Yehenara Jingfang


Lady Yehenara was primary consort of the Prince Shuncheng of the Second Rank Nelehe, 16th-generation descendant of Lekdehun, Daišan's grandson and Nurhaci's great-grandson. Her personal name was Jingfang.

Life

Family background

Jingfang was a member of the Bordered Blue Banner lineage of the Yehe-Nara clan.
It was not known when was lady Yehenara born. It was said that she was beloved niece of Empress Dowager Cixi. In 1889, she attended Elegant Women Selection together with her sisters. Jingfang married Prince Shuncheng of the Second Rank, Nalehe as a primary princess consort. Apart from her, Nalehe did not have any other concubines.
The main motive of Cixi's choice was desire to strengthen ties between her maternal family and imperial clan. Her paternal aunt, Wanzhen, became princess consort Chun of the first rank, her elder sister, Jingrong, married Zaize, 5th generation descendant of Yunxu, Prince Yuke of the Second Rank and Kangxi Emperor's 15th surviving son, while her second elder sister was instated as an empress of the Guangxu Emperor.
Lady Yehenara remained childless and died in 1908.

Controversy with marriage

Early sources claimed that lady Yehenara married Zaishu, a member of Prince Fu peerage. However, imperial genealogy states that it was daughter of Zhaoxiang, Jingfang's first paternal uncle, who was wed to Zaishu and bore two daughters. Another sources mentioned that Jingfang was married to Zaiyi, Yicong's son. According to "Genealogy of the Aisin-Gioro clan", Zaiyi had two spouses, including lady Irgen Gioro and lady Borjigit.