Xiao Yu
Xiao Yu, courtesy name Shiwen, posthumously known as Duke Zhenbian of Song, was an imperial prince of the Western Liang dynasty who later became an official under the Sui and Tang dynasties. He served as a chancellor during the reigns of the emperors Gaozu and Taizong in the early Tang dynasty.
Background
Xiao Yu was born in 575, during the reign of his father Xiao Kui, Emperor Ming of Western Liang, who claimed the throne of Liang dynasty but whose territory, known in history as the Western Liang, was limited to a small amount of territory around his capital Jiangling. Emperor Ming was at that time also a vassal of the much larger Northern Zhou, and received protection from Northern Zhou forces against rival Chen dynasty. In 582, Xiao Yu was created the Prince of Xin'an. He was known for his filial piety.During the Sui dynasty
During Emperor Wen's reign
In or around 582, Xiao Yu's older sister married Yang Guang the Prince of Jin, a son of Sui's founder Emperor Wen of Sui, to be his princess. Xiao Yu followed her to the Sui capital Chang'an, and he became known for studiousness and proper actions there. He was particularly attentive in studying Buddhist sutras and became a devout Buddhist, spending much of his time discussing Buddhism with monks. Displeased with the work Essay on Predestination, authored by the Liang dynasty author Liu Xiaobiao, he wrote a work entitled, Essay on Non-Predestination intended to refute it. The work was praised by the scholars on Yang Guang's staff.In 585, Emperor Ming died and was succeeded by his oldest son and Xiao Yu's older brother Xiao Cong. In 587, when Emperor Wen summoned Emperor Jing to Chang'an to meet him, Xiao Yu's uncle Xiao Yan and brother Xiao Huan, believing that a Sui army sent to Jiangling was intending to attack it, surrendered to Chen. When Emperor Wen heard of this, he abolished Western Liang and annexed its territory, creating Emperor Jing the Duke of Ju. Western Liang was at its end, although its imperial clan members, including Xiao Yu, continued to be treated well by Emperor Wen. In 600, after Yang Guang displaced his older brother Yang Yong as crown prince, Xiao Yu continued to serve on Yang Guang's staff, as a guard commander.
During Emperor Yang's reign
In 604, Emperor Wen died—a death that traditional historians generally believed to be a murder ordered by Yang Guang but admitted a lack of direct evidence—and was succeeded by Yang Guang. Xiao Yu, whose sister Crown Princess Xiao became empress, was made a military recruiting officer. When, at one point, Xiao Yu became suddenly ill, he ordered that no medical treatment be carried out, believing that this would be a good time for him to be relieved from governmental service. However, when Empress Xiao heard this, she visited him and rebuked him, pointing out that this kind of behavior might in fact bring punishment from Emperor Yang. After he recovered, he became more interested in governmental service, and was at one point made the, the assistant head of the legislative bureau of government, and Emperor Yang entrusted him with many secret matters, as Xiao Yu was his brother-in-law. However, later on he was demoted because he often gave suggestions that offended Emperor Yang.In the fall of 615, Emperor Yang conducted a tour of the northern frontier, exposing himself to a surprise attack by Eastern Turkish forces under Shibi Khan, who was angered by various Chinese attempts to weaken his government. The Turks quickly overran most of Yanmen Commandery, but the khan's Chinese wife—an imperial relative who had been married to his predecessor and who had been well treated by the Empress Xiao during an earlier visit—sent warning to the emperor and empress of the attack. The imperial entourage was able to reach the commandery seat at present-day Daixian, Shanxi, where they were besieged by the Turks on September 11. Emperor Yang panicked and did not know what to do. Xiao Yu, who had accompanied the emperor, suggested that messengers be sent to Princess Yicheng, as Turkish customs dictated that the khan's wife be in charge of military matters at home while he was away. Princess Yicheng subsequently sent false information to Shibi Khan, stating that the khaganate was under attack from the north, and the khan lifted the siege. After the siege was lifted, Emperor Yang, instead of rewarding Xiao Yu, became embarrassed, stating, "Turkish forces were simply being rebellious and lacked tactical cohesion and would have soon scattered. Just because they did not do so immediately, Xiao Yu was frightened; this is unforgivable." He demoted Xiao Yu to the governorship of Hechi Commandery and immediately ordered him to get on his way.
