生平

蕭繹於514年封湘東王，早年因病而一眼失明。547年出荊州，任荊州刺史、使持節、都督荊雍湘司郢寧梁南北秦九州諸軍事、鎮西將軍。侯景之亂時，梁武帝遣人至荊州宣讀密詔，授蕭繹為侍中、假黃鉞、大都督中外諸軍事、司徒承制，其餘職務如故。蕭繹手握強兵，卻沒有積極勤王。

549年梁武帝餓死台城後，蕭繹首先發兵攻滅自己的侄兒河東王蕭譽，並擊退蕭譽弟岳陽王襄陽都督蕭詧的來犯，迫使蕭詧投靠西魏；發兵驅逐本欲討伐侯景的哥哥邵陵王蕭綸。蕭繹又與北齊結盟，導致北齊沒有盡力支援蕭綸，蕭綸被侯景所敗，最終被殺。之後蕭繹再命王僧辯率軍東下消滅侯景。其長子蕭方等先前在與蕭譽作戰時身亡，次子蕭方諸在與侯景交戰時被擒殺。蕭繹弟益州刺史武陵王蕭紀亦有意出兵共討侯景，蕭繹寫信阻止，稱「蜀人勇悍，易動難安，弟可鎮之，吾自當滅賊。」又寫信稱「地擬孫、劉，各安境界；情深魯、衛，書信恆通」以為示好。

552年侯景死後，蕭繹派手下朱買臣在建康殺死侯景所廢皇帝蕭棟兄弟三人。十一月丙子（12月13日），蕭繹即帝位於江陵，是為梁世祖。當時，群臣中有人建議返回舊都建康，但蕭繹沒有同意。

蕭繹即帝位之前，蕭紀已稱帝於益州；蕭紀出兵討伐侯景，得知侯景已滅，就轉為討伐蕭繹。蕭繹便派兵迎戰，寫信講和，同時也請求西魏出兵襲取益州。蕭紀因此遭受重創，向蕭繹求和，蕭繹回信拒絕稱兄弟情斷，最終全殲蕭紀勢力，但也給了西魏可趁之機，益州因此淪落敵手。蕭繹將蕭紀父子除宗籍改姓饕餮，並將蕭紀二子蕭圓照、蕭圓正餓死。

554年，蕭繹給西魏權臣宇文泰寫信，要求按照舊圖重新劃定疆界，言辭又極為傲慢。宇文泰大為不滿，命令常山公于謹、大將軍楊忠、兄子大將軍宇文護等將領以5萬兵馬進攻江陵（今湖北江陵縣）。梁元帝戰敗，由御史中丞王孝祀作降文。十二月辛未（555年1月27日），便率太子等人到西魏軍營投降。不久為蕭詧以土袋悶死，江陵「闔城老幼被虜入關」。

梁元帝也是一個愛好讀書與喜好文學的君主，「四十六歲，自聚書來四十年，得書八萬卷」，自稱「韜於文士，愧於武夫。」曾主編《金樓子》等書；江陵被圍城時，承聖三年十一月甲寅（555年1月10日），元帝入東閤竹殿，命舍人高善寶放火焚燒圖書14萬卷，包括從建康為避兵災而轉移到江陵的8萬卷書，自稱「文武之道，今夜盡矣！」「讀書萬卷，猶有今日，故焚之。」江陵焚書被視為中國的文化浩劫之一。

評價

清朝初年的王船山評論其焚書行徑：「未有不惡其不悔不仁而歸咎于讀書者，曰書何負于帝哉？此非知讀書者之言也。

北宋的司馬光評論：「元帝於兄弟之中，殘忍尤甚，是以雖翦兇渠而克復故業，旋踵之間，身為伏馘；豈特人心之不與哉？亦天地之所誅也。」

唐朝的虞世南：「梁元聰明伎藝，才兼文武，仗順伐逆，克雪家冤，成功遂事，有足稱者。但國難之後，傷夷未複，信強寇之甘言，襲褊心于懷楚，蕃屏宗支自為仇敵，孤遠懸僻，莫與同憂，身亡祚滅，生人塗炭，舉鄢、郢而棄之，良可惜也。」

