Yang Shiqi
Foremost of the "Three Yangs," he helped Emperor Renzong and Emperor Xuanzong of Ming usher in the "Rule of Renzong and Xuanzong."
Life
Self-taught
Yang Shiqi was a native of Taihe. He lost his father early and grew up poor, earning a living by teaching; self-taught, he was later recommended to the Hanlin Academy to compile the Veritable Records of Emperor Taizu of Ming.
Foremost of the Three Yangs
After Zhu Di took the throne Yang joined the Grand Secretariat and protected the crown prince Zhu Gaochi in the succession dispute. Under Emperors Renzong and Xuanzong he served as Senior Grand Secretary; together with Yang Rong and Yang Pu he was known as one of the "Three Yangs." They advocated letting the people recover, with lenient punishments and lighter taxes, a period known as the "Rule of Renzong and Xuanzong."
Rule of Renzong and Xuanzong
When Emperor Yingzong took the throne at only nine years old, Yang Shiqi helped govern together with Grand Empress Dowager Zhang. In his last years the eunuch Wang Zhen began to dominate power; Yang died in 1444.
Legacy
Yang Shiqi was a key figure in the maturing of the Ming-era Grand Secretariat system, and the forty years when the "Three Yangs" led the government were among the most stable periods of the Ming dynasty.
Major works & achievements
- Helped usher in the Ren-Xuan Golden Age
Did you know? He served under five Ming emperors: Emperor Hui, Emperor Chengzu, Emperor Renzong, Emperor Xuanzong, and Emperor Yingzong.
Key dates
- 1402Joined the Grand Secretariat
- 1424Emperor Renzong takes the throne; heads the Grand Secretariat
- 1426Assisted Emperor Xuanzong; the Rule of Renzong and Xuanzong
- 1444Died