The Secret of the "Naked Examination" of Ancient Chinese Emperors Selecting Concubines

Not many women could enter the harem and become the emperor's concubines. The emperor had the right to select the best girls from all over the country to serve him in the palace. The selected girls must undergo strict physical examinations before entering the palace. The royal family will understand and test their age, physiology, psychology and other aspects.

During the physical examination, every procedure is carried out very carefully. They must have pretty faces and slender figures, and they cannot tolerate any physical flaws. Even a small black mole on the skin will cause them to be eliminated.

For women selected to enter the palace, there are clear age requirements. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the requirement was that the age must be between 13 and 20 years old.

However, the requirements of different dynasties were not consistent. During the Three Kingdoms period, Sun Hao, the ruler of Wu, required that children be "fifteen or sixteen years old"; during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Northern Qi required children to be over 14 and under 20 years old; during the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, required children to be over 15 and under 20 years old, with the youngest not being younger than 13 years old.

Chinese men seem to have a virgin complex, which is the sexual psychology often referred to as "old cow eating young grass". Generally speaking, girls over the age of 13 are around the time of their first menstruation, which is the prime of their youth. Girls of this age group are in line with the emperor's mentality.

But there were also cases where the age limit for selecting girls was set at 11 years old. Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houzhao, did this. Although there was the ancestral decree of Zhu Yuanzhang that restricted people to "over 15 years old", the perverted Zhu Houcong did not consider it at all. According to the "Ming Huiyao", in the third year of Longqing (1569 AD), Emperor Muzong Zhu Zaihou selected 300 ladies aged 13 to 16 from the common people to enter the palace, which was considered normal. Zhu Zaihou's predecessor, Ming Shizong Zhu Houzhao, recruited ladies aged 11 to 16 to enter the palace, and did so many times. It is said that Zhu Houcong listened to the Taoist priest's words and aimed to collect the menstrual blood of girls during their menarche to make aphrodisiac pills for consumption. Some girls use techniques to induce menstruation and forcibly collect menstrual blood before their natural menstruation comes.

It should be noted that the selection of palace concubines was on a large scale. But when it comes to specific phenomena, age does not need to be considered. As long as the emperor likes her, even a widow can be selected into the harem as long as she is pretty. For concubines who were accepted or confiscated from the palace, there would be no age limit. "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder", as long as the emperor liked them, it would be fine.

Obviously, the age requirement for girls during selection is only the most basic condition, but not the main condition. Appearance and character are the two main criteria for judgment. Appearance refers to physical conditions, while character is subjective. Generally speaking, the emperor was particularly concerned about the physical conditions of his concubines.

Do the emperor's concubines need to undergo a physical examination before entering the palace? The answer is of course yes.

When Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu, was in power, he sent ministers to help him find concubines. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty, Records of the Empresses (Volume 10) records:

Liu Xiu sent the Zhong Daifu, the Ye Ting Cheng and the physiognomists to search the countryside of Luoyang for girls from good families, aged between thirteen and twenty, with beautiful looks and meeting the legal physiognomy. He would bring those who met the legal physiognomy requirements back to the harem and select them for use as concubines.

The "visual examination" here includes the physical examination procedure. At that time, all the girls who were chosen were pretty, and they were all dragged to the harem in a carriage for selection. After the selection, there is another round of screening, mainly a physical examination to see if she is a virgin, whether she has any physical defects, and pick out the most beautiful girl for the emperor to have sex with.

Do I need to take off my clothes for a physical examination? The answer is of course yes. What aspects should be checked during a nude body examination? According to historical records, the size and symmetry of the breasts should be a routine item, while the shape of the vagina, the thickness of the pubic hair, the amount of armpit hair, and whether there are hemorrhoids in the anus are also aspects that cannot be ignored. Ancient men believed that girls with no or little armpit hair were of high quality and were the most favored. And if you have hemorrhoids, you will definitely be eliminated.

