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Liang Yuandi 梁元帝 (r. 552-554), personal name Xiao Yi 蕭繹, courtesy name Shicheng 世誠, was a ruler of the Liang dynasty 梁 (502-557). He was the seventh son of Emperor Wu 梁武帝 (r. 502-549), and his mother was Lady Ruan 阮脩容 (see female offices).
As a child, he was invested as Prince of Xiangdong 湘東 and later given the of offices General Protecting the West (zhenxi jiangjun 鎮西將軍) and Commander-in-chief (dudu 都督) and regional inspector (cishi 刺史) the province of Jingzhou 荊州. He was responsible for the defence of the city of Jiangling 江陵, when the rebellion of Hou Jing 侯景 (503-552) broke out.
When Hou occupied the capital Jiankang 建康 (Nanjing 南京, Jiangsu) and usurped the throne, Xiao Yi united his troops with those of Chen Baxian 陳霸先 and Wang Sengbian 王僧辯 (d. 555) to attack Hou Jing. After the rebel's death, Xiao Yi mounted the throne, but decided to reside in Jiangling because Jiankang was devastated. He changed the reign motto to Chengsheng 承聖 and nominated his son Xiao Yuanliang 蕭元良 heir apparent. Wang Sengbian defended in Jiankang, while Chen Baxian was given command over the strategical town of Jingkou 京口 (today's Yangzhou 揚州, Jiangsu). In 552, Xiao Yi's younger brother Xiao Ji 蕭紀 (r. 508-553) also assumed the title of emperor and launched and attack on Jianling, but the counter-emperor was defeated.
The Western Wei empire 西魏 (535-556) used the continuous internal disturbances of the Liang empire for an invasion. They first occupied the province of Yizhou 益州 (approx. Sichuan). Xiao Yi's nephew Xiao Fangzhi 蕭方智 (Emperor Jing 梁敬帝, r. 555-557) went over to the Western Wei and attacked Jiangling. The Emperor was captured and shortly later killed.
Emperor Jing awarded him the posthumous title Emperor Yuan and the temple name Shizu 梁世祖.
Xiao Yi was a prolific writer and painter, but when the Wei army besieged Jiangling, he burnt all his works. This literary products included the biographic collections Xiaodezhuan 孝德傳 and Zhongchenzhuan 忠臣傳. Only his philosophical book Jinlouzi 金樓子 has survived. Fragments of Xiao Yi's writings are assembled in the collected works Liang Yuandi ji 梁元帝集.