During Yao's reign, it was the so-called Guotai Min'an, rich and noble, not obscene, honorable and not indulgent. He often wears a yellow crown and wears black clothes, riding in a scarlet chariot or riding a BMW; like a kind monarch, he pays more attention to virtue, unity, and uses virtue to examine and screen hundreds of officials. Therefore, when he reigned, the world was peaceful, and the princes were very united and harmonious.
Later, when Yao was older, he thought of finding someone to take over for him, and at that time there was no later hereditary system or Zen system of succession to the throne, but to find a person with both moral integrity and ability to inherit his career.
So I once asked the ministers in the courtroom: Who can inherit my throne to rule the country?
The minister said: Your son Danju knows everything and can let him succeed him
But Yao shook his head and said: Danju has a fierce temperament and acts badly, and cannot let him inherit
The minister Huān said: The gonggong is more cohesive, and the political achievements are also good, and he can be appointed; Yao still shook his head and said: Although the gonggong can speak the Tao, but the heart is not right, the respect and respect are only superficial, and they are often deceived behind their backs, and they certainly cannot let him inherit; then Yao also asked: Siyue, the recent frequent rainy season, flooding, the people are very afraid, who can go to govern? So everyone recommended gǔn. But Yao also said: The carp has violated the Mandate of Heaven and destroyed his fellow tribesmen, and I am afraid that he cannot be used. But the chancellor Siyue said: Either let him try it, and if it doesn't work, then change someone else. So Yao stopped Siyue's suggestion and let The Carp cure the water, who expected that the Carp had been curing the water for 9 years, and there had been no effect; there was the son of the Carp, who was also known as the Great Yu ZhiShui (as will be mentioned in the later articles)
Later, Yao said to the ministers in the court that he had been on the throne for seventy years, and which of your ministers could follow providence to inherit my position? But the ministers all said that their virtues were despicable and did not dare to tarnish the throne, so Yao asked them to recommend a suitable person to inherit, without considering the distance between relatives and relatives, and whether they were reclusive people, as long as someone's confidant and good character could be recommended to see; so everyone began to say that there was a person named Yu Shun, who met the conditions said by the king, and could consider letting him inherit the throne.
Yao asked the ministers that this person had indeed heard of him, but he did not know how; the minister Siyue said: Shun is a blind man's son, his father is ignorant, his mother is stubborn, and his brother is very arrogant, but in such a family, Shun can get along with them in harmony, and the family is well governed. So Yao said, then bring him to me to investigate.
So Yao married his two daughters to Shun, and wanted to observe Shun's virtue and ability to govern the family by marrying his daughters. First of all, after Shun brought Yao's two daughters home, he asked them to obey the women's way, Yao thought he was doing a good job, so he began to make him a situ (in charge of educating the people and administrative affairs); at this time, Shun could still level the relationship between father and son, monarchs, brothers, husbands and wives, and friends, and people could obey him; later, Yao judged from various things such as participating in the affairs of the hundred officials, receiving the guests of the princes, and entering the mountains and jungle swamps alone. It was finally decided that he would inherit the throne.
Sure enough, as Yao imagined, after handing over the world to Shun, he toured the four directions, reduced the punishment, and made Yao very satisfied, and twenty years later Yao abdicated because of his old age, and let Shun take the office of the son of heaven; later, when Emperor Yao died, the whole country mourned, just like the loss of his father and mother, and within three years, no music was played everywhere to express his mourning for Yao.