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Chapter 284 Prime Minister Yao Guangxiao in Black

Throughout the history of the Ming Dynasty, there were two monks who were particularly powerful.

A monk is naturally Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty. He has grown from a young monk in Huangjue Temple to a great master.

Another famous monk is the monk Daoyan who helped Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, to seize the world from the rebellion of the vassal kings. This is Yao Guangxiao, who is also the famous prime minister in black.

The reason why Zhu Di was able to become the only person who rebelled as a vassal king and succeeded.

Not only is Zhu Di strong in ability and timing, but more importantly, he has the demon monk Yao Guangxiao by his side.

After Yao Guangxiao's death, Zhu Di personally wrote Shinto inscriptions and became the only civil servant to enter the Ming Ancestral Temple.

"During the late Yuan Dynasty, Yao Guangxiao was born into a medical family in Xiangcheng, Suzhou. His grandfather, father and eldest brother all practiced medicine for a living."

"Yao Guangxiao didn't like to practice medicine because he witnessed the poverty of his family when he was young."

"I once determined to study, gain fame and shine, and if I failed, I would become a monk and follow Buddhism."

Instead of being indifferent to fame and fortune, Yao Guangxiao was ambitious and wanted to make contributions.

"In the summer of the 16th year of Hongwu, Yao Guangxiao agreed to the requests of many disciples and personally explained the difficult and unexplained parts of the Heart Sutra. He also told what he had seen and learned when he read the Heart Sutra before."

He was granted the title of Marquis and worshiped the Prime Minister, the Prince and his Young Master, and he was entitled to enjoy the Imperial Ancestral Temple after his death.

In order to consolidate his rule, he must completely deny Yao Guangxiao, define the Battle of Jingnan as a rebellion, and define Yao Guangxiao as a rebellious official and traitor.

In the end, Yao Guangxiao succeeded.

"In the early years of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, invited eminent monks to hold Dharma gatherings in Nanjing, the capital, every year."

"In the future, Yao Guangxiao moved to different Buddhist temples and served as the abbot of Tianlong Temple, Liuguang Temple and Puqing Temple in Hangzhou."

Qianlong: Yao Guangxiao had mixed reputations and reputations throughout his life. It is not too bad to call him a demon monk.

"Xi Yingzhen is proficient in the three religions, which allows Yao Guangxiao to absorb the strengths of Taoism and enrich his knowledge during the relationship."

"In the eighth year of Hongwu, the imperial court issued an edict ordering monks who were proficient in Confucianism to serve as officials."

"After this promotion, Buddhist scriptures became very popular in society at that time."

"Yao Guangxiao studied extensively and was interested in Confucianism, Taoism and even military strategism."

"The two have a deep friendship and have been dating for more than 20 years. Yao Guangxiao also regards Xi Yingzhen as a close friend."

Yao Guangxiao was praised as a demon monk, with his talent for strategizing and unpredictable ghosts and gods.

A monk does not love the ancient Buddha of Qingdeng and does not wear monk's robes and robes.

"Although Yao Guangxiao has not received an official position, his trip to Beijing allowed him to make friends with many officials and eminent monks, which increased his ambition to achieve his career."

"Later, Yao Guangxiao compiled the illustrations for the Heart Sutra and compiled them into an album."

Because of this, Yao Guangxiao was actually a demonized alien in the eyes of historians or scholar-bureaucrats who were also scholars.

Nearly two hundred years of advocacy by Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism gave Jia Tianxia a solid theoretical foundation, but Yao Guangxiao frantically slashed at it.

Some people say that Yao Guangxiao is mainly loyal, while others say that Yao Guangxiao is greedy for fame and fortune.

"Subsequently, Yao Guangxiao went to Jingshan Temple in Hangzhou to study Zen under Yu'an Zhiji."

He wanted to gain a place in the fame and fortune fair, so he did not hesitate to encourage Zhu Di to rebel.

The scholar-bureaucrats called him a monster monk, but in fact it was meant to belittle him.

Although Yao Guangxiao won fame during and after his death, the price was the numerous bones lost in the Battle of Jingnan.

