Yang Zaisi - During Emperor Zhongzong's Second Reign

During Emperor Zhongzong's Second Reign

In 705, Wu Zetian was overthrown in a coup. Tang Dynasty was restored, and her son Li Xian the Crown Prince, formerly emperor, was restored to the throne. A number of chancellors were removed from their posts as chancellors, but Yang was not; rather, he was made the minister of census (戶部尚書, Hubu Shangshu) with the de facto designation of Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin (同中書門下三品), and made the official in charge of Chang'an. He was soon instead made the acting secretary general at Yang Prefecture (揚州, roughly modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), but kept the chancellor designation and did not appear to actually report to Yang Prefecture. Later in 705, he was again made acting head of the legislative bureau (now named Zhongshu Sheng (中書省), with its head's title changed to Zhongshu Ling (中書令)) and still chancellor. Four months later, he was made Shizhong (侍中), the head of the examination bureau (now changed to Menxia Sheng (門下省)) and still chancellor. By this point, he appeared to be a part of the faction of Emperor Zhongzong's powerful wife Empress Wei.

In 706, when Emperor Zhongzong's son-in-law Wang Tongjiao (王同皎) was accused of a treasonous plot with Zhang Zhongzhi (張仲之), Zu Yanqing (祖延慶), and Zhou Jing (周璟), of plotting to kill Empress Wei's lover Wu Sansi the Prince of Dejing (Wu Zetian's nephew) and then depose her, Zhang, while being interrogated, openly accused Empress Wei and Wu Sansi of adultery. Yang and another chancellor aligned with Empress Wei, Wei Juyuan, who were conducting the interrogation, were said to have simply ignored the accusations as if they did not hear them.

In 707, Emperor Zhongzong's crown prince Li Chongjun, who was born of a concubine, angry at insults by Empress Wei's daughter Li Guo'er the Princess Anle and Li Guo'er's husband Wu Zhongxun (武崇訓, Wu Sansi's son) and attempts by Li Guo'er to be made crown princess to displace him, rose in rebellion and killed Wu Sansi and Wu Chongxun, and then approached the palace, intending to seize Empress Wei and Li Guo'er, as well as Emperor Zhongzong's concubine Consort Shangguan Wan'er, who was also Wu Sansi's lover. Yang was one of the high level officials who commanded troops against Li Chongjun, who subsequently was defeated and killed. In the aftermath of the rebellion, the chancellors Zong Chuke and JI Chuna, who wanted to implicate the senior chancellor Wei Yuanzhong (on account that Wei Yuanzhong's son Wei Sheng (魏升) had been forced into the rebellion), Yang supported Zong and Ji's efforts, and eventually, Wei Yuanzhong was exiled and died in exile. Later that year, Yang was again made Zhongshu Ling.

In spring 708, Yang was made You Pushe (右僕射), one of the heads of the executive bureau (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng), and still chancellor with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Sanpin. He died summer of that year.