Emperor Ming of Southern Qi

His mother's name is lost to history, and his father was Xiao Daosheng (蕭道生), a mid-low-level official during Liu Song.

In 472, at the age of 20, Xiao Luan was made a county magistrate, and during the next few years, as his uncle's powers increased, he was promoted through a number of positions, becoming a general in 478.

He was well regarded by the public and officials alike for his humble attitude and frugality in living, as he did not use luxury items and took on the clothing of an ordinary member of the intelligentsia.

At one time, Emperor Wu considered making him the minister in charge of the civil service, but Emperor Wu changed his mind after the idea was opposed by the official Wang Yan (王晏), who believed that Xiao Luan was capable but did not know powerful clans well, and therefore would be ill-equipped to handle the civil service, which at the time weighed the officials' lineages heavily in decisions.

Soon, however, Xiao Zhaoye demonstrated himself to be a frivolous ruler, spending most of his time in feast and games while expending the treasury surpluses that Emperors Gao and Wu had built up.

Emperor Ming was commonly regarded as an intelligent and frugal ruler, and he took a hands-on approach to governance.

He also periodically continued to kill the descendants of (presumably to Emperors Gao and Wu) and cry bitterly, before carrying out the actions.

When Xiao Zhaowen was removed from the throne, the edict that Emperor Ming issued in Empress Dowager Wang's name created him the Prince of Hailing.

In 497, he also killed the high-level official Wang Yan, who had also participated in the coup against Xiao Zhaoye, on suspicion of plotting against him.

In fall 497, Northern Wei's Emperor Xiaowen launched another major attack on Southern Qi.

Each time he conducted these killings, he would first offer incenses What was particularly unusual about Emperor Ming's actions in executing these princes was that after he executed them, he ordered the high-level officials to accuse these princes of crimes and seek their executions—and then he first formally rejected the recommendations, and then accepted them.

However, after Xiao Zike fled back to the capital Jiankang and showed that he was not part of Wang's rebellion, Emperor Ming changed his mind at the last moment and spared them.