What was the real life of ancient ladies-in-waiting?

Maid-in-waiting refers to women who serve in the palace.

The status of ladies-in-waiting is also different, and the upper level is the female official in the palace; The lower classes are ordinary slaves.

For female officials, in addition to age, figure and personality, they should also master skills such as female workers.

According to historical records, "All the women who were selected in the 20-year-old draft in the palace went to the palace to try all the skills of embroidery and broomsticks to see if their manners were good." Those who failed were ordered to make up for it, and then those who chose the best were taught the rules of the court. They spent an hour writing and reading every day. After finishing writing, I ordered the imperial secretary to take an examination of the school the next day and awarded six laws a year later. "

The best of these ladies-in-waiting became female officials in the palace. According to historical records: "Gan Qing Palace has a wife, ranking first; Yi Shu is one person, ranking second; There are six people in Shiwan, ranking third; Twelve people are graceful and restrained, and twenty people are graceful and restrained, all of which are in fourth place. " They perform their duties, and some are responsible for serving concubines (Shang Palace); Some are responsible for the rescue ceremony (honor ceremony); Some people are responsible for clothes and meals. ...

In the Qing dynasty, the internal affairs office was in charge of personnel, finance, etiquette, safety and everything in the daily life of emperors, queens and concubines, but the management of female officials was ineffective.

Data expansion:

Maid-in-waiting, also known as imperial secretary, refers to the maid or slave of the monarch and his family in a narrow sense, and refers to all women in the monarch's harem in a broad sense, including concubines. The more advanced ladies-in-waiting are called female officials.

The early ladies-in-waiting became the concubines and ladies-in-waiting who defeated the emperor by fighting the defeated female prisoners. After the Han Dynasty, the imperial court sent a large number of personnel to select beautiful women from the local people, aged 13, aged over 20, and chose to enter the palace.

Once a beautiful woman is chosen as a bridesmaid, she will never be reunited with her family, locked in a palace and isolated from the outside world. Only a few people who are favored by the emperor can be promoted to concubines, and the vast majority of ladies-in-waiting are lonely and sad. There is a poem in the Tang dynasty: "once you enter the palace, you will not see spring every year." Talk about a leaf and give it to your lover. " This can be seen.

Reference link: Baidu Encyclopedia-Maid in Palace