How many concubines are there in Li Longji’s harem? Below, the History Encyclopedia editor will provide a detailed introduction to the relevant content.
There is a saying that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang had 40000 wives. The book “Biographies of the New Book of Tang, Chapter 132: The Eunuchs” compiled by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi records:
Emperor Xuanzong was peaceful, wealthy, ambitious, and did not cherish the rewards of titles. In the Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods, the imperial concubines numbered up to 40000, and there were over 3000 eunuchs in yellow robes and more than a thousand in red and purple robes
Kaiyuan and Tianbao “are two reign titles of Emperor Xuanzong; The ‘palace concubines’ are the wives of the emperor, who have titles and can be chosen as imperial concubines.
Didn’t Emperor Xuanzong of Tang only love Yang Guifei? The two of them wished to be “birds of wings in heaven and branches of marriage on earth”? 40000 wives is unprecedented, isn’t he worried about Yang Guifei’s sadness? Is’ Your Concubine Drunken ‘because there are too many love enemies, causing unbearable pain and using alcohol to drown her sorrows?
Some netizens have calculated that out of 40000 wives, it would take over a hundred years for Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to use one every day; At that time, the official population of the Tang Dynasty was over 52 million, with women accounting for about half, which means that one out of 650 people was a concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.
Isn’t that ridiculous? I opened the predecessor of the New Book of Tang, the Old Book of Tang, and discovered new clues.
In the “Biographies of the Old Book of Tang, Chapter 134, Eunuchs,” it is written: “Emperor Xuanzong reigned for a long time and revered palace prohibitions. Those who held the rank of third grade and left and right supervisor were appointed as generals, and those who obtained the rank of general were given the opportunity to wield spears. In the Kaiyuan and Tianbao periods, as well as in the three palaces of Chang’an, Daming, and Xingqing, the ten mansions of the prince, the hundred grandsons of the emperor, and the two palaces of Dongdu, the inner palace, and Shangyang, he led a total of 40000 palace maids, with over 3000 high-ranking officials dressed in yellow and more than a thousand dressed in red and purple
This historical record states that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty built large buildings, halls, and mansions, promoting a luxurious lifestyle. There is a detailed explanation of the data of “40000”:
Firstly, there are 40000 palace maids; Secondly, there are a total of 40000 palace maids in Chang’an and Dongdu (Luoyang); Thirdly, the 40000 palace maids include those owned by the prince and grandson, not exclusive to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.
More importantly, palace maids are not equal to concubines.
Palace maids are cleaners and domestic servants in the palace, with humble backgrounds and low status. Among them, there are daughters from criminal families who do not even have the qualifications to call themselves losers, let alone enter the palace and receive favor from the emperor. Only women from wealthy and beautiful backgrounds, who have been carefully selected and conferred titles, can become concubines and be qualified to be called the emperor’s wives.
So, ‘Emperor Xuanzong had 40000 wives’ is purely a rumor. After cutting out many details, the “New Book of Tang” replaced the “palace maids” with “palace concubines”, resulting in Emperor Xuanzong of Tang becoming the “man with the most wives in China”.