"Secret Stories of the Han Dynasty" is a notebook written by an ancient person that describes the secret history of the Han Dynasty palace. The book records the "naked inspection" of Liang Ying, the empress of Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Zhi, when she first entered the palace. Although some people have verified that it was written by Yang Shen of the Ming Dynasty under the false name of a Han Chinese, it still has certain value. I have copied it as follows:

On the 4th month of the first year of Jianhe, Baolin Wu sent a Bingxu imperial edict to Zhong Changshi Chao, saying: "I have heard that Hezhou is beautiful and elegant, and she is wise and considerate. She is the first in the world to choose a virtuous wife. The former general Chengshi Zhonghou Shang left a young girl with a chaste and quiet virtue, and her reputation spreads to the imperial palace. Let them go to Shang's house together, observe his every move, and examine all his secrets. If he does not hide anything, I will choose him."

He immediately went to Shang's house with Chao and the imperial edict. At mealtime, the Shang woman Nv Ying walked slowly from the middle pavilion to the bedroom, and looked around with Chao as ordered, and their movements were all in accordance with the law. Chao stayed in the outer residence and sent the imperial edict to Yingyan's place, banishing all visitors and keeping her family in seclusion.

At that time, the sundial was dim and shone through the mirage window; the light was shining on the bright surface, like the morning glow and the bright snow, which could not be looked at directly. The eyes are clear and bright, the eyebrows are charming and curled, the mouth is red and the teeth are white, the ears are long and the nose is high, and the cheeks, chin and jaw are all in appropriate positions.

She took off her shiny hairpin and let her hair down her bun, which was as black as lacquer and could be reflected in the mirror. Circle your hands eight times, then add half a grip when they fall to the ground. The private lesson has been postponed, Yingmian is angry, and she resists.

Gao Ying said: "The government attaches great importance to etiquette. I am sorry to see you so late. I will give you a bow and a tiara!"

Ying cried for a few lines, closed her eyes and turned her face inward. The hands are gentle, holding the sunlight, the fragrance is wafting, the skin is smooth and clean, and you can't help but touch it. Rule the front and back, build the fat and carve the jade. The breasts are shaped like beans, the navel can hold a half-inch bead, and the private parts are raised. To stretch out the two legs, the vagina is red and fire is about to burst out. This is a virgin who observes etiquette and is strict and prudent! Her body is roughly white, with enough blood to nourish her skin, enough skin to cover her flesh, and enough flesh to cover her bones. The length is just right, from top to bottom, it is seven feet and one inch long; the shoulder width is one foot and six inches, and the hip width is three inches less than the shoulder width; from shoulder to finger, it is two feet and seven inches long each, and the finger is four inches away from the palm, resembling ten bamboo shoots. The length from the thigh to the foot is three feet and two inches, and the foot is eight inches long; the shins and insteps are plump, the soles are flat, and the fingers are gathered in. They are tied together with silk socks, and are as slightly tightened as a palace, and no sound can be made after a long time.

Ling Tui thanked the emperor for his long life, and Ying then bowed slowly and wished the emperor long life. It was like a faint breeze blowing a flute, and the faint sound could be heard. No hemorrhoids or ulcers, no black spots, wounds, or defects on the mouth, nose, armpits, private parts, or feet. Your humble servant is a woman of lowly status and stupidity. My words cannot express my true feelings, and my writings do not match my views. I will keep this secret until my death.

The general meaning of the above text is that Liu Zhi heard that Liang Yingren, the daughter of General Liang Shang, was beautiful and had good character, so he wanted to make her his queen. Liu Zhi sent the female official Wu Su to Liang Mansion to understand the situation and observe Liang Ying's walking posture. Later, Liang Ying was required to undergo a naked examination. Liang Ying refused at first, but Wu Yu took out the emperor's edict and she agreed. Wu Yu went into Liang Ying's boudoir, closed the door, and stripped her naked.

Wu Yu first asked her to walk naked, and then asked her to lift up her hair to expose her ears. Next, Wu Xu touched her body again, and found a pair of breasts that were neither big nor small. They also checked her navel, vagina and anus and confirmed that she was a virgin and had no hemorrhoids. Finally, he did not forget to check her voice and asked her to shout "Long live the emperor" to check her vocal cords. At that time, Liang Ying made Wu Xu blush during the physical examination, and she had to cover her private parts with her hands from time to time.

This naked inspection is similar to the "internal procession" before the modern beauty pageant finals. The difference is that in modern beauty pageants, participants do not need to strip naked, but only wear bikini briefs to expose everything, thus avoiding the embarrassment of being naked.