But he studied Confucianism and Taoism, and made friends with princes. He seemed to have escaped from the three realms, but his heart was in the mortal world.

"At that time, the Red Scarf Army uprising broke out at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, but Yao Guangxiao was not affected. He went to the ancient Beichan Temple alone and left soon after."

As a scholar, he encouraged the prince to engage in military violence, which would bring disaster to all living beings.

"Zhiji believed that Yao Guangxiao was very talented and appreciated him very much. He taught him a lot of Buddhist knowledge, and Yao Guangxiao also learned the Dharma deeply."

Because Yao Guangxiao deviated from the traditional teachings and encouraged the prince to rebel and did not abide by the rules of a monarch and his ministers.

"In the fourth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict and ordered eminent monks to rush to Nanjing."

"Yao Guangxiao was ordered to take the exam in Nanjing, but in the end he was unwilling to serve as an official. Zhu Yuanzhang had no choice but to give him monk's robes in the spring of the following year so that he could continue to be a monk."

Not only did Yao Guangxiao launch a rebellion deviantly, but it also shook the legitimacy of the imperial power that the scholar-bureaucrats carefully maintained.

"In the tenth year of Hongwu, in order to unify his thoughts, Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty ordered eminent monks to comment on the Heart Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, and the Lankavatara Sutra and popularize them. Yao Guangxiao then obeyed the order and guided his disciples to practice Zen according to the Heart Sutra."

"Since it was difficult for the family to support Yao Guangxiao's education, Yao Guangxiao, who was only fourteen years old, chose to enter Miaozhi Temple and became a monk with the Buddhist name Daoyan."

What remains unchanged is that Yao Guangxiao has never been accepted by mainstream Confucian scholars and is even called a monster monk.

"When the year was approaching, Yao Guangxiao and the Taoist priest Xi Yingzhen became friends."

"In the ninth year of Hongwu, Yao Guangxiao followed Zhiji and lived in Suzhou. He practiced Zen and chanted sutras in a room called the Lotus Room every day."

Yao Guangxiao was so deviant and rebellious, which conflicted with Confucian benevolence.

"But Yao Guangxiao is bedridden due to illness, so he can only refuse."

Although history books affirmed Yao Guangxiao's image as a hero in the Jingnan War, in the current Qianlong period, Yao Guangxiao's image as a hero has been completely overturned.

After all, it was definitely his first achievement to drive the capital and help Zhu Di become the world leader.

"In August of the fifteenth year of Hongwu, Queen Ma passed away."

"At that time, all the kings went to Beijing for the funeral and asked Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, to select famous monks to chant sutras and pray for Empress Ma."

"On the recommendation of eminent monks, Zhu Yuanzhang personally selected Yao Guangxiao, the abbot of Qingshou Temple in Beiping, and ordered him to follow and serve Zhu Di, King of Yan."

"After Yao Guangxiao was appointed, in addition to chanting sutras, praying for blessings, chanting Buddha's name and practicing meditation at Qingshou Temple."

"He also often went in and out of Prince Yan's palace to have secret conversations with Zhu Di. Later generations speculated that the content of the secret conversations might be related to Jing Nan's seizure of the throne."

Yongzheng: Yao Guangxiao was a good monk but wanted to rebel. I am afraid his purpose was more to prove his ability.

It can be said that Yao Guangxiao entered Ming history as a conspirator.

The success of the Jingnan Campaign was due to both the incompetence of Emperor Jianwen and Zhu Di's luck. The greater credit behind the scenes belonged to Yao Guangxiao's planning.

Zhu Di's number one hero in conquering the world was Yao Guangxiao, so he valued Yao Guangxiao quite highly.

Not only did he not punish Yao Guangxiao, but he gave him his most valued eldest grandson, Zhu Zhanji, to train.

Zhu Di also asked Yao Guangxiao to grow his hair and return to secular life, gave him real estate, and gave him all kinds of beautiful wives and concubines, as well as gold and silver treasures.

But Yao Guangxiao refused all welfare benefits and wanted none of them.

It can be seen that Yao Guangxiao has no interest in these fame and fortune.

He believed that the reason why Yao Guangxiao wanted to rebel was to prove his ability.

