Princesse Horqin

Günbu, the Great Consort of Horqin, whose surname is unknown, is Mongolian named Gombo (Гомбо in Cyrillic). She is referred to as the Gombo Furen. She was the wife of the Mongol Minggusi Bole of the Horqin tribe during the Later Jin period, and the mother of Empress Xiaoduanwen and Empress Jingxiaoyi. In Manchu documents, she is called amba mama (literally "big mother" in Chinese), and also known as ajige mama ("little mother"). During her time in the Horqin clan, she was often considered the secondary consort of the Horqin.

Her husband, Minggusi Bole, died between 1623 and 1626. According to Mongolian customs, she was succeeded by her grandson, Sonomu, son of Zaisang. Sonomu accompanied Emperor Taizong on military campaigns and died during the Jisi Incident. Günbu is known to have at least one son and two daughters, namely Dazhe, Empress Jingxiaoyi, and Qitāte; some records suggest she may have had additional children not documented.

In April 1633, the Great Consort of Horqin, the Second Consort of Horqin, and her nephew Ukeshan met with the Ming Zhu Xili and his wife at court to pay homage to Emperor Taizong. During this audience, Emperor Taizong greeted her with the respect owed to a mother-in-law, first seeing the Great Consort, then the Second Consort. On the sixth day of the fifth lunar month, Dato asked Emperor Taizong for the hand of the Great Consort’s daughter, Dazhe. From the sixth to the eleventh day of the lunar month, betrothal and banquet ceremonies were held. In the same year, Emperor Taizong arranged a final marriage between one of his three daughters and Qitāte, with plans for the wedding to be finalized. In 1635, Günbu’s daughter, Jingxiaoyi Empress, married Dorgon. Researchers believe that this marriage helped strengthen ties between Dodo and Dorgon, brothers, through their marriages to the emperor’s half-sister’s daughter, establishing closer kinship with Emperor Taizong.

On the twenty-fourth day of the seventh month of the second year of Chongde (around 1639), Emperor Taizong bestowed the title of Zasak Buyantu Prince on Minggusi and recognized Günbu as Zasak Buyantu Furen. Later documents refer to her as Heshuo Hutuling Afu-jin, and in Chinese as Heshuo Fupo (Heshuo Concubine). In 1643, the Great Consort and Second Consort of Horqin, among others, arrived in Shengjing to congratulate Emperor Taizong’s military victories and participated in the funeral rites before Emperor Taizong’s death.

On September 14, 1645, the second year of the Shunzhi Emperor’s reign, Günbu, the Heshuo Fupin of the Horqin tribe; Boli, the Heshuo Xianfei; Wu Keshan, and other nobles paid homage to Emperor Shunzhi in Beijing. Regent Dorgon, the Crown Prince Jirharlan, and others received them at Qihua Gate. On September 16, the Heshuo Fupin, Heshuo Xianfei, Wu Keshan, and their female relatives, including their auntong Sangar Zai, entered the palace to pay respects. The Shunzhi Emperor hosted two banquets for them. The Heshuo Fupin, Heshuo Xianfei, and other women were received by Gulu'en Ejen Fuzhen Zhe, the Empress Dowager.