Yang Yong
Encyclopedia
Emperor Yang Yong (died 604), nickname Xiandifa (睍地伐), sometimes known by his posthumous title of Prince of Fangling (房陵王), was a crown prince
of the Chinese
dynasty Sui Dynasty
. He was the oldest son of Emperor Wen
and his wife Empress Dugu Qieluo
. He drew ire from his parents for wastefulness (which Emperor Wen disliked) and having many concubines (which Empress Dugu disliked), while his younger brother, Yang Guang
, whom Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu thought lacked these faults, was favored by them. In 600, Emperor Wen deposed Yang Yong and replaced him with Yang Guang. Subsequently, after Emperor Wen died in 604 (a death that most historians, while acknowledging a lack of conclusive evidence, believed to be a murder ordered by Yang Guang), Yang Guang had Yang Yong put to death.
and Yang Jian's wife Dugu Qieluo
, but it is not known whether he was older or younger than his oldest sister, Yang Lihua
(who later became empress to Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou
), born in 561. During Northern Zhou
, as Yang Jian's father Yang Zhong (楊忠) the Duke of Sui was an accomplished general, Yang Yong received the title of Marquess of Boping. (This implies, but does not conclusively show, that Yang Yong was born before Yang Zhong's death in 568, when Yang Jian inherited the title of Duke of Sui.) Sometime before 580, Yang Jian and Lady Dugu selected the daughter of the official Yuan Xiaoju (元孝矩), a descendant of Northern Wei
's imperial house, to be Yang Yong's wife. During this time, Yang Yong served as a low-level official in Northern Zhou's imperial administration.
In 580, after Emperor Xuan's death, Yang Jian seized power as regent
over Emperor Xuan's son Emperor Jing
(by Emperor Xuan's concubine Empress Zhu Manyue
. After defeating the general Weichi Jiong, who rose against him, he had Yang Yong created the Duke of Changning and the commandant of Luoyang
, with authority over all of the old territory of Northern Qi
(which Emperor Xuan's father Emperor Wu
destroyed in 577. He was, however, soon recalled to the capital Chang'an
to serve as the minister of defense.
In spring 581, Yang Jian had Emperor Jing yield the throne to him, ending Northern Zhou and establishing Sui Dynasty
as its Emperor Wen. Emperor Wen created Yang Yong crown prince
.
the Prince of Jin. In summer 581, Yang Yong's chief of staff Lu Ben (盧賁), trying to exploit this situation to gain Yang Yong's favor, tried to get Yang Yong involved in his plot to, jointly with several other officials, take over power from Emperor Wen's favored officials Gao Jiong
and Su Wei
. The plot was discovered, and Lu Ben and his associates were deposed, but Yang Yong was not punished.
In winter 582, Emperor Wen, anticipating an attack from Tujue during the construction of his new capital Daxing, near Chang'an, had Yang Yong command troops and briefly posted at nearby Xianyang
to defend the potential Tujue attack.
In spring 586, the commoner Gao De (高德) submitted a petition to Emperor Wen, suggesting that he pass the throne to Yang Yong and become retired emperor. Emperor Wen rejected the petition, but did not punish Gao. Subsequently, in summer 586, Emperor Wen again had Yang Yong posted to Luoyang, with authority over the surrounding provinces.
In 589, Sui conquered rival Chen Dynasty
, unifying China. Yang Yong's brother Yang Guang, as the supreme commander over the entire operation, received many accolades.
, to remind him that prior to becoming crown prince, he had to settle for common items such as those. The relationship between Emperor Wen and Yang Yong was further strained when, at Dongzhi, Yang Yong openly welcomed officials to his palace, which Emperor Wen interpreted as Yang Yong's receiving submission from those officials—an act that Emperor Wen considered inappropriate as Yang Yong, while crown prince, was still an imperial subject.
