Sima Yao (362 – November 6, 396), also known as Changming, was the ninth emperor in the history of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, reigning for 25 years, far more than any other emperor. However, at the age of thirty-five, he tragically died of a drunken joke and was killed by his concubine.
Sima Yao, born in the first year of Emperor Longhe of the Jin Dynasty (362), was the grandson of Sima Rui, the founding emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, his father was Sima Yu the Prince of Huiji (later Emperor Jianwen), and his mother was Li Lingrong. When he was four years old, his father succeeded him as King of Langxie, and Sima Yao became King of Huiji. However, in the palace coup d'état in the sixth year of Taihe (371), Huan Wen deposed Sima Yao's brother Sima Yi and installed Sima Yao's father as Emperor Jianwen of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Soon after, Sima Yao was canonized as crown prince. Emperor Jianwen's health deteriorated, so he made Sima Yao crown prince, and soon after, he ascended the throne as emperor, Emperor Xiaowu.
However, Sima Yao's rule faced challenges from the ambitious Huan Wen, who was eager to seize the throne of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Three months after Sima Yao's accession to the throne, Huan Wen tried to usurp the throne, but was successfully prevented by Wang Tanzhi, Xie An, and others. In the same year of July, Huan Wen died, freeing Sima Yao's early reign from the crisis of internal and external attacks.
However, despite Huan Wen's death, the actual power of the Eastern Jin Dynasty remained in the hands of the Shijia Gatekeeper, but the control of the Gate Valve gradually shifted from the Huan clan of the State of Tan to the hands of the Taiyuan Wang clan and the Chen Jun Xie clan. As the Former Qin king Fu Jian unified the north, Yizhou and Liang Prefectures in the western part of the Eastern Jin Dynasty were captured by Former Qin in the first year of Ningkang (373), and the situation became tense. Former Qin's threat to the Eastern Jin Dynasty was increasing, and the situation was critical.
In the eighth year of the Taiyuan Dynasty (383), the famous Battle of Shuishui broke out between Former Qin and Eastern Jin. With the assistance of Xie An and others, Sima Yao successfully defeated the Former Qin army, won the Battle of Shuishui, and saved the fate of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Despite the victory over Former Qin, subtle changes in the power structure within the Eastern Jin Dynasty followed, followed by struggles between the families and gatekeepers.
Therefore, Sima Yao took advantage of the gap in power between the family gates to try to break their rule and restore Sima Clan's imperial power. His younger brother Sima Daozi replaced Xie An as the de facto ruler, and Sima Yao became the most powerful monarch in the history of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. However, he fell into pleasure and wine, and competed with Sima Daozi for power, leading to increasing chaos in the imperial government.
In the end, Sima Yao was not overthrown by the courtiers, but died in the harem. According to historical records, Sima Yao's empress Wang Fahui, an alcoholic and jealous woman, died in the fifth year of the Taiyuan Dynasty (380). After that, Sima Yao did not establish a harem again, but favored Chen Guinu and Zhang Guiren. However, on the 21st September of the Taiyuan Dynasty (November 6, 396), Sima Yao drank with Zhang Guiren. After getting drunk, Sima Yao casually joked: "You are nearly thirty, your appearance is not as good as before, you have no children, you occupy the name of a nobleman, tomorrow I will abolish you and find a young and beautiful girl." Zhang Guiren was angry in his heart when he heard this, and decided to kill Sima Yao.
In the end, Zhang Guiren, with the help of the palace maid, suffocated Sima Yao alive with a quilt after he became drunk. Sima Yao's cause of death was disguised by Zhang Guiren as "Wei Bang". Sima Daozi and Sima Yuanxian, who held great power at that time, did not pursue this incident. Soon after, the crown prince Sima Dezong succeeded to the throne as Emperor An of Jin, but due to mental defects, the cause of his father's death was not investigated.
Although Sima Yao's end is embarrassing in ancient history, he was posthumously honoured as Emperor Xiaowu, temple name Liezong, and buried with Empress Xiaowuding Wang Fahui in Longping Mausoleum (present-day Meihua Mountain, Zhongshan, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province). In addition, Sima Yao was an emperor who was good at calligraphy and literature, and his calligraphy work "The Emperor of the Truth" was included in the "Chunhua Pavilion Table".