Yang Shou
Encyclopedia
Yang Shou (died April 11, 868), courtesy name Cangzhi (藏之), formally Baron of Jinyang (晉陽男), was an official of the Chinese
dynasty Tang Dynasty
, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Yizong
. He was known for his literary talent as a young man, but subsequently, as chancellor, was accused of corruption. He was thereafter exiled and forced to commit suicide in exile.
s late in Emperor Wenzong
's Kaicheng era (836
-840
), and thus there is some reference to his birth date. His family was originally from Tong Prefecture (同州, in modern Weinan
, Shaanxi
), and claimed ancestry from the Sui Dynasty
general Yang Su
. His immediate male-line ancestors were said to be Confucian
scholars, and his father Yang Yizhi (楊遺直) served as a personnel officer at Hao Prefecture (濠州, in modern Chuzhou
, Anhui
). At one point, Yang Yizhi became a teaching scholar at Su Prefecture (蘇州, in modern Suzhou
, Jiangsu
), and therefore settled there, making it Yang Shou's childhood home. Yang Shou was born of Yang Yizhi's second wife Lady Zhangsun, who, in addition to Yang Shou, at least one other son, Yang Shou's younger brother Yang Yan (楊嚴), while Yang Yizhi's first wife Lady Yuan bore two sons, Yang Fa (楊發) and Yang Jia (楊假), both older than Yang Shou. (All four brothers would eventually serve in the imperial government.)
Yang Yizhi died when Yang Shou was six, and the household was poor. As Lady Zhangsun was literate, she taught Yang Shou herself. By age 12, Yang Shou understood the Confucian classics well, and was good at writing poetry. He thus became known as the "Divine Child" among the people in his home region. As Lady Zhangsun was a devout Buddhist
, Yang Shou followed her in not eating meat, although Lady Zhangsun made the remark, "You may have meet when you eventually become a Jinshi [(i.e., someone who passed the imperial examinations)]." However, because his older brother Yang Jia did not pass the imperial examinations for a while, Yang Shou did not want to pass before Yang Jia did, and therefore delayed in submitting himself for imperial examinations. Only after Yang Jia did so did Yang Shou submit himself for imperial examinations at the capital Chang'an
, late in the Kaicheng era, and he passed in the Jinshi class on the first try, at age 25.
At that time, Yang Fa was serving as an assistant to the prefect of Run Prefecture (潤州, in modern Zhenjiang
, Jiangsu
), and therefore moved the household to Jinling; therefore, after Yang Shou passed the imperial examinations, he decided to head home to Jinling. On the way, though, when he went through Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou
, Jiangsu
), then-military governor (Jiedushi
) of Huainan, the former chancellor Du Cong
, invited Yang Shou to serve on his staff. Later, when Du was recalled to Chang'an to serve as chancellor and the director of finances, he invited Yang to serve as a traveling reviewer under him. Subsequently, after Du was sent out of the capital to serve as the military governor of Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang
, Sichuan
), he invited Yang to serve under him as chief secretary, and later, when Du was transferred to Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu
, Sichuan
), Yang continued to serve under him in the same capacity.
, the chancellor Ma Zhi
wanted to recall Yang Shou to Chang'an to serve as the sheriff of nearby Weinan County (渭南, in modern Weinan), and to also serve as an imperial censor and an assistant scholar at Jixian Institute (集賢院). Yang declined, however, under the rationale that given that his older brother Yang Jia had not received an office nearly as prestigious, he was not willing to accept it first. Ma approved of his behavior and allowed him to continue to serve on Du Cong's staff, and instead bestowed those offices on Yang Shou's younger brother Yang Yan. Subsequently, Yang Yan served as chief secretary under the former chancellor Zhou Chi
at Dongchuan Circuit, but after Zhou died soon thereafter, Du invited Yang Yan to serve on his staff as well, as his assistant in his role as governor (觀察使, Guanchashi), so the brothers served together. Soon thereafter, Yang Jia, who was then serving as assistant to the governor of Zhexi Circuit (浙西, headquartered in modern Zhenjiang), was recalled to Chang'an to serve as imperial censor with the title of Jiancha Yushi (監察御史); Yang Shou was also recalled to Chang'an to serve as Jiancha Yushi; it was unprecedented at the time that two brothers would serve simultaneously as Jiancha Yushi.
