[6] Her mother died early, probably when she was still in infancy, and she was initially raised by her maternal uncle Zhao Jun (赵俊)[7] and aunt (who breastfed her).
This action ended the state of Cao Wei and Sima Yan established the Jin dynasty (as Emperor Wu).
Empress Yang was instrumental in persuading him to have her son designated crown prince anyway, arguing that tradition should not be abandoned easily.
In 273, when Emperor Wu was seeking beautiful women to serve as his concubines, he initially put Empress Yang in charge of the selection process.
[14] In December 276, based on his promise to his late wife, the emperor married Yang Zhi and created her empress.