Empress Xiao (Yang) - After Emperor Yang's Death

After Emperor Yang's Death

Yuwen Huaji declared Emperor Yang's nephew Yang Hao the Prince of Qin emperor, and then abandoned Jiangdu and headed back north, taking Empress Xiao and her ladies in waiting north. He was not a good commander or governor, however, and his campaign north suffered constant defections and defeats. By fall 618, he was in a desperate situation, and deciding to become emperor before final defeat, he poisoned Yang Hao and declared a new state of Xu with himself as emperor.

In 619, Yuwen Huaji was captured and executed by one of the rebel leaders, Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia. Dou treated Empress Xiao with kindness and respect while giving a proper mourning for Emperor Yang. Subsequently, the Princess Yicheng requested that Dou send Empress Xiao to her, and Dou did so, along with Emperor Yang's daughter Princess Nanyang and the head of Yuwen Huaji. An emissary was sent to welcome her and the former Empress traveled to Tujue, North of the Great Wall. While she was in Tujue, one of Yang Jian's consorts gave birth to a posthumous son, Yang Zhengdao (楊政道), whom she raised, and whom Ashina Duojishi subsequently created the Prince of Sui, assigning to him as his subjects the refugees from Sui. She went to live in Dingxiang. During the years, Tujue's khans continued to use Yang Zhengdao as a magnet to attract the people to surrender, in competition to Tang Dynasty, established by the Sui general Li Yuan (Emperor Gaozu).

In 630, when Emperor Gaozu's son Emperor Taizong of Tang sent the general Li Jing to attack Tujue's Jiali Khan Ashina Duobi, Ashina Duobi's associate Kangsumi (康蘇密) surrendered to Li Jing, taking Empress Xiao and Yang Zhengdao with him. Emperor Taizong's official Yang Wenguan (楊文瓘) wanted to have Empress Xiao interrogated as to whether any Tang officials had been secretly in communication with her, but Emperor Taizong refused and instead treated her with respect. Yang Zhengdao was given an honorific official post. As Empress Xiao's brother Xiao Yu was an important official under both Emperors Gaozu and Taizong, she maintained some degree of honor at the Tang capital Chang'an, and she was subsequently in charge of Emperor Yang's reburial with honor. She died on 17 April 648 in Chang'an and was buried with honors due an empress, at Jiangdu with Emperor Yang.