Background

Yao Yi was born in 866, during the reign of Emperor Yizong of Tang. He was from the Tang Dynasty capital Chang'an. His great-grandfather Yao Xiqi (姚希奇) served as an advisor to a prefectural prefect; his grandfather Yao Hongqing (姚宏慶) served as a prefectural prefect; and his father Yao Jing (姚荊) served as a principal of the imperial university. Yao Yi himself was described as unintelligent, but magnanimous, in his youth. He did not pay attention to his appearance. As a result, people did not respect him, except for the hermit Sikong Tu (司空圖), who had previously served an official in the imperial administration, and Sikong gave a daughter to him in marriage. It was said that Yao was kind and trusting, such that his household servants and concubines were easily able to cheat him of money. While he would realize this, he did not rebuke them in person. He also was a poor handler of money, not understanding its value well, so he did not accumulate any wealth.

Late in Tang, Yao followed the people in moving to the eastern capital Luoyang. (This was probably a reference to the forced relocation of the imperial court from Chang'an to Luoyang when the major warlord Zhu Quanzhong the military governor (Jiedushi) of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan) forced Emperor Yizong's son Emperor Zhaozong to move the capital there, to put Emperor Zhaozong under firmer control; if so, it would be in 904.) The next year, Yao passed the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class, although if he carried any offices during these final years of Tang's existence, it was not recorded in history.

During Later Liang

Zhu Quanzhong subsequently forced Emperor Zhaozong's son and successor Emperor Ai to yield the throne to him, ending Tang and establishing Later Liang. During the Zhenming era (915-921) of Zhu Quanzhong's son and successor Zhu Zhen, Yao served successively in a number of offices, progressively higher — Xiaoshu Lang (校書郎), a copyeditor at the Palace Library; magistrate of Dengfeng County (登封, in modern Zhengzhou, Henan); You Bujue (右補闕), a low-level consultant at the legislative bureau (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng); Libu Yuanwailang (禮部員外郎), a low-level official at the ministry of rites (禮部, Libu); then the dual offices of imperial scholar (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi) and Zhongshu Sheren (中書舍人), a mid-level official at the legislative bureau.

During Later Tang

In 923, Later Liang's rival Later Tang's emperor Li Cunxu, who claimed to be the legitimate successor to Tang and viewed Later Liang as an illegitimate usurper state, launched a surprise attack on the Later Liang capital Daliang, capturing it. Zhu Zhen committed suicide, ending Later Liang and allowing Later Tang to take over its territory. Li Cunxu believed that a number of Later Liang officials from aristocratic families, who served Later Liang despite their families' long allegiance to the Tang state, should be exiled for what he viewed as disloyalty. Yao Yi was one of the ones targeted, and he was exiled to Fu Prefecture (復州, in modern Tianmen, Hubei) to serve as the military advisor to its prefect. However, he was recalled from exile after about a year, and, in 926, during the reign of Li Cunxu's adoptive brother and successor Li Siyuan, he was made Zuo Sanqi Changshi (左散騎常侍), a high-level consultant at the examination bureau (門下省, Menxia Sheng). Subsequently, he served successively as deputy minister of defense (兵部侍郎, Bingbu Shilang), deputy minister of civil service affairs (吏部侍郎, Libu Shilang), and Shangshu Zuo Cheng (尚書左丞), one of the secretaries general of the executive bureau (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng).

In 934, Li Siyuan's adoptive son Li Congke became emperor (after overthrowing Li Siyuan's biological son Li Conghou). At that time, the leading chancellors were Liu Xu and Li Yu, but they were often arguing with each other and not getting much done in terms of governance. Li Congke was not happy about this situation and considered replacing them. When he consulted with his close associates, they recommended Yao, Lu Wenji, and Cui Jujian (崔居儉). Because Yao, Lu, and Cui each had their strengths and weaknesses, Li Congke could not decide on whom to commission. He therefore wrote their names on pieces of paper and placed the paper in a crystal bottle. After offering incense to heaven, he used chopsticks to take the paper out of the bottle. Lu's name was taken out first, followed by Yao. He therefore commissioned Lu and Yi as chancellors (with Lu's commission coming first). In the commission, Yi received the titles of Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎, deputy head of the legislative bureau) and the chancellor designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi.

It was said that Yao was not a capable chancellor. One example was his involvement in the selection of officials for civil service. The old Tang system was that the ministry of civil service affairs (吏部, Libu) would select officials in three stages, with the minister of civil service affairs handling one stage and each of the two deputy ministers handling one stage; an official would only be commissioned after going through the three stages. Late in Li Siyuan's reign, then-chancellor Feng Dao advocated merging the three stages into one — arguing that, at that time, the Later Tang realm was no longer as large in territory or population as the unified Tang, such that only several hundred officials were to be selected each year, and that the three-stage selection process was time-wasting and inefficient. Li Siyuan thus merged the three stages into one, and have the minister and deputy ministers of civil service affairs select officials together. When Yao and Lu became chancellors, they again divided the process into three stages, such that it became drawn out again. The candidates were stuck with nothing to do during the selection process, and they often tried to intercept chancellors in public to complain. Yao did nothing about it, and Li Congke had to intercede himself and abolish the three-stage process again.

