Zetian , Empress Dowager Cixi and Consort Ling were ambitious and would do anything for power. For these type of women to stay in power they had to be smart conniving and ruthless in order to get rid of their enemys and i believed Consort Ling was the same way. And don't tell me that there's no Power in the Harem because clearly the ones who become Empress or Empress Dowager does have a big influence over the Emperor. And there is a Pecking order in the Harem which gives one Consort power over other Consorts , Concubines and Eunuchs and so clearly there is a power structure within the Harem. And that is why everybody is always trying to fight their way the Empress seat because as Empress you get the biggest lavish palace with lots of maids to served you and you had the best clothing and jewelry and Plentiful foods .

@@vk311z8 Qing dynasty is very different as no power we’re given to women of the harem. This is likely because of the fall of the Ming dynasty at the hand of the last empress. Cixi is a different case as it was already during Qing’s decline.

@@Cantfeelthepain I'm not talking about power as in ruling. I'm merely talking about structure Powers within the Harem system

@@vk311z8 yes, there were no real power in the Qing harem. No woman of the harem is allowed to take any action toward other concubines or even servants that aren’t theirs. The empress is only allowed to report to the emperor. Only the emperor could make decisions. The only form of status differentiation is that only the empress of whoever holds the highest status/allowed by the emperor could lead other women during ceremonies. But it’s purely ritualistic as all harem affairs are managed by the ministry of internal affairs made up of regular officers instead of eunuchs. So no they don’t hold any harem power either.

Actually Ruyi tv series is the more historically accurate in terms of dates and specific events. We can’t eve know her character for what really happened but we know she was definitely exceptional and clever to rise up so far in the ranks

@@knightcool7769 Actually, Ruyi is a bit more inaccurate than Yanxi since it portrays both Empress Fuca and Consort Ling as fairly wicked people when in reality, Empress Fuca was considered very virtuous and Ruyi was never that beloved/favoured by the Emperor(shown in the number of children and how she didn’t become Empress until the Queen Dowager suggested so). There are many other things that Ruyi is inaccurate on about- Consort Ling’s title was written in a different Hanzi from the original one and they got the overall clothing wrong(it represented a fashion trend in late Qing and that Ruyi’s iconic blue head piece was worn in a wrong style while YingLuo in Yanxi actually had a similar head piece worn in the correct way).

Then please explain why Consort Ling was favoured, but none of the princesses/princes were appointed to be raised by her? Even though she was already Imperial Noble Consort. Only when the last QianLong's son to be become king, then only appointed Ling to be the 3rd queen. This can be seen that Ling is just as considered as maid of the 1st Empress, and for the sake of reproduce in the Fobidden City

@@knightcool7769 hahaha fck off if qianlong hates ling so much why would he buried her on his rightside and that shit ruyi shes not even buried along with him , and lets say he love ruyi why he didnt even make a way to regain ruyis reputation fck off

I just wrote a novel on Wei zifu empress of Han if you'd like to read it

@@michellerenee92580 oh love to ! Where can I read it?

Thanks for the info on Learning chinese with bing video! I will try to look for it, am curious about Consort Ling's life.

Aww i grew up watching that show

Oh yes i watched that drama too in my teens. Consort Ling's character there was portrayed as a gentle, kind, and caring woman always ready to plead Qian Long and Empress Dowager to show mercy on the 2 princesses . Different dramas show different versions of Consort Ling's character.

Yeah

Because children born to concubines and consorts are not viewed equally and given the same status as the children of the Empress who is the only legitimate wife. Just like the concubine is not on the same status as the legitimate wife , the Empress. By the time Step Empress was elevated to her status the imperial family had no surviving dí zǐ (sons born of the legitimate wife). Both Empress Xiaoxianchun’s sons passed away young. Great importance is placed on the children of the legitimate wife, they also typically may get priority in inheritance and princely ranks compared to the concubine’s children. Of course it’s not absolute that the empresses son’s would be the heir… a concubine’s child would be considered too, a lot depended on character and talent and not simply the birth mother, eg 5th Prince Yongqi was his most favored son, most outstanding and talented with a good personality/character, he was largely believed to have been the potential successor to the throne if not for his unfortunate passing. Ironically Qianlong chose both Empress Xiaoxianchun’s sons as his successors when they were only kids and both ended up dying young. In Qianlong’s 38th year of reign in 1773, he held a secret meeting with ministers and selected 15th Prince Yongyan as his successor despite 12th Prince Yongji still being alive, Yongji would only pass away 3 years later. Why he wasn’t chosen is up for speculation. It may have been his capabilities that was in question, it may have been that his chances and his status were affected due to to his mother’s downfall. After 12th Prince Yongji passed away he wasn’t granted the First Rank like a son of an Empress would be usually be ranked, instead he was titled Prince of the Third Rank which leads many to believe his status as a successor really in fact was affected by what happened to his mother unfortunately.

