Yang Shidao
Encyclopedia
Yang Shidao (died 647), courtesy name Jingyou (景猷), formally Duke Yi of Ande (安德懿公), was a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...

.

Background

It is not known when Yang Shidao was born. He was a son of Yang Xiong (楊雄), a distant nephew of Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....

 and one of the four most powerful officials at one point early in Sui, with Gao Jiong
Gao Jiong
Gāo Jiǒng Gāo Jiǒng Gāo Jiǒng (d. August 27, 607 courtesy name Zhaoxuan (昭玄), alternative name Min (敏), known during the Northern Zhou period by the Xianbei name Dugu Jiong (独孤颎/獨孤熲), was a key official and general of the Chinese Sui Dynasty...

, Yu Qingze (虞慶則), and Su Wei
Su Wei
Su Wei , courtesy name Wuwei , was a high level official of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. He first became an important official during the reign of Sui's founder Emperor Wen, and after Emperor Wen's death continued to serve Emperor Wen's son Emperor Yang. He was often praised for his...

 and who was created an imperial prince with various titles, eventually the title of Prince of Guan. His older brother Yang Gongren
Yang Gongren
Yang Gongren , formal name Yang Guan but went by the courtesy name of Gongren, formally Duke Xiao of Guan , was an official and general during the Chinese dynasties Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, at one point serving as a chancellor during Tang.- Background :It is not known when Yang Gongren was...

 served as an official during both Sui and Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...

 and who briefly served as chancellor during the reign of Tang's founder Emperor Gaozu
Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...

.

During Emperor Gaozu's reign

At the end of Sui Dynasty, when the state was engulfed in uprisings against Emperor Wen's son Emperor Yang
Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang , alternative name Ying , nickname Amo , known as Emperor Ming during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty.Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but...

, Yang Shidao was at the eastern capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...

, and was subsequently detained by the general Wang Shichong
Wang Shichong
Wang Shichong , courtesy name Xingman , was a general of the Chinese Sui Dynasty who deposed Sui's last emperor Yang Tong and briefly ruled as the emperor of a succeeding state of Zheng...

, who deposed Sui's final emperor Yang Tong
Yang Tong
Yang Tong , known in traditional histories by his princely title of Prince of Yue or by his era name as Lord Huangtai , posthumous name Emperor Gong , courtesy name Renjin , was an emperor of the Chinese Sui Dynasty...

 (Emperor Yang's grandson) in 619 and established a new state of Zheng as its emperor, but Yang Shidao was eventually able to go to Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...

, where another general, Li Yuan
Emperor Gaozu of Tang
Emperor Gāozǔ of Táng , born Lǐ Yuān , courtesy name Shūdé , was the founder of the Tang Dynasty of China, and the first emperor of this dynasty from 618 to 626. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern-day Shanxi, and was based in Taiyuan.In 615, Li Yuan was assigned...

 had established Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...

 as its Emperor Gaozu in 618. (It is not completely clear whether Yang's travel to Chang'an was before or after Zheng's fall to Tang in 621, but likely before.) Late in 621, when Eastern Tujue forces attacked Ling Prefecture (靈州, roughly modern Yinchuan, Ningxia
Ningxia
Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...

), Yang Shidao was referred to as the commandant at Ling Prefecture, and he was able to repel the Eastern Tujue attack; he would again be involved in a campaign resisting Eastern Tujue attacks in 622. Yang Shidao's older brother Yang Gongren was an old friend of Emperor Gaozu's, and, at some point, Yang Shidao was made a guard commander for Emperor Gaozu's guards. Emperor Gaozu gave Yang Shidao his daughter Princess Guiyang in marriage. Yang Shidao later served as the deputy minister of civil service affairs, and then the minister of rites. He was also created the Duke of Ande -- a title that his father had held at one point. In 624, when the crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....

 Li Jiancheng
Li Jiancheng
Li Jiancheng , formally Crown Prince Yin , nickname Pishamen , was a crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was the oldest son of the founding emperor Emperor Gaozu and therefore was designated crown prince after the founding of the dynasty in 618...

