Although people die like lights out, everything they enjoy before they die cannot be taken away, and eventually they will return to dust and return to the earth, but people will still be kind to their bodies after death, especially in ancient times, the ancients were very particular about funeral rites. From the emperor down to the ordinary people, they will find a good cemetery for themselves, and there are enough burial materials. Each emperor had his own imperial tomb, which cost a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources to build, officials and nobles at all levels would also have tombs built according to their own ranks, and the people would do their best to make their cemeteries more luxurious.
There are always exceptions to everything, it can only be said that most people in the world will do this, there are also a small number of people who have realized the truth of life, they do not care about how they will deal with their own posthumous affairs, such as a generation of famous Ministers Yao Chong, such a big official position, but he has never been corrupt and bribed, a life of incorruptibility, and does not care about things outside the body, and after his death, it is also the case, frugal and thin burial, such a person is the real official.
He was a Tang Dynasty person, from an early age he was talented, eager to learn, like to learn martial arts and archery, but also like to read, and later under the guidance of famous teachers to study assiduously, so that the talent of both literature and martial arts was reused after entering the dynasty as an official, it was also natural, his political ability was outstanding, the three dynasties were phased, in the post-Wu period, he participated in many statue-making and blessing activities, but this does not mean that he believed in Buddhism, on the contrary, he was a person who practiced materialism.
During the Xuanzong period, he assisted the emperor and put forward the "Ten Things to Say", advocating the implementation of reforms, rectifying the officials of the imperial court, and vigorously developing production. When the locust plague broke out in the people, he tried his best to defy the public opinion, think of the people, solve the problems and crises of the people, and appease the people, so that he made great contributions to the country. His position as chancellor was removed for some reason, although he was demoted, but Yao Chong's seniority and loyalty were there, so the emperor still respected him.
He would go to the court once every five days, and whenever the emperor encountered a difficult problem, he would personally consult him, and he was valued so much by the emperor, and the three dynasties were the prime minister, and it was reasonable to say that he should have accumulated a lot of wealth, but his life was simple and simple, and he could not even afford to buy a house in the capital, because he had never been corrupt and bribed, and he was incorruptible all his life, and there was no extra money at all. In his later years, he contracted malaria, lived in the Yiji Temple, was bedridden, and Xuanzong sent dozens of people to visit every day, but Yao Chong never got better.
In the ninth year of the new century, he died of illness, although he only served as Xuanzong's prime minister for three years, but his suggestions for the country were extremely valuable, and he was called "saving the time prime minister" by later generations.
Yao Chong, who said that there was a great contradiction between him and Zhang Said, he couldn't look at each other, but there was no victory or defeat, Yao Chong was afraid that after his death, his descendants would be retaliated against by Zhang, so he thought of a plan, he called his son to his side and said to them: "Zhang Cheng xiang and I have a contradiction, he may retaliate against you after I die, but he has a fatal flaw, coveting enjoyment, likes to collect all kinds of rare antiques, after I die, he will definitely come to mourn, you will put all the valuable things in the family in a conspicuous place next to the coffin, if he can't see it, Then you are finished, then admit it, but if he likes it, you will give it to him, and then ask him to write an inscription for me, and immediately present the inscription to the emperor, asking the emperor to engrave the inscription on my tombstone. ”
Sure enough, after Yao Chong's death, Zhang Chengxiang came to his home, took away all the rare treasures, forgot that he had had conflicts with Yao Chong, and wrote an inscription for him, which not only wrote Yao Chong's life and life, but also praised and praised his contributions to the people of the country.
After a few days, Zhang said that he knew that he had made a plan, and wanted to take the inscription back to the emperor to modify it under the pretext of editing and modifying, but at this time, Yao Chong's son Yao Yi had already presented the inscription to the emperor, and then ordered people to carve the tombstone, after hearing Zhang's request, he took the messenger to see the tombstone, the messenger saw the situation, knew that the matter had reached this point, and could not be changed anymore, so he returned to the Zhang family, told Zhang about this matter, Zhang said that after hearing about it, he was very regretful, sighing and saying: "I did not expect that Yao Chong's death could still calculate me, I am indeed not as strong as him." ”
Yao Chong's plan was to have Zhang Shu write an inscription for him and praise himself in front of everyone to prove that there was no contradiction between the two of them, and if he retaliated against the Yao family in the future, then it would be to punch himself in the face. From this point of view, Yao Chong is really a smart person, he can take advantage of the shortcomings of Zhang said to lay down the situation, deceive him into the pit, so that he can no longer regret it, it can be described as thoughtful.
But this is not because he maliciously calculated others, but to save the lives of his descendants, he was a clean and honest official all his life, his political achievements were remarkable, and he served the country and the people.