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

The so-called maids are some women raised by ancient emperors. These women are emperors and queens who serve the harem and live in the palace for a long time. These ladies-in-waiting are all selected from the people, and the sizes of ladies-in-waiting in different dynasties are different. Some dynasties have thousands of maids, and some dynasties have tens of thousands of maids. For example, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the number of palace ladies reached an all-time high, about 40,000. In addition, there are strict restrictions on the choice of maids. First of all, it depends on the identity and family background of the maids. Maid-in-waiting's family can't practice medicine, nor can they tell fortune, and they don't know witchcraft. In that feudal society that emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce, the elected ladies-in-waiting could never be a business family. In addition, some dynasties also imposed racial restrictions on maids. For example, the palace ladies chosen by the Qing emperor could not be Han women. In a word, there are very high standards in the choice of ladies-in-waiting, mostly virtuous women with good family circumstances.

When choosing a maid, age is also an important indicator. Most maids must be around ten years old or younger to keep women's chastity. Although many ladies-in-waiting are elected by the people, many ladies-in-waiting are also famous. Mostly the daughters of officials or relatives. In the PK with folk women, these women from official families will be given priority. Of course, not all maids are lucky. If they can meet a virtuous king or a kind queen, they are very lucky. Unfortunately, many kind and innocent maids bear the pain and torture of killing, martyrdom and sexual assault. In these poor ladies-in-waiting, we can't see the slightest bit of personal freedom. Many ladies-in-waiting can't get a guaranteed diet, and the place where they live is even worse. They have been enslaved in the palace all their lives and quietly ended their poor and hard life.

In fact, many well-off women in China are not afraid of hardship and involvement, but even if they do a good job, they can't meet many demanding masters. Under the strict hierarchy, maids are strictly controlled. Take the ladies-in-waiting of the Ming Dynasty for example. These women were forced to read some books, such as The Book of Filial Piety. These are brainwashing artifacts that can completely distort women's hearts. For example, if the maid makes a little mistake, the plank is a very severe punishment. Women stand at attention facing the north, bend over and stretch out their hands, hold their feet with their hands, and their bodies cannot bend. This lasted for several hours and many maids were injured or killed.

In the harem, what should the maid-in-waiting do if she is sick or old? In fact, from here we can see the misery of ladies-in-waiting. In many dynasties, maids were not treated at all. According to historical records, if you are a concubine, you can't go to the pharmacy to get medicine at all. If it's a concubine, you have to issue a corresponding certificate. If the maid-in-waiting is old, she will be sent to the laundry room and work until she dies. What to do after death? The royal family doesn't have that many places to bury these maids. They will be cremated directly and their ashes will be scattered into dry wells. Although different dynasties had different arrangements for the death of ladies-in-waiting, many ladies-in-waiting did not have their own graves, so they passed away silently. Some women with status will have their own graves after death, but it is also unfortunate. Many maids will sigh when they die. They hope that their families will not bury them too deeply after their death, because they can be reincarnated as adults earlier and live a happy life without oppression and slavery again.