Noble Consort Mei

Noble Consort Wen (simplified Chinese: 玟贵妃; traditional Chinese: 玟貴妃; pinyin: Wén Guìfēi) was a consort of the Xianfeng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. She was born in 1835 and died on 20 December 1890. She belonged to the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner Xu clan, a branch of the notable Šumuru clan. Her father was Chengyi (诚意), who served as an official with the title of 领催 (Lǐng cuī).

Her life is documented within the context of the Qing imperial court, with her early years beginning in 1835 during the Daoguang era. In 1853, she entered the Forbidden City and was granted the title of "First Class Female Attendant Wen" (玟常在), which was considered a seventh-rank consort position. She was described as possessing beauty and elegance, qualities that resulted in her favor with Emperor Xianfeng.

In May 1854, she was promoted to "Noble Lady Wen" (玟贵人), a sixth-rank consort. Her residence in the Forbidden City at this time was the Palace of Eternal Harmony. In 1855, she was demoted back to "First Class Female Attendant Wen" for reasons that are not recorded. That same year, an incident occurred in July where she reportedly vented anger at a palace maid and, during punishment, joked with an eunuch. This behavior reportedly provoked the emperor's ire, leading to her demotion to a "chosen maid" (官女子), a position outside the official ranking system, and the downgrade of her clan to Booi Aha (bondservants).

Her status was restored on 25 July 1856, when she was reinstated as "First Class Female Attendant Wen" and soon after promoted again to "Noble Lady Wen." She advanced to the rank of "Concubine Wen" (玟嫔) in April 1858. On 8 January 1859, she gave birth to her second son, who would later be posthumously honored as "Prince Min of the Second Rank" (悯郡王).

During the reign of the Tongzhi Emperor starting in 1861, she was promoted to "Consort Wen" (玟妃). Her son gained the title of "Prince Min of the Second Rank" in 1873, and she was further elevated to "Noble Consort Wen" (玟贵妃) on 8 December 1874.

She continued to hold her titles into the reign of the Guangxu Emperor until her death on 20 December 1890. Following her death, her coffin was initially placed at Tiancun Immortal Palace before being interred in the Ding Mausoleum within the Eastern Qing tombs, alongside Imperial Noble Consort Zhuangjing.

Her titles throughout her life included various ranks of the Qing imperial consort hierarchy, starting as Lady Xu and progressing through First Class Female Attendant, Noble Lady, Concubine, Consort, and ultimately Noble Consort Wen. Her issue included her second son, Prince Min of the Second Rank.