He helped Liu Yao defeat a major rebellion in 320 when the non-Xiongnu tribes in the Guanzhong region rose up against him.
During this time, Zhang Hua, an influential minister of the Jin dynasty (266–420), was able to meet with Ziyuan and was surprised by his talents.
"[1] Ziyuan eventually found himself serving under Han-Zhao, and by Liu Yao's reign, he was already the Household Counsellor With Golden Tassel.
[2] Liu Yao imprisoned the Ba leaders involved in the plot including Gou Xu (句徐) and She Peng (厙彭).
To make matters worse, the Di, Qiang, Jie and other Ba tribes in the Guanzhong region rose up in support of Gou, reaching up to 300,000 rebels all placing Chang'an under siege.
Ziyuan advised him that he should instead grant an amnesty first, pardoning those involved in the plot and their family members to convince the rebels to lay down their weapons.
Although Gou Quzhi had been defeated, one of the rebel leaders, Xuchu Quanchu (虛除權渠) declared himself as the new King of Qin at Longyou (隴右, in modern Haidong Prefecture, Qinghai).
You Ziyuan defeated him multiple times but, although Quanchu now wanted to surrender, his son Xuchu Yiyu (虛除伊餘) persuaded him to continue the fight.
You Ziyuan waited throughout the night and in the dawn, the wind made the surroundings hazed with dust.
The building took sixty thousand workers and was completed after a hundred days of hard gruelling labour.