Ming Chengzu Zhu Di was a very famous emperor in Chinese history. During his reign, there were many people in the imperial court. Zhu Di's confidant, in addition to Zheng He, the eunuch of Sanbao who went to the West seven times, also had a monk named Yao Guangxiao.
In the process of Zhu Di's ascension to the throne, Yao Guangxiao played a role that could not be ignored.
However, Yao Guangxiao was a person who had no desires and no demands, did not want any rewards, and was very "strange". People also called him a "demon monk" for this reason.
It was not until his later years that Yao Guangxiao made a request to Zhu Di: to be alone.
1. The Battle of Jing
After Zhu Yuanzhang, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was proclaimed emperor, he made his eldest son Zhu Biaohuan the crown prince, and all the other sons were crown princes.
Zhu Di was also one of these princes, and he was crowned king of Yan and sealed in the Beiping region.
Unfortunately, the crown prince Zhu Biao died prematurely due to an illness, and Zhu Yuanzhang had to choose another heir. Everyone thought he would choose one of his many sons as the new prince.
Among these sons, Zhu Di, who was born and had outstanding talents, was the most advantageous.
However, what is surprising is that Zhu Yuanzhang did not crown the crown prince, but the crown prince.
He made Zhu Biao's eldest son, Zhu Yunjiao, the crown prince of the Emperor and cultivated him as an heir.
In order to help his grandson Zhu Yunjue clear the way, Zhu Yuanzhang constantly suppressed the rights of his sons, which led to great dissatisfaction among the princes of the clan.
After Zhu Yunjiao succeeded to the throne, he was very jealous of the power of these uncles. He not only followed Zhu Yuanzhang's policy of suppressing the kings of the clan, but also put forward the idea of weakening the power of the clan kings and reclaiming the military power, titles, and fiefs of the clan kings.
This made the situation of the clan kings even more difficult
。
Seeing that he was about to be cut down, Zhu Di, the King of Yan, had to find a way to stop it. At that time, Zhu Di had a counselor named Yao Guangxiao by his side.
Yao Guangxiao was a monk.
When Empress Ma, Zhu Di's biological mother, died, Zhu Yuanzhang sent monks to accompany the king of the clan and pray for the empress. It was at this time that Yao Guangxiao became acquainted with Zhu Di.
After that, Yao Guangxiao offered to follow Zhu Di to the fiefdom. During this time together, Zhu Di saw Yao Guangxiao's erudition and agreed to his proposal.
Since then, Yao Guangxiao has become a strategist at the side of Zhu Di, the King of Yan.
After the Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunjiao began to cut the domain, Yao Guangxiao continued to provide Zhu Di with plans
。 In the end, under the pressure of Zhu Yunjiao's step by step and the inducement and persuasion of Yao Guangxiao, Zhu Di decided to rebel. He shouted the slogan of "Qing Jun's side" and launched the Battle of Jingnan, leading his troops south to attack the Jinan area.
Finally, it was Yao Guangxiao who proposed to Zhu Di that "do not attack the city, but directly seize the capital division", allowing Zhu Di to successfully enter the imperial city of Ying Tianfu and seize power.
It can be said that Yao Guangxiao was the most important hero who helped Zhu Di become emperor.
Second, the prime minister in black
For meritorious servants, the emperor's reward was always very generous. A courtier like Yao Guangxiao, who had "merit from the dragon", had countless rewards. Because Yao Guangxiao was a monk, it was inconvenient for him to directly give him the title of Marquis, therefore,
Zhu Di offered to let him be vulgar.
However, Yao Guangxiao rejected the offer.
Zhu Di also rewarded Yao Guangxiao with a very exquisite mansion and a beautiful palace maid.
Yao Guangxiao again refused. He did not accept any reward from Zhu Di. In addition to going in and out of the palace every day, Yao Guangxiao's life was no different from that of ordinary monks: he lived in the temple every day, wearing monk's robes and eating iftar.
