Princess Of The Second Rank Kechun

Heshuo Kekunang Grand Princess, born on the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month of the sixth year of Chongde, in 1641. She was the fourteenth daughter of Qing Taizong Emperor Huang Taiji. Her biological mother was the concubine Qi Lei, and her maternal grandfather was Erjituguiyinsai from the Chahar Banner. Her contemporaries include the Shunzhi Emperor; she was the sister of the Shunzhi Emperor and the aunt of the Kangxi Emperor.

After her birth, she was initially titled Heshuo Gong Princess. In the eighth month of the tenth year of Shunzhi (1653), she was betrothed to Wu Yingxiong, son of the Pingxi Prince Wu Sangui, and their marriage was held in the same month. In the second month of the fourteenth year of Shunzhi (1657), she was promoted to Heshuo Chang Gong Princess; in the twelfth month of the sixteenth year of Shunzhi (1659), her title was changed to Heshuo Jianning Chang Gong Princess, and later she was renamed Heshuo Kekunang Chang Gong Princess. The princess bore three sons: Wu Shilin, a second son whose name is unknown, and a daughter, Wu Jashi, who married Tabei, grandson of Nurhaci, and General Gartu.

In 1674, the rebellion of Wu Sangui broke out. Wu Yingxiong and Wu Shilin, the son of Wu Yingxiong and Jiening Gong Princess, were executed. Emperor Kangxi issued an edict recording the princess’s connection to the rebellion. After Yunnan was pacified in December 1681, Kangxi ordered the punishment of Wu Sangui’s descendants: “Two grandchildren strangled, all other grandchildren beheaded and cast into the marketplace." The princess died in December 1705, at the age of sixty-four (nominal age).

Regarding anecdotes, according to the records of Korean envoys during the first year of Kangxi’s reign, when she traveled, there were ceremonies and spectators. Her journeys included passing through Hutuo River and outside Sanhe County, where grand festivities demonstrated state courtesy. Archives from the Imperial Household Department show that during Yongzheng’s reign, a portrait of the “Kekunang Princess” and four portraits of Wu Yingxiong were kept in the palace.

In terms of arts and literature, Jiening Princess is often fictionalized in literary and film works. In literature, Jin Yong’s novel "The Deer and the Cauldron" depicts Jiening Princess as Kangxi’s sister and involves complex plots with the protagonist Wei Xiaobao. In television dramas, such as "Huiyu Princess," Jiening Princess appears as one of the characters, with various adapted portrayals.