楊艷
Yang Yan was born in 238, in Shaanxi province. She was the daughter of Yang Wenzong and Lady Zhao. Her father’s family had served in the upper echelons of the imperial government of the Eastern Han dynasty for four generations, some attaining the highest-ranking civil office of the Three Dignitaries. Yang Yan’s mother died young, leaving her infant daughter to be raised by relatives.
When Yang Yan was young a fortuneteller once foretold that she would have extraordinary honor, and it is said that when the Cao Wei regent Sima Zhao heard this, he took her and married her to his son Sima Yan. After Sima Zhao's death in 265, Sima Yan inherited his position and soon forced the Cao Wei emperor Cao Huan to abdicate in favor of him, ending Cao Wei and establishing Jin Dynasty (as Emperor Wu). In 266, he created Yang Yan empress.
As empress, she advised her husband on a number of family matters with significant political implications. The weightiest of these was the selection of an heir to the throne. When Empress Yang's oldest son, Sima Gui, died in childhood, her second son Sima Zhong became the legitimate heir, by traditional succession laws. However, Emperor Wu hesitated about selecting him as crown prince because he was developmentally disabled. Empress Yang was instrumental in persuading him to have her son designated crown prince anyway, arguing that tradition should not be abandoned easily. In 267 Sima Zhong was named heir apparent to the Jin throne. Yang Yan thus secured her place in the palace hierarchy as both empress and mother of the future emperor.
Empress Yang also asserted herself in the selection of a consort-wife for her son, the heir. Before Sima Zhong had been formally declared heir, Lady Guo, wife of the powerful courtier Jia Chong, sent a bribe to Empress Yang asking that their daughter be chosen as Sima Zhong’s consort. Emperor Wu initially favored Wei Guan's daughter, but Empress Yang, friendly with Jia Chong's wife Lady Yang, praised Jia's daughter Jia Nanfeng greatly, leading to Jia Nanfeng's selection as crown princess.
In 273, when Emperor Wu was undergoing a major selection of beautiful women to serve as his concubines, he initially put Empress Yang in charge of the selection process. Empress Yang personally oversaw the process at the palace, selecting only morally upright and mature women for the inner palace and sending back the most beautiful young girls. She also left off a beauty named Bian, whom Emperor Wu favored—stating that since the Bians have served as empresses for three generations during Cao Wei that it would be too degrading for her to be a concubine. These caused Emperor Wu to be displeased, and he took over the selection process himself.
Shortly after the selection of these additional palace women, Empress Yang became seriously ill. Nearing death, she feared that her husband would promote a new favorite, Lady Hu (daughter of an important general), as empress and the lady’s son as heir apparent. Empress Yang Yan died on 22 August 274 at the age of thirty-seven. She was buried at Junyang tumulus (north of Luoyang in Henan Province), where Emperor Wu, who died sixteen years later, was later laid to rest.
Yang Yan was the first wife and empress of Emperor Wu. She bore him three sons and three daughters.
Sima Yan, also known as Emperor Wu, was the first emperor of the Jin dynasty after forcing Cao Huan, last ruler of the state of Cao Wei.
Sima Gui was known as Prince Dao of Piling.
Sima Zhong, also known as Emperor Hui, was the second emperor of the Jin Dynasty (265-420).
Sima Jian was known as Prince Xian of Qin.
