On the ninth day of the eighth month of the twenty-eighth year of the Kangxi reign, the Imperial Noble Consort passed away at the age of thirty-six.

The Imperial Noble Consort entered the palace at the age of sixteen, and wasted the best years of her life in the deep palace.

Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries in the capital rang their bells and chanted sutras for the Imperial Noble Consort's rebirth.

Emperor Kangxi suspended court for five days. All officials, from princes down to civil and military officials, as well as princesses, princesses and their consorts down to the second-rank officials of the Eight Banners, gathered to mourn and wore mourning clothes for twenty-seven days.

On the 13th, the coffin of the Imperial Noble Consort was moved to the sacrificial hall outside Chaoyang Gate, and Emperor Kangxi personally saw it off.

On the fifteenth day, Emperor Kangxi issued an edict to the Ministry of Rites, stating that Imperial Noble Consort Tong was of virtuous character and outstanding virtue, serving the Empress Dowager with utmost filial piety and raising her sons with loving kindness. She was also respectful and cautious in her conduct, benevolent in her dealings with her subordinates, setting a model for all within the palace. Recently, in accordance with the Empress Dowager's decree, she became my consort. I had hoped for lasting peace and prosperity within the palace, but unexpectedly, she fell seriously ill and could not recover. I cherish her virtuous example and am deeply grieved. She should be granted a posthumous title to ensure her lasting legacy. Her rank should be increased to conform to the established order.

Tong Guowei was therefore granted the title of First-Class Duke, and given an imperial edict, the title of which was hereditary.

The funeral of the Imperial Noble Consort was grand and solemn, and Emperor Kangxi wrote one mournful poem after another, which shows his heartache.

Kangxi was almost overwhelmed by guilt for not being able to promote the Imperial Noble Consort to the rank of Empress.

The death of a person is a great loss. The Imperial Noble Consort pleased Emperor Kangxi when she was alive, and she was even more perfect after her death, making Emperor Kangxi think about her again and again.

After watching Tong Wanyan drink the medicine to prevent miscarriage and fall into a deep sleep, Yinreng changed into mourning clothes and hurriedly went to Qiankun Palace.

When Yinreng arrived, he saw Kangxi sitting in the shadows, filled with sorrow, and he murmured something.

“Father Emperor,” Yinreng said.

Emperor Kangxi looked at Yinreng with sorrow in his eyes: "Is the young Tongjia woman alright?"

The news that Tong Wanyan had gone through a miscarriage was immediately reported to Emperor Kangxi after the imperial physician left.

Yinreng sat down next to Kangxi: "The imperial physician said that the sudden grief caused the pregnancy to become unstable. Fortunately, Lady Tongjia was usually healthy and loved riding horses and archery, so she pulled through this time. Otherwise, she probably would have lost the child."

Yinreng was terrified by Tong Wanyan, and he still feels lingering fear when he thinks about it now.

Emperor Kangxi patted Yinreng on the shoulder: "Xiao Tongjia is a good person. The Imperial Noble Consort kept talking about her before she passed away. She said that she had no daughter, and Xiao Tongjia was like her daughter. I didn't like Xiao Tongjia at first, but now I see that the Imperial Noble Consort's love for her was not in vain."

"I've known the Imperial Noble Consort since I was very young, even before I knew your mother. At that time, I didn't know she would enter the palace. Later, when she grew up, I couldn't bear to see her marry someone else, so I selfishly ordered her to enter the palace. Now that I think about it, if she hadn't entered the palace, with me as her backer, she might have lived longer."

"I know she wants to be my wife, but I cannot give her such a promise. Yinreng, do not disappoint me."

Emperor Kangxi gazed intently at Yinreng, his eyes heavy with emotion.

Yinreng slowly knelt down, his head bowed: "I know that Father loves his son. I am willing to observe six months of mourning for the Imperial Noble Consort!"

The Crown Prince observing mourning for the Imperial Noble Consort indirectly elevated her status.

Even though she did not have the title of empress, she could still enjoy the honors of an empress.

Aside from a formal title, Kangxi would give her everything he could.

“Baocheng, you don’t need to do this.” Kangxi’s words were tinged with a hint of probing.

Yinreng's heart skipped a beat: "Father Emperor is willing to make such a concession for his son, so is he really that kind of person who can't live without beautiful women?"

