Yang Guang was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, who married Dugu and had 5 sons, the eldest son Yang Yong and the second son Yang Guang, followed by Yang Jun, Yang Xiu, and Yang Yu. In 581, after Yang Jiandai Zhou proclaimed the emperor to establish the Sui Dynasty, Yang Yong was made crown prince and Yang Guang was made king of Jin.
Prince Yang Yong, who has been studious since childhood, has a warm temperament, and is good at words and is good at the love of Yang Jian. According to the position of emperor, Yang insisted that Yang Yong be made crown prince after the emperor.
The LoneLy Empress did not like the eldest son Yang Yong and preferred the second son Yang Guang, who was good at performance, Yang Guang was flexible, good at handling things, born with a dignified appearance, and was particularly modest in dealing with people and things.
Yang Guang knew that his mother, the LoneLy Empress, had a jealous personality, and although there were many beautiful women hiding in her own Jin Palace, she never let outsiders know about it.
The chariot and horse attendants of each time they went to the court were very simple, respectfully received the court ministers, and paid great attention to etiquette, so that he not only won the favor of his parents, but also won the praise of the ministers, and his reputation became higher and higher.
Yang Guang also instructed his henchman Yang Su to praise Yang Guang's merits in front of his father and mother, and said that the crown prince Yang Yong was at fault. Over time, Emperor Yang Jian of Sui had the idea of deposing the crown prince Yang Yong and making Yang Guang the crown prince.
In 604 AD, when Yang Jian was 64 years old, his health was getting weaker and weaker, and his illness was getting worse day by day, so he came to the Renshou Palace under the Nine Mountains to cultivate.
Crown Prince Yang Guang lived on the side of Emperor Wen's bedchamber and came to visit at any time. Yang Guang saw that Xuanhua's wife, Chen Shi, was born so beautiful that she wanted to occupy her. The lady refused in horror, and her hairline was loose, and she fled to Emperor Wen's bedroom to hide.
Yang Jian was furious when he learned of this. Immediately summoned Shangshu Liushu of the Ministry of Works, huangmen waiter Yuanyan prepared to draft an edict to recruit Yang Yong from the capital.
Who knew that Yang Su quickly told Yang Guang that the two conspired to send someone to guard the Renshou Palace, and the palace gates forbade anyone to enter or leave. Arrest Liu Shu Yuan Yan and tear up the edict he had just written.
Then Zhang Heng was sent into Emperor Wen's bedroom alone, and soon, the blood splashed on the royal screen, and the sound of injustice was heard. Emperor Wen was thus killed and died.
Then Yang Guang forged a will and testament, and in the name of Yang Jian, gave Yang Yong the death, and also killed 10 of Yang Yong's sons one after another.
Hearing that his brother had usurped the throne and seized power, the youngest brother Yang Yu raised an army to fight, but was soon suppressed.
After Yang Guang succeeded to the throne, he became the Sui Emperor, who ordered the excavation of a grand canal connecting the north and the south, connecting the Qiantang River, the Yangtze River, the Huai River, the Yellow River, and the Hai River, and such a huge project was beneficial to thousands of generations and laid a solid foundation for China's prosperity and strength.
In the second year of Daye, the Sui Dynasty Emperor began to establish the Jinshi Branch and the canonical examination system, which was an epoch-making event in Chinese history, and by 607 there were already 10 subjects in the examination subjects, which marked the emergence of the imperial examination system, and the reform of meritocracy provided a good opportunity for the selection of outstanding intellectuals at the lower levels.
The local Yang Guang was one of the least famous emperors in Chinese history. Do you think this evaluation is reasonable? You are welcome to comment in the comments section.