陳朝的史家何之元：「世祖聰明特達，才藝兼美，詩筆之麗，罕與為匹，伎能之事，無所不該，極星象之功，窮蓍龜之妙，明筆法于馬室，不愧鄭玄，辨雲物于魯台，無慚梓慎，至於帷籌將略，朝野所推，遂乃撥亂反正，夷凶殄逆，紐地維之已絕，扶天柱之將傾，黔首蒙拯溺之恩，蒼生荷仁壽之惠，微管之力，民其戎乎？鯨鯢既誅，天下且定，早應移鑾西楚，旋駕東都，祀宗土方，清蹕宮闕，西周岳陽之敗績，信口宇文之和通，以萬乘之尊，居二境之上，夷虜乘釁，再覆皇基，率土分崩，莫知攸暨，謀之不善，乃至於斯。」

學術成就

梁武帝有八個兒子，其中文採極高者有三位，即長子蕭統、三子蕭綱和七子蕭繹，後世文學界將蕭衍父子四人並稱為「四蕭」，名氣不亞於魏朝「三曹"。而「四蕭」當中，成就最高者當屬梁元帝蕭繹，而他最終的結局卻又最悽慘，最讓人扼腕。

蕭繹是武帝的第七子，自幼文藝天賦極佳，六歲能詩，不僅在文章、書法、繪畫方面號稱「三絕」，影響唐朝詩人高適、岑參以及金樓子文學上的創建以及在南北朝繪畫史佔極重要地位，史學巨著金樓子入了諸子百家、命術上在南北朝為代表之一、兵法上平定曠世名將侯景之亂，而且在音樂、中醫等方面造詣很深,哲學為當時名家著書豐富，圍棋據說九段,甚至還另闢相馬術之先河，學問之博大精深，以他只活46歲又依靠聽力記憶來看，可謂亙古罕見之曠世天才,才能在亞洲與歐洲歷史19世紀之前,可能僅次於達文西與張衡.沈括,敗在受殘缺與兄弟影響引起的惡劣心性。

家庭

父母

• 父：梁武帝蕭衍

• 母：阮修容

兄弟

• 長兄 蕭統：皇太子→皇帝（追尊），字德施，謚昭明太子→昭明皇帝

• 第二兄 蕭綜：豫章郡王，字世謙

• 第三兄 蕭綱：晉安郡王→皇太子→皇帝，字世讚，謚簡文皇帝

• 第四兄 蕭績：南康郡王，字世謹，謚簡王

• 第五兄 蕭續：廬陵郡王，字世訢，謚威王

• 第六兄 蕭綸：邵陵郡王，字世調，謚攜王/忠壯王

• 第八弟 蕭紀：武陵郡王→皇帝，字世詢，謚貞獻王

后妃

• 徐昭佩：蕭方等、益昌公主蕭含貞母

• 王貴嬪：蕭方諸、蕭方略母

• 袁貴人：蕭方矩母

• 夏貴妃：敬帝蕭方智母

• 王良人：王貴嬪妹妹

• 弘夜姝

• 李桃兒

兒女

• 長子 蕭方等：湘東世子，謚忠壯世子→武烈世子

• 第二子 蕭方諸：湘東世子，謚貞惠世子

• 第四子 蕭方矩：南安縣開國侯→王太子→皇太子，謚愍懷太子

• 第九子 蕭方智：興梁縣開國侯→晉安郡王→皇帝→江陰郡王，謚敬皇帝

• 第十子 蕭方略：始安郡王

• 蕭方規

• 第三、五、六、七、八子早死

• 蕭含貞：益昌公主

• 蕭含介

• 安昌公主︰嫁徐徹，生徐文遠，唐代徐有功即徐文遠之孫。

• 蕭含芷

後裔

• 曾孫蕭世翼

本人作品

• 職貢圖 (蕭繹)

Background

Xiao Yi was born in 508, as the seventh son of the dynasty founder Emperor Wu. His mother was Emperor Wu's concubine Ruan Lingying (阮令贏), whose original surname was Shi (石), and who had previously been concubine to the Southern Qi prince Xiao Yaoguang (蕭遙光) and then the emperor Xiao Baojuan, and whose surname was changed to Ruan by Emperor Wu. In 514, at the age of six, he was created the Prince of Xiangdong. As the years went by, he got increasingly higher offices, and by 547 he was not only the governor of the key Jing Province (荊州, modern central and western Hubei), but was also titular commander of the troops of the other provinces in the central empire.

Xiao Yi was blind in one eye—although it was not clear whether he suffered an illness or injury. He was known as learned in literary matters, but not well-versed in military matters. His relationship with his wife Princess Xu Zhaopei was very chilly, and he rarely visited her bedchambers—once every two or three years. When he did, she would parodize him by putting makeup on only one side of her face, and when he saw it, he would storm out. She also conducted affairs with a number of men.

