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The future Empress Xiao was born into the imperial house of the Western Liang dynasty – as a daughter of Emperor Ming of Western Liang, who claimed the Liang throne as a vassal of Northern Zhou and then Sui. She was born in the second month of the lunar calendar, and at that time, the superstitious Emperor Ming believed birth in that month to be an indicator of ill fortune. She was therefore given to her uncle Xiao Ji () the Prince of Dongping to be raised, but Xiao Ji and his wife both soon died. (As Xiao Ji died in 566, she was probably born in 566, but could have been born earlier.) She was instead raised by her maternal uncle Zhang Ke (). As Zhang was poor, she had to participate in labor, and she willingly did so. In 582, Emperor Wen of Sui, because Emperor Ming had supported him during Northern Zhou's civil war in 580 against the general Yuchi Jiong, wanted to take one of Emperor Ming's daughters to be the wife of his son Yang Guang the Prince of Jin. Emperor Ming had fortunetellers discern whether any of his daughters was suitable, but the fortunetellers ruled that none was suitable. Emperor Ming then welcomed her back from Zhang's house, and the fortunetellers found her to be suitable, and so she was given to Yang Guang in marriage. She thereafter carried the title of Princess of Jin.