Emperor Kangxi was aware of his own health. Although he had been taking care of himself, he had not yet fully recovered. At this time, news of Consort Tongjia's pregnancy came as a great surprise to him.
Just as he was beginning to suspect something, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang sent someone over.
When he arrived at Cining Palace, Kangxi realized that it was another misunderstanding.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang had previously sent two palace maids to Emperor Kangxi to cover up the truth. One of these maids was given the title of Consort Shen by Emperor Kangxi, and the other was given the title of Consort Gong.
The fake pregnancy drug prepared by Chen Yuanpan some time ago has been tested and is ready for use. Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang then instructed Consort Shen to take the drug.
But coincidentally, after Consort Shen was assigned to the Chengqian Palace of the Tongjia clan, the maidservant who was carrying the medicine accidentally took her medicine and mixed it up with the Tongjia clan's fertility-enhancing medicine.
Now things are really complicated. Tongjia took a fake pregnancy pill and is now rumored to be pregnant, but she is not actually pregnant.
So after Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang learned the whole story, she quickly summoned Emperor Kangxi to discuss the matter, firstly to explain, and secondly to find a solution.
Judge Chen developed two types of fake pregnancy drugs. One type was effective for three months after taking it, after which signs of miscarriage would appear automatically. This type was given to the concubines who were unaware of the pregnancy.
There is also a type of false pregnancy drug that, if taken without an antidote, will continue to have the effect of a false pregnancy until a normal delivery.
However, since she was not pregnant, the birth was obviously fake.
Tong Jia took the second type of medicine. If she didn't take the antidote, she would be like a normal pregnant woman.
After some discussion, Kangxi and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang decided to give Lady Tongjia the antidote and pretend that she was weak and had miscarried.
However, after examining Tong Jia's pulse, Dr. Chen said that she should not take the antidote.
Although it was a false pregnancy and a false miscarriage, it still caused great damage to her body. Tong Jia was already quite frail, and after a serious illness that year, her health deteriorated even further.
If she were to take medication to induce a false miscarriage now, her body wouldn't be able to handle it.
Left with no other choice, Kangxi could only have Chen Yuanpan take care of the Imperial Noble Consort while simultaneously consulting with Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang on what to do.
In the end, the grandfather and granddaughter unanimously decided to let Tongjia "give birth," and then announced to the outside world that she had given birth to a princess, but the little princess died shortly after birth.
Not long after Lady Tongjia became pregnant, the good news of Lady Xilinjueluo, the wife of Yinzhi, also came out.
The joy of soon having a grandson overshadowed much of his unhappiness; Kangxi had high expectations for this eldest son and grandson.
After ten months of pregnancy, Wuya Yuyao, who lived outside the palace, gave birth first. On the 12th day of the seventh month of the 23rd year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, she gave birth to her eldest son with Ma Jiayunhu, Ma Jiajinzhen.
Jinzhen was still dazed when the midwife slapped her hard, but she cried out a few times because of the pain.
Hearing her son's cries, Wuya Yuyao, who had just given birth, finally felt relieved. She had been on edge because she hadn't heard any cries after the baby was born, but now she could relax.
After the baby was called out, the midwife wrapped the baby up and went outside to announce the good news with great joy.
"Congratulations, Madam! Congratulations, Fourth Young Master! The young mistress has given birth to a healthy boy."
Ma Jiayun was overjoyed and was about to hug her son when her mother took him away.
"Haha, Grandma's adorable grandson, he's so cute."
Madam Ma took her grandson in her arms and played with him, becoming happier and happier as she looked at him. Suddenly, she seemed to notice something: "Yunhu, look, this child does look a bit like the Empress!"
Ma Jiayun took a closer look and found that her son did indeed resemble her sister somewhat. She smiled and chimed in, "This boy is the Imperial Concubine's nephew, so it's normal for him to look like her."
Upon hearing the familiar address, Jinzhen was certain that he was still living in the Qing Dynasty.
Hearing the maids address the masters of the mansion as "Madam" and "Young Master," and hearing them mention the Imperial Concubine, he knew that he must be living in the home of an official.
But we don't know who this Imperial Concubine is, or what her identity is.
He had just died peacefully a second ago, how did he suddenly turn into a newborn baby?
While the Ma Jia residence outside the palace was filled with joy due to the arrival of a new life, Consort Tong inside the palace was depressed because of the child.
At the end of July, Consort Tongjia of Chengqian Palace went into labor and gave birth to the Seventh Princess. Unfortunately, the child died shortly after birth, so Consort Tongjia never got to see her child before losing her.
After years of anticipation, it all came to nothing. Because of this incident, Tongjia fell seriously ill again, and her health deteriorated further.
Because of her weak health, she was unable to handle the heavy palace affairs and suggested to Emperor Kangxi that someone else manage them.
Ultimately, Yunyi, who held the highest rank below the Imperial Noble Consort, naturally gained the power to manage the harem.
Of course, Emperor Kangxi did not allow her to have absolute power. Instead, Consort Rong was the principal consort, with Consort Hui and Consort Yi as assistants, and the three consorts jointly managed palace affairs.
Emperor Kangxi felt somewhat guilty about Lady Tongjia's illness, which is why he was not in a good mood during this period.
In November of that year, the eldest prince's wife, Lady Xilinjueluo, gave birth to the eldest prince's eldest son, who was also the Kangxi Emperor's eldest grandson.
The child was given the name Hongfang by Emperor Kangxi. The character Fang means dawn, brightness, and also the beginning.
Emperor Kangxi hoped that this child would grow up to be a wise and upright gentleman.
Furthermore, since Hongfen was the eldest grandson, Emperor Kangxi hoped that his descendants would flourish from him onwards.
Some are happy while others are sad. Consort Tong of Chengqian Palace is grieving for her daughter who died young, while Consort Rong of Zhongcui Palace is already a grandmother, holding her grandson in her arms.
Faced with this stark contrast, Imperial Noble Consort Tongjia became even more melancholy, and her health gradually deteriorated due to the pent-up emotions in her heart.
In the twenty-fifth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, when Lady Tongjia was on her deathbed, she was only in her twenties, but due to illness, she looked as old as a woman in her thirties.
Even at the very last moment of her life, Lady Tongjia did not regret her choice to enter the palace.
She only felt regret that she could not bear children for her cousin, that she did not have a child of her own, and that she could not become her cousin's wife.
In June, all the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital said that Lady Tongjia was terminally ill and beyond cure. Emperor Kangxi was unwilling to believe that his cousin had become like this.
On the fifth day of the month, after visiting his cousin again, Emperor Kangxi finally made up his mind and issued an imperial edict to appoint her as empress.
Upon seeing the imperial edict, Lady Tongjia felt as if she had regained all her strength. She forced herself to stand up and bowed to Emperor Kangxi, her heart filled with excitement.
I have finally, finally become the Empress of the Great Qing Dynasty, and the wife of Emperor Xuan Ye.
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