Xiao Wu
Xiao Fang was born in 796, during the reign of Emperor Dezong. He came from a prominent clan, descended from the imperial line of Liang Dynasty. Xiao Fang's great-grandfather Xiao Song and grandfather Xiao Hua both served as chancellors, as did his cousin Xiao Mian. Xiao Fang's father Xiao Wu (蕭悟) served as a judge at the supreme court. Xiao Fang himself passed the imperial examinations in the "Jinshi" class in 827, during the reign of Emperor Dezong's great-great-grandson Emperor Wenzong, and he entered governmental service thereafter.