The relationship between Yang Yong and Empress Dugu also became strained, as Empress Dugu disfavored men who had many concubines (so much so that Emperor Wen did not have many concubines while she was still alive, and might not have had sexual relations even with the few concubines that he had during her lifetime), but Yang Yong, who did not favor his wife Crown Princess Yuan, had many concubines, particularly favoring the beautiful Consort Yun. Crown Princess Yuan, who did not have any sons with Yang Yong, died suddenly in 591, apparently from a heart ailment, but both Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu suspected foul play, and Empress Dugu particularly rebuked him. After Crown Princess Yuan's death, Consort Yun became effective mistress over the Crown Prince's palace, and she and the other concubines bore Yang Yong 10 sons in total, which made Empress Dugu exceedingly displeased, as she was even more displeased at men having children with their concubines. Yang Guang, who had ambitions of replacing Yang Yong, was meanwhile gaining the favors of both Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu by pretending to be frugal and loving only his wife Princess Xiao
, which caused Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu to be further displeased with Yang Yong, by comparison.
By 599, both Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu were considering replacing Yang Yong with Yang Guang. When Empress Dugu tried to see if she could have support in this proposition from Gao Jiong, Gao, whose son Gao Biaoren (高表仁) married Yang Yong's daughter, stated his opposition, and this, coupled with Gao Jiong's own favor for a concubine after his wife's death, eventually caused Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu to deposed Gao Jiong from his influential posts in fall 599.
Meanwhile, Yang Guang was conspiring with another highly influential official, the general Yang Su
, with whom Yang Yong had a poor relationship. Yang Su thereafter praised Yang Guang repeatedly, causing Empress Dugu to further strengthen her relationship with him to try to have him persuade Emperor Wen to depose Yang Yong. Meanwhile, Yang Yong was beginning to realize Yang Guang's ambition, but his reaction—spending much time to try to have witches deflect ill fortune from him—further brought suspicion from Emperor Wen. As a final straw, Yang Guang bribed Yang Yong's associate Ji Wei (姬威) to make false accusations against Yang Guang, twisting Yang Guang's acts to appear treasonous. Yang Su then made public denunciations against Yang Yong, which Emperor Wen concurred in. In winter 600, Emperor Wen ordered that Yang Yong be deposed, and executed a number of officials who were close to Yang Yong or who dared to speak on his behalf. Yang Guang was created crown prince to replace Yang Yong.
In 602, Empress Dugu died. Thereafter, Emperor Wen began to have relationships with his concubines, particularly favoring Consort Chen (the sister of Chen's final emperor Chen Shubao
) and Consort Cai.
In either 602 or 603, after Yang Yong's younger brother Yang Xiu
the Prince of Shu was similarly accused of crimes and deposed, the official Pei Su (裴肅) submitted a petition to have Yang Yong and Yang Xiu be released from house arrest and given small fiefs, a proposal that Emperor Wen was tempted by, but ultimately did not accept.
In summer 606, Emperor Wen, while visiting his vacation palace Renshou Palace (仁壽宮, in modern Baoji
, Shaanxi
), grew gravely ill. Traditional historians allege (but admit that they did not have conclusive proof) that while Emperor Wen was growing ill, Yang Guang tried to rape Consort Chen. When Consort Chen revealed this to Emperor Wen, Emperor Wen became angry and wanted to depose Yang Guang and restore Yang Yong. However, Yang Guang and Yang Su had the two officials that Emperor Wen entrusted this task to—Liu Shu (柳述, the husband to Yang Yong's sister Yang Awu (楊阿五) the Princess Lanling) and Yuan Yan (元巖) -- arrested, and Emperor Wen soon died, a death that most historians attribute to assassination by Yang Guang's associate Zhang Heng (張衡).
Emperor Wen's death was kept secret for eight days, before Yang Guang announced it and took the throne (as Emperor Yang). Emperor Yang sent Yang Su's brother Yang Yue (楊約) back to Daxing. Once Yang Yue was back at Daxing, he forged an edict from Emperor Wen, ordering Yang Yong to commit suicide. When Yang Yong refused, Yang Yue strangled him, and only after Yang Yong died declared Emperor Wen's death. Emperor Yang posthumously created Yang Yong the Prince of Fangling, but did not allow any of Yang Yong's sons, who were reduced to commoner rank when Yang Yong was deposed, to inherit the title. In 607, Emperor Yang had Yang Yong's sons put to death.
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....
of the Chinese
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 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....
. He was the oldest son of Emperor Wen
Emperor Wen of Sui
Emperor Wen of Sui — personal name Yang Jian , Xianbei name Puliuru Jian , nickname Naluoyan — was the founder and first emperor of China's Sui Dynasty . He was a hard-working administrator and a micromanager. As a Buddhist, he encouraged the spread of Buddhism through the state...
and his wife Empress Dugu Qieluo
Empress Dugu Qieluo
Empress Dugu Qieluo , formally Empress Wenxian , was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty...
