 It is not known when she was born to Yuan Dan (元亶) the Prince of Qinghe, a grandson of Emperor Xiaowen, but what is known is that during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu (532-535), she was created the Princess Pingyi.In 534, Emperor Xiaowu, seeking to escape the grasp of Gao Huan, fled west from the capital Luoyang to the domain of the independent general Yuwen Tai.Gao Huan subsequently made her brother Yuan Shanjian emperor (as Emperor Xiaojing), signifying a division of Northern Wei into Eastern Wei (with Emperor Xiaojing as emperor) and Western Wei (with Emperor Xiaowu as emperor).