This article is about a historical figure in Jiaodong, his name is Xin Yao, lived in the early Ming Dynasty, his hometown is Jimo County, Laizhou Prefecture, and he is famous in the historical records for his eunuch achievements.
Before introducing this character, let's first explain the character "Yao" in his name. 曜 (yào) is similar to "yao" in pronunciation and meaning, so some historical sources also write Xin Yao as Xin Yao (such as "Ming Shilu", etc.). For the convenience of narration, this article uniformly adopts Xin Yao's writing style.
Straight to the point. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial examination system was not yet complete, and the imperial court was in urgent need of employing people, so there were many opportunities for Gongsheng (meritorious rank was second to Jinshi and Juren) to be officials. Xin Yao entered the official career as a tribute student.
In this regard, the Wanli edition of "Laizhou Mansion Chronicles" contains: "Xin Yao, intelligent by nature, honest and upright, erudite and inquisitive, especially good at poetry." During the Hongwu period, he should give advice to the officials to the matter. (The Qing Tongzhi edition of "Jimo County Chronicles" records similarly.) ）
The grade in the matter is not high ("History of the Ming Dynasty": Hongwu six years, set up twelve people in the matter, and the rank is seven grades), but Xin Yao has worked hard in this position and has made a lot of achievements. He was then promoted one after another. Judging from the records of "Ming Shilu", Xin Yao successively served as the former military governor's office, the left senator of the Henan Buzheng Division, and the Shaanxi Provincial Inspector, and gradually became a middle and senior **.
In the thirteenth year of Yongle (according to the "Ming Shilu", "Jimo County Chronicles" recorded as the eighteenth year of Yongle), Xin Yao, who was appointed as an envoy in Shaanxi, received an order from the imperial court and was ordered to serve in Jiaozhi. The so-called "Cochin" is the northern region of Vietnam. During the reign of Zhu Di, the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, the Annan Kingdom, which had been separated from the control of the Central Plains Dynasty, was re-incorporated into the scope of rule, and the "Jiaozhi Three Divisions" such as the Political Envoy Department of Jiaozhi Chengxuan were established. And Xin Yaofeng was transferred to the position of Jiao Lu Bu Political Secretary Zuo to participate in politics.
During his tenure in Jiaozhi, Xin Yao cooperated well with Huang Fu (a native of Changyi, the secretary of the Yongle Promotion Department, and later went out of the town to Jiaozhi), which made the local "military and civilian peace" for a time (the Ming court's abandonment of Jiaozhi was a matter of the Xuande Dynasty). Xin Yao was also promoted to the post of political envoy of Jiaozhi. (Note: The promotion to the political envoy has not been recorded in the "Ming Shilu", but there is a record in the Wanli edition of the "Laizhou Mansion Chronicle".) ）
Judging from historical records, Xin Yao did not hold any other official positions after Jiaozhi Bu was a political envoy, but retired to Zhishi, and finally died at the age of ninety. Because of his outstanding eunuch achievements, Xin Yao was also enshrined in the Jimo Township Ancestral Hall after his death.
Limited to information, the author does not know Xin Yao's specific family background for the time being. However, judging from the two pieces of information about Gongsheng and his death at the age of ninety (possibly in the late Yongle or Renxuan periods) during the Hongwu period, his family should have settled in Jimo long before the Ming Dynasty.