Background
Yuwen Xian was born in 544, as the fifth son of Yuwen Tai, the paramount general of Western Wei. His mother was Yuwen Tai's concubine Lady Dabugan, who was ethnically Rouran. He was initially created the Duke of Fucheng and was said to be intelligent from his youth, and he and his older brother Yuwen Yong (by another concubine, Lady Chinu) studied the Shi Jing and the Zuo Zhuan together. Once, when Yuwen Tai was giving his sons horses, Yuwen Xian alone picked a multicolored horse. When Yuwen Tai asked him why he did so, he reasoned that in battle, a multicolored horse would be easier to tell apart from others. Yuwen Tai was pleased with the response, and from that point on, whenever he saw multicolored horses, he would award them to Yuwen Xian.
In 553, Western Wei seized the modern Sichuan and Chongqing region from the Liang Dynasty pretender Xiao Ji. While Yuwen Tai initially entrusted the region to his nephew Weichi Jiong, he wanted to eventually send a son there due to the wealth and strategic importance of the region. He asked his sons who was willing to go—but none responded except Yuwen Xian. Yuwen Tai responded, "A provincial governor needs to pacify the people and rule over them, and you are too young to do that. Based on age, I will pick an older brother of yours." Yuwen Xian responded, "It should be based on ability, not age. If you let me try and I fail, I am willing to be punished." Yuwen Tai was impressed with the response, but did not send him due to his young age, but left instructions for Yuwen Xian to be eventually entrusted with the region. In 554, Yuwen Xian was promoted to the greater title of Duke of Ancheng.
In 556, Yuwen Tai, after entrusting his heir apparent and Yuwen Xian's older brother Yuwen Jue to Yuwen Xian's cousin Yuwen Hu, died. In spring 557, Yuwen Hu forced Emperor Gong of Western Wei to yield the throne to Yuwen Jue, ending Western Wei and establishing Northern Zhou. Yuwen Jue took the throne (as Emperor Xiaomin) with the alternative title of "Heavenly Prince" (Tian Wang), with Yuwen Hu serving as regent. Later that year, Yuwen Jue, trying to seize power from Yuwen Hu, had his plot discovered by Yuwen Hu, and Yuwen Hu deposed and then killed him, replacing him with another older brother of Yuwen Xian's, Yuwen Yu (as Emperor Ming). In 559, Emperor Ming, remembering Yuwen Tai's instruction, put Yuwen Xian in charge of the modern Sichuan and Chongqing region, with his headquarters at Yi Province (益州, roughly modern Chengdu, Sichuan). Yuwen Xian, despite his young age of 15, was said to be a capable governor, paying attention to the people's concerns and to the important matters and making good decisions on legal cases. The people of the region favored him so much that they created monuments for him. Emperor Ming created him the greater title of Duke of Qi.
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