. He drew ire from his parents for wastefulness (which Emperor Wen disliked) and having many concubines (which Empress Dugu disliked), while his younger brother, Yang Guang
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...
, whom Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu thought lacked these faults, was favored by them. In 600, Emperor Wen deposed Yang Yong and replaced him with Yang Guang. Subsequently, after Emperor Wen died in 604 (a death that most historians, while acknowledging a lack of conclusive evidence, believed to be a murder ordered by Yang Guang), Yang Guang had Yang Yong put to death.
Background
It is not known when Yang Yong was born. He was the oldest son of Yang JianEmperor Wen of Sui
Emperor Wen of Sui — personal name Yang Jian , Xianbei name Puliuru Jian , nickname Naluoyan — was the founder and first emperor of China's Sui Dynasty . He was a hard-working administrator and a micromanager. As a Buddhist, he encouraged the spread of Buddhism through the state...
and Yang Jian's wife Dugu Qieluo
Empress Dugu Qieluo
Empress Dugu Qieluo , formally Empress Wenxian , was an empress of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty...
, but it is not known whether he was older or younger than his oldest sister, Yang Lihua
Empress Yang Lihua
Empress Yang Lihua was an empress of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou, and later a princess of Sui Dynasty. Her husband was Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou , and her father was Emperor Wen of Sui ....
(who later became empress to Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou
Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou
Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou , personal name Yuwen Yun , courtesy name Qianbo , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou. He was known in history as an erratic and wasteful ruler, whose actions greatly weakened the Northern Zhou regime...
), born in 561. During Northern Zhou
Northern Zhou
The Northern Zhou Dynasty followed the Western Wei, and ruled northern China from 557 to 581. It was overthrown by the Sui Dynasty.Northern Zhou's basis of power was established by Yuwen Tai, who was paramount general of Western Wei, following the split of Northern Wei into Western Wei and...
, as Yang Jian's father Yang Zhong (楊忠) the Duke of Sui was an accomplished general, Yang Yong received the title of Marquess of Boping. (This implies, but does not conclusively show, that Yang Yong was born before Yang Zhong's death in 568, when Yang Jian inherited the title of Duke of Sui.) Sometime before 580, Yang Jian and Lady Dugu selected the daughter of the official Yuan Xiaoju (元孝矩), a descendant of Northern Wei
Northern Wei
The Northern Wei Dynasty , also known as the Tuoba Wei , Later Wei , or Yuan Wei , was a dynasty which ruled northern China from 386 to 534 . It has been described as "part of an era of political turbulence and intense social and cultural change"...
's imperial house, to be Yang Yong's wife. During this time, Yang Yong served as a low-level official in Northern Zhou's imperial administration.
In 580, after Emperor Xuan's death, Yang Jian seized power as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
over Emperor Xuan's son Emperor Jing
Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou
Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou , personally name né Yuwen Yan , later Yuwen Chan , was the last emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou. He became emperor at the age of six, after his father Emperor Xuan formally passed the throne to him, but Emperor Xuan retained the imperial powers...
(by Emperor Xuan's concubine Empress Zhu Manyue
Empress Zhu Manyue
Empress Zhu Manyue , later Buddhist nun name Fajing , was a concubine of Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou , an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou, and she was the mother of Emperor Jing ....
. After defeating the general Weichi Jiong, who rose against him, he had Yang Yong created the Duke of Changning and the commandant of 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...
, with authority over all of the old territory of Northern Qi
Northern Qi
The Northern Qi Dynasty was one of the Northern dynasties of Chinese history and ruled northern China from 550 to 577.-History:The Chinese state of Northern Qi was the successor state of the Chinese/Xianbei state of Eastern Wei and was founded by Emperor Wenxuan...
(which Emperor Xuan's father Emperor Wu
Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou
Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou , personal name Yuwen Yong , nickname Miluotu , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou. As was the case of the reigns of his brothers Emperor Xiaomin and Emperor Ming, the early part of his reign was dominated by his cousin Yuwen Hu, but in 572 he...
destroyed in 577. He was, however, soon recalled to 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...
to serve as the minister of defense.