When Pei Xiu
served as chancellor, as he knew that Yang Shou had a good understanding of the Confucian classics, he made Yang Taichang Boshi (太常博士), a scholar at the minister of worship (太常寺, Taichang Si). Subsequently, when Lady Zhangsun died, Yang Shou left governmental service and went back to Su Prefecture to observe a mourning period for her. Once the mourning period was over, the former chancellor Cui Xuan
, who was then serving as the military governor of Huainan, invited Yang to serve under him as assistant governor (觀察支使, Guancha Zhishi). Yang was later recalled to Chang'an to serve as an imperial censor with the title of Shi Yushi (侍御史), but later was sent out to the eastern capital Luoyang
to serve as Zhifang Yuanwailang (職方員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of defense (兵部, Bingbu). Yet later, when the chancellor Xiahou Zi
also served as the director of finances, he had Yang serve as his assistant in that capacity. Yang later served as Sixun Yuanwailang (司勛員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Libu), as well as the magistrate of Chang'an County, one of the two counties making up the capital. Subsequently, he petitioned for permission for him and his brothers to bury their parents, whose caskets had not been buried, near Luoyang, and he was given permission to do so. About 1,000 people attended the burial. At that time, both Du Cong and Xiahou were at Luoyang, and Du and Xiahou jointly submitted a recommendation of Yang Shou to the chancellors. Then-leading chancellor Linghu Tao
thus commissioned Yang as Kubu Langzhong (庫部郎中), a supervisory official at the ministry of census, as well as imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi), in charge of drafting edicts. Yang was subsequently made Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng), and yet later deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang) and chief imperial scholar (翰林學士承旨, Hanlin Xueshi Chengzhi).
, the eunuch Yang Xuanjie (楊玄价) became the powerful commander of the Left Shence Army (左神策軍). As Yang Shou shared the same surname, Yang Xuanjie associated with him and recommended him to Emperor Yizong. In 863
, Yang Shou was therefore given the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor de facto.
After Yang Shou became chancellor, it was said that he began to live luxuriously, and members of his household, including the guards and the servants, were openly demanding bribes. His reputation therefore suffered. When he gave his daughter in marriage to the son of the official Pei Tan (裴坦), the household items Yang gave her as part of her dowry
included decorations of jade and rhinoceros
horns, drawing Pei's anger for their overly luxurious nature, and Pei destroyed them.
In 865
, with Tang locked into frequent military confrontations with Dali in the southwest, but with the military supplies often having difficulty reaching the southwest border, Yang suggested that a strong military presence and a supply base be set up at Jiangxi Circuit (江西, headquartered in modern Nanchang
, Jiangxi
), and that it be transformed from a circuit governed by a governor to one governed by a military governor (to be renamed Zhennan Circuit (鎮南)). Emperor Yizong approved. Subsequently, Emperor Yizong, because he favored this proposal greatly, rewarded Yang with the titles of You Pushe (右僕射), director of Taiqing (太清宮) and Taiwei (太微宮) Palaces, and imperial scholar at Hongwen Pavilion (弘文院), and created him the Baron of Jinyang.
