The eldest son inheritance system in ancient China has indeed reduced the turmoil of the country and the suffering of the people. The security of this system lies in the fact that the emperor's family must have enough "emperor candidates." Therefore, in order to ensure that the emperor has enough sons, the emperor must have enough wives and concubines according to the ritual system.
The term "Three Palaces and Six Courtyards" comes from the architecture of the Forbidden City. In the southeast and southwest corners of the Imperial Garden, there are the east gate of Qiongyuan and the west gate of Qiongyuan respectively, which are connected to the East and West Six Palaces (commonly known as "Three Palaces and Six Courtyards" - Editor's Note). The two sides of the back three palaces are dominated by the east and west six palaces, forming the inner east road and the inner west road.
The south of the East Sixth Palace (Zhongcui Palace, Chengqian Palace, Jingren Palace, Jingyang Palace, Yonghe Palace, and Yanxi Palace) is Zhai Palace, Yuqing Palace, and Fengxian Palace, and to the north It is the east five palaces of the Qianqing Palace;
The south of the west six palaces (Chuxiu Palace, Yikun Palace, Yongshou Palace, Xianfu Palace, Changchun Palace, Taiji Palace (Qixiang Palace)) is the Yangxin Palace. To the north are Chonghua Palace and Shufangzhai. The six east and west palaces were all built during the Yongle period. Most of the buildings seen today are from the Ming Dynasty. Each palace is a courtyard, with front and rear halls and side halls. The walls are high, the courtyard is deep, and the doors are tight. It is where the concubines of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived.
Extended information:
The upper limit of the word "many" among polygamists is 44. The person who set this "Chinese record" is Temujin, Taizu of the Yuan Dynasty. The minimum number is only 2 people.
Different dynasties have different "many" situations. Before the Ming Dynasty (including the Ming Dynasty), "polygamy" and "monogamy" always coexisted among the emperors of all major empires. Only the 12 emperors of the Qing Dynasty were all polygamists.
In the past, people often said that "many wives, many children, many blessings", but this statement does not have much scientific truth. Not to mention that having too many wives will inevitably lead to jealousy and intrigue. Moreover, having multiple wives does not necessarily mean having many children. Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhao Gou, had 7 wives, but they did not give him a single heir. In the end, he had to take care of himself. The tribe's Xiu Wang Zhaozi said that an adopted son had inherited the throne, and this adopted son was Zhao Bocong, the second emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty, Xiaozong.
Zhu Youxiao, Emperor Xizong of the Ming Dynasty, had 4 wives and left no heirs. The throne had to be left to his younger brother Zhu Youjian (Chongzhen). Emperor Mu Zong of the Qing Dynasty, Zaichun, had 5 wives and left no heirs. The next heir, the throne had to be inherited by his cousin Zai Tian.
Reference materials: People's Daily Online - Seventy-two concubines in the Three Palaces and Six Courtyards Unexact: Most emperors were monogamous
People's Daily Online - "Three Palaces and Six Courtyards" The Emperor's Bedroom (Part 1)
Baidu Encyclopedia-San Gong Sixth Academy