[6] 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.
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.
[7] However, he was recalled from exile after about a year,[1] 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).
[8] 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).
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.
When he consulted with his close associates, they recommended Yao, Lu Wenji, and Cui Jujian (崔居儉).
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.
Shi removed Yao Yi from his chancellor position and made him the minister of justice (刑部尚書, Xingbu Shangshu).
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.