Hule'e Prince Consort Ye Chen

Overview

Ye Chen, the Imperial Son-in-Law of Hule, was a member of the Shumulu clan of the Plain White Banner of the Manchus during the early Qing Dynasty. He originally resided in Zhusheli. Volume Six of the official clan genealogy compiled during the Qianlong reign, *The General Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners*, records that he led thirty households of his clan to submit to the Qing Dynasty at the beginning of the dynasty. Nurhaci married his sister to him, hence the title "Efu" (efu, Imperial Son-in-Law). "Efu" was the title of the husband of a royal woman; Ye Chen is the person's name, and "Efu" should not be interpreted as an ordinary military official position.

Ye Chen initially remained in Zhusheli, but later, due to internal clan conflicts, he was ordered to relocate to Hule. Therefore, the Hule mentioned in the entry is related to his relocation. The original entry records that he suffered nine wounds and later died in battle during the campaign against Hada, receiving the posthumous title of Third-Class Light Cavalry Captain. The title of Light Cavalry Captain was a hereditary military rank; since he had no heir, it was inherited by his younger brother's son, Shahun, not by his father.

The Shahun branch later received additional honors through imperial decree. His descendant, Poli, earned further military merits during the campaign in Yunnan, and when Guanzhu inherited the title, the imperial decree was revoked, but the rank was increased. The document also includes numerous descendants of cousins and nephews, including Fu Lun, who served as Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion and Minister of Rites, and Tu Lang'a, who died in battle and received a hereditary title. These individuals must be distinguished from Ye Chen himself. The modern identities of Zhu Sheli and Hu Le are not confirmed, and the number of clan members, marriages, and deaths are all retained according to the original document and cannot be confused with other individuals with the same name as Ye Chen.