In 237, she became an Imperial Consort (Chinese: 貴人; pinyin: guìrén) of the Shu emperor Liu Shan.
She was brought to the harem in 237 as an honourable lady; in February 238, with Liu Shan making arrangements within the family including declaring his heir, she succeeded her late sister, with Xiang Lang sent to bestow the seal of office.
In 249, following Sima Yi's coup d'etat against Cao Shuang, a fellow regent of Cao Wei, Sima Yi recalled Xiahou Ba and famed relative Xiahou Xuan to the capital while sending Ba's rival Guo Huai to become commander in the west.
[4] Empress Zhang is first introduced as a playable character in the fifth instalment of Koei's Dynasty Warriors video game series.
Although there is no mention of her sister throughout the series, the Scholar Quiz of Dynasty Warriors 7 confirms that Xingcai is the second empress of Liu Shan.