@Rose Dreams No. Ever since Emperor YongZheng commanded the heir to chosen in secret, all the sons were seen equal. Did you not see what the video said? It said because the emperor was scared of the son’s jealousy so he didn’t make Ling the Empress. If it was like what you said, the system of dizi inheriting the throne could prevent jealousy among other sons, then why did the emperor not make the Ling the empress so the sons wouldn’t be jealous because of the system?

For one thing the Nara empress' sons were born before Wei's sons. All sons are good sons ... especially considering the child mortality, and the mortality of risktaking young men trying to impress their imperial father. Yongji 12th son did not measure up to 5th son Yongqi, 13th son died at around 2 yrs, before 15th son, Yongyan, was born 1760. Three sons were considered as the best prospects before Yongyan, 2nd son Yonglian, 5th son Yongqi, and 7th son, Yongcong. All of them died. A lot of children, including two sons of Wei, died around the age 2, 18-24 months, seems like a couple of those deaths were botched smallpox inocculations, others might have been bc of catching smallpox before they were inocculated. Or other children's diseases, flu, rs-virus, weakened bc of bad ideas of how to care for toddlers ...

@ Rose Dream What? Because Empress Nara was the legitimate wife so other sons wouldn’t be jealous of her sons? If that’s the case, making Consort Ling the Empress might as well prevent other sons from being jealous of the 15th prince because his mother had become the legitimate wife. It would be totally beneficial. Just stop fantasizing, thinking that the Emperor loved the Consort and wanted to protect her from the outside opposition. There was NO opposition from the outside.😓😓😓 The officials even suggested to the emperor that a grand ceremony should be thrown for posthumously entitling Consort Ling as the Empress. Everyone agreed, but Qianlong disagreed.

He he. Its like Dong Yi in kdrama?

@@marcusbrian5592 exactly it’s so weird

Imperial concert Jia( Noble lady of Joseon), Noble concert Hai LAN and Imperial Noble concert Shu

Because the show focused on Step Empress so they made Step Empress as the protagonist and someone gotta be the ‘antagonist’, for the drama purpose. Based on history, Ling replaced the Step Empress as the head of harem so it is make sense to make her as Step Empress’s rival and as the rival, the character has to be potrayed as the reciprocal of the protagonist. Meanwhile Yanxi Palace focused on Consort Ling so the story was the contrary to Ruyi’s Royal. But i think we will never know the truth since there was no record about their relationship, we can only speculate

Ruyi's Royal Love In The Palace is base on a novel, Step Empress Nara is know to be cold hearted, so the novelist thought why not look it at her view?, what if she wasn't?, what would it be like? because Ruyi's history was mostly wipe out as order by the Emperor, so people actually know little about her, it give room for novelist, series to play a little...

Because that's probably closer to her real life personality than the plucky YA heroine in Yanxi Palace. Ling was known to be docile and subservient to the Emperor, which is exactly why he favored her. She pampered him and probably flattered him and gave him plenty of entertainment (like in Ruyi) instead of talking back and meddling with things right at his face.

Because the author of Ruyi wanted to buck the trends. Most dramas before have always portrayed her as a kind woman and Empress Nara as a villain. Ruyi’s author wanted to be different. Yanxi’s author stuck with the notion she was loved and favored (it’s not wrong) but even in Yanxi she is a morally grey person. I never got why it had to be one was good therefore the other had to be bad. It’s very possible both could’ve been bad or both may have well been good people too.

@@anthyavila9726 You seem to believe Ruyi is the gospel and now you’re convinced the real long dead Consort Ling was a bad person. You don’t have to like Yanxi, you can’t take it’s popularity away even if you wished it away. But Yanxi and Ruyi are both fictional, why in the world anyone thinks they should look to these palace dramas for any real education is beyond me. There’s no records that state either of these women are bad or good people. Empress Fuca is the only one that gets clear mentions in historical records about her character. So I would love to find the verified sources that she (Ling) was only good at being docile, flattering and pampering Qianlong… I’ll check Baidu.

because she had a lot of kids

And she was named Xian....while alive. That tells something right. Well there IS more for us to know about the Ulanara clan Step Empress...

