Princess Of The Second Rank Shou-Zang

Princess Shòuzāng (寿臧和硕公主), born on 15 November 1829 and deceased on 9 August 1856, was a member of the Qing dynasty imperial family. She was the fifth daughter of the Daoguang Emperor, who reigned from 1820 to 1850, and the second daughter of Consort Xiang, from the Niohuru clan.

Early Life:

Princess Shòuzāng was born in the Mao hour (05:00–07:00) on 15 November 1829. Her birthplace was the Yikun Palace, where her mother, Consort Xiang, resided at the time of her birth. Her birth occurred during a period when the Grand Empress Dowager Gongci was on a return-from-Shengjing ancestral ritual, and she did not re-enter the palace until the 24th day of the same month. On the 17th day of the 11th lunar month, the Daoguang Emperor personally escorted the Empress Dowager to Yikun Palace to pay respects to Consort Xiang and the newborn princess. Princess Shòuzāng was thus raised within the Yikun Palace.

During the 15th year of Daoguang’s reign (1835), the princess was notably absent from the annual “Longevity Festival” celebrations, where imperial princes and princesses paid homage to the emperor. This absence continued through subsequent years (16th to 21st year), contrasting with her elder sister Princess Shou’an and younger sister Princess Shou’en, who participated in these ceremonies.

Marriage and Issue:

On 10 March 1842, corresponding to the 3rd month of Daoguang 22, Princess Shòuzāng was granted the title “Princess Shòuzāng of the Heshuo rank” (寿臧和硕公主). She was betrothed to Enchōng, the eldest legitimate son of Shusun Nara, who held positions of second-rank banner commander and deputy commander of Jinzhou. The marriage ceremony was held on 3 December 1842, which involved her being carried in a palanquin, passing west of Shenwu Gate, and being received at her groom’s residence with full marriage rites.

Princess Shòuzāng had two daughters; the first was born in 1844 during Daoguang 24, and the second in 1846 during Daoguang 26.

Imperial Stipend Adjustment:

In 1853, during the 3rd year of the Xianfeng Emperor’s reign, there was an investigation into Princess Shòuzāng’s financial allowances. It was found that she received only 300 taels of silver annually with no additional allowances. The Imperial Household Department proposed increasing her income to over 1,600 taels annually, including a monthly rent of 130 taels, an annual salary of 500 taels, and a land rent of 1,200 taels, thereby improving her financial condition.

Death and Succession:

Princess Shòuzāng died on 9 August 1856 (Xianfeng 6) at the Sì hour (09:00–11:00), at the age of twenty-eight. The Xianfeng Emperor dispatched Prince Chun Yixuan with an escort of ten guards to attend her funeral. On 13 August, the emperor presided over the mourning banquet. Her husband, Enchōng, died on 1 October 1864 (Tongzhi 3). Since Enchōng had no surviving sons, the emperor designated her nephew Wénxī, son of her younger brother Enpū, as her heir. Wénxī later married the fourth daughter of Prince Yidun.