During the Hou Jing Disturbance

In 548, the general Hou Jing, who had defected from Eastern Wei in 547, rebelled from his headquarters at Shouyang (壽陽, in modern Lu'an, Anhui). He quickly arrived at the capital Jiankang and, after capturing the outer city, put the palace under siege. Despite the desperate situation that the capital was in, Xiao Yi only sent partial troops, commanded by his heir apparent Xiao Fangdeng (蕭方等) and general Wang Sengbian, to join the other provincial troops to try to lift Jiankang's siege. However, the provincial troops, once they gathered, were hesitant to engage Hou's troops. Xiao Yi himself, commanding the majority of his troops, halted at the border between Jing Province and Ying Province (郢州, modern eastern Hubei), claiming that he needed to wait for the other provincial troops to gather before he could proceed. Meanwhile, as soon as he heard news that Emperor Wu had entered into peace with Hou in spring 549, he withdrew his troops entirely. Hou soon reneged on the peace agreement, however, and put the palace under siege again in earnest, and he soon captured it, seizing Emperor Wu and the crown prince Xiao Gang (Xiao Yi's older brother) effectively as hostages. The provincial troops already at Jiankang took no action and disbanded. Xiao Fangdeng and Wang Sengbian took their troops back to Jing Province. Upon their arrival, Xiao Yi's response was to strengthen the defense of his headquarters at Jiangling. He declined requests by several other provincial governors that he formally undertake imperial powers, but then began to act in accordance therewith, including commissioning generals and governors and creating titles, particularly after his cousin Xiao Shao (蕭韶) the Marquess of Shangjia fled out of Jiankang and claimed to carry a secret edict from Emperor Wu authorizing Xiao Yi to exercise those authorities. When Emperor Wu died in summer 549 and was succeeded by Xiao Gang (as Emperor Jianwen), Xiao Yi learned the news of Emperor Wu's death but kept it secret from his people and army.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yi was displeased that his nephews Xiao Yu (蕭譽) the Prince of Hedong, the governor of Xiang Province (湘州, modern Hunan) and Xiao Cha the Prince of Yueyang, the governor of Yong Province (雍州, modern northwestern Hubei), were resisting his orders. At the same time, his friend Zhang Zuan, who had a prior dispute with Xiao Yu, falsely informed him that Xiao Yu and Xiao Cha were planning to attack him together. Xiao Yi therefore prepared first to attack Xiao Yu. Xiao Fangdeng, who was fearful of his father on account of his father's chilly relations with his mother Princess Xu, volunteered to command the troops against Xiao Yu, but was defeated by Xiao Yu and drowned in battle. Xiao Yi did not mourn Xiao Fangdeng, and subsequently forced Princess Xu to commit suicide. He would not take another wife for the rest of his life.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yi sent Bao Quan (鮑泉) and Wang Sengbian against Xiao Yu, but over a minor disagreement in strategy, he pierced Wang's leg with a sword and nearly killed him, and Bao ended up commanding the army on his own. Wang would be spared only after his mother made urgent pleas to Xiao Yi to spare her son. Bao was able to defeat Xiao Yu and force Xiao Yu back into his headquarters at Changsha (長沙, in modern Changsha, Hunan), but after putting Changsha under siege for months was unable to capture it. Xiao Cha, trying to save his brother, marched on Jiangling, and Xiao Yi was forced to release Wang from prison and have him command Jiangling's defense forces against Xiao Cha. Wang defeated Xiao Cha, who was forced to retreat back to his headquarters at Xiangyang (襄陽, in modern Xiangfan, Hubei). Xiao Yi subsequently replaced Bao with Wang in sieging Changsha. Meanwhile, Xiao Cha, unable to save his brother and fearful that he would be Xiao Yi's next target, submitted to Western Wei, and Western Wei's paramount general Yuwen Tai sent the general Yang Zhong to assist Xiao Cha, defeating Xiao Yi's army commanded by Liu Zhongli (柳仲禮) in spring 550 and capturing all of Liang territory north of the Han River, after which Xiao Yi made peace with Western Wei, effectively acknowledging Western Wei's suzerainty over Xiao Cha's domain and further declared Liang to be a subordinate state.

