Yao Kui

Life

Yao Kui was the seventh in birth order. His great-grandfather was 姚鼎 and his grandfather was 姚伯華; his father was 姚惟善 and his mother was 申屠氏.

His brothers included 姚克信, 姚克賢, 姚克恭, 姚克成, 姚楚, 姚鴻, 姚鵡, and 姚鶚. His wife was Wang (王氏), and his son was 姚璧, born in 1437. His paternal uncle was 姚唯可, his younger paternal uncle was 姚唯大, and his cousin was 姚稷.

He first entered the local school as a shengyuan and later became a provincial graduate. In 1438 he ranked first in the Zhejiang provincial examination and became the jieyuan; in 1442 he ranked first in the metropolitan examination and passed the jinshi examination, with his jinshi result placed sixth in the second class.

After passing the jinshi examination, he was appointed a Supervising Secretary in the Ministry of Personnel in 1443, serving in that office until 1450. During the Jingtai Emperor’s regency, the ministers debated whether to urge his accession but reached no decision; Yao argued that the matter should be decided for the sake of the state, and the decision was settled. During the defense of the capital, he also urged the urgent mobilization of troops from Xuanfu and Liaodong.

In the first year of Jingtai (1450), he was promoted to vice minister of the Ministry of Justice at Nanjing, and in the fourth year he was transferred to the Ministry of Rites; his Nanjing Ministry of Justice vice-ministerial title is also given as left vice minister. When the Jingtai Emperor became seriously ill, the Minister of Rites, Hu Ying, informed the court. Yao led the officials in asking that the Yingzong Emperor’s son be restored as crown prince, but the request was rejected; on the following day, as he was about to lead all the officials in another palace remonstrance, 石亨 launched the Coup at the Palace Gates and restored Yingzong, after which Yao served as vice minister of Rites at Nanjing.

After Yingzong recognized his ability and remembered his proposal to restore the succession, Yao was recalled to the capital as left vice minister of Rites. In the second year of Tianshun (1458), he became left vice minister of Personnel, and in the seventh year (1463) he replaced 石瑁 as Minister of Rites. He also served as deputy commissioner (副使) in 1449, 1464, and 1466; as chief examiner in 1463, chief examiner for the metropolitan examinations in 1466 and 1469, and reader of examination papers at the palace examination in 1472.

In the second year of Chenghua (1466), the emperor ordered students from the Southern Metropolitan Region and Zhejiang to enter the Imperial Academy by contributing grain. The geographical scope is also given as including Jiangxi and Fujian, and the measure is associated with a proposal by Minister Li Bin; Yao memorialized against it. In the fourth year of Chenghua (1468), repeated memorials prompted by omens urged the emperor to distance himself from eunuchs and palace attendants, and the emperor replied favorably.

After the death of the Ciyi Empress Dowager, a proposal was made for a separate burial. Yao made three successive appeals for a joint burial and led the officials in kneeling and weeping at Wenhua Gate; the burial was ultimately conducted according to ritual, an action later praised by the Hongzhi Emperor. After he was impeached by remonstrance officials, Yao requested retirement but was not permitted to leave. During this period he also urged the Chenghua Emperor to distance himself from Buddhist monks, and the influence of the temple monks was thereby reduced.

In the fifth year of Chenghua (1469), he replaced 崔恭 as Minister of Personnel. In the seventh year (1471), he received the additional title 太子少保, although another account gives 太子太保. He petitioned for a ban on imperial procurement, relief for military artisans, and reductions in corvée labor, and many of these requests were accepted. He was characterized as honest and magnanimous, though partial toward southerners.

Yao Kui died in the ninth year of Chenghua (1473). He was posthumously granted the rank of Junior Guardian (少保) and received the posthumous name Wenmin (文敏).

Relationships and writing

Yao Kui had a recommendation connection with Li Xian; Cheng Tai valued him, and Li Boyu was connected with him in a teacher–student relationship. In his literary exchanges, he composed a spirit-way stele for Zhou Neng, tomb tables for 鮑輝 and 王暹, a biographical account for 王翱, and farewell pieces for 張睿 and 鄒榦.

Other associated writings include a tomb epitaph for him by 商輅, a sacrificial text by 張弼, an elegy by 彭華, a spirit-way stele by 彭時, a preface to poetry and prose by 楊守陳, and a title inscription for a book by 姜寶.

Works

His works include 《文敏公遺稿》. The collection also appears under the title 《䖃矗堆槀》, while another title, 《若矗堆稿》, is listed in ten juan.