The Real Hai Rui: A Weapon of the Ming Dynasty

Beginning with the palace coup of the twenty-first year of the Jiajing reign, when the Jiajing Emperor left the imperial palace to live in the Western Park, this book spans twenty-four years, ending in the forty-fifth year of Jiajing. During this time, Hai Rui goes from a failed candidate in the imperial examinations to an instructor in Nanping, Fujian, then to magistrate of Chun'an and Xingguo, and finally to a supervising secretary in the Ministry of Revenue. Hai Rui was a loyal and courageous official who dared to risk death by denouncing the emperor for debauchery and tyranny. Upright and unyielding, he was rejected by the corrupt officialdom. History remembers him not only as “Hai the Clear-Sky,” but also as a brilliant detective famed for solving cases. Both aspects feature in this book. Due to limitations of length, the story portrays only much of Hai Rui's life, and its twists and turns are all in keeping with the history of the Jiajing reign. See how a humble scholar transforms into a formidable weapon.