Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, the emperor who left a heavy mark in the long river of history, about his "killing his father and seizing the throne", in the long river of years, it is like a fog, which is elusive. However, after all, this is just a rumor circulating in the wild history, and what the truth is, we still need to savor the traces of history.
In July of the fourth year of Renshou, it was a time of change. Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian, the wise monarch who once ruled the world, is terminally ill and dying at the moment. The crown prince Yang Guang, worried, asked the important minister Yang Su about his father's illness. Unexpectedly, this letter fell into the hands of Emperor Wen by mistake. After Emperor Wen read it, his anger was overflowing. And what made him even more sad was that the favorite concubine Mrs. Xuanhua cried to him that the prince Yang Guang wanted to misbehave towards her. For a while, the balance in Emperor Wen's heart tilted, and he decided to abolish this son and recall the former prince Yang Yong to inherit the unification.
However, the stage of history is always full of variables. When Yang Su learned the news, he immediately reported it to Yang Guang. Yang Guang was flustered, but reacted quickly. He forged a holy decree, arrested Liu Shu and Yuan Yan, installed his henchmen in the palace, and sent his cronies to control the palace gate and dismiss the people in the harem. After everything was arranged, he sent Zhang Heng into the palace to serve the sick. Soon after, Emperor Wen died.
The claim that "Yang Guang killed his father" has been controversial in the historical and academic circles. The Book of Sui compiled by the Tang Dynasty did not adopt this statement in the Benji of Emperor Wen and Emperor Yang. And most of the materials accusing Yang Guang of "killing his father" come from the wild history and the last years of the Sui Dynasty in order to crusade against Yang Guang. For the sake of political needs, these documents deliberately distorted the facts and scandalized Emperor Yang of Sui. Since the Tang Dynasty won the world, it also needed to deliberately demonize the last emperor of the previous dynasty in order to prove that its victory was in accordance with the will of heaven and to prove its legitimacy.
However, the truth of history is often hidden in the details. Before Emperor Wen died, he had officially said goodbye to the hundred officials, and Yang Guang's throne was about to arrive. According to the "Book of Sui", Yang Guang has always been good at concealing his desires, so why can't he even wait for a few days, and even do such a thing as molesting his concubine at the critical moment when the civil and military officials and Emperor Wen are saying goodbye? The logic in this does not seem to be smooth.
In addition, the story of "Yang Guang's Father Killing" itself also has many doubts. Since Yang Guang and Yang Su were in the Dabao Hall at the same time, why did the two of them need to talk by sending letters? Even if they really wanted to send the letter, how could they be so careless and send the letter to Emperor Wen by mistake? Moreover, the Sui Book records that the relationship between Yang Guang and Mrs. Xuanhua was not normal, so how could Xuanhua run to sue Emperor Wen before he died? Finally, it is said that the people sent by Emperor Wen of Sui to replace Yang Guang were Liu Shu and others, and if they really did this, how could Yang Guang not kill them after he ascended the throne, but only exiled?
It can be seen that although the saying of "Yang Guang's killing of his father" is widely circulated, it is only a rumor in wild history after all. The truth of history is often hidden in layers of fog, which requires us to explore with our hearts and analyze it with reason. We can neither deny or blindly believe the stories that have been handed down. Only by taking history as a mirror can we look at the past wisely and move better into the future.