She was the wife of Southern Han's founding emperor Liu Yan (Emperor Gaozu), and the daughter of Ma Yin (Prince Wumu), the prince of Southern Han's northern neighbor Chu.
In 913, Liu Yan, who was then formally a Later Liang vassal (as Ma Yin was as well) as the military governor (jiedushi) of Qinghai Circuit (清海, headquartered in modern Guangzhou, Guangdong), sent emissaries to Ma Yin, asking to marry a daughter of his.
[3] In 915, Liu sent emissaries to Chu to welcome her; Ma Yin, in turn, sent his brother (her uncle) Ma Cun (馬存) to escort her to Qinghai's capital Guang Prefecture (廣州) for the wedding.
[4] In 917, Liu Yan declared himself emperor of a new state of Yue, independent from Later Liang.
[5] Little else is known about Empress Ma's marriage with Liu Yan, and none of his sons was recorded as being born of her.