The Making of an Uncompromising Official

In the third year of the Longqing era (1569), Hai Rui received what many considered the most lucrative appointment of his career – not the most prestigious, but certainly the fattest. The Ming bureaucracy operated on a simple principle: position determined prosperity. While some officials languished in remote posts with barely enough to survive, others occupied coveted positions that attracted endless suitors.

The four most sought-after positions in the Ming government were well-known: the Personnel Selection Office and the Performance Evaluation Office in the Ministry of Personnel, and the Military Appointment Office and Armory Office in the Ministry of War. These departments controlled the lifeblood of officialdom – promotions, demotions, military assignments, and equipment procurement. Yet compared to Hai Rui’s new appointment, even these plum jobs paled in significance.

Hai Rui became the Grand Coordinator of Yingtian, overseeing what is today Shanghai, Suzhou, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, Songjiang, Wuxi, and parts of Anhui. This region contributed half of the empire’s tax revenue, making it the wealthiest administrative area in Ming China. His appointment came through the influence of Grand Secretary Xu Jie, a fact Hai Rui understood perfectly – though famously upright, he was no fool.

The Arrival of “Sea Judge”

News of Hai Rui’s appointment sent shockwaves through the Yingtian administration. Government offices stood empty as officials from prefects to county magistrates panicked. Corrupt bureaucrats didn’t wait for the new Grand Coordinator’s arrival – they resigned and fled preemptively. Wealthy merchants abandoned their luxurious establishments, which suddenly resembled robbed properties. Affluent families locked their gates, considering accusations of wealth more offensive than ancestral insults. Extravagant clothing disappeared from streets as people donned patched rags, transforming the prosperous region into what appeared to be a primitive society overnight.

Even the eunuch garrison commander of Nanjing, passing through Yingtian, abruptly changed his palanquin (downgrading from his usual luxurious model to the regulation four-bearer version) and hurried away upon hearing of Hai Rui’s impending arrival.

When Hai Rui finally took office, he found a scene of desolation. Bullies had vanished, landlords disappeared, and everyone dressed in rags. Undeterred, he immediately posted notices welcoming lawsuits and specifically waived all litigation fees, warning subordinates against any attempts to collect money from petitioners.

The Lawsuit Revolution

Free lawsuits created an unprecedented phenomenon in Ming judicial history. The Grand Coordinator’s yamen became as crowded as a marketplace, with people jostling to submit petitions. At its peak, Hai Rui received over 3,000 cases in a single day. With remarkable energy and determination, he adjudicated them all, usually ruling against the wealthy.

This period became legendary in Hai Rui’s career, though it wasn’t entirely a story of justice. Ming society included what officials called “troublemakers” – opportunists who would file frivolous lawsuits to extort property from the wealthy. Hai Rui accepted all cases indiscriminately, enabling many such individuals to seize property and join the ranks of the wealthy themselves.

Nevertheless, Hai Rui’s tenure generally benefited common people. As the disadvantaged group, they received much-needed assistance, even if some landowners suffered unjustly. Surprisingly, despite Hai Rui’s aggressive reforms, no one dared oppose him openly. The reason became clear – people feared not Hai Rui himself, but his powerful patron Xu Jie.

The Clash with Power

As Hai Rui’s campaign against corrupt landowners intensified, he discovered Yingtian’s largest landholder – none other than his benefactor Xu Jie. While Xu himself maintained some decorum, his two sons had abused their father’s influence to amass vast landholdings. Xu’s failure to discipline his children provided a cautionary tale about controlling one’s relatives.

Hai Rui, unconcerned with Xu’s parenting, demanded the return of illegally acquired lands. Initially compromising, Xu returned some property, expecting gratitude for having saved Hai Rui’s life and promoted his career. Hai Rui, however, pressed further, suggesting Xu retire to farming with only basic landholdings.

Stunned, the former Grand Secretary refused to surrender his lifetime’s accumulation. Hai Rui remained inflexible, demonstrating his complete disregard for personal favors or social obligations. The standoff continued until Grand Secretary Gao Gong intervened.

