Sima Lun
Yang Xianrong was from Taishan Commandery (roughly modern Tai'an, Shandong). Her father was the mid-level official Yang Xuanzhi (羊玄之). Her maternal grandfather was the general Sun Qi (孫旂), a distant relative of Sun Xiu (孫秀), the chief strategist for Sima Lun the Prince of Zhao. Therefore, after Sima Lun and Sun overthrew Empress Jia Nanfeng in 300, Sun had Yang Xianrong selected as the new empress. Little is known about how her relationship with her developmentally disabled husband (save her words to her second husband, referred to below) was. 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. (He would die in fear in 303, however, as his friendship with Sima Ai the Prince of Changsha was used as an excuse for Sima Ying and Sima Yong the Prince of Hejian to attack Sima Ai.)