During Later Jin

In 936, Li Congke was overthrown by his brother-in-law Shi Jingtang, who established Later Jin. Shi removed Yao Yi from his chancellor position and made him the minister of justice (刑部尚書, Xingbu Shangshu). He was shortly after made the minister of census (戶部尚書, Hubu Shangshu) instead. He died in 940 and was given posthumous honors. Because he was so ill-equipped to manage his money affairs, at the time of his death, his family did not even have sufficient funds to hold a proper funeral for him. They had to first pawn their possessions and sell the mansion in order to do so. It was said that the intelligentsia praised him for his honesty but blamed him for his foolishness.

Notes and references

• Old History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 92.

• New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 55.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 272, 279, 280.

家世

姚顗生于唐懿宗年間的866年，是唐朝都城長安人氏。曾祖姚希齊，湖州司功參軍。祖父姚弘慶，蘇州刺史。父姚荊，國子祭酒。姚顗年輕時不聰明，但敦厚，不修儀容。人們並不尊重他，只有曾任兵部侍郎的中條山處士司空圖很器重他，把女兒嫁給他。姚顗性仁恕，常被僕妾所欺騙，即使有所察覺，也不當面訓斥。也不善理財，不識貨幣價值，故不能聚財。

天複三年（903年），大軍閥宣武軍節度使朱全忠迫使唐昭宗從長安遷都洛陽，以加強對昭宗的控制。姚顗也隨長安百姓去洛陽，次年，中進士。六月，被用為校書郎。

後梁年間

朱全忠隨後迫使唐哀帝禪位于他，結束唐朝，建立後梁。朱全忠子朱瑱貞明年間（915年—921年），姚顗歷任校書郎、登封令、右補闕、禮部員外郎，召入翰林，累遷至中書舍人。

後唐年間

後梁敵國後唐皇帝李存勖自稱唐朝合法繼承人，視後梁為篡國政權，于龍德三年（923年）對後梁都城大梁發起突襲，攻克之。朱瑱自殺，後梁亡，領地被後唐兼併。李存勖認為一些後梁官員世受唐恩，卻出仕後梁而顯貴，是不忠，于是將他們外貶。姚顗在其中，被貶為複州司馬。但過了一年多，即被召還。後唐明宗李嗣源天成元年（926年），姚顗在秘書少監任上被任為左散騎常侍。四年（929年）六月，任兵部侍郎，八月，為鹵簿使。長興元年（930年）九月，改兼吏部侍郎。曾奉敕與太常卿劉岳、左散騎常侍任贊、右散騎常侍楊凝式、兵部尚書梁文矩、工部尚書崔居儉、太子賓客裴高、尚書左丞王權檢查刪定後的鄭餘慶《書儀》。三年（932年）十二月，任尚書左丞。

清泰元年（934年），李嗣源養子李從珂推翻李嗣源親子李從厚，成為皇帝。為首宰相吏部尚書兼門下侍郎判三司劉昫、左僕射門下侍郎李愚意見不合，互相詬罵，政事凝滯。李從珂對此不滿，想換掉他們。六月，他向親近朝臣問代任宰相的人選，朝臣們推薦姚顗、太常卿盧文紀、秘書監崔居儉，但論及三人才行，各有優劣。李從珂不能決斷任誰為相，于是寫下他們等十餘人的名字置于琉璃瓶內，在夜晚焚香祝天，用筷子將寫有名字的紙夾出。先夾出盧文紀的名字，再夾出姚顗的。他因而分別于七月和八月任盧文紀和姚顗為中書侍郎，加宰相銜同中書門下平章事。因連日下雨，李從珂命姚顗與李愚、劉昫、盧文紀去各寺觀祈求天晴。

姚顗不能幹，在相位無作為。唐朝舊制，吏部選官時分為三銓，分別由尚書和兩位侍郎處理，一個官員只有經歷全部三個銓選程序才能受任。李嗣源末期，時任宰相馮道認為後唐疆域不及統一時的唐朝，每年的待選官員只有數百人，三銓之法浪費時間且無益，建議合為一。于是李嗣源合三銓為一，讓吏部尚書和侍郎們一起選官。但姚顗和盧文紀拜相後，重新奏分三銓，選官手續又變得冗長。待選官員被造成不便，常公然攔截宰相抱怨。姚顗對此無所作為，李從珂不得不親自下詔再度廢止三銓。

十二月，姚顗兼集賢院大學士。二年（935年）四月，以弘文館大學士加門下侍郎。三年（936年）二月，與史官張昭遠、李祥、吳承范等修撰《明宗實錄》三十卷獻上。曾請求在南郊諸祠壇一帶修建屋宇及上疏禁止州郡上貢。

後晉年間

閏十一月，李從珂被養妹夫河東節度使、北面總管石敬瑭推翻，石敬瑭建立後晉。十二月，罷姚顗相位，改為刑部尚書。天福四年（939年）五月，遷戶部尚書。天福五年（940年）冬，卒。廢朝一日，贈左僕射（《舊五代史·晉高祖紀》作右僕射）。因很不善理財，御家無術，死時連辦葬禮的錢都沒有，家人典當物品、賣了官邸才得以舉喪。聞者哀憐。士大夫嘉獎他的廉潔，卻鄙視他的笨拙。

注釋及參考文獻