Fu Zhaoyi was born in 73 B.C. Her father was from the Commandery of Henei (roughly modern Handan, Hebei) and died early. Her mother remarried a man named Zheng after her father's death. When Consort Fu was young, she was a lady-in-waiting for Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan.
Fu Zhaoyi entered the palace when she was young, becoming a lady of talents under Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan. In 65 B.C., Lady Fu became a concubine of Liu Shi. After Liu Shi ascended the throne, as Emperor Yuan in 48 B.C., Lady Fu was promoted to the rank of a lady of handsome fairness.
As Crown Prince Ao grew older, Emperor Yuan became increasingly unhappy with his role as imperial heir and impressed with Consort Fu's son, Prince Kang. Prince Kang also showed high intelligence and diligence. When Emperor Yuan grew ill in 35 B.C. – an illness that he would not recover from – Consort Fu and Prince Kang were often summoned to his sickbed to attend to him.
After Emperor Cheng's death, Prince Kang went to his Principality of Shanyang. Consort Fu received the title of princess dowager. In 27 B.C., Prince Kang's principality was moved to Dingtao, and Princess Dowager Fu went with him. When Prince Kang's consort Consort Ding gave birth to his son Liu Xin, it was Princess Dowager Fu who raised him.
In 23 B.C. Prince Kang died and was succeeded by his son Prince Xin. Princess Dowager Fu continued to carry her title after her son's death and she had a strong strong desire to see her grandson Prince Xin an emperor. As Emperor Cheng had no son, he considered making either his younger brother Prince Liu Xing of Zhongshan or his nephew Prince Xin his heir. Emperor Cheng became convinced that Prince Xin was more capable, and at the same time, Princess Dowager Fu was endearing herself to Emperor Cheng's wife Empress Zhao Feiyan, her sister and favorite of Emperor Cheng Consort Zhao Hede, and Emperor Cheng's uncle Wang Gen with lavish gifts, and so the Zhaos and Wang Gen both praised Prince Xin as well. Emperor Cheng made Prince Xin crown prince in 8 B.C.
Emperor Cheng died suddenly in 7 B.C., and Prince Xin ascended the throne as Emperor Ai. Grand Empress Dowager Wang decreed that Princess Dowager Fu and Consort Ding see him periodically, every 10 days. However, Princess Dowager Fu quickly began to visit her grandson every day, and she insisted that two things be done: that she receive an Empress Dowager title, and that her relatives be granted titles, like the Wangs. Grand Empress Dowager Wang, sympathetic of the bind that Emperor Ai was in, first granted Prince Kang the unusual title of "Emperor Gong of Dingtao" and then, under the rationale of that title, granted Princess Dowager Fu the title "Empress Dowager Gong of Dingtao".
Empress Dowager Fu decided to use this opportunity to strike at Princess Dowager Feng. This led to the death of 17 members of the Feng clan and Princess Dowager Feng in particular. This was immediately viewed as a political case, and officials and the people all became disappointed in Emperor Ai.
In 5 B.C., Empress Dowager Fu would finally get what she wanted. Emperor Ai removed the qualification "of Dingtao" from his father's posthumous title and then gave his grandmother a variation of the grand empress dowager title.
Grand Empress Dowager Fu died in 3 B.C., and was buried with Emperor Yuan – an act that drew even greater hatred from the Wangs, because now there would be no place for Grand Empress Dowager Wang, Emperor Yuan's wife, to be buried after her death. Further, Emperor Ai granted her a posthumous empress title, which was viewed to be inappropriate and disrespectful to Grand Empress Dowager Wang.
After Emperor Ai died in 1 B.C., Grand Empress Dowager Wang quickly seized power from Emperor Ai's male favorite and summoned Wang Mang back to Chang'an to serve as regent to the new Emperor Ping. Wang Mang, bearing grudges against Grand Empress Dowager Fu and Emperor Ai, would immediately undertake several punitive actions against her posthumously. In 5, he persuaded Grand Empress Dowager Wang to allow him to disinter Consorts Fu and Ding's caskets and strip their bodies of jade burial shells, and then returned to Dingtao to be buried there. Their tombs were then completely flattened and surrounded by thorns. According to legend, when their tombs were opened up, great fires started, damaging their bodies and the burial items.
Fu Zhaoyi was a wise and resourceful woman. However, she was jealous and arrogant.
Fu Zhaoyi was a consort and a favorite of Emperor Yuan. She bore him a daughter Princess Pingdou and a son Liu Kang.
