唐朝時期

姚洎世系不詳，但是《舊唐書》、《新唐書》、《舊五代史》、《新五代史》都沒有他的傳記。他早年在荊南節度使（總部在江陵府，今湖北省荊州市）擔任過幕府，和尚詩人貫休祝賀姚洎被從江陵召赴首都長安，擔任拾遺，但不清楚這首詩是貫休何時所作。

天複二年（902年）唐昭宗被宦官韓全誨、張彥弘劫持，投靠鳳翔節度使（治總部在鳳翔府，今陝西省寶雞市鳳翔縣）李茂貞。當時，姚洎和他的朋友韓偓都擔任翰林學士，陪同皇帝在鳳翔。李茂貞的對手宣武節度使（治總部在汴州，今河南省開封市）朱全忠率軍圍攻鳳翔。五月二十五日，宰相韋貽範因母喪去職，宦官推薦翰林學士姚洎代為宰相。姚洎與韓偓商量，韓偓說：

姚洎于是稱病，唐昭宗不允。結果在李茂貞及宦官的推薦下，六月初二，朝廷任命中書舍人蘇檢為工部侍郎、同平章事。七月，在李茂貞及宦官的壓力下，昭宗召回韋貽範擔任宰相，讓韓偓草擬制書。韓偓拒絕，上疏稱韋貽範居喪一月就要起複，有傷國體。八月二十六日，姚洎草擬制書命韋貽範複相。韋貽範不推辭，立即上表謝恩。然而不久，十一月，韋貽範病死。

當時，昭宗被軟禁。十一月初二，昭宗派趙國夫人寵顏探查得知學士院二使都不在，便召翰林學士韓偓、姚洎，在土門外暗中相見，拉著手相對流淚。姚洎擔心被別人看見，請昭宗快回去，昭宗于是離去。

天複三年（903年）李茂貞被迫投降，屠殺宦官，把皇帝獻給朱全忠。韓偓和朱全忠和崔胤不和，被流放。之後一段時間，姚洎的事跡沒有記錄。

後梁時期

天祐四年（907年）朱全忠篡唐稱帝，建立後梁，即梁太祖，姚洎以翰林學士擢兵部尚書知貢舉。開平二年（908年）以兵部侍郎兼鹵簿使。乾化三年（913年）朱全忠的兒子朱瑱即位，九月初五，以光祿大夫、守御史大夫姚洎為中書侍郎、同中書門下平章事，封吳興郡開國侯。姚洎離任時間、去世時間不詳。

During Tang Dynasty

Yao Ji's background is not clear, as there was no biography of his in the four relevant official histories — the Old Book of Tang, the New Book of Tang, the History of the Five Dynasties, and the New History of the Five Dynasties. However, it appeared that at some point he served as a staff member to the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (荊南, headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei), as there is an extant poem by the Buddhist monk-poet Guanxiu to Yao congratulating him on being recalled from serving on staff at Jiangling Municipality (江陵), the capital of Jingnan Circuit, back to the capital Chang'an, apparently to serve as a low-level consultant in the imperial government, Shiyi (拾遺), but it is not clear when Guangxiu wrote it.

The first substantially datable historical reference to Yao was in 902, when then-reigning Emperor Zhaozong of Tang had been forcibly taken by powerful eunuchs, led by Han Quanhui and Zhang Yanhong (張彥弘), to Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), then governed by the eunuchs' ally Li Maozhen, the military governor (Jiedushi) of Fengxiang. At that time, both Yao and his friend Han Wo were serving as imperial scholars (翰林學士, Hanlin Xueshi) and had accompanied Emperor Zhaozong to Fengxiang; subsequently, Li Maozhen's rival Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan) put Fengxiang Circuit's capital Fengxiang Municipality under siege. When the chancellor Wei Yifan was forced to leave the imperial government for some time because his mother had died, the eunuchs initially recommended that Yao become chancellor to replace Wei. Han Wo recommended that Yao decline the commission:

Yao thus claimed to be ill and declined the commission, and Emperor Zhaozong himself was also not inclined to issue it. Instead, the position went to Su Jian. Later in the year, under the pressure from Li Maozhen and the eunuchs, Emperor Zhaozong was set to recall Wei back to the imperial government to again serve as chancellor, but when the draft edict was assigned to Han Wo to be written, Han refused to draft it — pointing out that having Wei return to the government after such a short mourning period was unseemly, so Emperor Zhaozong delayed the commission for some time. However, he eventually gave in to pressure, and had Yao instead draft it, and Wei was able to return as a chancellor. (Wei died shortly after, however.)

At that time, Emperor Zhaozong was under virtual house arrest. On an occasion late in 902, when the eunuchs guarding him were not around, he had his concubine, the Lady of Zhao, quickly summon Yao and Han Wo to his residence, for a brief meeting. He was, however, only able to hold their hands briefly and weep, before Yao reminded him that they might be discovered, and so they separated quickly.

In 903, Li Maozhen was forced to capitulate, slaughter the eunuchs, and surrender the emperor and the imperial household to Zhu. After that, while it is known that Han Wo was exiled for offending Zhu and Zhu's ally, the chancellor Cui Yin, historical references to Yao disappeared for some time.

During Later Liang

Zhu Quanzhong subsequently usurped the Tang throne, establishing a new Later Liang as its Emperor Taizu. In 913, by which time his son Zhu Zhen was emperor, Yao Ji, who was then serving as the chief imperial censor (御史大夫, Yushi Daifu), was given the chancellor designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi (同中書門下平章事), and was also made Zhongshu Shilang (中書侍郎), the deputy head of the legislative bureau of government (中書省, Zhongshu Sheng). He was also referred to at that time as the Marquess of Wuxing, presumably a title that was previously created him by a Later Liang emperor. That was the last historical reference to Yao, and it is not known when he left office or when he died.

Notes and references