Because it was due to Yang Xuanjie's recommendation that Yang Shou was made chancellor, Yang Xuanjie, who accepted bribes from regional governors, often interceded for those governors with Yang Shou. Yang Shou was not able to comply with all of Yang Xuanjie's requests, drawing Yang Xuanjie's anger. Because of this, in 866
, Yang Shou was removed from his chancellor post and made the governor of Xuanshe Circuit (宣歙, in modern Xuancheng
, Anhui
). As Yang Shou was reporting to Xuanshe, he gave a donation at Huayue Temple (華嶽廟, in modern Weinan), asking the priests there to priest for him. The magistrate of Huayin County, which Huayue Temple was in, subsequently submitted a false report that Yang Shou was using witchcraft. Further, then-leading chancellor Wei Baoheng
made an accusation that Yang's commissioning of Yan Zhuan (嚴譔) as military governor of Zhennan was after Yan had submitted a large bribe, and also that Yang embezzled funds intended to be used for shipbuilding. In 867
, Emperor Yizong thus further demoted Yang to be the military advisor to the prefect of Duan Prefecture (端州, in modern Zhaoqing
, Guangdong
). However, apparently before Yang had a chance to report to Duan Prefecture, as he was going through Jianling, Emperor Yizong sent the eunuch Guo Quanmu (郭全穆) to track him down and order him to commit suicide. Before Yang did so, he asked Guo for permission to submit one final petition to Emperor Yizong. Guo agreed, and Yang wrote a petition in which he thanked Emperor Yizong, faulted himself, and begged for mercy on behalf of his brother Yang Yan. Emperor Yizong, upon receiving the petition, was touched, and subsequently, when some 11 of Yang's key followers were exiled, Yang Yan was spared. Three years later, he restored Yang's titles. Yang's sons Yang Ju (楊鉅) and Yang Lin (楊鏻) later served in the imperial government, and his nephew Yang She
(Yang Yan's son) later served as a chancellor at the very end of Tang Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Ai
, as well as of the succeeding Later Liang Dynasty
.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
dynasty 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...
, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Yizong
Emperor Yizong of Tang
Emperor Yizong of Tang , né Li Wen , later changed to Li Cui , was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 859 to 873. Yizong was the eldest son of Emperor Xuānzong...
. He was known for his literary talent as a young man, but subsequently, as chancellor, was accused of corruption. He was thereafter exiled and forced to commit suicide in exile.
Background and early career
It is not known exactly when Yang Shou was born — but he was said to be 25 when he passed the imperial examinationImperial examination
The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
s late in Emperor Wenzong
Emperor Wenzong of Tang
Emperor Wenzong of Tang , personal name Li Ang , né Li Han , was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China. He reigned from 827 to 840. Emperor Wenzong was the second son of Emperor Muzong and younger brother of Emperor Jingzong...
's Kaicheng era (836
836
Year 836 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Abbasid caliph al-Mutasim establishes a new capital at Samarra, Iraq.- Europe :...
-840
840
Year 840 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.-Europe:* After the death of Louis the Pious, his sons Lothar, Charles the Bald and Louis the German fight over the division of the Holy Roman Empire, with Lothar succeeding as Emperor.-Asia:* Tang Wu Zong succeeds Tang Wen Zong...
), and thus there is some reference to his birth date. His family was originally from Tong Prefecture (同州, in modern Weinan
Weinan
Weinan is a Municipality in the province of Shaanxi, PRC. The Grand Historian Sima Qian was born in Weinan.-Administration:...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
), and claimed ancestry from the 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....
general Yang Su
Yang Su
Yang Su , courtesy name Chudao , formally Duke Jingwu of Chu , was a powerful general during Sui Dynasty whose authority eventually became nearly as supreme as the emperor's...
. His immediate male-line ancestors were said to be Confucian
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
scholars, and his father Yang Yizhi (楊遺直) served as a personnel officer at Hao Prefecture (濠州, in modern Chuzhou
Chuzhou
Chuzhou is a prefecture-level city in eastern Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the southwest, Huainan to the west, Bengbu to the northwest, Chaohu to the south, and the province of Jiangsu to the east...
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
). At one point, Yang Yizhi became a teaching scholar at Su Prefecture (蘇州, in modern Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
), and therefore settled there, making it Yang Shou's childhood home. Yang Shou was born of Yang Yizhi's second wife Lady Zhangsun, who, in addition to Yang Shou, at least one other son, Yang Shou's younger brother Yang Yan (楊嚴), while Yang Yizhi's first wife Lady Yuan bore two sons, Yang Fa (楊發) and Yang Jia (楊假), both older than Yang Shou. (All four brothers would eventually serve in the imperial government.)