Yao Guangxiao is very similar to Jia Xu of the Three Kingdoms, seeing through all fame, wealth and power.

Yao Guangxiao knew that once he rebelled, he would be infamy for a long time regardless of success or failure.

But Yao Guangxiao doesn't care. In the eyes of such a person, reputation is nothing more than an external thing.

What Yao Guangxiao wants is the process, and he should accept failure calmly. Success will prove his ability. It doesn't matter whether he is the beneficiary of the results.

Yao Guangxiao never married. He used too many tricks, probably because he was afraid of harming his descendants.

Yao Guangxiao is undoubtedly a conspirator, but this conspirator is proficient in Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, and is aloof from other things.

Yao Guangxiao's rebellious behavior illustrates one thing. He does not want to live up to what he has learned throughout his life, and he just wants to verify his abilities.

"After Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen succeeded to the throne, he reused civil servants such as Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai."

"Restore the system, cut down the vassals one by one, and transfer the best guards of the Prince of Yan's Palace to Kaiping."

"The policies adopted by the imperial court greatly reduced the power of Zhu Di, who was the King of Yan at the time, and threatened his safety and survival."

"So, under Yao Guangxiao's repeated instigation and persuasion, Zhu Di decided to raise troops to launch the Jingnan Campaign, while Yao Guangxiao was making suggestions behind the scenes."

"Zhu Di secretly selected soldiers and wise men according to Yao Guangxiao's plan."

"Yao Guangxiao built a soundproof darkroom underground in Prince Yan's Mansion and raised poultry on the grounds of Prince Yan's Mansion to cover up the noise inside the mansion."

"Yao Guangxiao led his soldiers to train in the backyard of Prince Yan's Mansion and forged weapons in the underground secret room."

"In order to eliminate Zhu Di's concerns about raising an army, Yao Guangxiao claimed to know the way of heaven."

"He also said that Zhu Di has received the destiny and is the emperor of peace. There is no need to worry about unpopularity."

"As for the date of launching the army, Yao Guangxiao advised Zhu Di to wait for the help of the heavenly soldiers. When the heavenly soldiers arrive, they can launch the army."

"On July 7, the first year of Jianwen, there was a heavy storm."

"When Zhu Di saw the eaves tiles being blown to the ground, his expression suddenly changed."

"When Yao Guangxiao saw this, he told Zhu Di that this phenomenon was because there was a flying dragon in the sky, which was a symbol of good omen."

"This explanation greatly encouraged Zhu Di and his soldiers. Zhu Di's concerns were eliminated and he decided to launch the Jingnan Campaign."

"In October of the same year, Zhu Di led his troops to attack Daning, while Yao Guangxiao stayed in Beiping to assist Zhu Di's eldest son Zhu Gaochi."

"Beiping was besieged. Yao Guangxiao obeyed his orders to appease the soldiers and civilians of Peking, and ordered to strengthen the defense of Peiping and repel the imperial invasion."

"In the second year of Jianwen, the Yan army was defeated in the battle of Dongchang."

"Yao Guangxiao used prophecies to stabilize the morale of the army, claiming that although the battle of Dongchang was defeated, the Yan army would win all subsequent battles."

"Yao Guangxiao urged Zhu Di to revive his morale and prepare his troops for war."

"In May of the same year, the Yan army was unable to capture Jinan, its morale declined, and its generals were exhausted. Yao Guangxiao then wrote a letter asking Zhu Di to bring the Yan army back."

"Due to limited troops, it was difficult for the Yan army to garrison the captured cities for a long time."

"By the end of the third year of Jianwen, the Yan army only occupied the three prefectures of Beiping, Baoding and Yongping."

"At that time, some eunuchs in the court defected to the Yan army, claiming that the capital was empty and the Yan army could attack the capital directly."

"After Yao Guangxiao learned the information, he changed his strategy and asked Zhu Di to march south to attack the capital Nanjing."

"Zhu Di accepted this strategic plan and led the Yan army to the south at the end of the same year."

"The Yan army avoided strong points and attacked weak points along the way, and successfully captured Nanjing on June 13 of the following year. The Jianwen court completely collapsed."

