Xiao Ni was born in 444 as the second son of Xiao Daocheng and his wife Liu Zhirong, four years younger than his older brother Xiao Ze. Because Xiao Daocheng was a Liu Song general who contributed in military campaigns, Xiao Ni served in a number of low level government posts early in his life, including as a county magistrate and as an administrator in the census bureau. Around 466, when his father was given a greater title for his contributions in Emperor Ming of Liu Song's war for the throne with Liu Zixun, Xiao Ni was given his father's old title of Marquess of Jinshou. He later served as a general under his father during the rebellion of Emperor Ming's brother Liu Xiufan the Prince of Guiyang in 474, early in the reign of Emperor Ming's son Emperor Houfei. By 477, the young but violent and arbitrary Emperor Houfei was universally feared by officials and the people, for he was in the habit of roving outside the palace with his guards, killing all humans or animals that they came in contact with. One night, Emperor Houfei and his guards descended on the Xiaos' old house in Qingxi, a suburb of the capital Jiankang, where Xiao Ni was residing. Xiao Ni had his guards perform a sword dance in the courtyard, and as Emperor Houfei saw it, he assumed that Xiao Ni would be ready for any attacks, and so left. Meanwhile, Xiao Ni's father Xiao Daocheng was fearful for his own life and, as suggested by his distant cousin and associate Xiao Shunzhi, considered going to Guangling to start a rebellion there; Xiao Ni, however, opposed, reasoning that rebellions from afar rarely succeeded, and that because of Emperor Houfei's arbitrary behavior, it would be easier to act against him from within the capital. Xiao Daocheng agreed, and soon was able to conspire with Emperor Houfei's attendant Yang Yufu to assassinate Emperor Houfei and effectively take over the Liu Song, making Emperor Houfei's brother Liu Zhun emperor, but in actuality his puppet. During this period, as Xiao Daocheng prepared to take over the throne, Xiao Ni carried the title of Duke of Yong'an, and in 478 was made the governor of the key Jing Province. In 479, Xiao Daocheng had Emperor Shun yield the throne to him, ending Liu Song and starting Southern Qi. He created Xiao Ni the Prince of Yuzhang.
Under Emperor Gao
Soon after the establishment of Southern Qi, Emperor Gao recalled Xiao Ni back to Jiankang to serve as the governor of the capital region, Yang Province, a highly important post, and a post that he would retain for the rest of his life. Xiao Ni was very close to his older brother Xiao Ze, who was created the crown prince after Emperor Gao took the throne. In one incident when Emperor Gao got exceedingly angry at Xiao Ze after being informed that both Crown Prince Ze and his jester Zhang Jingzhen were being overly wasteful and using items that were only appropriate for emperors, it was Xiao Ni who rode on a horse to warn Xiao Ze what the situation was, allowing Xiao Ze to quickly return to Jiankang to react to the incident. Emperor Gao at one point considered replacing Xiao Ze with Xiao Ni, but because Xiao Ni served his brother carefully, their relationship was not affected. In 482, Emperor Gao died. Xiao Ni was said to be mourning so bitterly that his eyes and ears bled. Crown Prince Ze succeeded Emperor Gao, as Emperor Wu.
Under Emperor Wu
Emperor Wu conferred a number of honorific titles on Xiao Ni, and while publicly, Xiao Ni did not participate in policy decisions, in private they often discussed important matters of state, and Emperor Wu almost always listened to Xiao Ni's suggestions. He also frequently visited Xiao Ni's mansion, where both he and Xiao Ni would wear informal wear that brothers would wear while meeting with each other, rather than the formal clothing of an emperor and his subject. As a special honor, Emperor Wu also made Xiao Ni's wife Princess Yu be in charge of the ancestral worship of their parents and grandparents. Xiao Ni was said to be tall and attentive to his appearance, but careful in his actions. Several times he sought to transfer the powerful governorship of Yang Province to Emperor Wu's son Xiao Ziliang the Prince of Jingling, who was also a trusted advisor of Emperor Wu, but Emperor Wu refused, telling Xiao Ni that the post was his for life. Initially, Xiao Ni did not have any sons, and probably sometime during Emperor Gao's reign, he adopted Emperor Wu's son Xiao Zixiang as his heir apparent -- a status that Xiao Zixiang, by Xiao Ni's request, continued to hold even after Xiao Ni had his own sons. However, in 488, after an incident where Xiao Zixiang threw a temper tantrum over not being able to wear the same style as his brothers, the adoption was rescinded, and Xiao Zixiang was returned to Emperor Wu's line and created the Prince of Badong. In 492, Xiao Ni died and was buried with great honors. In words that he left his five sons, he stated: The high praise that Xiao Ni received in official histories might be related to the fact that his son Xiao Zixian was the official who was later, in the succeeding Liang Dynasty, commissioned to author the official history of Southern Qi, the Book of Qi.
