Around the time, one of Emperor Ling's consorts, Beautiful Lady Wang (), became pregnant. As she feared that Empress He would harm her unborn child, she attempted to cause a miscarriage by consuming drugs but her child remained safe and she had dreams about the sun. In 181, after Beautiful Lady Wang gave birth to a son, Liu Xie, Empress He ordered her to be poisoned to death. Emperor Ling was furious when he found out and he wanted to depose Empress He, but the eunuchs managed to persuade him to spare the empress. The motherless Liu Xie was raised by his grandmother, Empress Dowager Dong, and given the title "Marquis Dong" ().