Empress Xiaoyiren

Empress Xiaoyiren, of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Tunggiya clan, died on 24 August 1689. She was posthumously accorded the title of Empress Xiaoyiren. She was the wife and third empress consort of the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty and briefly held the title of Empress in 1689.

Her personal name is not recorded in historical texts. Her family origins trace to the Han Chinese Plain Blue Banner. Her father was Guowei, who died in 1719; he served as a leader of the imperial guards (領侍衛內大臣) and held the title of a first class duke (一等公). Her paternal grandfather was Tulai (1606–1658), a military official with the rank of first in command (都統) and also a first class duke. Her paternal grandmother was Lady Gioro. Her paternal aunt was Empress Xiaokangzhang (1638–1663), the mother of the Kangxi Emperor.

Her mother was Lady Hešeri. She had six brothers: Yekeshu, Dekesi, Longkodo, Hongshan, Qingyuan, and Qingfu, each with varying service records, including military positions and administrative roles. Her youngest brother, Qingfu, served as a first rank military official (都統), Viceroy of Liangjiang, Yunnan, and Liangguang at different times, and was a Grand Secretary of Wenhua Hall. Her younger sister was Imperial Noble Consort Quehui (1668–1743).

Lady Tong entered the Forbidden City in 1676 and was initially a mistress of the Kangxi Emperor, without an official title. She was first mentioned in official records on 18 September 1677, when she was granted the rank of Noble Consort (貴妃). As the only consort holding that rank at the time, she was not given an honorary name distinguishing her from others.

Following the death of the second empress consort, Empress Xiaozhaoren, on 18 March 1678, Lady Tong was responsible for managing the imperial harem. On 13 December 1678, she was tasked with raising the emperor’s son Yinzhen, as she was the most senior consort present. She was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort (皇貴妃) on 28 January 1682. On 13 July 1683, she gave birth to the emperor's eighth daughter, who died prematurely on 6 August 1683.

In 1689, while critically ill, she was officially made empress on 23 August. She died the following day and was interred in the Jing Mausoleum of the Eastern Qing tombs. Posthumously, she was titled Empress Xiaoyiren (孝懿仁皇后).

Her titles across different periods include Lady Tong, Noble Consort (from 18 September 1677), Imperial Noble Consort (from 28 January 1682), and Empress (from 23 August 1689). During the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor, she was posthumously known as Empress Xiaoyiren (from July 1723). Her issue as Imperial Noble Consort included the Kangxi Emperor’s eighth daughter, born on 13 July 1683 and dying on 6 August 1683, and a miscarriage in August 1689.

She has been depicted in various cultural works, including the 1987 television series The Rise and Fall of Qing Dynasty, the 2011 series Palace, and The Life and Times of a Sentinel.