In 348, Sima Yu's heir apparent Sima Daosheng (), who was described as careless and frivolous, was accused of unspecified crimes, and he was deposed and imprisoned, and died in imprisonment. Sima Yu's wife and Sima Daosheng's mother, Princess Wang Jianji (), also died in distress. (She might have also been imprisoned prior to her death) His other sons, one by Princess Wang and three by various concubines, died early, and he was left without an heir, and his concubines were not conceiving any more. He retained a magician to look at his concubines to see which one could conceive an heir, and the magician looked at all of them and opined that none was destined to give him an heir—but then he saw a dark-skinned maid who was working with textiles, who was derogatorily referred to as a Malay, named Li Lingrong, and he, in surprised, yelled out, "She is the one!" Sima Yu therefore took her as a concubine, and she bore him two sons -- Sima Yao in 352 and Sima Daozi in 353. Sima Yao was subsequently named heir apparent.