Yang Xianrong


Yang Xianrong, posthumous name Empress Xianwen, was an empress—uniquely in the history of China, for two different dynastic empires and two different emperors. Her first husband was Emperor Hui of Jin, and her second husband was Liu Yao of Former Zhao. Also unique was that she was deposed four times and restored four times as empress of the Western Jin.

Background and as empress of Jin

Yang Xianrong was from Taishan Commandery. Her father was the mid-level official Yang Xuanzhi. Her maternal grandfather was the general Sun Qi, a distant relative of Sun Xiu, the chief strategist for Sima Lun the Prince of Zhao. Therefore, after Sima Lun and Sun overthrew Empress Jia Nanfeng in May 300, Sun had Yang Xianrong selected as the new empress in December of that year. Little is known about how her relationship with her developmentally disabled husband was; she may have been the mother of a daughter, Princess Linhai. After Sima Lun briefly usurped the throne in 301 but was then defeated by Sima Jiong the Prince of Qi and Sima Ying the Prince of Chengdu, both Sun Xiu and Sun Qi were killed, along with their clans. Empress Yang's father Yang Xuanzhi was, however, promoted.
As Emperor Hui continued to be a pawn of the princes during the War of the Eight Princes, Empress Yang herself appeared to have had little influence. She was, however, frequently used as an excuse for certain conspirators' actions, and during the span from 304 to 306 she was deposed four times and restored four times, often in conjunction with her husband's nephew Sima Tan's fortunes as crown prince. She was nearly killed after her fourth removal in December 305, as Sima Yong, who was holding Emperor Hui at Chang'an and left her in the capital Luoyang, became convinced that she was easily usable by his opponents as a rubber stamp, and so ordered that she be forced to commit suicide. The governor of the capital region, Liu Tun offered a petition to save her life, which nearly cost him his own—as Sima Yong ordered to have him arrested, and he was barely able to flee to Qingzhou with his life, and join Sima Lue, Prince of Gaomi. However, after Liu's intercession, for whatever reason, Sima Yong cancelled the order to force her to commit suicide.
In 306, as the War of the Eight Princes neared its end and Emperor Hui was allowed to return to Luoyang after Sima Yue the Prince of Donghai defeated Sima Yong, he welcomed Yang back as his empress. In January 307, however, he was poisoned to death. The recognized heir was Emperor Hui's half-brother, Sima Chi the crown prince, but Empress Yang, believing that she would not be honored as empress dowager if her brother-in-law inherited the throne, tried to have Sima Tan declared emperor; she was rebuffed by Sima Yue, however, and Crown Prince Chi succeeded to the throne as Emperor Huai. Emperor Huai honored her with the title "Empress Hui," but not empress dowager.
Empress Yang's influence during Emperor Huai's reign was unclear, but since Emperor Huai himself did not have much power, it was not likely that Empress Yang had significant influence. After Sima Yue's death in April 311, the Jin armies were in shambles and unable to protect Luoyang any further. Luoyang soon fell to Han's armies in July, led by the generals Huyan Yan, Wang Mi, Shi Le, and Liu Yao the Prince of Shi'an. Liu Yao burnt most of Luoyang and executed a large number of Jin officials, but did not kill Empress Yang; instead, he took her as his own wife.

As empress of Former Zhao

Little is known about Yang Xianrong's life with Liu Yao, other than that she was favored by him and bore him three sons — Liu Xī, Liu Xí, and Liu Chan. Liu Yao, as the trusted cousin of the Han emperor Liu Cong, had many military responsibilities and was in charge of the Chang'an region after he captured it and Emperor Huai's successor Emperor Min in 316. In 318, after the Han prime minister Jin Zhun massacred the Han imperial family and nobles in the capital Pingyang after a coup, the officials who fled from the massacre offered the throne to Liu Yao, who accepted. After his and Shi Le's forces defeated Jin's, he moved the capital to Chang'an.
In 319, he renamed the state from Han to Zhao created Yang Xianrong his empress and her son Liu Xī crown prince. Once, Liu Yao asked her: "How do I compare to the Sima man?" Her response was:
Liu Yao greatly favored her, and she was involved in governmental matters. She died in May 322. Her son Liu Xī would continue to be crown prince, but both Liu Yao and Liu Xī were killed by Shi Le's Later Zhao forces after Former Zhao fell to Later Zhao in 329.