[2][1] At age 11, she was one of the only survivors of an attack by Southern Ming general Li Dingguo, in which the rest of her family was killed.
[4] In 1660 she married Sun Yanling, who was subsequently appointed (filling her nominal role) as military governor in Guangxi.
Though he was a military commander, he seemed to not be very skilled, or to have a tendency to overextend his own authority, resulting in several imperial reprimands.
[4][1] Her spouse joined the rebellion of Wu Sangui, which caused him to be deposed of by his army.
[1][citation needed] Kong Sizhen, who remained loyal to the crown, became her husband's successor by 1677, which was confirmed by the Emperor in 1676, a very unusual position for a woman in Qing dynasty China.