History records that, when the Qing dynasty was unstable, the concubines in the harem still enjoyed “heavenly” treatment. In fact, serving the concubines was also difficult and arduous, especially when bathing. The most horrifying was the Empress Hieu Kham Hien, also known as the Empress Dowager Tu Hy.
Empress Dowager Xu Xi
Duc Linh was a court lady in the late Qing Dynasty, early 20th century. She entered the palace as a teenager and served the Empress Dowager Tu Xi, then 70 years old. According to the memory of the court lady Duc Linh, when she saw Empress Dowager Tu Hy take a bath for the first time, she could not believe her eyes because she was too “terrified”.
Use 100 towels each time you shower
The bathing “work” of this powerful woman can be summed up with a number of highlights such as: The upper and lower body parts are separated to bathe into two different stages.
Her bath time is also not fixed, depending on inspiration; All Tu Hy towels are used only once and each bath requires different types of towels.
On hot days, the frequency of bathing is more, she bathes every day, but on cold days, she only showers once every 3 days. This activity, regardless of the season of the year, takes place in the evening, because in the palace, bathing is not done during the day.
Each time, there will be 4 palace maidens specializing in bathing the Empress Dowager Tu Hy. They prepare everything from chairs, bathtubs, towels to soaps and perfumes. The seat of Empress Dowager Tu Hy was created from large rocks, carved with a dragon image at the foot. Her bath is made of silver and the distinction is very clear: one for the upper half, the other for the lower half. Bath towels include 100 brand new ones made from silk embroidered with dragons with gold thread, the shapes of the dragons are not embroidered together.
The bathing process will take about a few hours, starting from the face. There will be a palace maid specializing in washing the face of Empress Dowager Tu Hy. After wiping Tu Hy’s cheeks, the palace maid will use a warm towel to place on the queen’s cheeks and forehead to open up the pores, helping to smoothen the skin and reduce wrinkles.
Next will be hand cleaning. One knelt on the ground, lifting a basin of water with both hands to fit the Queen’s reach. The palace maid will use a basin of warm silver water, dip a new towel in warm water, wrap Tu Hy’s hands, then put her hands in a basin of water, soak until the water cools, then change to a new basin of water. Normally, you have to soak 3-4 pots of warm water to complete this job.
The final step is bathing and exfoliation. The palace maids would first spread tarpaulins all over the floor so that the water would not drain out. Four palace maidens will stand on four sides around Tu Hy, each using 25 towels to clean the body of the Empress Dowager. She was so meticulous that she forced each person to scrub her body clean with small, circular movements. The towel must be soaked in warm water so as not to scratch the skin of the suspect. Towels must not be re-dipped in the water bath after being used, but must be thrown away so that after the queen has finished bathing, the water in the tub is still as clear as if it had never been used. These towels were also later disposed of because Empress Dowager Tu Xi did not like to reuse dirty things.
After all stages of bathing are completed, the Empress Dowager will be anointed with perfume all over her body. However, here the bathing stage is not over yet. Before putting on pajamas to go to bed, the maids are required to take an extra step, which is to dry the whole body with a dry towel.
In addition to a lavish bath, Empress Dowager Tu Hy also has a sophisticated skin care formula
In her youth, Empress Dowager Tu Hy had extremely rough skin. But later, the empress dowager’s skin was famously white and soft. Even in her old age, she still possesses smooth skin like a young woman in her twenties. To have such skin, Empress Dowager Tu Hy must use a very sophisticated skin care method.
In her spare time, the Empress Dowager often used round jewels and marbles to roll back and forth on her face. She also combined with a special lotion made from white cloves, white clover, and white cashew nut.
In fact, white cloves, white hawksbill and white cypress cables are the droppings of voles, falcons, and pigeons. Tu Hy used these 3 types of bird droppings to eliminate pigmentation or age spots on the skin and effectively prevent wrinkles.
In addition, Empress Dowager Tu Hy also used a special powder made by the royal physician in the palace, which is patchouli powder, clove powder … These powders not only have beauty benefits but also nourish the face very well.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: Eva.vn – Read the original article here
