drinking and receiving bribes to try to show Emperor Yang that he did not have great ambitions. In 615, Emperor Yang placed him in charge of the operations against agrarian rebels in the Hedong () region (roughly modern Shanxi), but recalled him in 616. Later that year, Emperor Yang put him in charge of the key city of Taiyuan (, in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi). Rebellion against Emperor Yang of Sui Emperor Yang grew dissatisfied with Li Yuan and Wang Rengong (), the governor of Mayi Commandery (, roughly modern Shuozhou, Shanxi), over their inability to stop incursions by the Eastern Turks (Tujue) and the growing strength of agrarian rebels—particularly the Turk-supported Liu Wuzhou, the Dingyang Khan, who soon rose against Wang and killed him and captured Emperor Yang's secondary palace near Taiyuan. Li Yuan also became fearful due to prophecies circulating throughout the empire that the next emperor would be named Li—and because Emperor Yang had killed another official, Li Hun () and his clan over his fears that Li Hun's nephew Li Min (, the son-in-law of Emperor Yang's sister Yang Lihua, the Princess Leping) had imperial ambitions. Traditional accounts, compiled during the reign of Li Yuan's second son by the Duchess Dou, Li Shimin (Emperor Taizong), emphasize the latter's initiative and major role in instigating his father's rebellion. According to these, Li Shimin was secretly planning rebellion against Sui rule with Pei Ji, the majordomo of Emperor Yang's secondary palace, and with Liu Wenjing, the magistrate of Jinyang County (, i.e., Taiyuan), but at first did not reveal their plans to Li Yuan. At Li Shimin's urging, Pei Ji, who had also earlier, against regulations, allowed Li Yuan to have sexual relations with some of late Emperor Wen's imperial concubines, persuaded Li Yuan that it was necessary for him to rebel. Modern researchers, however, have concluded that the initiative for the revolt came from Li Yuan himself. Li Yuan began to gather forces from the region, claiming that they were necessary to defend against the Turks, which drew suspicions from his deputies Wang Wei () and Gao Junya (). Li Yuan, afraid that Wang and Gao would act against him first, then used a Turkic attack as an excuse to falsely claim that Wang and Gao were working in concert with the Turkic khagan, Shibi Khan (Ashina Duojishi), and had them executed. He sent secret messengers to Hedong