Gi was originally from an aristocratic family of the Goryeo dynasty, and first served as a concubine of Toghon Temür.
Empress Gi was born in Haengju (행주, 幸州; modern Goyang), Goryeo to a lower-ranked aristocratic family of bureaucrats.
[8] Extremely beautiful and skilled at dancing, conversation, singing, poetry, and calligraphy, Lady Gi quickly became the favorite concubine of Toghon Temür.
[1] The primary empress Danashiri was executed on 22 July 1335 in a purge because of the rebellion of her brother Tangqishi.
[9] When Toghon Temür tried to promote Lady Gi to secondary wife, which was contrary to the standard practice of only taking secondary wives from the Mongol clans, it created such opposition at court to this unheard of promotion for a Goryeo woman that he was forced to back down.
Lady Gi's older brother Ki Ch'ŏl was appointed the commander of the Mongol Eastern Field Headquarters—making him in effect the real ruler of Goryeo—owing to her influence, and she closely monitored Goryeo affairs.
Using her eunuch Park Bul-hwa (박불화; 朴不花) as her agent, she began a campaign to force the emperor to pass the imperial throne to her son.