High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Yan Song courtesy name: Weizhong, pseudonym: Jiexi was a corrupt Ming Chinese prime minister who became a homeless pauper. Born in Fenyi, Jiangsu province, Yan was skilled in poetry and his works are in The Collection at Ling Mountain House. Yan Song was the prime minister who served under the Emperor Jiajing. He and his son Yan Shifan dominated court politics with the tacit consent of the fatuous monarch who shirked his responsibilities as emperor and devoted much of his time to sensual pleasures and Taoist practices. Under Yan Song, the nation fell into an era of moral decadence and corruption, where righteous officers were sidelined and the Ming national strength fell rapidly. Yan Song's wealth is said to have been so great as to have been comparable to that of the emperor. He is also well known for his corruption and had been known to openly sell government positions for cash during the Jia Qing reign. However, his corruption and treachery had also incurred the indignation of righteous officers and created many political opponents.