Influenced by film and television dramas, many people think that Huang Taiji likes Concubine Zhuang very much, that is, the later Empress Dowager of Xiaozhuang. In fact, according to historical data, it is not difficult for us to find that the most important woman in Huang Taiji's heart is not Concubine Zhuang at all, nor is she the queen. However, there is still a close relationship between this woman and the queen and Concubine Zhuang, she is the queen's niece and Concubine Zhuang's sister. So, who is this most loved woman by Huang Taiji?
1. Manchurian and Mongolian marriages
This man is Borzigit·· Hailan Zhu. As can be seen from the surname, Hailanzhu is a Mongolian. That's right, Hailanzhu is from the Horqin tribe of Mongolia and is the daughter of Buhe, the leader of the Horqin tribe. After Nurhachi raised his army, the Korqin tribe was against him, and he also participated in the nine-part coalition army to crusade against Nurhachi, but was defeated. In order to win over the Korqin tribe, Nurhachi took the initiative to marry them, thus establishing a very friendly relationship.
Against this background, Zhezhe from the Korqin tribe married Nurhachi's son, Huang Taiji, in 1614. Eleven years later, Zhezhe's niece Bumu Butai (i.e., the Empress Dowager of Xiaozhuang) was sent to Shengjing by her brother Wu Keshan and also married Huang Taiji. The marriage with the Korqin tribe did not stop there. Nine years later, Wu Keshan of the Horqin Department came to Shengjing again and married his sister Hai Lanzhu to Huang Taiji. It turned out that Hai Lanzhu was Zhezhe's niece and Bumu Butai's sister.
Second, into the main Guanju
Although Hai Lanzhu is an older sister, she entered the palace nine years later than her sister Bumu Butai, and she was 26 years old when she got married. Apparently this was not normal at that time, and it is likely that she had been married before that, but there is no record of it. However, one thing is certain, Hai Lanzhu quickly "captured" Huang Taiji's heart. In 1636, Huang Taiji was officially proclaimed emperor, and modeled the harem system of the Central Plains Dynasty and canonized "one queen and four concubines".
The lord of the harem is, of course, Zhezhe from the Horqin Department, who was the first to marry Huang Taiji. In second place is not Xiaozhuang, but Hai Lanzhu, who entered the palace more than a year ago, she was named Concubine Chen and lived in Guanju Palace. "Guan Ju" comes from the Book of Songs, which is a poem describing love. Huang Taiji named Hai Lanzhu's residence Guan Ju Palace, and its connotation is self-evident. As for Bumu Butai, she was named Concubine Zhuang and lived in Yongfu Palace, ranking last among the four concubines.
3. Favored
In 1637, Hai Lanzhu gave birth to a son for Huang Taiji, ranking eighth. Huang Taiji was very happy, and immediately issued the first amnesty edict since the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, and also held a banquet in the palace. Huang Taiji has eleven sons, except for the eighth son born to Hai Lanzhu, he has never held such a grand event, which shows that this is "love house and Wu". However, the good times did not last long, and the eighth son died half a year later. After that, Hai Lanzhu's health deteriorated.
In 1641, Huang Taiji led his army to engage in a fierce battle with Hong Chengchou of the Ming Dynasty. At the critical moment, Huang Taiji got the news that Concubine Chen was seriously ill, and he actually returned to Shengjing from the front line overnight. However, Huang Taiji still couldn't see the last side of Hai Lanzhu. Huang Taiji was very sad, and every time he went out hunting, he had to cry bitterly in front of Hai Lanzhu's tomb. During the funeral, some princes and nobles still had fun in private. Huang Taiji was furious and sentenced these people to flogging and piercing their ears and noses.
References: 1. "Qing Shilu"; 2. "Qing History Manuscript"