What was the status of maids in the Qing Dynasty? Why can't they be executed at will?

I used to watch TV dramas and think that in the Qing Dynasty, palace maids and eunuchs were all handmaiden, and their status was very low, so they could be executed at will. There are many such plots in TV series, but only after I really understand the story of Princess Xiao did I know that the ladies in the Qing palace could not be killed casually. Not only that, the status of maids in the Qing Dynasty was quite high, even higher than that of eunuchs. They are also very strict in the selection of ladies-in-waiting, and most of them are selected by women of the Eight Banners.

It was also stipulated in the Qing Dynasty that maids could only scold but not fight, and even if they were punished, they could not maim. Maid-in-waiting, after all, belongs to the Eight Banners, and her background is still very powerful. It is an outrageous practice to be careless and may be associated with royalty. After being elected as a palace maid, she still has her own ideas and can choose a husband. You don't have to listen to your parents' organization at home, which is also a particularly high treatment.

If a maid-in-waiting is liked by other rich boys, when she leaves the palace at the age of 24, the royal family can also give a generous reward as a dowry for the maid-in-waiting. Therefore, in the Qing Dynasty, the life of a maid-in-waiting was highly guaranteed and not as cheap as everyone thought. In fact, it is not allowed to beat and scold maids and dispose of them at will in TV dramas. Even the princess who is deeply loved by the prince is not allowed to beat and scold the maids at will. There are certain rules.

In addition, as long as you are a maid-in-waiting, you may change from an ugly duckling to a phoenix. Once seen by the emperor or the prince, ladies-in-waiting also belong to the dynasty. To hit a maid-in-waiting is to hit the court in the face, which will embarrass the palace. So no matter what happens in the palace, the status of ladies-in-waiting is still very high. In ancient times, there were many ladies-in-waiting, and they were easily liked by the royal family because of their outstanding looks. You can also see such a plot in TV dramas. Some things are beyond our imagination, and it is not easy to be a palace maid. Not any woman will have such conditions.