People often say that there are seventy-two concubines in three palaces and six courtyards. Why 72? Is there really that much?

For the view of the emperor's harem, the most popular among the people is the seventy-two concubines in the three palaces and six courtyards. The ancient social system in China continued until the Republic of China, and polygamy was practiced. As for who first proposed this system, there is no way to verify it, but the emperor is undoubtedly the biggest beneficiary.

But what on earth is this seventy-two princess in three palaces and six hospitals talking about?

Let's talk about the third palace first. At first, it refers to the residence of the vassal's wife, and the residence of the son of heaven's wife is called the Sixth Palace. In the later dynasties, the three palaces gradually took on another meaning. In the Han dynasty, the three palaces referred to the emperor, queen mother and queen, but in the Tang dynasty, they became two queens and queens. In the Ming Dynasty, the three palaces refer to the residence of the queen: the middle palace, the east palace and the west palace.

So the three palaces have different meanings in different historical periods.

The Sixth Courtyard was also called Liuyuan before, mainly because there are six courtyards where empresses live. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Liuyuan actually had twelve courtyards, namely, three palaces and twelve palaces.

As for seventy-two concubines, there are no real seventy-two empresses. Many times, it means a big number. As far as the Qing dynasty is concerned, although it is expressly stipulated that there is only one queen, two concubines, two concubines, four concubines and six concubines, we can understand that the actual number is not lower than this standard.

In fact, the emperor understood it this way, especially in the number of ladies-in-waiting that nobles often promised, because there was no specific limit.

For example, in the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi had the largest number of empresses among emperors, with about 67 recorded and some maids. It is estimated that there should be more waiters. Emperor Guangxu's harem has the least number of people, and there are only three concubines in his life, namely Jade Dragon Queen, Zhen Fei and Jin Fei.

The number of harems is often decided according to the emperor's wishes, and how many concubines to receive depends more on the emperor's preferences and interests!