Political Chess Game

Gao Gong saw an unexpected opportunity. While he had long resented Xu Jie’s influence, direct confrontation seemed too risky. Hai Rui’s actions provided perfect cover – using Xu’s own protégé against him appeared impartial. Gao openly supported Hai Rui while condemning Xu Jie, intensifying pressure on the former Grand Secretary.

As Xu prepared to surrender all his lands, censors suddenly accused him of failing to discipline his sons. The appointment of Cai Guoxi, a Gao Gong student with grievances against Xu, to investigate signaled escalating political attacks. Xu’s sons were exiled, his properties confiscated, and his home mysteriously burned, forcing him to flee.

Hai Rui appeared victorious, but the true beneficiary was Gao Gong. In 1570, after barely half a year as Grand Coordinator, Hai Rui received his dismissal orders. Furious, he composed another famous memorial, this time attacking all court officials (except himself) as “nothing but women,” a devastating insult in Ming political culture. Surprisingly, no one dared rebut him – his reputation for fearless integrity created an immunity few wished to challenge.

The Legacy of an Uncompromising Man

Gao Gong offered the most balanced assessment: “To say everything Hai Rui did was wrong would be incorrect. To say everything he did was right would also be incorrect. The truth is, he wasn’t very capable at practical governance.” Hai Rui believed himself the only official who saw the empire’s corruption clearly. In this, he was mistaken. Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng all recognized the problems – but unlike Hai Rui, they possessed solutions rather than just condemnations.

Hai Rui returned to his Hainan hometown in 1571, though his story wasn’t finished. He would reemerge over a decade later to continue his legendary career. Meanwhile, with Xu Jie neutralized, Gao Gong launched his famous “Longqing Reforms.” Though not particularly innovative, these practical measures brought stability and prosperity by avoiding unnecessary disruptions.

Gao Gong’s true genius lay in personnel selection. He appointed three remarkable individuals who exemplified his pragmatic approach to governance:

1. Pan Jixun: A hydraulic genius who developed the “narrowing channels to flush silt” method for Yellow River control, still used centuries later.

2. Yin Zhengmao: A brilliant but corrupt general who efficiently suppressed rebellions in Guangdong and Guangxi. Gao Gong famously defended his appointment by calculating that half of Yin’s embezzled military funds still cost less than prolonged campaigns by honest but incompetent commanders.

3. Wang Chonggu: The Governor of Xuanfu and Datong who transformed Ming-Mongol relations through the daring rescue of Bahanaji, a Mongol noble’s grandson, leading to the historic peace agreement of 1571.

The Dawn of Peace

Wang Chonggu’s negotiations with Altan Khan (grandfather of the runaway Bahanaji) resulted in the unprecedented “Tribute and Trade” system. The Ming recognized Mongol leaders as vassals in exchange for peace, establishing border markets that satisfied Mongol needs for manufactured goods without resorting to raids. This system, implemented despite fierce opposition, brought nearly a century of peace to the northern frontier.

The policy faced intense resistance in court, with opponents arguing that trading with “barbarians” was unthinkable. In a remarkable display of political maneuvering, Gao Gong engineered a 22-22 deadlock in the ministerial vote, forcing the decision back to the emperor and ultimately to the Grand Secretariat – where he and Zhang Juzheng held sway.

The border markets opened in 1571, attracting merchants from across the region. The great miracle occurred – after two centuries of conflict dating back to the Hongwu era, peace finally came to the Ming-Mongol frontier. This achievement stands as Gao Gong’s enduring legacy, proving that sometimes the most effective reform is simply not making unnecessary trouble.

Hai Rui’s story represents both the possibilities and limitations of uncompromising integrity in governance. While his moral clarity inspired generations, his inability to navigate political realities limited his effectiveness. In contrast, pragmatic reformers like Gao Gong achieved lasting change by balancing principle with practicality – a lesson as relevant today as in the Ming dynasty.