Hoifa-Nara, the Step Empress

Background

Lady Ula-Nara was born in the Manchu Ula (烏拉) clan, a subgroup of the Nara clan, which was under the Bordered Yellow Banner. Her father, Narbu (那爾布), was a zuoling (佐領; a military rank). Her ancestor was Wangginu (王機褚/旺吉努), the first beile (a noble title) of the Ula area.

Empress

In 1734, Lady Ula-Nara became a secondary consort of Hongli (Prince Bao), the fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor. When the Yongzheng Emperor died in 1735, Prince Bao succeeded his father and was enthroned as the Qianlong Emperor. After his coronation, the Qianlong Emperor granted Lady Ula-Nara the rank of Consort under the title "Consort Xian" (嫻妃). He promoted her to Noble Consort Xian (嫻貴妃) in 1745.

In 1748, the Qianlong Emperor's first empress consort, Lady Fuca, died. The emperor's mother, Empress Dowager Chongqing nominated Lady Ula-Nara to replace Lady Fuca as her son's new empress consort. The Qianlong Emperor delayed Lady Ula-Nara's promotion to Empress until the mourning period for Lady Fuca was over, because he believed that it would be an insult to Lady Fuca if he designated another consort as Empress during the mourning period. Lady Ula-Nara was first promoted to "Imperial Noble Consort Xian" (嫻皇貴妃) and put in charge of the emperor's harem, making her an acting Empress.

In 1750, Lady Ula-Nara accompanied the Qianlong Emperor on his tours to places such as the tombs of his predecessors (the Eastern Qing tombs and Western Qing tombs), Mount Wutai, and various cities in southern China. About half a month after the tours, the emperor officially instated Lady Ula-Nara as the new Empress.

Downfall

Lady Ula-Nara accompanied the Qianlong Emperor on his fifth tour to southern China in 1765.

Things went smoothly initially; the emperor even celebrated Lady Ula-Nara's birthday during the trip. On 28 February, the emperor instructed his servants to deliver food to the empress. In the evening, however, only three consorts were seen dining with the emperor. Lady Ula-Nara was never seen in public after that day.

It was revealed later that on 28 February, the Qianlong Emperor had Lady Ula-Nara sent back to Beijing via waterways, and ended his tour to southern China. After returning to Beijing, he ordered the four monuments he granted to Lady Ula-Nara during her four promotion ceremonies to be recalled. He also gradually reduced the number of servants Lady Ula-Nara had, until the empress was only left with two maids by July. This was the number of servants low-ranking consorts had. Lady Ula-Nara died a year later at the age of 48.

It remains a mystery as to why Lady Ula-Nara fell out of the Qianlong Emperor's favour in such an abrupt and rapid manner. According to pseudo-historical records of the time, Lady Ula-Nara lost favour with the emperor because she cut her hair. By Manchu custom, Lady Ula-Nara was allowed to cut her hair only when either the Qianlong Emperor or Empress Dowager Chongqing died. Since both the emperor and his mother were alive and well at the time, Lady Ula-Nara had committed a grave faux pas by cutting her hair because doing so was interpreted as cursing the emperor and the empress dowager.

However, since Lady Ula-Nara was a Manchu herself and had lived in the Forbidden City for years, it is assumed that she would be familiar with such customs. Hence, historians are baffled by the question of why she cut her hair. Some speculate that Lady Ula-Nara cut her hair in protest against the Qianlong Emperor's tour to southern China because she believed that he had traveled there in search of women to be his new concubines.

Death and funeral

The Qianlong Emperor was on a hunting excursion at the Mulan Hunting Grounds (木蘭圍場) near Beijing when he received news of Lady Ula-Nara's death. He did not end his excursion immediately and head back to the Forbidden City. Instead, he ordered his 12th son, Yongji, who was born to Lady Ula-Nara, to return to the palace.

By the Qianlong Emperor's order, Lady Ula-Nara's funeral was ostensibly scaled down to that of an Imperial Noble Consort (one rank below the Empress), but in reality, the ceremony was much worse than it seemed. At an Imperial Noble Consort's funeral, princesses, nobles, and high-ranking court officials were required to attend the mourning processions, but this aspect was absent for the empress's funeral.

For consorts and concubines of her class, Lady Ula-Nara was expected to have her own mausoleum or a gravestone at the very least. However instead, she was laid to rest in the Yuling Mausoleum of the Eastern Qing tombs next to Imperial Noble Consort Chunhui in a way similar to how servants were buried beside their masters. Her death was also not recorded in official histories.

Once, a historian begged the Qianlong Emperor to organise a funeral befitting that of an empress for Lady Ula-Nara, but the emperor exiled him to northwestern China near the Ili River. Years later, a scholar pleaded with the Qianlong Emperor to reconsider the entire affair, but the emperor responded with anger and had the scholar executed.