The "most grand ceremony in history", I have to point out is not true in any way if you are referring to the historical figure.

It's literally just the same thing, Empress is the mother of the nation as they say in China. However for example, you can only have one biological mother, and if your dad remarries, that lady is your step mum but it's not quite the same feeling but the role and duties stay the same. So as Empress Fuca was the original Empress, everyone after is always only step Empress but their roles do not differ, only the "feeling" does. When Ruyi is Empress, ofc everyone knows she's step Empress but no one calls her that really, when they address her they just say Empress. Like I said, same role and duties but different feeling.

@@simplycomplex5292 Empress is a position of the Emperor’s official/legal wife in that era. Once the Empress passed away, she will be given posthumous title. The posthumous title starts with ‘Xiao’, Qianlong’s first Empress was given ‘Xiao Xian’ posthumous title and Consort Ling got ‘Xiao Yi’ after her son was chosen as the successor, which mean she is eligble for the ‘Empress’ title as the mother of next emperor. After the Emperor died, the Emperor also has his posthumous title. Qianlong’s posthumous title ended with ‘Chun’. So both of his Empresses title were elevated by the next Emperor (Jiaqing Emperor), to ‘Xiao Xian Chun’ and ‘Xiao Yi Chun’. You can see it from the list of Empresses of Qing dynasty, the Empresses from an Emperor will be given similar title. For ex: Jiaqing’s Empresses; Xiaoshurui and Xiaoherui. Later on, they will be known/called by their posthumous title. In Qianlong’s second empress case, Qianlong did not grant her a posthumous title, so she ended up known/called as ‘Step Empress’ as she was the second empress of Qianlong. My point is, ‘Empress’ is a position meanwhile ‘Step Empress’ refers to Qianlong’s second Empress (Empress Xian)

The first empress died, so the second one is the step empress

It was against the rules i read somwhere

The son of the Nara Empress died at twenty-something, by the time Qianlong wanted to appoint a crown prince only the sons of Consort Ling were alive. And as far as I know, she was named Empress by her son when Qianlong died, because the mother of the Emperor should be the Empress Dowager, but she had been dead for a long time. I kinda remember he was not even rised by her, so the E. Dowager should have been his foster mother and naming Lingyi as Empress could have been just a way to honor her. Now I have three important statements: 1st. I'm not saying I have the absolute truth, if I am wrong please educate me. I am a huge fan of world history and ancient civilizations, but it's just a hobby, I'm not a professional by any means. 2nd. I am also a fan of Ruyi's series, but I understand it's a tv show and it's not a reliable source. 3rd. I couldn't finish this video lol, I'm working and getting interrupted every three minutes, so maybe the vídeo explained something I skipped, and for that I apologize in advance.

@@soffvallejo5239 1. By the time Qianlong chose his successor, there were still 6 princes alive ( Yongcheng, Yongrong, Yongxuan, Yongji, Yongyan, and Yonglin) and 4 of them were much older than the chosen successor, Yongyan, the Jiaqing Emperor (Ling’s son, Qianlong’s 15th son). The only younger ones was Ling’s other son, Yonglin (Qianlong’s 16th son, Jiaqing’s full brother). In fact, Empress Nara’s son, Yongji still alive when Qianlong chose Yongyan as the succesor in 1773 meanwhile Yongji died in 1776. 2. Ling was a han boi woman meawhile the Empress should come from Manchu (or Mongol, at the beginning of Qing Dynasty). Still, as Imperial Noble Consort, she acted as the head of harem as the highest ranking consort. 3. When she died in 1775, she was an Imperial Noble Consort and then Qianlong gave her posthumous title ‘Imperial Noble Consort Lingyi’ and not the Empress Dowager. So she was known as Imperial Noble Consort Lingyi from 1775 until 1795. She was known as Empress Xiao Yi starting from 1795 and Xiao Yi Chun starting from 1799. 4. Maybe u misunderstood some infos. Yes she eligible to be tittled Empress posthumously because her son became an Emperor. But, it was Qianlong himself who did that in 1795 (right after he announced Jiaqing as the successor). Jiaqing Emperor ascended the throne in 1796 and got no actual power until Qianlong died in 1799. Qianlong gave Ling Empress title ‘Xiao Yi’ posthumously in 1795, just like his first Empress who got ‘Xiao Xian’ in 1748. When Qianlong died in 1799, his posthumous title ends with ‘Chun’, so both of Qianlong’s Empress posthumous title were elevated to Empress Xiao Xian Chun and Xiao Yi Chun by the next Emperor (the Jiaqing Emperor). You can see the list of Qing’s Empresses, the Empresses of an Emperor will have similiar posthumous title. To think about it, why Qianlong himself promoted Ling to Empress posthumously? Jiaqing will do it for sure once he ascended the throne. To me it shows how much Qianlong care for Ling to the point did that himself 20 years after her death. 5. It wasnt Empress Dowager who help in raising Yongyan, the Jiaqing Emperor, but Consort Qing. Thats why he honoured her by giving her posthumous title ‘Imperial Noble Consort Qinggong’. Empress Dowager help in raising Ling’s two princesses Cmmiw & sorry for my broken english