Yinreng raised his head and looked at Kangxi. The grievance and heartache in his eyes were genuine, which shocked Kangxi.

Emperor Kangxi, whose heart had softened because of the death of the Imperial Noble Consort, was filled with tenderness at this moment, which was just what Yinreng was about to do.

"Alright," Kangxi said.

"Father, let me accompany you to your meal! The Imperial Noble Consort would not want to see you like this!" Yinreng supported Kangxi, and at that moment he suddenly realized that his father was also getting old.

Kangxi thought for a moment and said, "Alright, you can stay with me. You must have been frightened today. I'll have the imperial physician prepare some calming medicine for you."

The food sent from the imperial kitchen was all vegetarian, bland and tasteless.

At this time, they dared not serve any fancy dishes, lest they bring bad luck.

Yinreng and Kangxi ate a little, but their minds were elsewhere and they found the food tasteless.

Physician Chang added some sleeping herbs to Tong Wanyan's pregnancy-preserving medicine. When she woke up, it was already noon the next day.

Li Jia was sent to keep vigil for the Imperial Noble Consort, while Tang and Fan were ordered to chant sutras for her in the courtyard.

The Yuqing Palace was unusually quiet, and Tong Wanyan showed no further emotional reaction.

She could still tell which was more important and which was less important.

To put it bluntly, the Imperial Noble Consort did have affection for her, but she mostly used her.

Using her favor of protecting him, he persuaded Yinreng to take good care of Yinzhen. He also used this favor to win over the Tong brothers, Qinian and Ruita.

Another selfish motive of this young woman was to see Yinreng fall into her hands, and to have the men of the Aisin Gioro clan trapped by Tongjia.

Chunque and Xiazhu carefully helped Tong Wanyan get up, afraid of doing something wrong and hurting her.

Tong Wanyan smiled helplessly: "Don't make a fuss. What happened yesterday was an accident. I'm perfectly fine now. I know how to take care of myself."

This is the Qing Dynasty; she dared not abuse her body and fall seriously ill.

Yinreng stayed with Kangxi to keep vigil all night. His restraint and self-discipline only served to highlight the hypocrisy of the group kneeling before the Imperial Noble Consort's coffin.

Apart from Yinzhen's heartfelt wailing and crying, everyone else was just putting on a show.

Consort Yi and the others shed a few tears out of sympathy for their kind, some of which were genuine. Emperor Kangxi understood their feelings.

When Kangxi's gaze fell on Consort De, he was filled with rage.

He actually saw smugness, gloating, boasting, and a hint of satisfaction at having avenged a great grudge in Consort De's eyes.

"Consort De has been stripped of her title and demoted to the rank of Consort due to her improper conduct."

Emperor Kangxi frowned deeply as he recalled the relationship between Consort De and the Imperial Noble Consort. He completely absolved himself of any fault, believing only that Consort De had climbed into the Imperial Noble Consort's bed and hurt her feelings.

Consort De knelt on the ground in disbelief, her handkerchief still emitting a faint scent of ginger.

Two bright red eyes stared at Kangxi.

Emperor Kangxi angrily flicked his sleeves, bypassed Consort Wuya, and walked away with Yinreng.

Even if he skipped court, he still had to review the memorials that needed to be revised.

Consort Wuya changed from kneeling to slumping on the ground. Little Yinzhen, unaware of what was happening, obediently knelt in the prince's position.

Consort Yi was right next to Consort Wuya. She covered her face with her sleeve and whispered in her ear, "When you walk by the river, you're bound to get your shoes wet. Back then, Sister Wuya was able to climb into the Emperor's bed right under the Noble Consort's nose and even rise to the rank of Fourth Consort. Why don't you know how to be careful now? The Noble Consort is still your former master. You can't be so heartless."

Of the four consorts of Emperor Kangxi—Rong, Yi, Hui, and De—only Consort De had the lowest social status. She was from a bondservant family and entered the palace as a maid.

If it weren't for Emperor Kangxi's fondness for her gentle and considerate nature, she would have been relegated to a corner long ago.

Now that she has been exposed for what she truly is, the other concubines are delighted to see her make a fool of herself.

Furthermore, with one of the four concubines gone, they would have a chance to rise to the top.

Such a wonderful opportunity is rare and hard to come by!