 When Emperor Wu of Liang seized the throne from Emperor He of Southern Qi in 502, he sought out people with talent to serve in his administration.His prime minister Fan Yun was friendly with Zhou She's father Zhou Yong, and he recommended Zhou She, whom Emperor Wu made a low level official and gradually promoted.In 503, Fan died, and Emperor Wu entrusted the important matters of state to Zhou She and Xu Mian, effectively making them co-prime ministers, even though neither carried the title and neither received particularly high rank.