Yang Yin
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Yang Yin (楊愔) (511 – 4 April 560[1]), courtesy name Zhunyan (遵彦), nickname Qinwang (秦王),[2] was a high-level official of the Chinese Northern Qi dynasty.
Yang Yin came from a clan that produced many officials of Northern Wei, including his father Yang Jin.[3]
At the age of 5, Yang Yin studied the histories; by 10, he was studying the Shi Jing, and the I Ching, but particularly favored the Zuo Zhuan version of the Spring and Autumn Annals.[4]
In 526, during the reign of Emperor Xiaoming, Northern Wei was suffering greatly from agrarian rebellions, and Yang Jin was commissioned with an army as the governor of Ding Province, roughly modern Baoding, Hebei). Yang Yin accompanied his father to Ding Province, and on account of his contribution to his father's campaign, was created the Baron of Weichang. However, Yang Yin did not accept this appointment. On 12 February 528, Ding Province fell to the rebel general Du Luozhou, and Yang Jing's household was imprisoned by Du.[5] Soon thereafter, Du was defeated by another rebel general, Ge Rong. Ge wanted to marry one of his daughters to Yang Yin and make him an official, but Yang, not willing to accept Ge's commission, pretended to be ill by holding cow blood in his mouth and then spitting it out. In 529, after Ge Rong had been defeated by the Northern Wei paramount general Erzhu Rong, Yang Yin returned to the Northern Wei capital Luoyang and was made a low level imperial official in the administration of Emperor Xiaozhuang.[6] Later that year, when Yuan Hao the Prince of Beihai claimed imperial title under support from Liang Dynasty and captured Luoyang briefly, forcing Emperor Xiaozhuang to flee, Yang Yin convinced his cousin Yang Kan to remain loyal to Emperor Xiaozhuang. However, after Yuan Hao was subsequently defeated by Erzhu, permitting Emperor Xiaozhuang to return to Luoyang, Yang Yin believed that the empire was not yet at peace and decided to leave governmental service, taking up a hermit's existence with his friend Xing Shao at Mount Song.[7]
Service under Gao Huan and Gao Cheng
Thereafter, however, Yang Yin's cousin Yang Youqing, while advising Emperor Xiaowu, whom Gao Huan had made emperor, used strong language that offended Emperor Xiaowu and was put to death. Another member of Gao's staff, Guo Xiu, was jealous of Yang's abilities, and he therefore gave Yang false news that Gao was intending to deliver him to Emperor Xiaowu. Yang therefore pretended to have committed suicide by drowning, but changed his name to Liu Shi'an and fled to Guang Province, roughly modern Yantai, Shandong) and hid on an island.[8] In 535, after Northern Wei had divided into Eastern Wei (with Gao in control) and Western Wei (with Yuwen Tai in control), Gao heard that Yang was still alive, and had the governor of Guang Province find him and invite him back to serve on staff. Yang agreed, and Gao married one of his daughters by a concubine to Yang. He subsequently gradually rose in ranks.[9] After Gao Huan's death in 547, Yang continued to serve Gao Huan's heir Gao Cheng, who took over as regent.[10] In 549, Gao Cheng convened a meeting with Yang, Chen Yuankang, and Cui Jishu to discuss the process of seizing the throne from Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei, when Gao Cheng's slave Lan Jing (son of Lan Qin) made a surprise attack on Gao Cheng, killing him and Chen. Yang was able to flee from Lan's attack and was not killed.[11] Subsequently, Gao Cheng's younger brother Gao Yang took over the regency, and on 9 June 550 took over the throne, ending Eastern Wei and establishing Northern Qi.[12]