 She was the daughter of Gao Yan (高偃), a younger brother of Emperor Xuanwu's mother Consort Gao Zhaorong (posthumously honored as Empress WenZhao), making them cousins.It is not clear when she became his concubine, but it was likely after he already had his first empress, Empress Yu, in 501.Once she became a consort, she was said to have gained his favor, and with her uncle Gao Zhao being a powerful official, it was believed, when Empress Yu died in 507, and Empress Yu's son Yuan Chang (元昌) died in 508, that she and/or Gao Zhao was involved, although there is no conclusive evidence.