Later, for reasons unknown, she became a servant of the official, Song Qindao (宋欽道), where she became pregnant and gave birth to Mu Sheli.
After Song was killed in a power struggle in 560 between the prime minister, Yang Yin (of whom Song was an associate), and Emperor Fei's uncle, Gao Yan, the Prince of Changshan (later Emperor Xiaozhao), Mu Sheli became a servant inside the palace.
Gao Wei's wet nurse, Lu Lingxuan, in order to strengthen her own power, offered to become Mu Sheli's adoptive mother, and had Gao Wei formally make Mu Sheli an imperial consort.
Lady Lu went as far as having her son, Luo Tipo, change his family name to Mu.
Not confident that she had sufficient persuasive power, however, she had to flatter and give gifts to Lady Lu, requesting her help.
However, Lady Lu did not relent in her hopes of making Consort Mu empress, stating to Gao Wei, "How can a son be crown prince and a mother be a servant girl, a concubine?"
It was said that within a month, Empress Hu began to show symptoms of psychosis, often mumbling to herself or laughing without cause.
Empress Mu, by this point, viewed Lady Lu as her mother and Mu Tipo her brother, ignoring her own mother, Mu Qingxiao, and Lady Lu received the honorific title of "Grand Lady" (taiji, 太姬), a title used for empresses' mothers pursuant to Northern Qi regulations; This position was higher than the emperor's elder sister, the grand princess, and equivalent to the emperor's elder aunt, the senior grand princess.
Empress Mu teamed up with Lu Lingxuan to accuse Consort Cao of witchcraft, and she was executed.
To divert his affections from Consort Dong, Empress Mu presented her servant, Feng Xiaolian.