Imperial Concubine Xi

Consort Xihui (陈氏), born in 1690 and died in 1737, was a concubine of Emperor Kangxi and the daughter of Chen Yuqing. The details of her entry into the palace are not recorded; initially, she was not formally ennobled and was considered a concubine.

On the 11th day of the first lunar month of the 50th year of Kangxi's reign (1711), she gave birth to his twenty-first son, Crown Prince Shenke, Yinxi. In the 61st year of Kangxi’s reign (1722), following Kangxi’s death, the newly enthroned Emperor Yongzheng issued an edict in December granting titles and honors to concubines who had not yet been officially ennobled. As a result, Chen was honored as the Noble Lady Qian (皇考倩贵人), and within the palace, she was known as Consort Qian (倩嫔).

During the Yongzheng era, her rank was gradually elevated within the palace. On June 2nd of the first year of Qianlong's reign (1736), the Supervisory Office of Internal Affairs presented a memorial to Emperor Gaozong regarding the coronets and the eastern pearl decorations on the four consorts of Ning Shou Palace, proposing their inspection; that December, she was officially bestowed the title of Imperial Noble Consort Xihui (皇祖熙嫔). Before being called Xihui, palace records still refer to her as Consort Qian.

On December 25th of that year, Imperial Noble Consort Xihui became seriously ill and was moved to a set of chambers behind Wulong Pavilion in Beihai. On the second day of the first lunar month in 1737, she passed away at the age of 47. Her funeral arrangements followed the precedent set for Lady Dong, a senior concubine of Kangxi.

In summary, Chen was the daughter of Chen Yuqing, entered the palace as a concubine, bore a son in 1711, was posthumously elevated to "Noble Lady Qian" by Yongzheng in 1722, and later officially promoted to "Imperial Noble Consort Xihui" in 1736, passing away later that year and receiving a funeral according to established tradition.