 In 484, when Xiao Zhaoye's father Xiao Zhangmao the Crown Prince was considering whom to take as a wife for his oldest son Xiao Zhaoye, he considered a number of daughters of nobles, and initially he rejected He Jingying on account of He Ji was sonless and therefore did not have a strong household.The prime minister Wang Jian pointed out that since Xiao Zhaoye would be in line to inherit the throne in the future, he only needed a wife of noble birth, not necessarily one with a strong clan.Xiao Zhangmao agreed and took He Jingying as Xiao Zhaoye's wife.