Background
Yu Zhining was born in 588, during the reign of Emperor Wen of Sui. He was from Sui's capital province Yong Province (雍州, roughly modern Xi'an, Shaanxi), and his ancestors, ethnically Xianbei, were of a prominent line of generals during Sui's predecessor dynasty Northern Zhou. His great-grandfather Yu Jin (于謹), in particular, was a renowned general during the latter years of Northern Zhou's predecessor Western Wei and Northern Zhou. His father Yu Xuandao (于宣道) was a mid-level official in the legislative bureau of government, the Neishi Sheng (內史省).
Late in the reign of Emperor Wen's son and successor Emperor Yang, Yu Zhining served as the county magistrate for Guanshi County (冠氏, in modern Liaocheng, Shandong). As at the time, most of Sui realm was engulfed by agrarian rebellions, he left his post without leave and fled home, to Yong Province. In 617, the general Li Yuan rebelled at Taiyuan and proceeded towarded the capital Chang'an (i.e., Yong Province), with Emperor Yang away at Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou, Jiangsu), capturing Chang'an in winter 617 and declaring Emperor Yang's grandson Yang You the Prince of Dai emperor (as Emperor Gong). Yu led a group of men to welcome him at one of Emperor Yang's secondary palaces, Changchun Palace (長春宮). As Li Yuan had heard of Yu's reputation of being capable earlier, he bestowed the honorific title of Yinqing Guanglu Daifu (銀青光祿大夫) on Yu. Meanwhile, as Li Yuan's son and major general Li Shimin was then pacifying the cities north of the Wei River, he made Yu a member of his staff.
In 618, after news arrived at Chang'an that Emperor Yang had been killed in a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji, Li Yuan had Emperor Gong yield the throne to him, establishing Tang Dynasty as its Emperor Gaozu. Li Shimin was created the Prince of Qin, and became his father's most reliable general in fighting the various contenders for supremacy. Yu continued to serve on Li Shimin's staff and often accompanied him on campaigns. When Emperor Gaozu allowed Li Shimin to retain a staff of literary men, Yu was named to that staff as well.
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