Lady Wang was born in 1565 and began working as a maid (宮人) in the household of Empress Dowager Li, mother of the Wanli Emperor, in 1578.

[1] Although the Wanli Emperor initially wanted nothing to do with the child, his mother convinced him to acknowledge paternity through records of his visits[1] and arranged for Lady Wang to be promoted to the emperor's concubine with the title of Consort Gong (恭妃).

In August 1582, Lady Wang gave birth to a son, Zhu Changluo, who was the emperor's first child.

[1] Lady Wang lived in seclusion and isolation within the Forbidden City, neglected by the emperor.

[1][4] Five years later, in 1606, after the birth of Zhu Changluo's first son (the future Tianqi Emperor), Lady Wang was finally granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort (Huang Guifei),[1][5] a fitting recognition for the mother of an heir.