Toghon Temür
Empress Gi was born in Haengju (, modern Goyang), Goryeo to a lower-ranked aristocratic family of bureaucrats. Her father was Gi Ja-oh (). In 1333, the teenage Lady Gi was among the concubines sent to Yuan by the Goryeo kings, who had to provide a certain number of beautiful teenage girls to serve as concubines of the Mongol Emperors once every three years. It was considered prestigious to marry Goryeo women. Extremely beautiful and skilled at dancing, conversation, singing, poetry, and calligraphy, Lady Gi quickly became the favorite concubine of Toghon Temür. The Emperor Toghon Temür fell in love with her and it was soon noted that he was spending far more time in her company than he was with the first empress Danashiri.