Yang Gongren Yang Gongren ( 楊恭仁 ) ( died 639 ) , formal name Yang Guan ( 楊綸 ) but went by the courtesy name of Gongren , formally Duke Xiao of Guan ( 觀孝公 ) , was an official and general during the Chinese dynasties Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty , at one point serving as a chancellor during Tang . Background . It is not known when Yang Gongren was born . He was the oldest son of Yang Xiong ( 楊雄 ) , a distant nephew of Sui Dynasty ' s founder Emperor Wen , who was considered one of the four most powerful officials at one point early in Sui , with Gao Jiong , Yu Qingze ( 虞慶則 ) , and Su Wei and who was created an imperial prince with various titles , eventually the title of Prince of Guan . During Sui Dynasty . Late in the reign of Emperor Wen ( some time between 601 and 604 ) , Yang Gongren became the governor of Gan Province ( 甘州 , roughly modern Zhangye , Gansu ) . It was said that he had a good grasp on general governance and intentionally refused to dwell on details , and that in doing so comforted the non - Han residents of the province . It was said that Emperor Wen told his father Yang Xiong , " Gongren governs the province well . It is not only that I selected the right person , but because you have taught him in the ways of righteousness . " Early in the reign of Emperor Wen ' s son Emperor Yang , Yang Gongren was the assistant minister of civil service matters . When the general Yang Xuangan rebelled in 613 , Yang Gongren was one of the generals Emperor Yang sent against Yang Xuangan , and he participated in destroying Yang Xuangan . He received great praise from both Emperor Yang and Su Wei . However , it was said at the time that the matters of civil service were being controlled by Su , Yuwen Shu , Pei Yun ( 裴蘊 ) , and Pei Ju , and that they were largely corrupt . Yang Gongren was considered honest and was not tolerated by Pei Yun , and therefore was instead commissioned to lead the army against agrarian rebels in the modern Hunan region . He was , however , defeated by the rebel general Zhu Can at Qiao Commandery ( 譙郡 , roughly modern Bozhou , Anhui ) , and forced to flee to Emperor Yang ' s then - location at Jiangdu ( 江都 , in modern Yangzhou , Jiangsu ) . In spring 618 , the general Yuwen Huaji killed Emperor Yang in a coup and declared Emperor Yang ' s nephew Yang Hao the Prince of Qin emperor . While he killed a large number of high level officials and imperial Yang clan members , he did not kill Yang Gongren and made Yang Gongren the minister of civil service matters . After Yuwen advanced north of the elite Xiaoguo Army ( 驍果 ) but was defeated by Li Mi , he headed further north , and he left Yang Gongren defending Wei ( 魏縣 , in modern Handan , Hebei ) . In 619 , the Tang official Wei Zheng , however , persuaded another official Yuwen left at Wei , Yuan Baozang ( 元寶藏 ) , to seize Yang Gongren and submit to Emperor Gaozu of Tang . Yuan delivered Yang Gongren to the Tang capital Chang ' an . As Emperor Gaozu , while a Sui official , was a friend of Yang Gongren ' s , he released Yang Gongren and made him the assistant head of the examination bureau of the government ( 門下省 , " Mengxia Sheng " ) and created him the Duke of Guan . During Emperor Gaozu ' s reign . Emperor Gaozu soon made Yang Gongren the commandant at Liang Prefecture ( 涼州 , roughly modern Wuwei , Gansu ) , because of his familiarity with the region . Yang was able to govern effectively , and it was said that tribes east of the Pamir Mountains were all nominally submitting to Tang as a result . At times , when Eastern Tujue forces attacked , he was able to repel them , but his own territory nevertheless suffered losses from Eastern Tujue raids . In winter 619 , Yang was nominally given the title of " Nayan " ( 納言 ) - - the title for the head of the examination bureau , one considered as a post for a chancellor , but it was also explicitly stated that he did not actually take on the responsibilities of " Nayan " , but remained at Liang Prefecture . In 623 , Emperor Gaozu recalled Yang to Chang ' an to be " Zhongshu Ling " ( 中書令 ) , the head of the legislative bureau of government , considered to be a chancellor post as well . He also was made the minister of civil service affairs . He also continued to nominally serve as the commandant at Liang Prefecture . In 626 , Emperor Gaozu ' s son Li Shimin the Prince of Qin , in an intense rivalry with his brother Li Jiancheng the Crown Prince , ambushed Li Jiancheng and another brother , Li Yuanji the Prince of Qi ( who supported Li Jiancheng ) at Xuanwu Gate and killed them , and then effectively forced Emperor Gaozu to create him crown prince . He also took effective rein of the government and reorganized it . As part of the reorganization , Yang was removed from his posts , but remained a general . During Emperor Taizong ' s reign . Two months later , Emperor Gaozu yielded the throne to Li Shimin , who became emperor ( as Emperor Taizong ) . He initially made Yang Gongren to be the governor of the capital prefecture Yong Prefecture ( 雍州 ) , and then made him the assistant to the commandant at Yang Prefecture ( 揚州 , roughly modern Yangzhou ) - - Emperor Taizong ' s favorite son Li Tai the Prince of Yue . ( As Li Tai did not actually report to Yang Prefecture , Yang Gongren was effectively commandant . ) In 631 , he became the commandant at Luo Prefecture ( 洛州 , roughly modern Luoyang , Henan ) , an important location as the effective eastern capital . At a later point , he retired , although the year of his retirement was not clear . It was said at this time that Yang Gongren was humble and courteous , even to people who were below him in rank , and was compared to the humble Han Dynasty chancellor Shi Qing ( 石慶 ) . His clan became an honored one , as his younger brother Yang Shidao married Emperor Gaozu ' s daughter Princess Guiyang ; his niece was wife and princess of Li Yuanji and later became a favorite concubine of Emperor Taizong ; and his nephew Yang Sijing ( 楊思敬 ) married another daughter of Emperor Gaozu , the Princess Anping . Yang died in 639 . He was given posthumous honored and buried near the tomb of Emperor Taizong ' s wife Empress Zhangsun , which would eventually become Emperor Taizong ' s tomb as well .