The problem of eunuchs has always been a cancer that is difficult to develop in feudal society. Historically, there have been only a handful of periods in which this issue has been properly addressed. Bai Yang pointed out that China experienced three of the darkest eunuch eras: the first was in the second century at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty; the second was in the late Tang Dynasty in the 9th century; The third time was from the reign of Wang Zhen in 1435 until the fall of the Ming Dynasty.
At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs could only be used as slaves and did not hold any power. Zhu Yuanzhang, an emperor from a grassroots background, was well aware of the reasons for the rise and fall of the previous dynasty, so he took measures to prevent eunuchs from interfering in politics.
In the tenth year of Hongwu, an elderly eunuch raised the issue in the official document out of good intentions, but he was sent back to his hometown by Zhu Yuanzhang for "interfering in political affairs". In the seventeenth year of Zhu Yuanzhang's reign in Hongwu, he deliberately hung an iron plaque on the palace gate, which read: "Ministers are not allowed to interfere in political affairs, and violators will be beheaded."
As a result, the power of the eunuchs fell to an all-time low, and not only could they not interfere in politics, but they could not collude with the officials, and they were not even allowed to buy property.
During the reign of Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, there was a certain change in the attitude towards eunuchs, who were regarded as confidants and became an important force in controlling the ministers. The reason why Zhu Di trusted the eunuchs was because in the process of seizing the throne, the eunuchs made great contributions, not only did the eunuchs around him perform well in battle, but also the many eunuchs around Emperor Jianwen also provided him with important information.
After coming to power, Zhu Di was worried that the frustrated eunuchs would betray themselves like betraying Emperor Jianwen, so he did not hesitate to betray Zu Xun and try to win over the eunuchs.
The eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty quietly began to set foot in the realm of power. Zhu Di successively sent them to foreign countries, supervised the army, and patrolled the frontier, the most famous of which was Zheng He's voyage to the West.
Don't think that Zheng He is just a navigator, he performed well in the Battle of Zhengcunba and won Zhu Di's trust and reuse. In the eighteenth year of Yongle, Dongchang was established, headed by the emperor's cronies and eunuchs, who were responsible for monitoring the actions of their subjects, and their power even exceeded that of Jinyiwei and civil and military officials, which laid the groundwork for the later eunuchs to monopolize power and lead to political chaos.
In order to avoid the dictatorship of eunuchs, Zhu Zhanji established a eunuch school"Inner Study"Two to three hundred students under the age of 10 will be selected to study in the school. The school is headed by the master of ceremonies, with a respected elder as the senior, and the bachelors of Hallym College are invited to teach the students to ensure the academic quality and management standards of the school.
Students study classic works such as "Hundred Family Names", "Thousand Character Texts", "Filial Piety Classics", "Four Books", "Thousand Family Poems" and "Prodigy Poems" in the Inner College, and the criteria for examination are mainly memory ability and neat writing.
For those with particularly poor grades and violations, teachers will record them on the report card and they will be dealt with by Bing Pen. Since the establishment of the Inner Academy, eunuch reading has become a fixed system.
These eunuchs, because of their ample time and carefree adolescence, were well-versed in ancient and modern times, well-versed in poetry and books, and had outstanding abilities. At critical moments, they can even use their calculations and deceit to deceive the king.
During the reign of Zhu Qizhen of Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, the power of eunuchs gradually increased, and even the right to point soldiers was mastered. Zhu Qizhen ascended the throne at the age of nine, when he was still a child who only knew how to play, and the eunuch Wang Zhen became his close friend, and his various whimsical ideas made the little emperor admire him very much.
Wang Zhen took advantage of the emperor's trust and grasped the power of the court, and no one could compete with him. When Ming Yingzong came of age, Hanlin persuaded Liu Qiu to pro-government, which made Wang Zhen very dissatisfied, and he threw Liu Qiu into prison and brutally killed him with a knife.
Li Shimian is not afraid of the powerful and dares to speak out. Wang Zhen used his power to oppress people and shackled him to the public. Thousands of students cried and ran, unable to be rescued. When Empress Dowager He learned of this, she personally interrogated and was able to release Li Shimian.
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, the Mongol Warat Department frequently violated the borders of the Ming Dynasty, and Wang Zhen vigorously advocated the personal conquest of Emperor Yingzong to achieve his eternal achievements. A large army headed north, but many soldiers starved to death on the way due to poor preparation.
When the army reached the vicinity of Datong, it was met by the defeated Ming army, who warned that the Mongols were unstoppable, which threw the army into confusion and had to give the order to go back.
By the time they reached the Tumu Fort, which was 30 kilometers away from Juyong Pass, Wara's pursuers had already arrived. Kuang Ye, the secretary of the military department, urgently asked Ming Yingzong to enter the pass immediately, but the gold and silver treasures looted by Wang Zhen along the way had not yet arrived, so he severely reprimanded Kuang Ye.
How much does Liu Jin's family property have? According to historians' research, Liu Jin's wealth is almost as astronomical as it is – including 330,000 kilograms** and 8.05 million kilograms**.
And even in the year of Chongzhen, when Li Zicheng invaded Beijing, the country's financial revenue was only 200,000 kilograms**. Liu Jin was only in power for five years, but Yang Yiqing, the imperial historian of the right capital, took advantage of the contradictions between the "Eight Tigers" to successfully stimulate Zhang Yong to fight back, causing Liu Jin to be accused of rebellion.
Eventually, Emperor Wuzong ordered Liu Jin's arrest and confiscation of all his family property.
Millions of taels of gold and silver and contraband such as fake seals and jade belts were found in Liu Jin's home, including two large mink hair fans that hid earth-shattering mechanisms, and when they were pressed, a dagger with cold light flashed, which frightened Wu Zong into a dagger.
Liu Jin will kill himself if he commits many injustices, but he almost dismantled the entire structure of Ming**. The power of the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty completed the process of expansion and reached the peak of power. Wei Zhongxian's arbitrariness is just an extension and reproduction of the history of these predecessors.
Ironically, Zhu Yuanzhang was most afraid of the eunuch dictatorship, but it was precisely the Ming Dynasty that became the most powerful era of eunuchs in history, and was ridiculed as the "largest eunuch empire".