@@sherina799 thank you!!

@@sherina799 This reply is spot on but he actually had 7 princes surviving by the time he made his selection in 1773. Another of Consort Jia’s sons , the 11th prince Yongxing is missing on the list. Surprisingly Yongxing was noted at being quite a talent in literature and calligraphy. But his father didn’t appreciate that he was influenced by the Han literati of old. On a side note, even Imperial Noble Consort Ling’s eldest daughter was titled Gurun Princess Hejing of the First Rank in 1770, which is a rank only reserved for the daughter of an Empress. Even though she (Consort Ling) was only the de facto empress she wasn’t officially one at the time her daughter gained such a title and protocol was broken for her.

So true. Consort Ling was very likely a good ass-kisser, which is how she earned the the Emperor’s favour. A record shows that that one day during the 27th year of the reign of Qianlong, Ling was already eight months into pregnancy, and according the usual practice, a consort who was so close to giving birth would have to stay in a designated place until after she gave birth for the purpose of safety of both the mother and the child. But Ling just risked it and brought a bunch of dishes, taking a long journey of 60 to 70 km to the place where the emperor stayed coming back from somewhere and she served the emperor with the dishes she brought. How could the emperor not like that?

Look at those favoured officials working in the imperial court, like HeShen, LiShiyao, they were all ass-kissers too, good at licking the boots of the Emperor.

This video is about the real historical Consort Ling (Empress Xiaoyichun) not the drama characters Wei Yanwan and Wei Yingluo of who they are loosely based on and given whichever personalities the writers of the novels wanted them to have, which had no historical indication they were ever as portrayed in any drama.

You really need to stop using a fictional drama to criticize real historical figures. One thing the drama made up - There’s no records of Ruyi being the first girl Hongli wanted to marry. Just that she was favored when she eventually became a concubine. And then losing that favor as empress.

Wasn't wei pregnant constantly and you claim she must have been a seductress during that time? Ruyi's royal love was a drama based on a novel, not reality. This is why they banned both dramas because people wanted to act like they were historical fact. And if we're going by history yanxi was closer to it.

That is a fictional account of her life.

I think Ruyi is more accurate

@@itzyinyourareat9763 about consort ling? Nah not really, just look at how the emperor always says that he despises her but then let her have kids. And then later on after her death he posthumously promoted her to empress. Like if he really hated her why would he do those things? Sure, ruyis royal love would be more accurate in other consorts' story/ranking, but definitely not consort ling's lol

@@itzyinyourareat9763 also fictional.

@@itzyinyourareat9763 Yanxi is fictional… Ruyi is fictional.

is this google translated? im having headache reading this

@BlackVenus I said chosen by, not chosen to be. She was chosen by the dowager to the palace as a child and learnt royal rules and etiquette. Can’t you read?

@@dodo-eu6ox also if she was working in Empress Fuca's palace she had to belong to a good family, so I agree with you, she might not be from a family like the Gao, but certainly hers should had some merit to have her working there.

I've noticed that too. The drama are fun and all (well... ruyi's royal love was just depressing) but I always look up the history before, during or afterward and that's even more interesting.

Consort Ying (Mongolian Barin Tribe). After Consort Ling'a death, the emperor assigned Yongyan (Jiaqing) to be under Consort Ying's care, making her his foster mother. She was elevated as Noble Dowager Consort Ying when Yongyan became emperor.