's guard commander Yang Wen'gan (楊文幹) rebelled, Yang Shidao was one of the generals whose forces were involved in defeating Yang Wen'gan.

During Emperor Taizong's reign

In 636, after Emperor Gaozu had succeeded by his son Li Shimin
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...

 in 626 (after Li Shimin ambushed and killed Li Jiancheng and another brother Li Yuanji
Li Yuanji
Li Yuanji , formally Prince La of Chao , more commonly known by the title of Prince of Qi , nickname Sanhu , was an imperial prince of the Chinese Tang Dynasty...

 and then effetively forced Emperor Gaozu to yield the throne to him), Yang Shidao was made Shizhong (侍中) -- the head of the examination bureau of government (門下省, Menxia Sheng) and a post considered one for a chancellor. He was considered careful in his actions, not leaking any words on the important matters of state. He once said, "When I was young, I read the Book of Han
Book of Han
The Book of Han, Hanshu or History of the Former Han Dynasty |Fan Ye]] . Various scholars have estimated that the earliest material covered in the book dates back to between 206 and 202 BCE...

, and I saw that Kong Guang [(孔光, a prime minister during the reigns of Emperor Cheng of Han
Emperor Cheng of Han
Emperor Cheng of Han was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty ruling from 33 BC until 7 BC.Under Emperor Cheng, the Han dynasty continued its slide into disintegration while the Wang clan continued its slow grip on power and on governmental affairs as promoted by the previous emperor...

 and Emperor Ai of Han
Emperor Ai of Han
Emperor Ai of Han was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty. He ascended the throne when he was 20, having been made heir by his uncle Emperor Cheng, who was childless, and he reigned from 7 BC to 1 BC....

)] was not even willing to speak about the trees in the greenhouses inside the palace. I admired that, and I want to be like that." Whenever he left imperial gatherings, he would invite talented people to meet at his mansion to discuss literature, and the gatherings at his house were considered important literary events. He was also said to be talented at calligraphy
East Asian calligraphy
East Asian calligraphy is a form of calligraphy widely practised and revered in the Sinosphere. This most often includes China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The East Asian calligraphic tradition originated and developed from China. There is a general standardization of the various styles of...

. In 639, he became Zhongshu Ling (中書令), the head of the legislative bureau and also considered a post for a chancellor.

In 643, a plot centering the crown prince Li Chengqian was discovered where Li Chengqian considered overthrowing his father. Yang's stepson Zhao Jie (趙節), a son of Princess Guiyang (now titled Princess Changguang) by her deceased husband Zhao Cijing (趙慈景)) was one of the co-conspirators. When Yang was involved in the investigation of the case, he tried to intercede on Zhao Jie's behalf with Emperor Taizong, and this displeased Emperor Taizong. Yang was therefore demoted to the post of minister of civil service affairs, no longer a chancellor. Zhao Jie was executed. (Emperor Taizong later personally visited Princess Changguang to apologize for the fact that he could not spare Zhao Jie, but stated that he did so because he had to be fair in governing the state.) Because Yang was born out of a very honored lineage, he was well-acquainted with the nobles. However, because of this, he did not promote people that he knew well to avoid appearance of conflict of interest. This, in turn, however, brought criticism that he was not in fact being fair, as he was not promoting that he knew to be capable. In 644, when Emperor Taizong, at an imperial gathering, stated to his key officials their strengths and weaknesses, he spoke, with regard to Yang:
Yang Shidao is pure and mild in his actions, and he will not make mistakes or offenses. But because he is weak and timid in personality, I cannot receive his help in times of urgency.


In 645, when Emperor Taizong attacked Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....

, Yang followed him and was made acting Zhongshu Ling, but was said to perform poorly, and after the end of the campaign, he was demoted to the post of minister of labor, and then minister of rites. He died in 647 and was buried near the tomb of Emperor Taizong's wife Empress Zhangsun
Empress Zhangsun
Empress Zhangsun , formally Empress Wendeshunsheng or, in short, Empress Wende , was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. She was the wife of Emperor Taizong and the mother of Emperor Gaozong...

, where Emperor Taizong would eventually be buried himself.
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