Hai Rui's Memorial

Timeline

1. 1565Beijing · BeijingHai Rui, serving as director of the Yunnan Bureau of the Ministry of Revenue, submitted a memorial systematically criticizing the Jiajing Emperor for long secluding himself in the Western Park, neglecting state affairs, employing Yan Song's former associates, undertaking grand construction projects, and practicing alchemy, and noting that officials and commoners alike had lost faith in the ruler. Its language was extremely forthright, and later generations called it "the finest memorial under heaven."
2. 1565Imperial prison · BeijingThe Jiajing Emperor was furious upon reading the memorial, ordered Hai Rui's arrest, had him beaten, and confined him in the imperial prison. Hai Rui had already bought a coffin as a pledge before submitting the memorial and remained unrepentant in prison. The Grand Secretariat and Ministry of Justice deliberated a death sentence, but it was halted soon after the Jiajing Emperor's death, sparing Hai Rui's life.