Yan Song

Yan Song (3 March 1480 – 1565), courtesy name Weizhong, art name Jiexi, was a Chinese scholar-official during the Ming dynasty. He held various high-ranking positions during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor in the mid-16th century, including minister of rites (1536–1543), grand secretary (1542–1562), and head of the Grand Secretariat (1544–1545, 1548–1562).

He came from a merchant family in Jiangxi Province. His father was a teacher and principal at a local school. After passing the civil service examinations, he excelled in the final round, the palace examination, in 1505, ranking fifth among all candidates. This was a remarkable achievement. As a distinguished graduate of the examinations, he was appointed to the Hanlin Academy, where he eventually rose to the position of Hanlin academician and head of the academy in Nanjing. From 1525 to 1528, he served as the chancellor of the Imperial University, and later held the positions of vice minister of rites (1528–1531) in Beijing and minister of rites (1531–1536) in Nanjing. In 1536, he returned to Beijing to assume the high-ranking roles of minister of rites and grand secretary. In his role as minister of rites, he oversaw important tasks such as rituals and ceremonies, foreign relations, state Confucian schools, civil service examinations, and the affairs of the imperial family. As a minister and one of the grand secretaries, he was one of the closest advisors to the emperor, and in the 1550s, he was the emperor's most trusted confidant. As a statesman, he was diligent and responsible, while also maintaining a polite and modest demeanor. In his political dealings, he often sought compromise solutions.

As a prominent statesman, he was frequently sought after for support and often delegated the task of dealing with applicants to his son, Yan Shifan. Their political rivals repeatedly accused Yan Shifan of engaging in corrupt practices and using bribery to influence politics. Despite defending himself against these accusations for a considerable amount of time, he was ultimately removed from his position in 1562 due to his advanced age. As a result, his son was also exiled. In 1564–1565, Yan Shifan was accused of plotting a rebellion and was subsequently executed. The family's immense wealth, accumulated during Yan Song's time in high office, was seized by the authorities, leaving Yan Song to live out his final days in poverty and isolation.