She was Emperor Daizong's favorite concubine and, while she never became empress in her lifetime, she dominated inside the palace.
Her father Dugu Ying (獨孤穎) was an officer in the imperial guard corps.
The modern Chinese historian Bo Yang suggested that the reason was that Emperor Daizong did not want to endanger the position of his oldest son Li Kuo, who was crown prince.
[5]) Consort Dugu bore Emperor Daizong two children—Li Jiong (李迥), who was created the Prince of Han in 762 due to the favor that Consort Dugu was enjoying while most of his other brothers were not created imperial princes until 775,[6] and Princess Huayang, who was herself said to be favored by Emperor Daizong greatly due to her intelligence and her ability to discern his likes and dislikes.
He had the chancellor Chang Gun, known for his literary talent, write a lengthy text mourning her.