"Yao Guangxiao's command ran through the entire process of the Jingnan Campaign. He assisted Zhu Di in making decisions, boosted the morale of the Yan army, and ultimately promoted the Yan army's victory."

"Zhu Di succeeded in seizing power, thus promoting the transformation of the political landscape in the early Ming Dynasty."

Zhang Juzheng: The biggest contributor to Emperor Yongle's success in the Jingnan campaign was Yao Guangxiao.

During the entire incident of the Battle of Jingnan, he felt that Yao Guangxiao's achievements were mainly reflected in three aspects. First, Yao Guangxiao strongly urged Emperor Yongle to consolidate the important areas in the north so as to establish a solid rear base for victory.

After Yao Guangxiao followed Emperor Yongle to Peiping, he lived in Qingshou Temple, which was close to Yanfu. When discussing political affairs with Emperor Yongle, he often rejected others.

Secondly, Yao Guangxiao helped Emperor Yongle gather military forces and make full preparations for war.

Before Emperor Yongle decided to raise an army, he handed over the important task of recruiting troops to Yao Guangxiao.

Yao Guangxiao was ordered to secretly select generals, recruit soldiers, and find strange people.

Third, during the Jingnan Incident, Yao Guangxiao strategized and played a key role in Emperor Yongle's final victory.

Emperor Yongle's rear base was Peiping, but his offensive target was Nanjing, the capital.

Therefore, when Emperor Yongle led his troops to fight in the Central Plains, he entrusted Yao Guangxiao to guard Beiping, allowing Yao Guangxiao to strategize in Beiping and win a decisive victory thousands of miles away.

After Nanjing was captured by the Yan army, Emperor Hui of the Ming Dynasty Zhu Yunwen ended up unknown, and Emperor Yongle ascended the throne as Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty.

Looking at the entire process of the Jingnan Revolution, Emperor Yongle's victory was certainly related to his outstanding talents.

But Yao Guangxiao also played a key role with his superb strategy and outstanding talent.

"On June 17, the fourth year of Jianwen, Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, ascended the throne, and the second year was changed to the first year of Yongle."

"In September of the same year, a large number of generals who participated in the Jingnan Campaign received high positions and generous salaries."

"Because Yao Guangxiao had no intention of being rewarded for his achievements, it was not until October of the same year that he was granted the title of Zuo Shanshi, a monk."

"In the middle of March of the second year of Yongle, Zhu Di intended to let Yao Guangxiao return to secular life and become an official, and appointed Yao Guangxiao as the prince's young master."

"And ordered Yao Guangxiao to grow his hair, restore his surname Yao, and give him the name Guangxiao."

"Yao Guangxiao only accepted the compound surname and the official position of Prince and Young Master, but refused to grow his hair and return to secular life."

"After that, I dress up and go to court every day, and then return to the temple after court to continue my life as a monk."

“In June of the same year, the water conservancy system in the Suhu area fell into disrepair and floods occurred in the summer.”

"Zhu Di first ordered the censor Gao Yizheng to inspect the area, and then ordered Yao Guangxiao to return to his hometown to provide relief, so as to spread wealth and win over the people."

"After more than 20 years, Yao Guang returned to his hometown honorably. In addition to enshrining the memorial tablets of his late parents, he also distributed money and silk to his relatives and neighbors, so that the villagers could share in the prosperity."

"In order to assist in the Suhu relief effort, Yao Guangxiao was not tired of hard work and went to various counties in person."

"Pointing out the fault of the county officials, urging them to distribute food, and solving the livelihood problems of the victims."

"After Yao Guangxiao returned to Beijing, he continued to serve as the prince's young master and was ordered to tutor the prince Zhu Gaochi and the emperor's eldest grandson Zhu Zhanji."

"Zhu Di valued the prince Zhu Gaochi and intended to cultivate a successor. He hoped that Zhu Zhanji could inherit Zhu Gaochi's achievements in the future."

"So in April of the fifth year of Yongle, Zhu Di ordered nine-year-old Zhu Zhanji to go out to school."

"Request Yao Guangxiao and the Hanlin cabinet ministers to open lectures in the east of Huagai Hall. In the future, the location of lectures and readings will be changed to Wuying Hall."

