 During the reign of Emperor Wen's son Emperor Yang of Sui, Chen Yuan was made the governor of Fuhan Commandery (枹罕, roughly modern Linxia, Gansu).By the time that Sui fell and was replaced by Tang Dynasty, however, he was back in Chang'an, and he served as a mid-level official early in the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Tang.He died early in Emperor Gaozu's reign (618-626), but the exact year is not known.