Xiao Yi's older brother Xiao Guan (蕭綸) the Prince of Shaoling, at that time holding his troops at Jiangxia (江夏, in modern Wuhan, Hubei), considered trying to save Xiao Yu, but felt that he did not have enough strength to do so, and therefore sent letters to Xiao Yi, trying to persuade him to give up the siege on Changsha. Xiao Yi refused, and continued the siege. Soon, Changsha fell, and Wang executed Xiao Yu. It was only after this point that Xiao Yi acknowledged Emperor Wu's death. While he implicitly recognized Emperor Jianwen as the rightful emperor, he refused to recognize Emperor Jianwen's era name Dabao (大寶) and continued to use Emperor Wu's era name Taiqing (太清), and, citing the fact that Hou Jing was actually in control, did not recognize Emperor Jianwen's edicts. When Xiao Yi's younger brother Xiao Ji the Prince of Wuling, who was then controlling the modern Sichuan and Chongqing region, sent an army commanded by his heir apparent Xiao Yuanzhao (蕭圓照) toward Jing Province, claiming to be willing to accept Xiao Yi's command in attacking Hou, Xiao Yi commissioned Xiao Yuanzhao as the governor of Xin Province (信州, modern eastern Chongqing) and ordered him to halt at Xin Province's capital Baidicheng and not to proceed any further.

Xiao Yi, hearing that Xiao Guan was preparing an attack on Hou, became displeased at the possibility that his brother might be successful, and he sent Wang and Bao against Xiao Guan, but meanwhile claiming to be preparing to engage Hou's general Ren Yue (任約), who had just captured Jiang Province (江州, modern Jiangxi) from Emperor Jianwen's son Xiao Daxin (蕭大心) the Prince of Xunyang and was continuing to advance west. Xiao Guan saw through Xiao Yi's plan, but felt he could not resist, and therefore fled north to Ru'nan (汝南, in modern Jingmen, Hubei), allowing Xiao Yi to take Ying Province under control.

Confrontation with Hou Jing

Meanwhile, Ren Yue's forces were approaching Xiao Yi's territory. When Xiao Ji led his army east, however, Xiao Yi, suspicious of Xiao Ji's intentions, sent him letter to halt him, stating, "The people of Bashu Yi Province and surrounding regions are brave but ferocious, and they easily get emotional and difficult to control. I need you, my brother, to watch over them, so that I can destroy the bandit Hou Jing." He also attached a note, "Based on geography, you and I are like Liu Bei and Sun Quan, and we should each be satisfied with our territory. Based on our blood, we are like the states of Lu and Wei, and we can continuously communicate." Apparently in reaction to Xiao Yi's letter, Xiao Ji returned to his headquarters at Chengdu (成都, in modern Chengdu, Sichuan).

Ren's forces and Xiao Yi's forces, commanded by Xu Wensheng (徐文盛), became stalemated. Hou himself therefore led forces to come to Ren's aid, leaving Jiankang in winter 550. Meanwhile, Western Wei captured Ru'nan and killed Xiao Guan in spring 551, eliminating a potential competitor for the throne for Xiao Yi.

Hou's forces approached Xu's, and he sent Ren and Song Zixian (宋子仙) to make a surprise attack on Jiangxia, capturing it and seizing Bao and Xiao Yi's heir apparent Xiao Fangzhu (蕭方諸), subsequently putting them to death. Xu's forces collapsed, and he was forced to flee back to Jiangling. Xiao Yi instead put Wang Sengbian in charge of his remaining forces, and Wang took up position at Baling (巴陵, in modern Yueyang, Hunan). Instead of bypassing Wang and attacking Jiangling directly, Hou sieged Baling and was unable to capture it. Eventually, his food supplies ran out, and he was forced to retreat. Ren was captured, and soon thereafter, so were Song and Ding He (丁和). Xiao Yi spared Ren, but put Song and Ding to death. Also, claiming that Xu had complained about his leadership, he also put Xu to death. At the same time, his relationship with Xiao Ji would further deteriorate when he arrested Xiao Ji's son Xiao Yuanzheng (蕭圓正) the Marquess of Jiang'an and seized Xiao Yuanzheng's troops.

Xiao Yi sent Wang further east to put pressure on Hou, who by that point had retreated back to Jiankang. By fall 551, Wang had, in conjunction with another key general, Chen Baxian, who had advanced north from Guang Province (廣州, modern Guangdong), captured Jiang Province. Hou, believing that his days might be numbered, first deposed and killed Emperor Jianwen and replaced him with Xiao Dong the Prince of Yuzhang, the grandson of Emperor Wu's first crown prince Xiao Tong (who was also Xiao Yu's and Xiao Cha's father), and then forced Xiao Dong to yield the throne to him, establishing a state of Han. Upon the spread of news of Emperor Jianwen's death, Xiao Yi's generals requested that he take imperial title, but he refused.