Yang Yizhi died when Yang Shou was six, and the household was poor. As Lady Zhangsun was literate, she taught Yang Shou herself. By age 12, Yang Shou understood the Confucian classics well, and was good at writing poetry. He thus became known as the "Divine Child" among the people in his home region. As Lady Zhangsun was a devout Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, Yang Shou followed her in not eating meat, although Lady Zhangsun made the remark, "You may have meet when you eventually become a Jinshi [(i.e., someone who passed the imperial examinations)]." However, because his older brother Yang Jia did not pass the imperial examinations for a while, Yang Shou did not want to pass before Yang Jia did, and therefore delayed in submitting himself for imperial examinations. Only after Yang Jia did so did Yang Shou submit himself for imperial examinations at the capital 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...
, late in the Kaicheng era, and he passed in the Jinshi class on the first try, at age 25.
At that time, Yang Fa was serving as an assistant to the prefect of Run Prefecture (潤州, in modern Zhenjiang
Zhenjiang
Zhenjiang is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Jiangsu province in the eastern People's Republic of China . Sitting on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the west, Changzhou to the east, and Yangzhou across the river to the north.Once...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
), and therefore moved the household to Jinling; therefore, after Yang Shou passed the imperial examinations, he decided to head home to Jinling. On the way, though, when he went through Huainan Circuit (淮南, headquartered in modern Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
), then-military governor (Jiedushi
Jiedushi
The Jiedushi were regional military governors in China during the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Originally set up to counter external threats, the jiedushi were given enormous power, including the ability to maintain their own armies, collect taxes, and pass their...
) of Huainan, the former chancellor Du Cong
Du Cong
Du Cong , courtesy name Yongyu , formally the Duke of Bin , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving two terms as chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Wuzong and Emperor Wuzong's cousin Emperor Yizong...
, invited Yang Shou to serve on his staff. Later, when Du was recalled to Chang'an to serve as chancellor and the director of finances, he invited Yang to serve as a traveling reviewer under him. Subsequently, after Du was sent out of the capital to serve as the military governor of Dongchuan Circuit (東川, headquartered in modern Mianyang
Mianyang
Mianyang is the second largest prefecture-level city of Sichuan province in Southwest China. Its administrative area includes the city proper of Mianyang, with 985,586 inhabitants in the built up area , the county-level city of Jiangyou, and six counties, covering an area of over and a population...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
), he invited Yang to serve under him as chief secretary, and later, when Du was transferred to Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
), Yang continued to serve under him in the same capacity.
During Emperor Xuānzong's reign
By the reign of Emperor Wenzong's uncle Emperor XuānzongEmperor Xuanzong of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang , also commonly known as Emperor Ming of Tang , personal name Li Longji , known as Wu Longji from 690 to 705, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 43 years was the longest during the Tang Dynasty...
, the chancellor Ma Zhi
Ma Zhi
Ma Zhi , courtesy name Cunzhi , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong.- Background and early career :It is not known when Ma Zhi was born...
wanted to recall Yang Shou to Chang'an to serve as the sheriff of nearby Weinan County (渭南, in modern Weinan), and to also serve as an imperial censor and an assistant scholar at Jixian Institute (集賢院). Yang declined, however, under the rationale that given that his older brother Yang Jia had not received an office nearly as prestigious, he was not willing to accept it first. Ma approved of his behavior and allowed him to continue to serve on Du Cong's staff, and instead bestowed those offices on Yang Shou's younger brother Yang Yan. Subsequently, Yang Yan served as chief secretary under the former chancellor Zhou Chi
Zhou Chi
Zhou Chi , courtesy name Desheng , formally the Baron of Ru'nan , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong.- Background :...
at Dongchuan Circuit, but after Zhou died soon thereafter, Du invited Yang Yan to serve on his staff as well, as his assistant in his role as governor (觀察使, Guanchashi), so the brothers served together. Soon thereafter, Yang Jia, who was then serving as assistant to the governor of Zhexi Circuit (浙西, headquartered in modern Zhenjiang), was recalled to Chang'an to serve as imperial censor with the title of Jiancha Yushi (監察御史); Yang Shou was also recalled to Chang'an to serve as Jiancha Yushi; it was unprecedented at the time that two brothers would serve simultaneously as Jiancha Yushi.
