Circa 4 BCE, Emperor Ai entered into a relationship that would further make him incapable of decisions other than those made out of impulse. He began to favor the minor official Dong Xian, and historians largely believed that they had a homosexual relationship. Both men were married, but that would not have been seen as conflicting with a homosexual love affair. Ai came from a long line of emperors, all married of course, with male companions listed in their official histories.