By spring 552, Wang and Chen had arrived at Jiankang. They repelled Hou's counterattack against them, and then defeated his troops. Hou abandoned Jiankang and fled east. Wang entered Jiankang, but while most of Hou's generals surrendered, those north of the Yangtze River instead surrendered to Northern Qi. By Xiao Yi's orders, the general Zhu Maichen (朱買臣) found Xiao Dong and threw him and his brothers Xiao Qiao (蕭橋) and Xiao Jiu (蕭樛) into the Yangtze River to drown. Meanwhile, Hou, in flight, was killed by his own attendant Yang Kun (name not in Unicode). Around the same time, Xiao Ji, not realizing that Xiao Yi had already defeated Hou, claimed imperial title himself.

Reign

For months after Hou's death, Xiao Yi declined imperial title, and but exercised imperial powers still under his title of Prince of Xiangdong. However, he did not have much territory under his control, as the provinces north of the Yangtze and Han Rivers had been lost to Northern Qi and Western Wei, and the western provinces and southern provinces were controlled by Xiao Ji and Xiao Yi's cousin Xiao Bo (蕭勃), respectively.

Despite the state the empire was in, Xiao Yi managed to create another crisis for himself, even as Xiao Ji was approaching Jing Province from the west. He had put his general Wang Lin under arrest, even though Wang Lin was much loved by his troops, and when news of Wang Lin's arrest reached Xiang Province, where Wang had become governor, his troops rebelled under his lieutenant Lu Na (陸納). Troops that Xiao Yi sent to combat Lu Na were not successful in defeating Lu, and Xiao Yi was forced to commit considerable troops to combatting Lu.

In winter 552, Xiao Yi finally took imperial title (as Emperor Yuan). For the time being, the capital was at Jiangling.

Emperor Yuan, facing the dual threat of Lu and Xiao Ji, recalled Wang Sengbian from Jiankang in spring 553. Meanwhile, he requested Western Wei to attack Xiao Ji from the rear, and Yuwen Tai, seeing a chance to seize Liang's western provinces, agreed, sending his nephew Yuchi Jiong south to directly attack Xiao Ji's headquarters at Chengdu. Meanwhile, Xiao Ji, receiving false information from his son Xiao Yuanzhao that Hou had defeated Jing Province forces, continued to advance east. He finally realized the falsity of Xiao Yuanzhao's reports in summer 553, but decided to continue east against Emperor Yuan. Wang Sengbian, while forcing Lu to withdraw into Changsha, was unable to capture Changsha quickly, and Emperor Yuan, finally realizing that Lu was only interested in freeing Wang Lin, released Wang Lin, and Lu surrendered.

Emperor Yuan was then able to concentrate his forces against Xiao Ji, and he offered Xiao Ji peace. Xiao Ji refused, but subsequently realized that he himself was caught between Emperor Yuan's and Western Wei forces. When Xiao Ji offered peace through his official Le Fengye, however, Le revealed the desperate situation Xiao Ji was in, and so Emperor Yuan refused the peace offer, instead sending Wang Lin, Ren Yue, and Xie Daren (Ren and Xie both being Hou's generals that he had pardoned) to cut off Xiao Ji's retreat path. he then sent the general Fan Meng (樊猛) against Xiao Ji's fleet, and Fan, after defeating Xiao Ji, surrounded Xiao Ji's ship. Under Emperor Yuan's orders, Fan boarded Xiao Ji's ship and put him to death. Emperor Yuan excised Xiao Ji's line from the imperial clan, and put his sons under arrest. Meanwhile, Western Wei captured Xiao Ji's domain, and that territory would be permanently lost.

In fall 553, Emperor Yuan announced that he was moving the capital back to Jiankang. His officials' opinions were evenly split, and Emperor Yuan, believing Jiankang to be in shambles and Jiangling to be relatively wealthy, decided to stay in Jiangling, despite its close distance to Western Wei borders. Instead, he again put Wang Sengbian in charge of Jiankang and the surrounding areas.

Defeat and death

In spring 554, Emperor Yuan made a major diplomatic faux pas when both Western Wei and Northern Qi ambassadors arrived at Jiangling, as he treated the Northern Qi ambassadors with far greater respect than the Western Wei ones. He then compounded the insult by sending an arrogant letter to Yuwen Tai, requesting that the borders be refixed to earlier times. Yuwen made the comment, "Xiao Yi is the type of person that, as said in proverbs, 'One who has been abandoned by heaven cannot be revived by anyone else.'" He prepared an attack against Emperor Yuan, and when the Western Wei general Ma Bofu revealed this to Emperor Yuan, Emperor Yuan did not believe it and took minimal precautions. Suspicious of Wang Lin, he even sent Wang Lin away to be the governor of Guang Province.