When Pei Xiu
Pei Xiu (Tang Dynasty)
Pei Xiu , courtesy name Gongmei , formally the Viscount of Hedong , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xuānzong.- Background and early career :...
served as chancellor, as he knew that Yang Shou had a good understanding of the Confucian classics, he made Yang Taichang Boshi (太常博士), a scholar at the minister of worship (太常寺, Taichang Si). Subsequently, when Lady Zhangsun died, Yang Shou left governmental service and went back to Su Prefecture to observe a mourning period for her. Once the mourning period was over, the former chancellor Cui Xuan
Cui Xuan
Cui Xuan , courtesy name Taishuo , formally the Duke of Wei , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving two terms as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Wuzong and Emperor Wuzong's uncle Emperor Xuānzong....
, who was then serving as the military governor of Huainan, invited Yang to serve under him as assistant governor (觀察支使, Guancha Zhishi). Yang was later recalled to Chang'an to serve as an imperial censor with the title of Shi Yushi (侍御史), but later was sent out to 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...
to serve as Zhifang Yuanwailang (職方員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of defense (兵部, Bingbu). Yet later, when the chancellor Xiahou Zi
Xiahou Zi
Xiahou Zi , courtesy name Haoxue , formally the Duke of Qiao Commandery , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving two terms as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Xuānzong and Emperor Xuānzong's son Emperor Yizong.- Background and early career :It is not known when Xiahou...
also served as the director of finances, he had Yang serve as his assistant in that capacity. Yang later served as Sixun Yuanwailang (司勛員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Libu), as well as the magistrate of Chang'an County, one of the two counties making up the capital. Subsequently, he petitioned for permission for him and his brothers to bury their parents, whose caskets had not been buried, near Luoyang, and he was given permission to do so. About 1,000 people attended the burial. At that time, both Du Cong and Xiahou were at Luoyang, and Du and Xiahou jointly submitted a recommendation of Yang Shou to the chancellors. Then-leading chancellor Linghu Tao
Linghu Tao
Linghu Tao , courtesy name Zizhi , formally the Duke of Zhao , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He was the leading chancellor during the last nine years of the reign of Emperor Xuānzong, but was removed from his chancellor position after Emperor Xuānzong's death, subsequently...
thus commissioned Yang as Kubu Langzhong (庫部郎中), a supervisory official at the ministry of census, as well as imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi), in charge of drafting edicts. Yang was subsequently made Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng), and yet later deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang) and chief imperial scholar (翰林學士承旨, Hanlin Xueshi Chengzhi).
During Emperor Yizong's reign
Early in the reign of Emperor Xuānzong's son Emperor YizongEmperor Yizong of Tang
Emperor Yizong of Tang , né Li Wen , later changed to Li Cui , was an emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 859 to 873. Yizong was the eldest son of Emperor Xuānzong...
, the eunuch Yang Xuanjie (楊玄价) became the powerful commander of the Left Shence Army (左神策軍). As Yang Shou shared the same surname, Yang Xuanjie associated with him and recommended him to Emperor Yizong. In 863
863
Year 863 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Constantine I succeeds as king of Scotland ....
, Yang Shou was therefore given the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), making him a chancellor de facto.
After Yang Shou became chancellor, it was said that he began to live luxuriously, and members of his household, including the guards and the servants, were openly demanding bribes. His reputation therefore suffered. When he gave his daughter in marriage to the son of the official Pei Tan (裴坦), the household items Yang gave her as part of her dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
included decorations of jade and rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
horns, drawing Pei's anger for their overly luxurious nature, and Pei destroyed them.
In 865
865
Year 865 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Ethelred succeeds as king of Wessex .* Louis the German divides his kingdom among his sons....
, with Tang locked into frequent military confrontations with Dali in the southwest, but with the military supplies often having difficulty reaching the southwest border, Yang suggested that a strong military presence and a supply base be set up at Jiangxi Circuit (江西, headquartered in modern Nanchang
Nanchang
Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. It is located in the north-central portion of the province. As it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake, it is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites...
, Jiangxi
Jiangxi
' is a southern province in the People's Republic of China. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze River in the north into hillier areas in the south, it shares a border with Anhui to the north, Zhejiang to the northeast, Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, Hunan to the west, and Hubei to...