"Since Zhu Di ascended the throne, he has attached great importance to ideological rule and continued to promote the revision of historical documents."

"Because Zhu Di was not satisfied with the "Yongle Dadian" and "Records of Ming Taizu" supervised by previous officials, Yao Guangxiao, who was over seventy years old, was ordered to organize the revision of "Yongle Dadian" and "Ming Taizu" with the civil servants in the second year of Yongle and the ninth year of Yongle. "Ancestor Records".

"The revision work lasted for many years, and the final book made Zhu Di very satisfied."

"In the tenth year of Yongle, Yao Guangxiao looked back at the "Dao Yu Lu" he wrote in his early years, re-copied it and circulated it to the outside world."

"After its scriptures were circulated, they had a profound impact on the Ming and Qing dynasties."

"The full text of "Dao Yulu" starts from the Buddhist standpoint, citing historical facts and Buddhist and Confucian classics to refute the claims of Er Cheng, Zhu Xi and others that they reject Buddhism, so as to seek the coexistence of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism."

"However, due to the tradition of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism in society at that time, "Dao Yu Lu" was slandered in the Ming and Qing dynasties."

Yao Guangxiao: I returned to my hometown in fine clothes and glory, but I could not be understood by my hometown people.

Over the years, he has refused countless rewards from the emperor and lived a life of poverty alone.

He did this because he felt the pain of being abandoned.

Not abandoned by the emperor, but abandoned by relatives in his hometown.

In the second year after the emperor ascended the throne, he, then the prince's young master, went back to his hometown to visit his relatives in fine clothes.

He was an important minister of the imperial court and was warmly welcomed and flattered by local officials along the way.

But what made him feel strange was that when his younger brother returned home in glory, his only sister did not run out of the house to greet him.

When he ran towards his sister's house happily, he found that the door of his sister's house was tightly closed.

He knew from his neighbor that his sister was at home.

However, the neighbors didn't know why his sister didn't see him with the door closed.

For this reason, he knew in his heart that it was because he was a helper in the eyes of his sister.

Not only that, but his best friend from his youth also closed the door and refused to meet him.

My friend only asked someone to send me a few words, which probably meant that poor people should not associate with rich people.

In fact, he understood very well that his friend did not mean that he was not worthy of being associated with rich people.

Rather, he said that a person who got rich suddenly like him was not worthy of being friends with friends, because his wealth and honor were not earned in the right way and were full of blood.

Think about the emperor who went on a killing spree at the beginning of his reign and wiped out people's clan at every turn.

He also advised the emperor to reduce the killing, but the emperor didn't listen. Is this his fault?

He also told the emperor that Fang Xiaoru was the seed of scholars in the world and could not be killed.

However, the emperor destroyed Fang Xiaoru's ten clans. Is this also his fault?
The rejection from his hometown was a big blow to him. From then on, he wore official uniform during the day and went to court as usual, and changed into monk's uniform at night, eating fast and chanting Buddha's name.

"In the sixteenth year of Yongle, Yao Guangxiao was seriously ill and could not go to court, so he lived in Qingshou Temple."

"Zhu Di visited him several times, gave him a golden saliva pot, and asked him what he wanted."

"Yao Guangxiao thought that monk Pu Qia had been imprisoned for a long time, and hoped that Zhu Di could pardon him."

"When Zhu Di entered Nanjing, some people said that Emperor Jianwen disguised himself as a monk and escaped, and Pu Qia knew about it."

"Some people said that Emperor Jianwen was hiding in Pu Qia's home, so Zhu Di imprisoned Pu Qia on the grounds of other matters."

"And during the Minggui incident, I searched everywhere for the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen, but could not find him. Pu Qia had been imprisoned for more than ten years."

"Until then, Zhu Di agreed to Yao Guangxiao's request and immediately ordered his release."

"Soon, Yao Guangxiao died of illness at the age of eighty-four."

"Two days after Zhu Di abolished the imperial court, he buried Yao Guangxiao with the rites of a monk. He posthumously conferred on him the titles of Duke of Shangzhu and Rongguo, and gave him the posthumous title of Gongjing."

