Lady Tong first entered the Forbidden City in 1676 and became a mistress of the Kangxi Emperor and was treated as a consort, but was not officially entitled.

She was first mentioned in official histories on 18 September 1677 when the Kangxi Emperor granted ranks and titles to his consorts.

Traditionally, the Empress was tasked with overseeing the upbringing of all the Emperor's children, regardless of whether or not she was their birth mother.

On 13 July 1683, she gave birth to the emperor's eighth daughter, who would die prematurely on 6 August 1683.

On 23 August 1689, when the Imperial Noble Consort was critically ill, the Kangxi Emperor officially instated her as empress.