Empress Xiaojingcheng

Empress Xiaojingcheng (19 June 1812 – 21 August 1855) was a member of the Manchu Borjigit clan, specifically of the Plain Yellow Banner. She was born to Hualiang'a, who served as a fifth-rank literary official in the Ministry of Justice and held the title of a first-class duke, and Lady Aisin Gioro. Her paternal grandfather was Kunshan. Her maternal lineage included Yongxi, who held the title Prince Su of the First Rank until 1821 and was a great-great-grandson of Hooge, and Lady Namdulu, Yongxi's primary consort.

She was born during the Jiaqing era, on the 11th day of the fifth lunar month in the 17th year of Jiaqing's reign, corresponding to 19 June 1812 in the Gregorian calendar.

In 1825, she entered the Forbidden City and was granted the title "Noble Lady Jing" by the Daoguang Emperor. She gave birth to the emperor's second son, Yigang, on 22 November 1826, who died prematurely on 5 March 1827. She was promoted to "Concubine Jing" on 29 December 1826 and further elevated to "Consort Jing" on 15 May 1827. She had several children, including Yiji (born 2 December 1829, died 22 January 1830), Princess Shou'en of the First Rank (born 20 January 1831), and Yixin (born 11 January 1833). She was promoted to "Noble Consort Jing" on 17 September 1834. After the death of the Daoguang Emperor's second empress consort, Empress Xiaoquancheng, on 13 February 1840, Noble Consort Jing was entrusted with managing the harem. She was elevated to "Imperial Noble Consort" on 9 January 1841.

Following the death of the Daoguang Emperor on 26 February 1850, his fourth son Yizhu ascended the throne as the Xianfeng Emperor. Yizhu declined to appoint her as empress dowager and instead granted her the title "Imperial Noble Consort Dowager Kangci." She and her sole surviving son, Yixin, expressed dissatisfaction with this arrangement. According to customary practices, as she was neither the empress consort nor the mother of the reigning emperor, she lacked the formal right to be titled empress dowager. Nonetheless, she was respected as a stepmother figure.

In 1852, Imperial Noble Consort Dowager Kangci participated in selecting potential consorts for the Xianfeng Emperor, choosing among others the women who would become Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci'an. She fell critically ill in August 1855 and, in collaboration with her son Yixin, obtained a claim to the title of empress dowager shortly before her death. On 13 August 1855, she was posthumously honored with the title Empress Dowager Kangci, and eight days later, she died. The Xianfeng Emperor appointed two princes to oversee her funeral arrangements and observed mourning in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

In 1857, her remains were interred in the Mu Mausoleum of the Western Qing tombs. Her posthumous title was later extended to Empress Xiaojing, with the character "cheng" omitted, signifying her status as a consort rather than an empress consort of the Daoguang Emperor. The Xianfeng Emperor did not include her in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, reflecting her limited recognition as an empress.

During the Tongzhi era, after the death of the Xianfeng Emperor on 22 August 1861, the regency for the young Tongzhi Emperor was assumed by Empress Dowagers Cixi and Ci'an, with support from Yixin. In 1862, her posthumous title was further augmented with the character "cheng" to honor her status as empress dowager, and she was included in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and rites.

Her titles throughout her life included Nobility Lady during the Jiaqing era; Noble Lady Jing, Imperial Concubine Jing, Consort Jing, Noble Consort Jing, and Imperial Noble Consort during the Daoguang era; Dowager Imperial Noble Consort Kangci and Empress Dowager Kangci during the Xianfeng era; and finally Empress Xiao Jing and Empress Xiao Jing Cheng during the Tongzhi era.

Her issue included Yigang, her second son; Yiji, her third son; Princess Shou'en; and Yixin, her sixth son, who was granted the title Prince Gong of the First Rank in 1850 and posthumously honored as Prince Gongzhong.

Her portrayals in popular culture include appearances in the 1988 television series "The Rise and Fall of Qing Dynasty," the 1990 adaptation of the same name, and the 2011 series "Curse of the Royal Harem."