), and that it be transformed from a circuit governed by a governor to one governed by a military governor (to be renamed Zhennan Circuit (鎮南)). Emperor Yizong approved. Subsequently, Emperor Yizong, because he favored this proposal greatly, rewarded Yang with the titles of You Pushe (右僕射), director of Taiqing (太清宮) and Taiwei (太微宮) Palaces, and imperial scholar at Hongwen Pavilion (弘文院), and created him the Baron of Jinyang.
Because it was due to Yang Xuanjie's recommendation that Yang Shou was made chancellor, Yang Xuanjie, who accepted bribes from regional governors, often interceded for those governors with Yang Shou. Yang Shou was not able to comply with all of Yang Xuanjie's requests, drawing Yang Xuanjie's anger. Because of this, in 866
866
Year 866 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Fujiwara no Yoshifusa becomes regent of Japan, starting the Fujiwara regentship.- Europe :...
, Yang Shou was removed from his chancellor post and made the governor of Xuanshe Circuit (宣歙, in modern Xuancheng
Xuancheng
Xuancheng is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Anhui province of Eastern China. It borders Wuhu to the northwest, Chizhou to the west, Huangshan to the southwest, and the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu to the southeast and northeast respectively....
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
). As Yang Shou was reporting to Xuanshe, he gave a donation at Huayue Temple (華嶽廟, in modern Weinan), asking the priests there to priest for him. The magistrate of Huayin County, which Huayue Temple was in, subsequently submitted a false report that Yang Shou was using witchcraft. Further, then-leading chancellor Wei Baoheng
Wei Baoheng
Wei Baoheng , courtesy name Yunyong , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. He became extremely powerful late in the reign of his father-in-law Emperor Yizong, rising to the post of chancellor and becoming the most powerful official at court, but after Emperor Yizong's death was...
made an accusation that Yang's commissioning of Yan Zhuan (嚴譔) as military governor of Zhennan was after Yan had submitted a large bribe, and also that Yang embezzled funds intended to be used for shipbuilding. In 867
867
Year 867 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Byzantine Empire :* September – Basil I becomes sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire.* Macedonian dynasty is started....
, Emperor Yizong thus further demoted Yang to be the military advisor to the prefect of Duan Prefecture (端州, in modern Zhaoqing
Zhaoqing
Zhaoqing is a prefecture-level city of Guangdong province in southern China.-Geography:Zhaoqing is located 110 km northwest of Guangzhou, in the west Pearl River Delta. It lies on the north shores of the Xijiang River, which is flows from west to east, and opposite of Gaoyao...
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
). However, apparently before Yang had a chance to report to Duan Prefecture, as he was going through Jianling, Emperor Yizong sent the eunuch Guo Quanmu (郭全穆) to track him down and order him to commit suicide. Before Yang did so, he asked Guo for permission to submit one final petition to Emperor Yizong. Guo agreed, and Yang wrote a petition in which he thanked Emperor Yizong, faulted himself, and begged for mercy on behalf of his brother Yang Yan. Emperor Yizong, upon receiving the petition, was touched, and subsequently, when some 11 of Yang's key followers were exiled, Yang Yan was spared. Three years later, he restored Yang's titles. Yang's sons Yang Ju (楊鉅) and Yang Lin (楊鏻) later served in the imperial government, and his nephew Yang She
Yang She
Yang She , courtesy name Wenchuan , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Tang's successor dynasty Later Liang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Tang's final emperor Emperor Ai and Later Liang's both commonly-recognized emperors, Emperor Taizu and Emperor...
(Yang Yan's son) later served as a chancellor at the very end of Tang Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Ai
Emperor Ai of Tang
Emperor Ai of Tang , also known as Emperor Zhaoxuan , born Li Zuo, later Li Zhu , was the last emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. He reigned from 904 to 907. The Ai Emperor was the son of Emperor Zhaozong....
, as well as of the succeeding Later Liang Dynasty
Later Liang Dynasty
The Later Liang was one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. It was founded by Zhu Wen, posthumously known as Taizu of Later Liang, after he forced the last emperor of the Tang dynasty to abdicate in his favour...
.