In ancient times, the difference between wives and concubines was as profound as heaven. As early as the Warring States Period, it was recorded in the Book of Rites: "Concubine buyers share common property with their base." The Law of the Tang Dynasty also clearly stipulates that "concubines can buy and sell", and the property given when concubinage is called "the capital of buying concubines". The difference between wives and concubines is not only distinct among the people, but also in the palace. For example, Hu Fang, the favorite concubine of Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty, was treated as a "queen of Asia", but when her father Hu Fen met the father of Queen Yang Yan, he could only respectfully say, "My daughter is just a handmaid for your daughter." For example, Wu Huifei, the favored concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, was treated like a queen in the harem, but a small suggestion and history from the sixth grade still dared to point out rudely when referring to Wu Huifei that "Hui Fei was originally a towel-holder" and directly told the emperor that the woman you love is just a servant who serves you.

Not only is the status of concubines so off the table in the eyes of the world, but the illegitimate children born of concubines are not even qualified to bury their biological mothers. In the Tang Dynasty, there was a minister named Qiu Hanggong, who followed Emperor Taizong to destroy the separatist forces such as Xue Ju, Liu Wuzhou, Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande, and made great achievements. However, he was impeached by the legal department and was severely punished for being expelled because he and his first brother scrambled to bury his father's concubine.

It is precisely because of the low status of concubines that children born to concubines naturally cannot take their humble birth mother as their mother, but can only respect their own mother. Therefore, Tanchun and Jia Huan in A Dream of Red Mansions are written by Jia Zheng's concubine Aunt Zhao, so they can only call their biological mother Aunt Zhao's aunt, while their first mother, Mrs. Wang, is their mother. Tanchun even bluntly said that Mrs. Wang's brother Wang Ziteng is her uncle, and Aunt Zhao's brother is her uncle.

In ancient China, the official residence was distinct, and there was a big gap between them. Not only the illegitimate children of the common people were not allowed to call their biological mothers their aunts, but even in the royal family, the illegitimate princes could only call their biological mothers their aunts, no matter how high their grades were in the harem.

It is recorded in Southern History, Scholars of Emperor Wu of Qi, "Mother Ruan Shuyuan was in critical condition, so she asked the monk to walk the streets. There are people who offer lotus flowers to the Buddha, and all the monks use copper poppies to fill their stems with water, so that they will not wither if they want to be Chinese. Zi Mao wept and saluted the Buddha, saying,' If my aunt wins because of this, may the buddhas keep China from dying.'

< nan Shi qi zong Shi > also records:

Jun Zi Xuanli was five years old, and when the nobles in the area where he was born were ill, he became even more miserable. He often stumbled around with five colors and refused to eat, saying,' I have to wait on my aunt.'

According to the harem system in Nanqi, the noble person is the third lady with the first grade, Shu Yuan is the ninth concubine with the second grade, the district noble person and Ruan Shuyuan have high grades in the harem, and Xiao Jun and Xiao Zimao are also filial sons, but because they are concubines, they can't call their biological mothers only aunts.

Therefore, the Qing people concluded in the Appellation Record: Aunt's Biography of the Southern History of Qi Clan: "When Wang Jun of Hengyang was five years old, the noble in his mother's area was ill, so he was sad, and he refused to eat, saying,' I have to wait on my aunt.' In addition, Ruan Shuyuan, the mother of Prince Jin 'an, was critically ill, and a lotus flower was offered to the Buddha. Zi Mao cried and saluted the Buddha, saying,' If my aunt wins because of this, may the buddhas make this flower not wither in the evening.' "Case: Nowadays, many people call Bunsen's concubine" Aunt ",which has a long history.

So from which dynasty did the title "Mother Princess" often appear in TV dramas and novels come from? "Ming Shi Li Zhi" gives the answer: "Ming system, the son of heaven ascended the pole, and the queen mother or the queen mother was honored." Later, yongzheng emperor of Qing Dynasty also called Yi Fei and other concubines of Kangxi as the mother princess in the imperial edict. However, the name of mother princess is only written, and the name of mother princess still does not exist when the concubines address their biological mothers face to face. Therefore, as long as you are not your husband's wife and a concubine, you are not qualified to be called Niang by your child born in October. It is precisely because of this system that goes against the human nature that no matter the concubines in the flat-headed people's homes or the concubines who are favored for a while in the palace, as long as they don't sit on the position of a wife, they will never hear their own children call themselves mother.

Under such a dehumanizing system, an illegitimate child can't call his birth mother his mother, and he can't be buried if he dies. If the bastard is filial and has deep feelings for his biological mother, it will be a great torture for both mother and son; If the bastard is cool thin in temperament and disdains to admit his birth mother, it will do great harm to the birth mother itself.

So it's no wonder that concubines in the harem are fighting with each other and trying their best to become queens. What they want is not only that they will never kowtow to the queen again, but also that they can enjoy the sacrifices of future generations after their death. More importantly, they can listen to their own flesh and blood and call themselves "mother"-what a humble and shocking wish, but such a meager wish is so out of reach under the cruel and cold-blooded system.