"In the 22nd year of Yongle, Zhu Di, who respected Yao Guangxiao very much, died on the northern expedition."

"Prince Zhu Gaochi succeeded to the throne as Renzong."

"Yao Guangxiao once assisted Zhu Gaochi to defend Peiping during the Battle of Jingnan. Later, he served as the prince's young master and assisted the prince Zhu Gaochi to stay in Nanjing to supervise the country. Zhu Gaochi also had full respect for Yao Guangxiao."

"Zhu Gaochi succeeded to the throne and commended Yao Guangxiao again."

"In the first year of Hongxi, it was the seventh anniversary of Yao Guangxiao's death. Zhu Gaochi personally wrote a memorial text and specially ordered Yao Guangxiao to be married to Emperor Taizong of the Ming Dynasty."

"Being worthy of the Imperial Ancestral Temple should be Yao Guangxiao's greatest honor as Zhu Di's adviser."

"Looking at Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, in the list of those who were entitled to enjoy the Ancestral Temple in the two dynasties of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there are 16 meritorious officials from King Xu Da of Zhongshan to the following, all of whom were military ministers who went through life and death."

"Among the civil servants who deserved to enjoy the Ancestral Temple, Yao Guangxiao was the only one. This shows Yao Guangxiao's special status in the early Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Di: Yao Guangxiao asked me to pardon Pu Qia before he died, but I couldn't bear to refuse.

When Yao Guangxiao's time was running out, he went to visit him in person.

An important reason is that he has a problem that needs to be solved urgently and needs help from Yao Guangxiao's status as a monk.

After Yingtian was conquered, Zhu Yunwen burned the palace with fire.

Zhu Yunwen also disappeared without a trace. No one was seen alive, and no body was found dead.

As time goes by, there are more and more rumors about Zhu Yunwen's whereabouts.

One of them is that Zhu Yunwen is not dead, and his chief recorder, Seng Puqia, made secret arrangements to send him to a safe place.

Zhu Yunwen's hiding place is most likely in a temple, because Pu Qia is a monk.

He ordered open and covert inspections and searched all the temples in the world, but still could not find Zhu Yunwen's whereabouts.

At this time, he could only ask Yao Guangxiao for help.

When compiling "Yongle Dadian", he asked Yao Guangxiao to help.

On the surface, it was to compile the "Yongle Dadian", but the real intention was to investigate the whereabouts of Zhu Yunwen.

"Yongle Dadian" contains some Buddhist writings. If you want to write it, you must invite the world's most eminent monks.

Zhu Yunwen was the emperor, and his hiding place must be protected by at least one eminent monk.

If the enlightened monk can be invited to come, he will definitely be able to find out the whereabouts of Zhu Yunwen.

However, after the "Yongle Dadian" was repaired, he still did not see the eminent monk who protected Zhu Yunwen.

Zhu Yunwen's whereabouts are still a mystery.

So when Yao Guangxiao was dying, he ran to visit Yao Guangxiao in order to find out the whereabouts of Zhu Yunwen.

Finally, Yao Guangxiao made a solemn request to him and let Pu Qia go.

He looked at Yao Guangxiao at that time, his thoughts were up and down, and he didn't know what to say for a while.

It was rumored that Pu Qia knew Zhu Yunwen's whereabouts, but he didn't say anything. He didn't know if Pu Qia knew.

He glanced at Yao Guangxiao at that time, and Yao Guangxiao's eyes seemed to say that it was okay.

Indeed, Yao Guangxiao met Pu Qia alone.

But Yao Guangxiao didn't tell him anything about the conversation after they met.

He felt that there was a possibility that Pu Qia told Yao Guangxiao about Zhu Yunwen's whereabouts.

Otherwise, Yao Guangxiao would not have asked him to let Pu Qia go before he died.

From this point of view, after Pu Qia goes out, he may not bring trouble to his rule, otherwise Yao Guangxiao would not persuade him to let Pu Qia go.

Since Yao Guangxiao believed in Pu Qia, he had no choice but to believe it.

Besides, this was Yao Guangxiao's dying request, and he couldn't bear to refuse.

(End of this chapter)