 Emperor Xiaozhuang once asked her father's cousin Erzhu Shilong to persuade her to be less jealous.Instead, she told Erzhu Shilong that Emperor Xiaozhuang depended on the Erzhus for his throne and that things could still change; Erzhu Shilong agreed with her.Worried about the hold that Erzhu Rong had on the military and how he had been willing to slaughter imperial officials (including Emperor Xiaozhuang's own brothers Yuan Shao (元劭) and Yuan Zizheng (元子正)), Emperor Xiaozhuang, during Empress Erzhu's pregnancy in 530, tricked him into entering the palace with his close associate Yuan Tianmu (元天穆) the Prince of Shangdang and his son Erzhu Puti (爾朱菩提) and killing them by falsely telling them that Empress Erzhu had given birth.