As time passed, after losing Yonglian, Empress Fucha Mingyu lost interest in managing the affairs of the harem and gradually entrusted many matters to Consort Gao and Consort Jia. Her relationship with Emperor Hongli also became distant due to Yonglian's death.

Because Yonglian often visited Yikun Palace before his death, Hongli was moved by Ulanara Xueying and gradually turned his affections to her.

It wasn't until the eleventh year of Qianlong's reign, when Mingyu gave birth to her second legitimate son, the seventh prince Yongcong, that her relationship with Hongli began to rekindle. Unfortunately, this happy period was short-lived. Yongcong was born weak and died before he was two years old. Mingyu once again suffered the pain of losing a son, which greatly affected her mental and physical health. Ultimately, she became depressed and died in the thirteenth year of Qianlong's reign when she accidentally fell into the water and died on the dragon boat during an inspection tour of Dezhou with Hongli.

Emperor Hongli cherished the memory of their sincere relationship in the first half of their lives, and also remembered the three children she bore for him. He held a grand funeral for Empress Fucha.

Since the Empress's death, Hongli's harem once again faced the dilemma of having a successor. Lady Su was promoted to Consort Chun for giving birth to the Sixth Prince, Lady Yeketili gave birth to the Fifth Prince, and Consort Jia gave birth to the Eighth and Ninth Princes, becoming the Consort Jia who bore Hongli the most male offspring. Only Xueying remained childless.

However, because of Hongli's affection for Xueying and Yonglian, he also valued Yikun Palace more and more.

In the fifteenth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, Ulanara Xueying was made Empress by Hongli (the Qianlong Emperor). Xueying finally stood beside him, and although she had no children, she was content. To allow Hongli to focus on the affairs of state, Xueying managed the harem diligently, ensuring peace and order in all palaces, and preventing any further deaths of princes. Furthermore, Xueying remembered the cause of Yonglian's death and meticulously investigated the events of that year within the harem. She finally found a clue: Yonglian's death was related to Consort Jia, but unfortunately, she lacked conclusive evidence.

Xueying thought she could only tell Hongli after finding evidence, but unexpectedly, another two years passed. In the seventeenth year of Qianlong's reign, Ulanara Xueying finally became pregnant with her first child.

Emperor Hongli was overjoyed. From then on, he doted on Empress Ulanara and lived a very happy life.

Xueying didn't forget Yonglian and finally followed the clues to find out why Yonglian had inhaled the powdered almond powder. It turned out that Consort Jia had ordered it to be sprayed on the kitten. Yonglian inhaled too much of the powder, which aggravated his asthma and led to his death.

When the evidence and the testimonies of the palace servants who acted that year were presented to Hongli, he was furious and gave Consort Jia a white silk noose.

Emperor Hongli, grateful that Xueying had never forgotten Yonglian, grew increasingly fond of her. The emperor and the people lived in harmony, and the Qing Dynasty prospered.

Hongli never forgot his father and mother, and sent people to search for them, but unfortunately they could never be found. In the first three years after Lanqin and the Fourth Prince left the Forbidden City, they wrote a few letters to Hongli, but after Yonglian's death, Lanqin and the Fourth Prince disappeared without a trace, and no matter how hard Hongli searched, he could not find them.

In order to give an explanation to the world, Hongli had no choice but to declare that the late emperor had actually passed away in the year he ascended the throne. He then buried the Fourth Prince's clothes and hat in the imperial mausoleum that had already been built and often went to pay his respects.

Subsequently, various rumors circulated among the people regarding the cause of Emperor Yongzheng's death, but no one could provide conclusive evidence. Empress Dowager Niohuru Lanqin also became a topic of conversation, but like her, no one could prove where she and the late emperor ultimately went or whether they were buried together.

In order to posthumously honor his birth mother, in the first month of the forty-second year of Qianlong's reign, Hongli posthumously conferred upon Niohuru Lanqin the title of Empress Xiaosheng Cixuan Kanghui Dunhe Chenghui Renmu Jingtian Guangsheng Xian.

(The End)

I'd also like to recommend a book here, a Qing Dynasty palace novel by a good friend: *Qing Dynasty Intrigue: The Fourth Prince's Beloved Concubine*.

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