Although he did not want any rewards, he did his best to assist Zhu Di in governing the world. After Zhu Di proposed to move the capital to Beijing, Yao Guangxiao was ordered to preside over the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing;
After that, he presided over the compilation of the Yongle Canon.
。 For many years, Yao Guangxiao has always accompanied Ming Chengzu Zhu Di and offered advice to him, and he has also been called "Black Prime Minister".
Zhu Di made Yao Guangxiao a young master of the crown prince and asked him to teach and assist the crown prince Zhu Gaozi. After that, he asked him to teach the emperor's grandson Zhu Zhanji.
Yao Guangxiao became the most respected person in the imperial court
。 Every time he met Yao Guangxiao, Zhu Di very respectfully called him "Young Master" instead of directly addressing him by his first name.
3. Last wishes
In the sixteenth year of Yongle, Yao Guangxiao, who was in his eighties, was seriously ill. Zhu Di let the imperial doctor live in the temple and take care of him, and visited him many times. Looking at Yao Guangxiao, who was shaped like a withered mallet,
Zhu Di knew that this monk who had assisted him for most of his life was running out.
Over the years, Yao Guangxiao never made any demands on Zhu Di, and always acted as undesirable.
Zhu Di wanted to know what wish this monk, who had no desire and no desire, had not yet fulfilled his wishes when he was dying. Therefore, he asked Yao Guangxiao:
"What other requirements does the young master have, I will help you realize them."
Zhu Di had thought that Yao Guangxiao would be the same as before, without making any demands. However, unexpectedly, Yao Guangxiao said: "The monk Puqia has been imprisoned for a long time, and I hope that His Majesty will pardon him." ”
Zhu Di thought for a long time before he knew who this "Pu Qia" was. Pu Qia, also a monk. When Yao Guangxiao had not yet followed Zhu Di, he met Puqia. Moreover, because they were both monks and had the same hobbies, the two had been very close friends.
However, because of their different political views and positions, the two eventually parted ways.
After Yao Guangxiao followed Zhu Di to Beiping, Puqia also threw himself into Zhu Yunjiao, and after Zhu Yunjiao ascended the throne, he became the chief monk of the new emperor.
After Zhu Di led a large army to attack the palace, the Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunjiao burned the palace and set himself on fire.
However, because he had not seen the body, Zhu Di thought that this was just a ploy by Zhu Yunjiao to confuse his eyes, and he must still be alive.
At the same time, some people rumored that it was the main record monk Puqia who hid the Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunjiao. Therefore, Zhu Di ordered Pu Qia to be arrested and imprisoned.
For more than ten years, Zhu Yunjiao has not been found, and Puqia has been locked up in prison.
Yao Guangxiao is already more than eighty years old, and Pu qia, who is in prison, is also in his seventies. Yao Guangxiao believes that
For Puqia's arrest and imprisonment, he is also responsible
。 Therefore, he hopes that before he dies, he can help this former friend and let him live in peace in his old age.
After listening to Yao Guangxiao's request, Ming Chengzu Zhu Di asked pu qia to release pu qia in prison. After that, Yao Guangxiao, who was satisfied, slowly stopped breathing and died.
He died on December 31, 2012 at the age of 84.
After Yao Guangxiao's death, in order to show his respect for him, Zhu Di ordered the resignation of the dynasty for two days, posthumously crowned Yao Guangxiao as the Duke of Rongguo, and personally wrote the inscription.
After Zhu Di's son Zhu Gaozi succeeded to the throne, he personally wrote an altarpiece for Yao Guangxiao to express his remembrance
4. Summary
Yao Guangxiao's life is legendary and extraordinary
。 He was a monastic monk who had cast out the red dust and had no desires or desires. At the same time, he was also a court counselor who assisted the king, and his talent was outstanding. The two identities have many contradictions, but they have been well integrated in Yao Guangxiao's body.