Imperial Secretary
In 87 BC, Sang Hongyang became the Imperial Secretary (also known as Imperial Counselor and Grandee Secretary), one of the three most senior posts in government known as the Three Excellencies. In the wake of the death of Emperor Wu and the installation of the child Emperor Zhao of Han in that year, Sang became one of the key politicians in the age of the triumvirate formed by Huo Guang, Jin Midi, and Shangguan Jie. However, Sang was executed in 80 BC by the regent Huo Guang on charges of treason for his alleged involvement in the attempted coup of Liu Tan, King of Yan, to take over the throne of Han and have Huo Guang murdered. As a result, Sang's biography was not included in the Book of Han historical text.
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