In winter 554, Yuwen Tai launched his attack, commanded by Yu Jin (于謹) and assisted by Yang Zhong and Yuwen Tai's nephew Yuwen Hu; Xiao Cha served as guide. Receiving mixed intelligence reports, Emperor Yuan continued to take no major precautions other than to summon Wang back to the capital, but Wang, being geographically distant from Jiangling, could not arrive quickly. Wang Lin did turn back his forces and try to come to Jiankang's aid, but was also not able to arrive before Western Wei forces surrounded Jiangling. Emperor Yuan, believing that he was on the verge of being captured, set fire to his great collection of ancient books and began to draft articles of surrender. When Xie Daren and Zhu Maichen suggested that he make a surprise dash out of Jiangling to try to join Ren Yue, whose forces were just across the Yangtze River, Emperor Yuan initially agreed, but later, believing that the plan would not succeed and would only bring further humiliation, changed his mind, and walked out of Jiangling to surrender.

Xiao Cha took custody of Emperor Yuan, and interrogated him harshly. Emperor Yuan then made a false promise to the Western Wei general Zhangsun Jian that he had a large collection of gold that he was willing to give Zhangsun—and once Zhangsun took custody of him, revealed to Zhangsun that he had no gold and was merely trying to get away from Xiao Cha. Zhangsun kept him in his own custody.

Around the new year 555, Western Wei forces put Emperor Yuan to death—with Xiao Cha in charge of the execution. Xiao Cha suffocated him with a bag full of dirt, and then wrapped his body with cloth and tied it with grass, burying it outside of Jiangling. The sons captured with him were also executed. In 557, with Wang Lin still trying to maintain Liang as a dynasty, Western Wei returned Emperor Yuan's body to Wang Lin. However, it was not until after Wang Lin was defeated by Emperor Wen of Chen that Chen Dynasty had Emperor Yuan buried with imperial honors in 560.

Academic achievement

Xiao Yi was the seventh son of Emperor Wu. He was very talented in literature and art since he was a child. He was able to poetry at the age of six. Not only was he known as the "Three Wonders" in writing, calligraphy, and painting, he influenced Tang Dynasty poets Gao Shi, Cen Shen and 金楼子 literature. The creation of the above and an extremely important position in the history of painting in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In metaphysics, he has entered the hundred smasters in the China history . The Astrology is one of the representatives in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. In the art of war, he has put down the rebellion of the famous general Hou Jing, and he has attained in music, Chinese medicine and other aspects. It』s very deep. Go is said to be nine-duan, and even pioneered equestrianism. His knowledge is extensive and profound. Judging from his only 46 years of age and relying on hearing memory, he can be described as a rare and super extraordinary genius in the history of China and Europe ,were defeated by the wickedness caused by the disability and the influence of brothers.(source:all relevant information)

Family

Consorts and Issue:

• Princess consort, of the Xu clan of Donghai (王妃 東海徐氏; d. 549), personal name Zhaopei (昭佩)

　• Xiao Fangdeng (湘東武烈世子 蕭方等; 528–549), first son

　• Princess Yichang (益昌公主), personal name Hanzhen (含貞)

• Empress Dowager, of the Xia clan (皇太后 夏氏), personal name Wangfeng (王豐)

　• Xiao Fangzhi, Emperor Jing (敬皇帝 蕭方智; 543–558), ninth son

• Guipin, of the Wang clan (貴嬪 王氏)

　• Xiao Fangzhu (湘東貞惠世子 蕭方諸; 537–552), second son

　• Xiao Fanglüe, Prince Shi'an (始安王 蕭方略; d. 554), tenth son

• Guiren, of the Yuan clan (貴人 袁氏)

　• Xiao Yuanliang, Crown Prince Minhuai (愍懷皇太子 蕭元良; d. 554), fourth son

• Unknown

　• Xiao Fanggui (蕭方規)

　• A daughter, personal name Hanjie (含介)

　• Princess Anchang (安昌公主)

　　• Married Xu Che of Donghai (東海 徐徹), and had issue (one son)

　• A daughter, personal name Hanzhi (含芷)

Ancestry