Chengfei

Cheng Fei, Dai Jiasi, also written as Dajia Jiasi, originally served as a lower-ranking member under the First Banner of the Yellow Banner, assigned to the First Vice-Leadership of the Manchu Guards. She later became a second-ranking Vice-Leader under the Second Banner of the Yellow Banner. She was a consort of Emperor Kangxi. Her family belonged to the Mo Kutantan Batulu, Nasutu and other clans, and they resided in Hangjia, with her ancestral origins originally belonging to the Guguo (Nation-State) territory, which integrated into this area at the founding of the Qing dynasty.

Brief biography:

Before or by Kangxi 14th year (1675), Dai Jiasi was selected to enter the palace through the Inner Court Bureau’s imperial selection. Records indicate that her first cousin's daughter was also among the selection candidates, and her maternal uncle Zhuoqi’s daughter was then in the palace. It is unclear whether she held any official titles upon entering the palace or when she became a consort in the imperial harem. On July 25, Kangxi 19th year (1680), she gave birth to the Emperor's seventh son, Yin You. In regards to adopting Yin You as a posthumous son, Kangxi considered passing him over to Prince Chunjing of the First Rank, Longxi, as his heir.

In March of Kangxi 48th year (1709), Dai Jiasi was promoted to pin (a rank of imperial concubine). In the palace, she was referred to as “Xitou suo’s pin,” and resided in Shufang Hall. The Inner Court Bureau’s chief managed the official process of her promotion through the Five Ranks of the Banner clothing. Prior to Kangxi 57th year (1718), she was not officially promoted; historical records call her a “litigation consort.” On April 19, Kangxi 57th year (1718), the Ministry of Rites proposed granting titles to women aged forty to sixty who had been called consorts but not yet formally conferred, such as her; later that year, on December 28, she was granted the title Chen Fei (Cheng Fei), alongside Buerjijin, He Pin, Waliuha, and others. In the same year, when the Second Prince's consort (Fujin) was gravely ill, the court ordered the aging lady palace attendants—called Ding Pin, Hui Fei, Cheng Fei, and the matron of Ning Shou Palace—to visit her.

In the first year of the Yongzheng Emperor (1723), April 14, according to edicts, her elderly mother was allowed to return home, and she was permitted to be summoned back in late May or early June. In June, after Cheng Fei left the palace, the Prince Chunwen requested her entrance into his residence, which was responded to by the officials and guards outside Donghua Gate forming a formation to welcome her. Upon arriving at the Prince’s residence, she was received by the prince, his princess (Fujin), and officials kneeling in a formal greeting, with Cheng Fei riding in a sedan chair into the residence.

On October 30, in the 5th year of Qianlong (1740), Cheng Fei died. In the 6th year of Qianlong (1741), she was interred at Jingling Queen’s Garden Mausoleum (located within the Qing Eastern Tombs in what is now Zunhua County, Hebei Province). Her spirit tablet was placed in the East Shrine. Some records of her burial arrangements contain inaccuracies.

Family background:

Cheng Fei’s family was related to the Mo Kutantan Batulu, Nasutu clans. They resided in Hangjia and had settled in the territory that defected to the Qing early in its founding. Her father was Zhuoqi, who originally served as a treasury official. Her uncle and paternal grandfather, Galu, who served as the Overseer of the Inner Court Bureau and was a Vice-Leadership official, raised the Emperor's first son, Yunzi (Yunzi Zun). In February of Kangxi 27th year (1688), Galu passed away, and the emperor dispatched couriers with gifts—including ceremonial dress silk brocade, saddlery, and money—to honor his memory, along with silver and a horse. Her great-granddaughter from her paternal line became Consort Xin Gui of the Qianlong Emperor.

Source: *Draft History of Qing – Biographies of Imperial Consorts* (Qing Shi Gao · Houfei Zhuan).