Dream of the Red Chamber: Daiyu's Unparalleled Grace

On the tenth day of the seventh month in the twenty-eighth year of Kangxi's reign, Empress Tonggiya passed away.

The nation mourned the empress's death. The Forbidden City was enveloped in sorrow and gloom. The palace consorts, princes, and princesses all put on a convincing show of grief, whether they truly felt it or not. Though Empress Tonggiya had held the title for only one day, she came from a great Manchu clan and was Emperor Kangxi's own cousin. She had been made a noble consort as soon as she entered the palace, and after Empress Xiaozhao's death, she had managed the harem as an imperial noble consort for more than ten years. How could the emperor's deep favor for her compare with the favor shown to consorts who had slowly risen through the ranks from lowly noble ladies?

On the nineteenth day of the ninth month, she was posthumously given the title...