Sun Sui

Life

Sun Sui came from the Henghe branch of the Sun clan. His father was 孫新存 and his mother was Li; his brothers included 孫恩, 孫勳, 孫炤, 孫煌, 孫煓, 孫明, and 孫煒, and his wife was 楊氏. Early in life he was a shengyuan. In the renzi examination of Hongzhi 5 (1492), he placed third in the Zhejiang provincial examination; in Hongzhi 6 (1493), he earned the jinshi degree in the guichou examination, placing 187th in the third class.

During the Hongzhi era, he entered the Ministry of Justice, serving as zhushi of the Guizhou Section and later yuanwailang of the Jiangxi Section before becoming langzhong. During the Zhengde era, he successively served as right canzheng in Fujian, surveillance commissioner in Guizhou, surveillance commissioner in Shandong, and right buzhengshi in Henan. In the tenth month of Zhengde 10 (1515), he was promoted to right vice censor and appointed governor of Jiangxi.

While serving as governor of Jiangxi, Sun Sui recognized that the Prince of Ning, Zhu Chenhao, intended to rebel and went to his post without taking his family. In Nanchang he expounded the principles of right conduct to Zhu; he also submitted seven memorials warning that Zhu would rebel, but all were intercepted and never reached their destination. He strengthened Jiangxi's local defenses while openly opposing Zhu Chenhao, thereby incurring Zhu's enmity.

In Zhengde 14 (1519), Zhu Chenhao sought to use his birthday banquet as the occasion for rebellion. Sun Sui attended at his invitation, confronted him directly during the banquet, and was killed afterward. Zhu Chenhao's rebellion was suppressed soon afterward by Wang Shouren.

After the Jiajing Emperor, Zhu Houcong, ascended the throne, Sun Sui was posthumously granted the title of Minister of Rites and given the posthumous name Zhonglie; his case was later included among the Biographies of the Loyal and Righteous. One of his descendants was Sun Ruyou, a Minister of Rites in the Wanli period.

Writings

Titles associated with Sun Sui include 奏議（孫燧）, 四聖糟粕 in ten juan, 恤刑錄 in two juan, 案牘稿 in ten juan, and 詩文啟箚 in six juan.