If life is all about getting your kicks, then throughout history, Emperor Yang of Sui, Yang Guang, may be the most representative example of someone who lived for pleasure and died for it! He murdered his brother and father to become emperor. He waged wars across the realm, launching three campaigns against Goguryeo. The Grand Canal he built by mobilizing the entire nation remained a busy shipping route more than a thousand years later. He was the first in history to establish the imperial examination system, which became the main way later generations selected talent. He had the peerlessly beautiful Empress Xiao, whom heroes throughout the ages could only envy. He ruled the mighty Sui Dynasty, yet in the end, the kingdom fell and he died! He was reviled as a debauched, foolish ruler who brought about his dynasty's ruin, yet some also saw him as a wise man whose achievements would endure for a thousand ages. He was Yang Guang, Emperor Yang of Sui, a man shrouded in mystery. I want to tell his story too!
