from meat and sex during the period of mourning Failure to keep the imperial seal secure Improperly promoting and rewarding his Changyi subordinates during the period of mourning Engaging in feasts and games during the period of mourning Offering sacrifices to his father during the period of mourning for his uncle Empress Dowager Shangguan approved the articles of impeachment and ordered Prince He deposed. Regency and ascension of Emperor Xuan For nearly a month (although initially it appeared that the period might last even longer) Empress Dowager Shangguan heard reports and ruled on all important matters of state. It was during this time that she began to learn the Confucian classics from Xiahou Sheng (夏侯勝). After Prince He was removed as emperor, Huo Guang made a second search for a suitable successor to the throne. At some point, on the recommendation of Bing Ji (丙吉), Huo reached out to a commoner, a grandson of former Crown Prince Liu Ju; he was the son of Emperor Wu and Empress Wei Zifu who committed suicide in September 91 BC after being forced into an unsuccessful rebellion against his father. Liu Ju was Empress Shangguan's grand nephew. Huo then formally submitted the proposal to Empress Dowager Shangguan, who approved it. To avoid having a mere commoner ascend the throne, she first created him the Marquess of Yangwu, and on the same day, he ascended the throne as Emperor Xuan. Empress Dowager Shangguan was given the title of Grand Empress Dowager, the title she would hold the rest of her life. As grand empress dowager After Emperor Xuan became emperor, Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan, still a teenager, faded from the public eye. Nevertheless, she would often receive her Huo relations as guests, and Emperor Xuan's empress, Xu Pingjun, often had meals with her. She and Empress Xu appeared to have had a cordial relationship, and she was in all likelihood not involved in the plot of her grandmother Xian (顯), who murdered Empress Xu in 71 BC by poisoning her to allow her daughter (and Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan's aunt) Huo Chengjun to become empress. Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan's relationship with her aunt and empress appeared to be cooler than her relationship with Empress Xu. Huo Guang died in 68 BC. After Huo's death, his sons, sons-in-law and grandnephews remained in important posts and were made marquesses. The Huo family lived luxurious lives and