釋鑑稽古略續集 2.114

2.114

六月丙戌。皇后馬氏崩。后性勤儉服御不多費。謂諸王妃公主曰。生長富貴當知蠶桑之不易。當為天地惜物也。上以威武治天下。后甞濟之以寬仁。至是崩。年五十一。上慟悼終身不復立后　九月葬馬皇后於鍾山孝陵。諡曰孝慈皇后（永樂加諡孝慈昭憲至仁文德承天順聖高云）詔選高僧分侍諸王。命僧道衍往燕府。住持慶禪寺。按道衍即姚廣孝也。姑蘇人。幼出家為僧。好讀書工詩文。遇異人傳術能知人休咎。及善術數之學。太祖擇名僧輔諸王。文皇帝時為燕王。廣孝自請于文皇曰。殿下若能用臣。臣當舉一白帽子與大王戴也。既而文皇自求廣孝於太祖許之。蓋王上加白乃皇字。是時廣孝。已知燕邸異日之。必有天下為皇帝矣。洪武未靖難兵起。皆廣孝之謀也。永樂初。繇僧錄司左善世。徑擢太子少師輔導東宮。復其姓名。竟不蓄髮娶妻卒。封榮國公諡恭靖享太廟。按姚廣孝之遇文皇。猶劉基之遇太祖。皆佐命天界非偶然也。廣孝在燕侍文皇時。天寒甚。文皇出一對曰。天寒地凍水無一點不成氷。廣孝應聲曰。國亂民愁。王不出頭誰作主。文皇大喜。後舉兵令擇日。至期疾風暴雨。文皇謂曰。出師大風雨此兵家之忌也。孝曰。殿下是箇龍正。要大風雨方助得勢頭起。果驗。

In the sixth month, on the bingxu day, Empress Ma passed away. The Empress was by nature diligent and frugal, not spending much on clothing and daily use. She said to the princes' consorts and princesses: 'Having grown up in wealth and honor, you should know the difficulty of sericulture, and cherish things for heaven and earth.' The Emperor governed the realm with martial majesty, and the Empress often tempered it with leniency and benevolence. When she passed away at this time, she was fifty-one years of age. The Emperor grieved bitterly and never established another empress for the rest of his life. In the ninth month, Empress Ma was buried at Xiaoling on Mount Zhong, given the posthumous title Empress Xiaoci (in the Yongle era, the title was expanded to Empress Xiaoci Zhaoxian Zhiren Wende Chengtian Shunsheng Gao). An imperial decree ordered the selection of eminent monks to attend the various princes separately, commanding the monk Daoyan to proceed to the princely mansion of Yan and assume the abbacy of Qingshou Monastery. Note: Daoyan was Yao Guangxiao, a native of Gusu. In his youth, he left home to become a monk; he was fond of reading and skilled in poetry and prose. Meeting an extraordinary person who transmitted esoteric arts to him, he was able to divine people's fortunes and misfortunes, and was skilled in numerology and divination. When Taizu selected famous monks to assist the princes, Emperor Wen was then the Prince of Yan. Guangxiao personally petitioned Emperor Wen, saying: 'If Your Highness can employ me, I shall present a white cap (bai) for the Prince (wang) to wear.' Soon afterward, Emperor Wen personally requested Guangxiao from Taizu, who granted it. Putting 'white' (白) atop 'prince' (王) makes the character 'emperor' (皇). At that time, Guangxiao already knew that the Prince of Yan's mansion would one day possess the realm and become emperor. When the Jingnan campaign began at the end of the Hongwu era, it was all due to Guangxiao's strategies. Early in the Yongle era, from Left Exalter of the World of the Central Buddhist Registry, he was directly promoted to Junior Preceptor to the Crown Prince to guide the heir apparent. His original family name and given name were restored to him, yet he never grew his hair or took a wife until his death. He was enfeoffed as Duke of Rongguo, posthumously named Gongjing, and honored in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Note: Yao Guangxiao's meeting with Emperor Wen was like Liu Ji's meeting with Taizu; both were Heaven-sent assistants to imperial destinies and not accidental. While Guangxiao attended Emperor Wen in Yan, the weather was extremely cold. Emperor Wen posed a couplet: 'The sky is cold and the earth is frozen, water cannot form ice without a single dot (forming the character bing).' Guangxiao responded immediately: 'The country is in disorder and the people are sorrowful; if the Prince does not show his head (forming the character zhu), who will be the master?' Emperor Wen was greatly pleased. Later, when raising troops, he ordered an auspicious day to be chosen. When the time came, there were fierce winds and torrential rains. Emperor Wen said to him: 'Launching an army in great wind and rain is a taboo for military strategists.' Guangxiao said: 'Your Highness is a dragon; only great wind and rain can aid your momentum to rise.' It proved true indeed.