In ancient history, many founding emperors succeeded in establishing a new dynasty, usually through years of conquest. This resulted in the fact that these founding monarchs were usually not very young when they ascended to the throne. For example, Liu Bang, the ancestor of the Han Dynasty, founded the Western Han Dynasty in 202 BC when he was in his 50s;Liu Bei was over 60 years old when he founded Shu Han. However, Yu Wenjue, the founding emperor of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, ascended the throne at the age of 16, becoming the youngest founding monarch in ancient history. However, what is puzzling is that Yuwen Jue was assassinated after less than a year of reign, what happened?
1. Yuwenjue's puppet emperor identity.
Yuwen Jue, also known as Emperor Xiaomin of the Northern Zhou Dynasty (reigned 557 AD), was the third son of Emperor Yuwentai of Zhou Wen. However, in reality, Yuwen Jue is not the emperor who really holds power, but a puppet controlled by the powerful minister Yuwen Go. This situation led to the main reason why Yuwen Jue lost his life less than a year after he ascended the throne.
Specifically, Yuwenjue was born in the eighth year of Datong (542), and his father was Yuwentai, a powerful minister of the Western Wei Dynasty. Yuwentai held power in the Western Wei dynasty for 22 years, making his status similar to that of Cao Cao at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. When he was dying, Yuwentai did not hand over the power to his young son Yuwenjue, but entrusted it to his nephew Yuwengo. Yuwen Hu became the de facto ruler of Yuwen Jue when he ascended the throne, making Yu Wenjue's position appear weak.
Second, Yuwen Hu usurped the throne, and Yuwen Jue ascended the throne.
In the fourth year of Emperor Gong of the Western Wei Dynasty (557), Yuwen Hu forced Emperor Gong Chan to give the throne to Yuwen Jue. Although Yuwen Jueli did not accept it, under the persuasion of the ministers and hundreds of officials, he finally agreed to ascend the throne. In this process, Yuwen Hu is not entirely to allow Yuwen Jue to ascend the throne, but more to continue to hold power. After Yuwen Jue ascended the throne, Yuwen Hu was appointed Otsuka Zai and was still the de facto ruler of the Northern Zhou Dynasty.
Third, the power of the minister Yu Wenhu is too strong.
Due to Yuwen Jue's young age, the actual ruling power fell into the hands of Yuwen Hu. After Taifu Zhao Gui and Taibao Duguxin were killed, Yuwen Jue gradually realized that Yuwen Hu's power was too strong. As a result, Yuwen Jue tried to regain power by recruiting samurai and training martial arts. However, this move was noticed by Yuwen Go, and Yu Wenjue's plan was learned through the whistleblower Zhang Guangluo, which eventually led to the demotion of some ministers.
Yuwen Jue realized that he could no longer sit idly by, so he launched a counterattack. He gathered a group of samurai to regain power, but this plan was also informed by Zhang Guangluo, allowing Yuwen to stop the rebellion in time.
Fourth, Yuwen Jue's final resistance.
Yuwen Jue was unwilling to become a puppet emperor and decided to launch a final counterattack. He plotted to set up a royal banquet to entertain his ministers and take the opportunity to get rid of Yuwen Hu. However, this plan was once again informed by Zhang Guangluo, which made Yuwen Hu aware of Yuwen Jue's intentions. Yuwen Hu finally sent someone to kill Yuwen Jue, who had lost the throne, ending Yuwen Jue's short reign.
5. The outcome after Yuwenhu's usurpation.
After Yuwen Jue was killed, Yuwen Hu supported Yuwen Yu to ascend the throne as emperor. However, Yuwen Yu was killed by Yuwen Hu in the second year of Wucheng (560), only 27 years old, nicknamed Emperor Ming, temple name Sejong, and buried in Zhaoling. After Yuwen Hu usurped the throne, the civil strife in the Northern Zhou Dynasty did not end, and it was not until the Northern Zhou Emperor Wu Emperor Yuwen Yong killed Yuwen Hu in the seventh year of Tianhe (572) that this period of turmoil ended.
Epilogue. 
In the early days of the establishment of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, 16-year-old Yuwen Jue became the founding emperor, but he was usurped by Yuwen Hu after less than a year of reign, and finally lost his life. This historical story reflects the complexity and brutality of ancient political intrigues. Despite his young age, Yuwen Jue also showed the tenacity and rebellious spirit of a young monarch, and this chaotic period was finally ended by Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Yuwen Yong.
The fate of Yu Wenjue, the founding emperor of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, is a story full of tragedy and intrigue in ancient history. The young monarch, who ascended the throne at the age of 16, had an unusual background, but was eventually usurped by powerful ministers and died in a coup d'état.
First of all, Yuwen Jue's young ascension to the throne is really rare. In ancient history, many founding monarchs were able to establish their own dynasties after years of conquest and political struggle. And the reason why Yuwenjue became the youngest founding monarch in ancient history is undoubtedly because of the family's power schemes and complicated court struggles. It also made people curious and confused about his rule.
Secondly, Yuwen Jue's identity as a puppet emperor doomed him to a bumpy fate. Despite ascending the throne as the monarch of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, in reality, he had no real power. The powerful minister Yuwen Hu controlled the government, making Yuwen Jue's position vulnerable. Behind this conspiracy lies a complex game of family relationships and political interests, and Yu Wenjue has become a victim of this power game.
In Yuwenjue's attempt to resist, we see his young and resilient side. He was unwilling to become a puppet and tried many times to regain power, but he was repeatedly frustrated. This shows Yu Wenjue's pursuit of his own destiny and the spirit of resistance. However, in the end, he did not escape the control of the ministers, which is also infinitely regrettable.
The overpower of the powerful minister Yuwen Hu was one of the key factors that led to Yuwen Jue's failure. Not only did Yuwen Hu take actual power, but he also managed to exclude dissidents from the court, leaving Yuwen Jue's rebellion in a desperate situation. This situation of dictatorship is not unique to history, but it is often one of the causes of regime change and instability.
Finally, Yuwen Jue's fate also reflects the ruthlessness and cruelty of ancient politics. His brief reign, fraught with tragedy, culminated in the usurpation of power and his death. This historical story shows the complexity of ancient political struggles, the overt and covert struggles between monarchs and ministers, and the sacrifices of innocent people in the political turmoil.
In general, the story of Yu Wenjue, the founding emperor of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, is not only a microcosm of history, but also a complex picture scroll of human nature, power and family relationships. Although his fate is unfortunate, it provides us with a profound and reflective historical case that allows people to better understand the hardships and impermanence of ancient political struggles.
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