She was the wife of Xiao Dong the Prince of Yuzhang, a great-grandson of the founder of the dynasty Emperor Wu, and she therefore was known as the Princess of Yuzhang. In 551, the general Hou Jing, who controlled the imperial government at Jiankang, in order to show off his power, deposed Xiao Dong's granduncle Emperor Jianwen and made Xiao Dong emperor.
The woman in question was the wife of a prince from Yuzhang, a descendant of Emperor Wu, making her Princess of Yuzhang. In 551, Hou Jing, who controlled Jiankang's government, deposed Emperor Jianwen, Xiao Dong's granduncle, to demonstrate his power and made Xiao Dong emperor.