It is not known when the future Consort Dugu was born, or where her family was from. Her father Dugu Ying was an officer in the imperial guard corps. She became a concubine of Li Chu, then the Prince of Guangping under his father Emperor Suzong, in or shortly after 757, when his then-dominant consort Consort Wei died. It was said that she was exceedingly beautiful and drew his favor to the exclusion of all other consorts, and that after her entry into the palace, the other consorts were rarely able to have sexual relations with him.
As imperial consort
After Li Chu, whose name had been changed to Li Yu by that point, became emperor in 762, Consort Dugu was given the imperial consort rank of Guifei Consort Dugu bore Emperor Daizong two children—Li Jiong, who was created the Prince of Han in 762 due to the favor that Consort Dugu was enjoying while most of his other brothers were not created imperial princes until 775, and Princess Huayang, who was herself said to be favored by Emperor Daizong greatly due to her intelligence and her ability to discern his likes and dislikes. When Princess Huayang died in 774, he was so greatly saddened that he did not attend imperial meetings for several days until the chancellors asked the eunuch Wu Chengqian to persuade him to attend to government matters. It was later rumored that the important minister Liu Yan had tried to persuade Emperor Daizong to make Consort Dugu empress, but failed to convince Emperor Daizong. He honored her family greatly—posthumously honoring her father Dugu Ying, and also granting honorific offices to her uncle Dugu Zhuo and her brother Dugu Liangzuo.
Death
Consort Dugu died in 775. The day after her death, Emperor Daizong posthumously honored her as empress. Greatly saddened by her death, he placed her casket within the palace for years, until he finally buried her on September 19, 778, at the imperial tomb where he would eventually be buried himself. As Princess Huayang had previously been buried at a site that was considered to be too low-lying and wet, he also had Princess Huayang disinterred and reburied near Consort Dugu. He had the chancellor Chang Gun, known for his literary talent, write a lengthy text mourning her.
