During Emperor Yang's Reign
In 604, Emperor Wen died and was succeeded by Yang Guang (as Emperor Yang). Yuwen Shiji's activities early in Emperor Yang's reign were unclear. He was friendly with the general Li Yuan the Duke of Tang, and was said to have discussed much about military matters with Li Yuan.
By the middle of Emperor Yang's reign, Yuwen Shiji was the director of imperial transportation. When Emperor Yang went from the eastern capital Luoyang to Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu) in 616, Yuwen Shiji followed him there. When Yuwen Shu, who also followed Emperor Yang to Jiangdu, fell ill and died later in the year, Yuwen Shiji briefly resigned to observe a mourning period for his father, but was soon returned to imperial service as the deputy minister of imperial supplies.
In spring 618, Yuwen Huaji and Yuwen Zhiji, along with a number of high level officers in Emperor Yang's elite Xiaoguo Army (驍果), were plotting a coup, but they, fearing that Yuwen Shiji, as Emperor Yang's son-in-law, would reveal the plot, did not reveal the plot to Yuwen Shiji. They soon launched the coup and killed Emperor Yang, declaring Emperor Yang's nephew Yang Hao the Prince of Qin emperor.
Read more about this topic: Yuwen Shiji
Famous quotes containing the words emperor and/or reign:
“The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)
“Nature seemed to have adorned herself for our departure with a profusion of fringes and curls, mingled with the bright tints of flowers, reflected in the water. But we missed the white water-lily, which is the queen of river flowers, its reign being over for this season.... Many of this species inhabit our Concord water.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)