Emperor Kangxi, the third son of Emperor Shunzhi, was named Xuan Ye.
In the tenth year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign, Xuan Ye was born in Jingren Palace. His mother, Lady Tongjia, was then just an obscure concubine in the Shunzhi Emperor's harem, unknown and unremarkable.
After all, Emperor Shunzhi, Fulin, was known for his madness over a woman.
Empress Xiaoxian, of the Dong E clan, turned Emperor Shunzhi's harem upside down.
In the thirteenth year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign, Consort Dong'e entered the palace and was initially granted the title of Virtuous Consort. A month later, she was swiftly promoted to Imperial Noble Consort. She subsequently gave birth to Xuan Ye's fourth younger brother, Prince Rong. Unfortunately...
As the saying goes, "Extreme prosperity inevitably leads to tragedy." Xuan Ye's fourth brother, on whom great hopes were placed, died in his infancy.
Following several years of illness, Consort Dong'e passed away in the seventeenth year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign. She was posthumously honored as Empress Xiaoxian.
In the eighteenth year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign, the Shunzhi Emperor passed away, following Empress Xiaoxian. Xuan Ye, having survived smallpox, stood out among the few princes at the time and was chosen by his grandmother, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, to ascend the throne.
Historical records indicate that Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty, Fulin, did not die, but instead became a monk at Mount Wutai.
In fact, this is pure nonsense. Although Emperor Shunzhi deeply loved Consort Dong'e, he also had affairs with other concubines in the harem. After Consort Dong'e's fourth son died young, she gave birth to Emperor Xuan Ye's younger brother and sister.
Emperor Shunzhi's life was filled with frustration and unfulfilled ambitions, suppressed by Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.
Both empresses were from Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's maternal family, from the Khorchin Mongols. Even the high-ranking concubines in the harem were Mongolian princesses, such as Haoqite Borjigit, Abahai Borjigit, and later Consort Shuhui Borjigit.
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was preoccupied with the glory of the Khorchin and interfered in the affairs of Shunzhi's harem. Under such circumstances, Shunzhi died in depression. However, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang did not realize this and believed that Dong E was the vixen who bewitched the country.
After Emperor Shunzhi's death, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, in a fit of rage, ordered Consort Zhen, a cousin of Consort Dong'e, to be buried alive with him...
At the age of eight, Xuan Ye ascended the throne. He was still a child, but with the assistance of his grandmother, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, he had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of being the ruler of the country. Soon after his ascension, his mother, Empress Xiaokangzhang (née Tongjia), passed away.
Later unofficial historical accounts claimed that Xuan Ye's birth mother, Empress Xiaokangzhang, was poisoned by Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang.
Although Emperor Xuan Ye suspected something, he couldn't find any evidence. Ultimately, Empress Xiaokangzhang, of the Tongjia clan, passed away, remaining a mystery until many years later when Xuan Ye heard some news about it.
Pregnancy and childbirth at an early age can affect a woman's lifespan.
Xuan Ye's mother, Empress Xiaokangzhang, entered the palace at the age of eleven or twelve, and gave birth to Xuan Ye at the age of fourteen.
When he was twelve years old, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang chose Hesheli as Empress for Xuan Ye, and also arranged for some concubines and several young princesses from Mongolia to wait in the palace.
Xuan Ye and Empress Hesheli were a young couple.
However, Empress Heseri was ruthless in her pursuit of the empress's position, and she harmed several princes and princesses. Finally, in the thirteenth year of Xuan Ye's reign, Empress Heseri gave birth to a princess and died of postpartum hemorrhage.
In the same year, a concubine named Xu in Emperor Xuan Ye's harem became pregnant and gave birth to triplets, a symbol of good fortune, born to a dragon and a phoenix.
During the decades of the Qing Dynasty's rule, apart from the birth of twins by Hesheli, the third wife of Prince An Yue Le, no other twins of opposite sexes were born in the palace.
However, Xu's background was too low. She was a bondservant of the Imperial Household Department and had once been a palace maid serving Empress Xiaocheng, Hesheli. Due to an accident, she was favored by Emperor Xuan Ye and made a concubine.
But no matter what...
It is a fact that Ms. Xu gave birth to triplets, a boy and a girl, a blessed birth combination.
After much deliberation, Xuan Ye decided to bestow a surname and elevate the banner status upon Lady Xu. Not long after, he found another reason to confer upon her the title of Consort Yu.
In the sixteenth year of Kangxi's reign
Xu gave birth to another daughter, who was destined to be associated with Consort Jing, the deposed empress of Emperor Shunzhi, as she had a cinnabar mole between her eyebrows just like that of the late Consort Jing.
In that year, Emperor Xuan Ye again appointed Lady Niohuru as his empress, and bestowed titles upon the concubines. Lady Xu was also granted the title of Consort Yu.
It must be admitted that Xu's belly was truly fertile.
In the eighteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Xu gave birth to another daughter, Wu Lingzhu.
In the same year, Xu's sons, Yinling and Wunaxi, were found to have a destiny for immortality and were likely to become immortals in the future.
From that moment on, Xu Shi held an indelible place in Xuan Ye's heart.
After Yinling and Wuxiha discovered their connection to the immortals, they did not immediately go to the heavens with their master to learn immortal arts. Instead, they stayed in the palace, supposedly because they had unfinished worldly ties.
Soon, Xu became pregnant again, and when the time was right, she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.
The plan to send Yinling and Wunaxi to the heavens to study immortal arts was also put on the agenda. Only then did Xuan Ye realize that the so-called unresolved worldly ties were actually the twins, a boy and a girl, in Xu's womb.
At this moment, Xuan Ye understood.
The son of Xu's twins will most likely become the heir to the Qing Dynasty throne.
After all, having siblings from the same mother, with a predestined affinity for immortality and the potential to live a long and prosperous life, is a given.
Therefore, Xuan Ye named his newborn son Yin Chu.
The character '褚' is derived from the meaning of the crown prince.
Why was this decision made from the moment Yin Chu was born?
The reason for this was that Xuan Ye discovered he had many princesses, but only a few princes.
Aside from Yinling, who went to the heavens to study immortal arts, there were only Yinzhi and Yinti, born to the Majia and Nara clans, and Yinchu, who was still an infant.
For various reasons, Emperor Xuan Ye bestowed the title of Consort Xu upon her, hoping that Yin Chu would rise in rank because of his mother.
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