In spring 581, Yang Jian had Emperor Jing yield the throne to him, ending Northern Zhou and establishing 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....
as its Emperor Wen. Emperor Wen created Yang Yong 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....
.
Early in Emperor Wen's reign
While Yang Yong was crown prince, it was clear that Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu favored his younger brother, their second son Yang GuangEmperor 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...
the Prince of Jin. In summer 581, Yang Yong's chief of staff Lu Ben (盧賁), trying to exploit this situation to gain Yang Yong's favor, tried to get Yang Yong involved in his plot to, jointly with several other officials, take over power from Emperor Wen's favored officials 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...
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...
. The plot was discovered, and Lu Ben and his associates were deposed, but Yang Yong was not punished.
In winter 582, Emperor Wen, anticipating an attack from Tujue during the construction of his new capital Daxing, near Chang'an, had Yang Yong command troops and briefly posted at nearby Xianyang
Xianyang
Xianyang is a former capital of China in Shaanxi province, on the Wei River, a few kilometers upstream from Xi'an. It has an area of...
to defend the potential Tujue attack.
In spring 586, the commoner Gao De (高德) submitted a petition to Emperor Wen, suggesting that he pass the throne to Yang Yong and become retired emperor. Emperor Wen rejected the petition, but did not punish Gao. Subsequently, in summer 586, Emperor Wen again had Yang Yong posted to Luoyang, with authority over the surrounding provinces.
In 589, Sui conquered rival Chen Dynasty
Chen Dynasty
The Chen Dynasty , also known as the Southern Chen Dynasty, was the fourth and last of the Southern dynasties in China, eventually destroyed by the Sui Dynasty....
, unifying China. Yang Yong's brother Yang Guang, as the supreme commander over the entire operation, received many accolades.
Late in Emperor Wen's reign
Yang Yong was recorded as being lenient, kind, and honest in his nature, making few pretenses, but he favored luxuries, much to the chagrin of Emperor Wen, who favored frugality. Once, when Yang Yong made a highly decorated set of armor, Emperor Wen rebuked him, sending him an undecorated sword that Emperor Wen himself employed, as well as a box of misoMiso
is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting rice, barley and/or soybeans, with salt and the fungus , the most typical miso being made with soy. The result is a thick paste used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables or meats, and mixing with dashi soup stock to serve as miso...
, to remind him that prior to becoming crown prince, he had to settle for common items such as those. The relationship between Emperor Wen and Yang Yong was further strained when, at Dongzhi, Yang Yong openly welcomed officials to his palace, which Emperor Wen interpreted as Yang Yong's receiving submission from those officials—an act that Emperor Wen considered inappropriate as Yang Yong, while crown prince, was still an imperial subject.
The relationship between Yang Yong and Empress Dugu also became strained, as Empress Dugu disfavored men who had many concubines (so much so that Emperor Wen did not have many concubines while she was still alive, and might not have had sexual relations even with the few concubines that he had during her lifetime), but Yang Yong, who did not favor his wife Crown Princess Yuan, had many concubines, particularly favoring the beautiful Consort Yun. Crown Princess Yuan, who did not have any sons with Yang Yong, died suddenly in 591, apparently from a heart ailment, but both Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu suspected foul play, and Empress Dugu particularly rebuked him. After Crown Princess Yuan's death, Consort Yun became effective mistress over the Crown Prince's palace, and she and the other concubines bore Yang Yong 10 sons in total, which made Empress Dugu exceedingly displeased, as she was even more displeased at men having children with their concubines. Yang Guang, who had ambitions of replacing Yang Yong, was meanwhile gaining the favors of both Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu by pretending to be frugal and loving only his wife Princess Xiao
Empress Xiao (Yang)
Empress Xiao , formally Empress Min , was an empress of the Chinese Sui Dynasty...
, which caused Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu to be further displeased with Yang Yong, by comparison.
By 599, both Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu were considering replacing Yang Yong with Yang Guang. When Empress Dugu tried to see if she could have support in this proposition from Gao Jiong, Gao, whose son Gao Biaoren (高表仁) married Yang Yong's daughter, stated his opposition, and this, coupled with Gao Jiong's own favor for a concubine after his wife's death, eventually caused Emperor Wen and Empress Dugu to deposed Gao Jiong from his influential posts in fall 599.
