Whether it was a final burst of energy before death or the imperial edict bestowing upon her the title of empress that gave Tongjia strength, she actually regained her energy and was able to get out of bed and move around.
After having dinner with Emperor Kangxi, the newlywed couple took a walk together. Along the way, Lady Tongjia recounted many stories from her childhood, which moved Emperor Kangxi deeply.
The two slept in each other's arms at night. Since Lady Tongjia fell ill, Emperor Kangxi had not slept with his cousin for a long time.
The next day, Kangxi got up as usual to attend court, and Tongjia was fine when he left.
When he finished his court session, he heard Liang Jiugong report that the Empress was dying.
He rushed to Chengqian Palace, but Kangxi only had time to say a few words to his cousin before she passed away.
The person is gone, and no matter how grieved Kangxi was, the matter was over and could not be reversed.
The funeral of Empress Tongjia was extremely grand and solemn. Emperor Kangxi suspended court for three days and personally bestowed upon her the posthumous title of Empress Xiaoyi.
The Tongjia clan finally achieved the feat of having two empresses in one family, but the daughters of the family did not seem to live long lives; both empresses died before the age of thirty.
After the death of Consort Tongjia, who held the highest rank in the harem, Emperor Kangxi issued another decree, promoting Consort Rong, of the Majia clan, to Imperial Noble Consort, in charge of the affairs of the six palaces.
He also had Consort Hui, Consort Tong, Consort Yi, and Consort An assist him from the side.
At this point, the five sons of the Imperial Noble Consort held an even higher status, essentially becoming half legitimate sons.
After Lady Tongjia passed away, Empress Xiaozhuang also reached the end of her life, passing away at the end of the twenty-fifth year.
The passing of both the Empress and the Grand Empress Dowager was a national mourning period, plunging the court, the palace, and the common people into an atmosphere of grief.
It wasn't until the 28th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, when it was time for another imperial concubine selection, that the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
This selection process yielded many eligible princes and princesses from the palace.
The Second Prince Yinxi was 18 years old, the First Princess Fuerguochun was 18 years old, the Third Prince Yinti was 17 years old, the Second Princess Yaliqi was 17 years old, and the Fourth Prince Yinling was 16 years old. All of them were of marriageable age.
Kangxi wasn't worried about his two daughters, as he had already chosen their husbands. But he needed to carefully select suitable wives for his three sons.
This time, Yunyi did not interfere with the selection of her sons' wives at all, leaving the choice entirely to Kangxi.
She is already an Imperial Noble Consort, so she must keep a low profile. It would be bad if the person she chooses offends Emperor Kangxi and makes him wary. Now that she has taken this position, she, her children, and the Ma Jia clan behind her all need to be careful.
After the imperial concubine selection in May, Emperor Kangxi chose Lady Wanyan as the wife of the Second Prince, Lady Irgen Gioro as the wife of the Third Prince, and Lady Nalan as the wife of the Fourth Prince.
He then issued an edict, bestowing upon the daughter of the Imperial Noble Consort the title of Princess Rongxi of the First Rank, and betrothing her to Daiqin, the heir apparent of the Jasak Doroi Prince of the Bairin tribe.
He also bestowed the title of Princess Chunqi upon his adopted daughter, the second princess, and married her off to Bandi, a Taiji of the Borjigit clan of the Khorchin tribe.
At this time, Yunyi's three sons and one daughter had all been married, leaving only her two children, Yinlu and Yinzhi, unmarried.
During the imperial concubine selection, Emperor Kangxi only chose wives for his own sons and arranged marriages for members of the imperial clan. He did not select any new women to enter the palace.
However, in order to avoid suspicion, he still took two low-ranking palace maids as concubines.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, Emperor Kangxi made his second southern tour.
Since this trip was for political purposes, Kangxi only brought a few of his sons who were over fourteen years old, along with some relevant ministers, and no others.
After Kangxi passed away, with no one left to compete for his favor, everyone quieted down, and the palace returned to peace.
Although things were calmer in the palace and there were fewer things to do, Yunyi was still busy.
Recently, all three of her daughters-in-law have become pregnant. Except for Lady Xilinjueluo, who is pregnant with her third child and has already established her own residence with Yinzhi outside the palace, so she doesn't need to worry about her much.
The Second Prince's wife, Lady Wanyan, and the Fourth Prince's wife, Lady Nalan, were both pregnant for the first time and knew nothing about pregnancy. Since they were living in the princes' quarters in the palace, she had to take extra care of them.
In addition to sending nannies to take care of them, Yunyi also had to check on them every day to feel at ease.
In the evening, Yunyi was flipping through the account books while explaining something to Ruozhu.
Outside the palace, a fiery red figure skipped and hopped in, followed by several palace maids who nervously protected her, afraid that she would fall.
"Mommy, Mommy, what are you doing? Shuning misses you!"
Hearing her beloved grandson's voice, Yunyi smiled and shook her head, putting down the account book in her hand. "Let's look at these tomorrow. The little rascal is here, so I can't look at them now."
Ruozhu knew the little princess's temperament, so upon hearing this, she didn't try to persuade her any further. She quickly packed her things and left.
Yunyi lovingly picked up her granddaughter and teased her, "Shuning, what did you do today? Tell your grandma."
Upon hearing Mama's question, the little girl looked serious and recounted everything she had done that day in childlike innocence.
Not long after, Ruozhu came in with a happy expression and reported: "Master, Prince Hongfen and Young Master Jinzhen have arrived."
Hongfen entered Zhongcui Palace. When he was a child, he often came here to play with his mother and was very familiar with every plant and tree.
Upon entering the inner room, he immediately saw his younger sister holding Mama in her arms. Her previously stern face softened considerably.
Despite having visited many times, Jinzhen always felt strange whenever he came to Zhongcui Palace and saw Consort Rong.
He is now five years old and knows who he is.
His father was the younger brother of Consort Rong, of the Ma Jia clan, and his mother was the younger sister of Consort De, of the Uya clan.
But he knew that wasn't the case. Consort Rong hadn't changed, but Consort De was not the Consort De he knew.
And history, for reasons unknown, has changed.
Some people remain the same as we remember them, while others have experienced completely different changes.
His current mother, this Uya clan, Madam Ma, although he had no memory of her, felt very close to her, as if they had been in contact before.
"Jinzhen, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly spacing out? Quickly try the dishes that your aunt specially instructed the kitchen to make for you. Your mother said it's your favorite."
A concerned voice rang in his ears, interrupting Jinzhen's thoughts. He snapped out of his daze and gave Consort Rong a shy smile, looking a little awkward.
"Thank you, Aunt. My nephew likes it very much."
Perhaps because of some experiences in her childhood, Jinzhen is not used to this kind of care from her elders.
Yunyi was also aware of her nephew's strange behavior.
In her opinion, the Qing Dynasty was a huge sieve, and anyone could travel through it. Without a doubt, this person is probably another time traveler or reincarnated.
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