Um, Consort Quehui was Tong Guowei's illegitimate daughter, named Tongjia Lian'er.
Tong Jia Lian'er's birth mother was just a foot-washing maid in Tong Guowei's household. Because Tong Guowei was drunk, he favored Tong Jia Lian'er's birth mother, and that's how Tong Jia Lian'er came to be.
For Tong Guowei, having such a daughter might be a disgrace.
Therefore, before the age of nine, Tong Jia Lian'er lived with her birth mother in a very remote courtyard, with only Sang'er and a maid who had grown up with her since childhood by her side.
Tong Jia Lian'er's aunt was even more pitiful. Not only did she have no servants to attend to her, but she also had to endure the humiliation from the other aunts in the mansion, as well as the bullying from some powerful maids and old women.
Tong Jialian'er has two older sisters.
The eldest of them was sent to the palace before Tong Jia Lian'er was even born. Although she held the rank of concubine in the palace, she never received a proper title.
Later, as she grew older, she learned from the servants in the household that her eldest sister seemed to be some kind of concubine in the Chengqian Palace.
When I was six years old, my eldest sister died of illness in the palace.
Afterwards, her other elder sister, born of the principal wife, was also sent to the palace and resided in Chengqian Palace. There, she was addressed as Consort Tong, and the stepmother began to flaunt her power again.
Both of my older sisters have very beautiful names.
Tong Jia Lian'er didn't know the name of her eldest sister, because from the time Tong Jia Lian'er could remember, the servants in the mansion respectfully addressed her as the Lady of Chengqian Palace.
The other elder sister is named Tong Jiaxianyu.
And Tong Jialian'er,
Ironically, the name Tongjia Lian'er was given to her by her aunt. It was not recorded in the family genealogy and was not recognized. Historical records only mention the Tongjia clan, not Tongjia Lian'er.
Not long after the second sister, Tongjia Xianyu, entered the palace, news spread that the second princess of the Niohuru family, the Consort of Chuxiu Palace, had been made Empress, and the second sister, Tongjia Xianyu, was also conferred the title of Consort Gong.
Tong Guowei and Empress Hesheli both desperately wanted their second sister, Tongjia Xianyu, and their legendary aunt. Like Empress Xiaohuizhang, they wanted to give birth to princes...
Later, Longkodo, the third brother born to his half-sister Hesheli, committed some offense in the palace and was exiled to Ningguta. Not long after, his second sister, Tongjia Xianyu, also died of illness.
At that time, Tong Jia Lian'er was nine years old. Tong Guowei ordered someone to bring her out of the small courtyard where she had lived since childhood and hired a teacher to teach her music, chess, calligraphy and painting.
At first, Tong Jialian didn't understand and thought that Tong Guowei had suddenly remembered his daughter.
Later, Tong Jialian realized that it was because she was her father's eldest daughter at the time, and her two younger sisters were only two years old and were still learning to walk and talk.
Tong Guowei didn't suddenly realize his debt to her; rather, it was because before Empress Xiaozhao passed away, she pleaded with the Emperor to allow her younger sister, the Third Princess Niohuru, to enter the palace.
For the sake of Tongjia clan's glory, Tong Guowei wanted to send her to the palace.
Three years later, when Tong Jia Lian'er was twelve years old, she was summoned to the palace.
Tong Jia Lian'er moved into Chengqian Palace, where everyone addressed her as Consort Tong. Other consorts who entered the palace in the same year included Consort Wen (Niohuru clan), Consort He (Hesheli clan), and Consort Wan and Consort Ning from the Khorchin.
Tong Jia Lian'er and Consort He were twelve and seven years old, respectively. They were young and were simply raised in the palace.
More than a year later in the palace, Tong Jia Lian'er received news that her aunt was ill. Tong Guowei and Hesheli Shi did not call a doctor for her aunt. Tong Jia Lian'er panicked at the time, as she had depended on her aunt since childhood...
For her aunt's sake, all Tong Jia Lian'er could think of was serving the emperor and becoming a true concubine in the harem as soon as possible.
This way, the concubines in the Tong family outside the palace could be protected.
Using underhanded tactics, the young Tong Jia Lian'er successfully won the Emperor's favor. Her aunt even summoned a doctor to treat her. Afterwards, Tong Jia Lian'er was bestowed the title of Consort Que by Emperor Kangxi. At the time, Tong Jia Lian'er was only fourteen years old.
Later, the concubine was still tortured to death by the stepmother. Tong Jia Lian'er cried and then learned that she was too young to serve the emperor and would have difficulty having children in the future. Tong Jia Lian'er was desperate and began to turn evil.
A year or two later, Tong Jia Lian'er was bestowed the title of Consort Que by the Emperor.
At this time, Tong Jia Lian'er was raising a princess born to a low-ranking concubine, Suo Chuo Luo. The princess was lively and adorable, and Tong Jia Lian'er adored her, devoting all her attention to her.
During this time, Tong Guowei learned that Tongjia Lian'er was no longer able to have children, so he sent three more women from the Tongjia clan into the palace.
Tong Jia Lian'er naturally wouldn't allow such a thing to happen. Wanting revenge on Tong Guowei, she had her personal maid bribe several handsome young eunuchs to seduce her three distant cousins.
As expected, the three cousins that Tong Guowei sent to the palace were not good people. They were infatuated with a few eunuchs, but they also wanted to climb into the emperor's bed.
Later, Tong Jia Lian'er meticulously planned a scene to catch her husband in adultery, completely ruining her three cousins, who were then given to a young eunuch as his concubines.
Three more years passed.
Emperor Kangxi favored a palace maid, a member of the Zhangjia clan. After dancing in the snow for an entire afternoon, Zhangjia's personality changed drastically, becoming strange and unpredictable.
Later, Lady Zhangjia became pregnant and died after giving birth. With the help of the then Imperial Noble Consort Xu Muer, Tongjia Lian'er raised the prince born to Lady Zhangjia, the thirteenth prince, Yinxiang.
After having Yinxiang, I felt that life had more hope.
Tong Jia Lian'er knew that her son and daughter, as well as the seventeenth princess raised by her after Consort Mu was demoted to a commoner and given death, were all given to her by Imperial Noble Consort Xu Mu'er. Therefore, she respected Imperial Noble Consort Xu Mu'er for decades.
Imperial Noble Consort Xu Mu'er underwent the investiture ceremony, becoming a legitimate Imperial Noble Consort. In the palace, concubines came in droves, and princes and princesses were born one after another.
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