Hi, you are stating facts that I would love to read about. If there are English sources for them please share them with us! Cheers.

@@alexl.-a.1125 I haven’t read much in English but the go to sources are 清實錄 (Real records of Qin dynasty), which are records made my Qin officials during their reign. The 2nd one is 清史稿 (a draft of Qin history), which was started after the Qin’s fall, and is not as reliable.

@@Cantfeelthepain thanks for sharing, knowing these sources is a great opportunity to keep learning about this and some other topics related to the Qing ers. Very much appreciated!

Yes, i read it to in the chinese version of Wikipedia about her life. Qianlong threat his daughters with ling very badly, he only gave the Gurun princess title to hejinj just because he was marries off to an mongolian prince. The dowry of The princess heke was much inferior than the one of the adopted daughter of Qianlong and she didn't even get the title of Gurun princess when the mother was posmuthly titled as an empress and even when her brother became the emperor.

@@cookie9841 wow based on this thread Qianlong seemed to be really tyranical towards his family, seems that only the princess he had by Lady Dun was the only one that was spared from this mistreat. I truly would like to read these sources at least in English, French or Spanish but in the meanwhile I am enjoying learning from your comments. Thanks!

I don’t think that’s the reason she was favored in the first place. But if she was favored, she would then be “spending more time” with the emperor, causing her to get pregnant and give birth, which then gives him an excuse to show his favor towards her more. She was probably just very fertile.

Yes you can't just sleep and do nothing and get pregnant at first place. In other words more fu ck more birth lol...

@kim kim Lol?? Giving birth to more babies doesn’t mean love. People in the old days were concerned about offspring. Sex did not necessarily require love. Qianlong emperor cared about the abundance of offspring, he needed fertile woman. At the same time he had other women to project his favour on while Consort Ling was pregnant, like Consort Xin. Lol….

Clearly not. Even before having children she kept getting promoted quickly.

@@elizabethbennet8569 @Elizabeth Bennet indeed, but fans of the Ruyi series use the fact that the step Empress having given birth to babies as a sign that the emperor "loved" her... If we look at your other comments it clearly shows who you are favoring. Tbh in reality there was way less drama in the Qing palace compared to the previous dynasties. Yanxi is historically inaccurate in many aspects but would be more accurate than Ruyi which was based on a novel created by an author who gained success from her novel being adapted into the series Empress in the palace... In the end of that series Ruyi was actually introduced as the arrogant one. Fact: Empress in the palace was initially not based on any real Chinese dynasty but the director and co. decided to fit it into the Qing agenda. That author being known in China for her infamous plagiarism of other novels regained her fame when Empress in the palace was released and due to its popularity she decided to write a sequel with the Qing agenda to try find that success but if you were in China at the time these were released you would know what happened😂

Qing empire was not a constitutional monarchy. No. The emperors were not bound by any rules or etiquettes.

Some consorts who came from an aristocratic blue-blooded background did not enjoy ranks as high as those who were only from the class of commoners. Like Consort Shu, who was born to an aristocratic family, but ended up as far as the rank of Consort only for her whole life. While Imperial Noble Consort ChunHui, who was only a commoner, was given the rank of Imperial Noble Consort by the time she died, because she gave birth to 3 children for the emperor.

being an empress is wayyy more serious than being a high ranking consort. if you remember noble consort jia is from korea, and noble consort chun is also a han ethnic. but all the empresses in qing dynasty has always been from manchu ethnic. you need to remember that the emperor does not rule alone. noble consort title is just part of the harem but empress title is considered mother of the country. if the nobility do not support her ascension they would no doubt make problems for the emperor.

@ yeppeogeu Thank you for your comment. First of all, an emperor with all power centralised on himself would never allow other people to have say in his decisions. Qianlong put a person to a death sentence and had him beheaded for recommending Qianlong to have a new Empress after the step empress. Qianlong explained that this was the internal affair of the imperial house, others SHALL NOT have any say in that.

@yeppeogeu Also, the Qing empire practised slavery system, all the nobilities were “slaves” to the emperor. The emperor had the power to punish them freely up to his own will. There have been many time where a nobility was punished severely for only the things the emperor did not like. Punishments could be no income forever or deprivation of the title, or even being demoted to the commoners class! They feared the emperor.