During the Qing Dynasty, the emperor's meal was "the best in Chinese palaces".

Take Cixi in the late Qing Dynasty as an example. She was very particular about her meals. She required a hundred dishes for each meal, and she never had the same dish.

In a day, she has to eat two main meals, two extra meals, and six snacks.

/d058ccbf6c81800a62a099c6ba3533fa838b47b4?x-bce-process=image/resize,m_lfit,w_450,h_600,limit_1/quality,q_85 American female writer Carl, who once went to the palace to paint portraits of Cixi, wrote in "Portrait of Cixi" that Cixi eats and sits.

Beside the table.

Look at the table. There are too many silver dishes to count. The dishes on these plates are all treasures and delicacies.

These treasures and delicacies are rarely seen by ordinary people.

There is a saying in history that the Qing court's family law control was very strict.

Each dish should be eaten with no more than three chopsticks.

According to the recollection of the palace maid who served Cixi at that time, as long as she wanted to eat a dish, the eunuch next to her would immediately understand what Lafayette meant and bring the dish to her.

Under normal circumstances, the Empress Dowager Cixi would only eat one chopstick. If it tastes good and she encounters her favorite dish, she will eat one or two more bites, but never more than three chopsticks.

/060828381f30e92453fe8cf947086e061c95f7a4?x-bce-process=image/resize,m_lfit,w_450,h_600,limit_1/quality,q_85 After eating three chopsticks of this dish, the eunuch in charge of the Queen Mother's meal will shout "Withdraw!" which means

Remind Her Majesty, you cannot continue to eat this dish.

If the Queen Mother wants to take a few more bites at this time, this dish will not be served again for half a month.

There are so many weird rules in this palace. No wonder it is often shown in TV dramas that the princesses or princesses in the palace yearn for a life outside the palace after they have been in the palace for a long time.

However, according to De Ling, who was with Cixi, Cixi in her later years ate to her heart's content and was not restricted by the rule of eating a maximum of three chopsticks.

Maybe it's because she is old, loves food, and has a very high position of power, so those eunuchs have nothing to do with her.

/f3d3572c11dfa9ec737446df69d0f703908fc1a4?x-bce-process=image/resize,m_lfit,w_450,h_600,limit_1/quality,q_85 Can Cixi finish one hundred dishes every day?

Obviously not.

She would eat more of the dishes she liked, and she never even touched some dishes.

What to do with the leftover dishes?

Some will be given to other concubines, and some will be given to princes and ministers.

Those who receive the reward will feel that it is the highest honor.

In particular, dishes that have been touched by the Empress Dowager Cixi are more popular than those that have not been touched.

Because they will think that eating the leftovers of the Queen Mother Lafayette will bring her blessings.

/09fa513d269759ee3e057003b9fb43166c22dfa4?x-bce-process=image/resize,m_lfit,w_450,h_600,limit_1/quality,q_85 This Cixi was used to enjoying good things, and she also suffered a lot on her way to the west.