The entourage marched until hunger and fatigue forced them to stop at Maweipo, where the troops refused to go any farther. It was there that pentup resentment of the Yang family, Yang Guozhong in particular, reached fever pitch. As the troops placed direct blame for the An-Shi rebellion on prime minister Yang Guozhong, they beheaded him and surrounded the emperor and his concubine's camp. It was only then that the emperor became aware of his army's rebellion. Realizing that much depended on mollifying his troops, Emperor Xuanzong said nothing about their unauthorized execution of Yang Guozhong. He expressed appreciation of their loyalty at such a difficult time and urged them to return to their camp. But the troops were not to be dismissed so easily. Chen Xuanli, commander of the Imperial Guards, approached the emperor, saying, "As Guozhong has been executed for his betrayal, is it not appropriate that his sister, the Imperial Concubine, also be eliminated? I beg Your Majesty to give up your beloved and have her executed: 'The emperor was speechless and distraught. He felt in cagable of acceding to this demand, but his survival instincts told him that he could not say "no' either. His eunuch whispered to him, "Please think about it, Your Majesty. Only when the troops are appeased can Your Majesty find peace and security:' Xuanzong tried the argument that it was impossible for his concubine to be involved in her brothers treachery from her ivory tower type of existence. None, however, was convinced. Yang Yuhuan was eventually hanged by the eunuchs in her camp. She was then 38. Most of her relatives were also slaughtered in the incident.
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