When Xiao Yu got to Hechi Commandery, there were agrarian rebels in the mountains, numbering over 10,000, whom the commandery government was unable to control. Xiao Yu reorganized the commandery militia and attacked them, forcing them to surrender. Subsequently, when Xue Ju rebelled at Jincheng Commandery and attacked east, Xiao Yu blocked Xue's path, and Xue was not able to advance further at that point.
During Yang You's reign
In winter 617, the general Li Yuan the Duke of Tang, who had rebelled at Taiyuan earlier that year, captured Chang'an and declared Emperor Yang's grandson Yang You the Prince of Dai emperor. Li Yuan assumed power as regent, and he wrote to Xiao Yu, requesting that Xiao submit. Xiao agreed, and was made the minister of census and created the Duke of Song. In spring 618, during an abortive campaign where Li Yuan sent his sons Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin with an army to the eastern capital Luoyang to try to get Sui officials there to submit, Xiao served on Li Shimin's staff.During the Tang dynasty
During Emperor Gaozu's reign
Also in spring 618, Emperor Yang was killed at Jiangdu in a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji. When the news reached Chang'an, Li Yuan had Yang You yield the throne to him, establishing Tang dynasty as its Emperor Gaozu. He made Xiao Yu, the head of the legislative bureau of the government and a post considered one for a chancellor, and he entrusted Xiao with some of the most important matters of state. Whenever Emperor Gaozu held imperial gatherings, he would allow Xiao to sit next to him, and particularly, because Xiao had married a member of the Dugu clan, from which Emperor Gaozu's mother Lady Dugu also came, Emperor Gaozu referred to him endearingly as "Master Xiao." Xiao took the matters of state seriously and was not afraid of offending others in offering suggestions, and people feared him. When Li Shimin was made the governor of the capital prefecture Yong Prefecture, Xiao was given the additional title of commandant of Yong Prefecture. In 619, he and Pei Ji were in charge of interrogating one of the major initial contributors to Emperor Gaozu, Liu Wenjing, who had been arrested on suspicion of treason. Both he and Li Gang, as well as Li Shimin, tried to intercede on Liu's behalf, but Emperor Gaozu nevertheless executed Liu on Pei's recommendations. Later, after the legislative bureau was renamed in 620, Xiao Yu remained its head with the new title of. Per Xiao's recommendations, Emperor Gaozu made Feng Deyi Zhongshu Ling as well, sharing the position with Xiao. In 621, he was similarly put in charge, along with Pei and Chen Shuda, of interrogating Li Zhognwen the Duke of Zhenxiang, who was also charged with treason, and while Xiao's recommendations were unclear, Li Zhongwen was also executed.At times, when Emperor Gaozu issued edicts, he wanted the legislative bureau to promulgate them quickly, but Xiao did not do so. When Emperor Gaozu rebuked him, Xiao pointed out that during Emperor Yang's reign, the edicts were issued quickly, and while officials had valid reservations, they did not dare to speak against it. He wanted the edicts to be issued only after greater examination, and so was not issuing them as quickly. Emperor Gaozu agreed. Meanwhile, as Xiao's property was initially seized by Emperor Gaozu when he first entered Chang'an to be awarded to the military officers with accomplishments, Emperor Gaozu returned the property to Xiao. Xiao divided the property and distributed it to his clan members, only keeping the family shrine so that he could sacrifice to the ancestors. After Li Shimin destroyed a major rival, Wang Shichong, the emperor of Zheng, in 621, Xiao, who served under Li Shimin during the campaign and was credited with some of the strategies, was given 2,000 additional households as part of his fief and made one of the deputy heads of the important executive bureau of government, Shangshu Pushe, still considered a chancellor position. As Shangshu Pushe, Xiao was considered diligent but biased, as well as harsh, and he did not have as good of a reputation.
In 626, when Fu Yi the director of the imperial astronomical observatory, a Confucian, submitted a proposal to ban Buddhism on the grounds that Buddhism was leading to corruption and abuses within the government, Xiao, as a devout Buddhist, debated with Fu earnestly before Emperor Gaozu. He was unable to prevail over Fu in the debate, and Emperor Gaozu issued an edict severely limiting the number of Buddhist temples, although the edict did not appear to be seriously carried out.