Empress Xiao He

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Empress Xiao He Rui
Empress of China

Empress Xiao He Rui (Chinese: 孝和睿皇后钮祜禄氏), 1776–1850, came from the Manchu Niuhuru clan. She was the second Empress Consort of the Qing Dynasty Jia Qing Emperor of China, and she was the daughter of Gongala and born in the 41st year of the Qian Long Emperor's reign.

[edit] Biography

Lady Niuhuru entered the Forbidden City as a lady in waiting to Prince Yong Kan (the future Jia Qing Emperor). She had two sons, the third prince 绵恺 and the fourth prince 绵忻. The Emperor's first wife, the Empress Xiao Shu Rui, died of illness after being Empress for only one year. She left a son, the second Prince Minning 旻宁. (The first prince died shortly after birth). Empress Xiao He Rui was very nice to Prince Minning, although he was not her own child. She took care and looked after him. The relationship between the stepson Prince Minning and the stepmother Empress Xiao He Rui was very harmonic and well-developed.

When the Jia Qing Emperor died, Prince Minning was at the city of Chengde. Niuhuru, now the "Empress Dowager Gong Ci" (Chinese: 恭慈皇太后), ordered her servants to deliver her message across 500 kilometres as fast as possible to Prince Minning, naming him as the next Emperor. Minning, now, the Dao Guang Emperor, was extremely gracious of the Dowager Empress's decision. He said that the Dowager Empress is a very broad-minded woman, not taking this opportunity to name her own sons as Emperors.