Yáo Sīlián 姚思廉
Zì Jiǎnzhī 簡之 (or 簡子). Native of Wúxīng 吳興 (modern Húzhōu, Zhèjiāng), of the great Wúxīng Yáo 吳興姚氏 historical lineage. Son of 姚察 (Yáo Chá, 533–606), the Chén-dynasty Lìbù shàngshū and historian. CBDB id 30971; lifedates 556–637 (per CBDB; the catalog meta gives “d. 637”, consistent).
Career: served Chén, Suí, and Tang in succession. Under Chén he held Yángzhōu zhǔbù 揚州主簿; under Suí he was Hànwáng yáochéng 漢王諮議參軍 in the household of the Suí prince Yáng Liàng 楊諒. After the Tang founding he joined Lǐ Shìmín’s 李世民 staff (the future Tàizōng) as Sīmǎ 司馬 to the Qín wáng 秦王 — making him a fellow of the Qínfǔ shíbā xuéshì 秦府十八學士 — and after Tàizōng’s accession in 626 held Sànjì chángshì 散騎常侍, Hóngwénguǎn xuéshì 弘文館學士, and was eventually enfeoffed as Fēngchéng nán 豐城男.
Inheriting his father Yáo Chá’s unfinished Liáng and Chén histories — which Yáo Chá had begun under Chén and continued under Suí captivity — Yáo Sīlián was formally commissioned in Zhēnguān 3 (629) by Tang Tàizōng to complete them, with Wèi Zhēng 魏徵 as supervising editor. He presented the completed Liáng shū (KR2a0018) and Chén shū (KR2a0019) in Zhēnguān 10 (636), shortly before his death in 637. Twenty-five juǎn of the Liáng shū and the first two juǎn of the Chén shū preserve his father Yáo Chá’s authorial signature in the end-note; the remainder are Sīlián’s continuations.
His biographies are in Jiù Tángshū 73 and Xīn Tángshū 102 (KR2a0026, KR2a0027).