Yang-kien was forty-eight years old when he became Emperor over a territory that until but recently had been divided between three rulers. He gave his dynasty the name of Sui, from the dukedom of that name, which had been bestowed upon his father for services rendered to the dynasty of the Northern Chow. A. D. 593, the famous Han-ch'in died, when Kau-king and Yang-su were made prime ministers. Ho Joh-pi was exceedingly annoyed that the Emperor had not selected him for one of these important posts. Yang-kien became more lenient in his disposition as he grew in years, and he passed a law that no one should be put to death before the case had been reported to him three times. In the year A. D. 602 Yang-kien issued a command that all the schools in the district, prefectural and departmental cities should be given up, and the only one left should be the Imperial College at the capital.