The Biography of Yao Guangxiao in the Ming Shi Yao Guangxiao records very clearly the story of Zhu Yuanzhang's selection of monks throughout the country and the dispatch of monks to the kings of various domains.
"Hongwu Zhong, Zhao Tong Confucian Scholar Monk Trial Ceremony Department."
"Empress Gao, Taizu chose high monks to serve the kings and recommend blessings for the recitation of the sutra."
The first passage tells that after Zhu Yuanzhang became emperor, he selected monks who were proficient in Confucianism throughout the country and let them participate in the examination in the ceremonial department. If they are more knowledgeable, they will be granted official positions. In the "Biography of Yao Guangxiao in the Ming Dynasty", it is said that although Yao Guangxiao was well educated, Zhu Yuanzhang did not give him an official position, but gave him a monk's robe and let him go back.
However, later, when Empress Gao (that is, Empress Ma, Zhu Yuanzhang's wife), died, Zhu Yuanzhang chose some high-ranking monks to go to the kingdom and ask them to "recite the sutra and recommend blessings" for Empress Gao.
(Zhu Yuanzhang stills)
From the records of these two texts, we can see that the reason why Zhu Yuanzhang originally wanted to select monks who were proficient in Confucianism in the whole country was mainly due to his monk complex. After all, Zhu Yuanzhang had once been a monk, and he had a special love affair with a monk. In doing so, he wanted to show the people of the world that they should not think that the monks were useless, and that many monks were still full of poetry. At the same time, he also wanted to show the people of the world that they should not think that monks only know how to eat and pray buddha, and that monks can also actively enter the world. This provided corroboration for him to be a monk, but later he participated in killing people and setting fires to the world, so that the process of his obtaining the Jiangshan was more rational and courageous.
Later, after empress Gao's death, he sent those high monks to various domains. The History of ming is very clear in order to "recite the sutra and recommend blessings" to the deceased Empress Gao. It is not surprising that monks were asked to recite prayers to deceased relatives, which was a common occurrence in ancient times.
However, there are two questions that are puzzling here. The first question was: Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to pray for his wife Empress Ma and let the monks do it, so why did he have to send these monks to the kingdom? The second question: The "History of Ming" records that the monk prayed for the blessing of Empress Ma was placed in the "Biography of Yao Guangxiao". Why not put it somewhere else, but here?
As we have said, history books are all about small words and big meanings, and what materials are placed and where they are embodied is actually a kind of small words and big meanings. If we relate to the actions of the monk Yao Guangxiao after that, we seem to be able to understand Zhu Yuanzhang's original intentions and the intention of the history books to put this material here.
(Yao Guangxiao stills)
After Yao Guangxiao was assigned to Zhu Di by Zhu Yuanzhang, and later Zhu Yuanzhang died, Zhu Di launched the "Battle of Jingnan", of which Yao Guangxiao was Zhu Di's first strategist, he not only strengthened Zhu Di's confidence in rebellion, but also in the process of Zhu Di's war, he constantly gave him advice, so that Zhu Di fought many victorious battles.
It is said that Yao Guangxiao strengthened Zhu Di's confidence in rebellion because Zhu Di believed that his rebellion would not necessarily succeed, because the common people supported the imperial court. However, Yao Guangxiao said to Zhu Di: We monks talk about the "Mandate of Heaven" and not the "will of the people." I have already seen that in the "Mandate of Heaven" you will be honored as the Emperor of the Great Treasure. At the same time, Yao Guangxiao also found some monks and Taoists to tell Zhu Di's fortune, and everyone agreed that Zhu Di did have the "fate" to be an emperor. Therefore, Yao Guangxiao promoted Zhu Di to raise the anti-flag.
It is indeed true to say that Yao Guangxiao gave advice to Zhu Di. Yao Guangxiao gave Zhu Di many strategies during the war, the most important of which was to make Zhu Di give up the battle for one city and one pool with Zhu Yunjiao and directly attack the city of Nanjing. Yao Guangxiao believed that as long as the city of Nanjing was directly captured, after becoming emperor, those who disobeyed all over the country also obeyed, and those cities that could not be attacked would not be attacked and destroyed.
Zhu Di adopted Yao Guangxiao's method, and sure enough, he quickly entered Nanjing and captured the city of Nanjing. When Zhu Yunjiao was declared to "self-immolate and die", Zhu Di became emperor, and sure enough, the war ended, and the whole country no longer disobeyed Zhu Di and fought with Zhu Di to the end.
(Zhu Di stills)
From Yao Guangxiao's life experience, we can see that Zhu Di was able to become emperor, and Yao Guangxiao played a crucial role. It can be said that it was precisely under Yao Guangxiao's tutelage that Zhu Di dared to raise an army; it was also under Yao Guangxiao's advice that Zhu Di seized the throne.
After reading Yao Guangxiao's life experience, in fact, we understand Zhu Yuanzhang's intentions. Zhu Yuanzhang sent the high monks to the kings of the various clans, in addition to asking the senior monks to pray for Empress Ma's blessings, there was also an important purpose, that is, to hope that the senior monks could use their own ways to influence the kings of the clan, so that they could cultivate themselves, keep to themselves in peace, and seriously defend the Daming Jiangshan (under the slogan of praying for Empress Ma's blessing, they also wanted to use Empress Ma to supervise them).
However, I did not expect the result to be counterproductive. Yao Guangxiao not only did not persuade Zhu Di to cultivate himself, but also actively instigated Zhu Di to rebel and overthrow Zhu Yunjiao's Jiangshan.
Obviously, the "History of Ming" places Zhu Yuanzhang's text of selecting a senior monk in Yao Guangxiao's biography, and its irony is very great.