 One of Yuan Yi's sisters married the general Erzhu Rong, and after Erzhu became the paramount general of the empire during the reign of Emperor Xiaozhuang, Yuan Yi was posthumously honored as the Prince of Fufeng.Yuan Ye himself was not Yuan Yi's oldest son, as he had at least one older brother, Yuan Su (元肅).His mother was Lady Wei, and it is unclear whether she was Yuan Yi's wife or not.