Meanwhile, Yang Guang was conspiring with another highly influential official, the 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...
, with whom Yang Yong had a poor relationship. Yang Su thereafter praised Yang Guang repeatedly, causing Empress Dugu to further strengthen her relationship with him to try to have him persuade Emperor Wen to depose Yang Yong. Meanwhile, Yang Yong was beginning to realize Yang Guang's ambition, but his reaction—spending much time to try to have witches deflect ill fortune from him—further brought suspicion from Emperor Wen. As a final straw, Yang Guang bribed Yang Yong's associate Ji Wei (姬威) to make false accusations against Yang Guang, twisting Yang Guang's acts to appear treasonous. Yang Su then made public denunciations against Yang Yong, which Emperor Wen concurred in. In winter 600, Emperor Wen ordered that Yang Yong be deposed, and executed a number of officials who were close to Yang Yong or who dared to speak on his behalf. Yang Guang was created crown prince to replace Yang Yong.
After removal
Yang Yong was put under house arrest at his palace and still given proper supplies, but Yang Guang was put in charge of having Yang Yong guarded. Yang Yong made repeated requests to personally appeal to Emperor Wen, but each request was blocked by Yang Guang. Yang Yong, desperate, often climbed onto trees to holler at Emperor Wen's palace, seeking to have Emperor Wen hear his cries. However, when Emperor Wen heard the cries, Yang Su falsely reported that Yang Yong had become irreparably psychotic after his removal. As a result, Emperor Wen never saw Yang Yong again.In 602, Empress Dugu died. Thereafter, Emperor Wen began to have relationships with his concubines, particularly favoring Consort Chen (the sister of Chen's final emperor Chen Shubao
Chen Shubao
Chen Shubao , often known in history as Houzhu of Chen , posthumous name Duke Yang of Changcheng , courtesy name Yuanxiu , nickname Huangnu , was the last emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty...
) and Consort Cai.
In either 602 or 603, after Yang Yong's younger brother Yang Xiu
Yang Xiu (Sui Dynasty)
Yang Xiu was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. He was a son of Emperor Wen and his wife Empress Dugu Qieluo, and during most of his father's reign was given great control over the modern Sichuan and Chongqing region...
the Prince of Shu was similarly accused of crimes and deposed, the official Pei Su (裴肅) submitted a petition to have Yang Yong and Yang Xiu be released from house arrest and given small fiefs, a proposal that Emperor Wen was tempted by, but ultimately did not accept.
In summer 606, Emperor Wen, while visiting his vacation palace Renshou Palace (仁壽宮, in modern Baoji
Baoji
Baoji is a prefecture-level city in Shaanxi province, China.-Geography:The prefecture-level city of Baoji has a population of 3,716,731 according to the 2010 Chinese census, inhabiting an area of . The city itself has a population of approximately 800,000. Surrounded on three sides by hills,...
, 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...
), grew gravely ill. Traditional historians allege (but admit that they did not have conclusive proof) that while Emperor Wen was growing ill, Yang Guang tried to rape Consort Chen. When Consort Chen revealed this to Emperor Wen, Emperor Wen became angry and wanted to depose Yang Guang and restore Yang Yong. However, Yang Guang and Yang Su had the two officials that Emperor Wen entrusted this task to—Liu Shu (柳述, the husband to Yang Yong's sister Yang Awu (楊阿五) the Princess Lanling) and Yuan Yan (元巖) -- arrested, and Emperor Wen soon died, a death that most historians attribute to assassination by Yang Guang's associate Zhang Heng (張衡).
Emperor Wen's death was kept secret for eight days, before Yang Guang announced it and took the throne (as Emperor Yang). Emperor Yang sent Yang Su's brother Yang Yue (楊約) back to Daxing. Once Yang Yue was back at Daxing, he forged an edict from Emperor Wen, ordering Yang Yong to commit suicide. When Yang Yong refused, Yang Yue strangled him, and only after Yang Yong died declared Emperor Wen's death. Emperor Yang posthumously created Yang Yong the Prince of Fangling, but did not allow any of Yang Yong's sons, who were reduced to commoner rank when Yang Yong was deposed, to inherit the title. In 607, Emperor Yang had Yang Yong's sons put to death.