Brief: This article tells the story of Ming officials’ bravery against tyranny. Shen Lian and Yang Jisheng risked their lives to impeach the corrupt Yan Song, and were martyred. Hai Rui bought a coffin and directly criticized the Jiajing Emperor’s neglect of state affairs. Finally, the Yan clan fell, and the Longqing Emperor reversed the chaos.
The Outspoken Official: Shen Lian
Shen Lian, a native of Kuaiji and a Jinshi degree holder, served as a recorder in the Imperial Guard. This position brought him into close contact with Emperor Ming Shizong (Jiajing) and the powerful Grand Secretary Yan Song. Despite his role within the secret service apparatus, Shen was a man of integrity who despised the tyranny of Yan Song and his son. During the crisis when the Mongol leader Altan Khan besieged Beijing, the court was paralyzed by fear. While most officials remained silent, Shen Lian loudly supported Official Zhao Zhenji’s call for resistance. When the Minister of Personnel scolded him for overstepping his rank, Shen retorted, “When the high officials remain silent, the low officials must speak!”
Shen Lian later submitted a lengthy memorial listing ten major crimes of the Yan faction, citing corruption and the persecution of the loyal. Enraged, the Emperor ordered him to be flogged in the court and exiled to Bao’an as a farmer. In exile, Shen taught local children and created archery targets inscribed with the names of history’s great traitors: Li Linfu, Qin Hui, and Yan Song. This act reached Yang Shun, the Governor-General of Xuan-Da and Yan Song’s godson, who was already resentful of Shen for exposing his war crimes of killing civilians to claim credit. Yang Shun falsely accused Shen of plotting a rebellion with the White Lotus Sect. The Emperor approved the execution, and Shen Lian was martyred.
The Martyrdom of Yang Jisheng
Shen Lian’s death did not silence the opposition. Yang Jisheng, a Vice Director in the Ministry of War, submitted the “Memorial to Execute the Treacherous Minister,” listing ten crimes and five acts of treachery by Yan Song. Before submitting it, Yang fasted for three days, prepared for death. However, he overlooked that many of Yan Song’s actions had the Emperor’s tacit approval. The Emperor, feeling insulted, ordered Yang to receive one hundred strokes of the court flogging and imprisoned him.
Yang survived the brutal flogging, even performing self-surgery in prison to remove rotting flesh. After two years, it seemed he might survive, but Yan Song manipulated the judicial process by slipping Yang’s name onto a list of condemned prisoners. The Emperor approved the executions without scrutiny, and Yang Jisheng was beheaded. His death sparked national outrage.
The Fall of the Yan Faction
The tyranny of the Yan faction eventually reached the ears of the superstitious Emperor through Taoist priests. The Taoist Lan Daoxing used a spirit-writing planchette to deliver a divine message condemning Yan Song as a traitor. Simultaneously, Yan Song, now over eighty, struggled to manage state affairs after his wife’s death forced his son, Yan Shifan, into a partial mourning leave. His sloppy and incoherent documents displeased the Emperor.
Seizing the moment, official Zou Yinglong impeached the Yans. Although Yan Song was forced to retire and Yan Shifan was exiled, Shifan escaped and continued his crimes. The court demanded his execution. Grand Secretary Xu Jie, a master strategist, advised officials to focus on charges of treason and corruption rather than the previous injustices, as those had been approved by the Emperor. This strategy worked; Yan Shifan was executed, and Yan Song died in disgrace shortly after.
Hai Rui and the Memorial on Security
Despite the fall of Yan Song, official Hai Rui believed the root of the empire’s corruption lay with the Emperor himself. A native of Qiongshan and a Hui Muslim, Hai Rui was known as “Hai the Blue Sky” for his incorruptibility. In 1566, after witnessing the Emperor’s neglect of duty and obsession with Daoist immortality rituals, Hai Rui submitted the famous “Memorial on Security.” Knowing the consequences, he purchased a coffin and bid farewell to his family beforehand.
In the memorial, Hai Rui bluntly criticized the Emperor: “You have neglected the court for twenty years… The laws are corrupted, and the people are impoverished. No wonder the people say, ‘Jiajing, Jiajing, means every family is clean (empty) of everything’!”
The Emperor was furious and ordered Hai Rui’s arrest, but a eunuch informed him that Hai was already waiting for death with his coffin ready. The Emperor, comparing himself to King Zhou of Shang and Hai Rui to the loyal minister Bi Gan, hesitated. Grand Secretary Xu Jie advised against execution, suggesting it would only make Hai a martyr. The Emperor imprisoned Hai instead. The criticism deeply affected the Emperor, contributing to his declining health. He died later that year, ending his 45-year reign.
A New Era under Longqing
Upon the death of the Jiajing Emperor, his son Zhu Zaihou ascended the throne as Emperor Ming Muzong (Longqing). Having lived outside the palace during his youth, Muzong understood the suffering of the common people. He immediately released Hai Rui from prison, posthumously rehabilitated the victims of the Yan faction like Yang Jisheng and Shen Lian, and dismantled the Daoist altars, marking a fresh start for the Ming Dynasty.
Note
Hai Rui
The most famous upright official in Ming history. He bought a coffin and directly criticized the Jiajing Emperor for neglecting state affairs, risking death to submit the Memorial on Security.
Yan Song
Corrupt chief minister who dominated the Jiajing court for 20 years. He framed and killed loyal officials, and finally fell from power in old age.
Yan Shifan
Yan Song’s son, the real power behind the throne. Extremely corrupt and cruel; executed for treason.
Yang Jisheng
Loyal minister who boldly impeached Yan Song. He was flogged, imprisoned, and beheaded, becoming a symbol of courage.
Shen Lian
Honest official who exposed Yan Song’s crimes. He was exiled and wrongfully executed on a false rebellion charge.
Emperor Ming Shizong (Jiajing)
Long-reigning but deeply unpopular emperor. He neglected government for decades to pursue Daoist immortality.
Emperor Ming Muzong (Longqing)
Jiajing’s son. He reversed his father’s tyrannical policies, freed Hai Rui, and rehabilitated unjustly killed officials.
Xu Jie
Smart grand secretary who overthrew the Yan faction without angering the emperor.
Coffin Memorial
Hai Rui’s famous act of courage: he brought his own coffin to criticize the emperor, showing he was ready to die.
Impeachment Against Yan Song
Shen Lian and Yang Jisheng risked their lives to expose the Yan faction’s tyranny.
Fall of the Yan Faction
Yan Song lost favor due to old age and Taoist warnings; his son was executed, ending 20 years of corruption.
Longqing Reforms
The new emperor ended Daoist rituals, freed loyal officials, and began a new era of stability.
Memorial on Security
Hai Rui’s blunt official letter that severely criticized the Jiajing Emperor.
Court Flogging
Public physical punishment used by the emperor to humiliate and punish disobedient officials.
Daoist Immortality Rituals
The Jiajing Emperor’s obsession that drained national wealth and caused chaos.
Jiajing’s Pun
People mocked: “Jiajing, jiajing — every family is empty” because of heavy taxes and poverty.
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