The anecdotes of the fake eunuchs subvert history
In China's thousands of years of history, the eunuch group is a unique existence. Since the Qin Dynasty, there has been the official position of eunuch, and with the advancement of the times, a unique eunuch system has been formed in the Tang Dynasty.
Most of them came from poor families and had to self-castrate to enter the court in search of a chance to survive because they lived in poverty. In the court, eunuchs were usually engaged in heavy tasks such as cleaning, serving tea and pouring water.
There are many eunuchs who have made outstanding contributions to the country and the world, such as Cai Lun, the inventor of papermaking, and Zheng He, who went to the West seven times. Their exploits will always be remembered. Of course, there are also some eunuchs with bad intentions who sabotage the government and endanger the people, such as Wei Zhongxian, who claims to be "nine thousand years old", and "Zhao Gao", who leans towards the government and the opposition.
However, the eunuchs in history were not only those who controlled the government, but also the "fake" eunuchs who fornicated in the harem.
Chang Yu, a controversial figure in the history of the Qin Dynasty, is surprising for his complex relationships and influence. He not only had a special relationship with the Empress Dowager Zhao, but also had an inseparable connection with Prime Minister Lü Buwei.
As a male favorite, he not only mixed well in the harem, but also participated in many major political events, and even directly murdered the emperor. His presence undoubtedly had a profound impact on the political pattern of the Qin Dynasty.
Lü Buwei found that his dangerous relationship with Zhao Ji was no longer suitable, and he feared that his secret with Empress Zhao would be discovered by the King of Qin. So he decided to pass the blame on to others and presented Zhao Ji with a "stranger" named Chang Yu.
It is said that Chang Yu has a unique skill of turning paulownia wheels with his **, which shows that his "other side" is very good. Moreover, he is handsome and deeply loved by the Empress Dowager Zhao.
After careful consideration, Lü Buwei decided to adopt an ingenious method to cover up the scandalous affair between him and the Empress Dowager Zhao. He arranged for Chang Yu to enter the palace as a eunuch in order to attract people's attention.
However, in fact, Chang Yu was not a real eunuch, and in order to achieve his goal, Lü Buwei just asked him to pretend to be a eunuch to serve the queen mother and serve as the chief eunuch of the harem.
Under Lü Buwei's careful arrangement, Chang Yu was able to enter the harem smoothly, where the two enjoyed themselves and sang every night, as if the entire harem was their private domain.
Their indulgent life even attracted the occasional visit of Lü Buwei, and soon after, Empress Dowager Zhao became pregnant. Once the news of being pregnant as the empress dowager of the harem came out, it would definitely cause great anger among Qin Shi Huang.
In order to cover up the scandal, Zhao Ji asked Yingzheng to build a dormitory in Yongcheng, hundreds of miles away, and moved there to live by himself. Since then, the relationship between the two has become unscrupulous. Soon after, Zhao Ji gave birth to two sons.
However, Zhao Ji's trust in Chang Yu made Chang Yu gradually control the power of the Empress Dowager Zhao, and enveloped the nobles at that time, making her power increase rapidly. However, at this time in the Qin Dynasty, Lü Buwei's power was in full swing and he had put the King of Qin in disregard, which made Yingzheng deeply dissatisfied.
In order to counterbalance Lü Buwei's influence, he began to use the forces behind Zhao Ji, and Chang Yu, who was favored by Zhao Ji, naturally became an important chess piece in his hands. Chang Yu, who held the power of life and death, gradually became arrogant and arrogant, and he began to cultivate his cronies and disciples, and there were thousands of servants in the palace.
The nobles from all sides came to take refuge one after another, making Chang Yu majestic and powerful for a while.
In ancient history, there was a time when Chang Yu publicly claimed that he was the false father of the King of Qin, which caused great dissatisfaction among Ying Zheng. In the face of the angry Ying Zheng, Chang Yu decided to preemptively take the initiative.
Chang Yu skillfully stole the jade seal, gathered all the soldiers of Yongcheng and his own guests, and went straight to the palace of King Yingzheng of Qin. However, Ying Zheng had already prepared, ambushed the Great Qin soldiers in the palace, and ordered the two generals to lead the army to come.
The rebellion ended in the defeat of Chang Yu, who was dismembered by Yingzheng and executed along with his two sons. Chang Yu's life was full of legends, but his ambitions were eventually completely shattered by King Yingzheng of Qin.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, there was a fake eunuch named Gao Bodhisattva, although he was a eunuch, he was able to sit in the harem with the emperor. Although he was honored as a bodhisattva, his actions were completely contrary to common sense.
Gao Bodhisattva was originally a doctor, he was dignified and strong, and had nothing to do with the royal family. However, on one occasion, Empress Feng unfortunately fell seriously ill, and all the imperial doctors in the palace could not**.
So, Empress Feng recruited famous doctors all over the world, and finally Gao Bodhisattva succeeded the Queen Mother, and had feelings with Empress Feng in the process. Something indescribable happened between them.
Empress Feng wanted to keep Gao Bodhisattva in the palace to continue the affair between them, so he entered the palace as a eunuch, but this was just a cover-up. The High Bodhisattva was not purified.
During their days in the palace, Gao Bodhisattva and Empress Feng often had a relationship. Because Emperor Xiaowen devoted himself to state affairs and had no time to take care of the harem, this also gave Gao Bodhisattva a chance.
Emperor Xiaowen devoted most of his time to conquest, which made Empress Feng and the concubines of the harem lonely. These concubines have been lonely for a long time, and the appearance of the high bodhisattva is like nectar after a drought.
As a result, many concubines developed improper relationships with Gao Bodhisattva. There was a scandal circulating about them in the harem, but because Gao Bodhisattva was Empress Feng's confidant, everyone had to choose to turn a blind eye.
In the court, the two of them behaved more and more shamelessly. When Emperor Xiaowen bravely killed the enemy on the battlefield, Empress Feng was even more indulgent and openly colluded with Gao Bodhisattva in the harem.
This scandal was eventually exposed by Princess Pengcheng. When Emperor Xiaowen learned about this, he was furious. He decided to interrogate Empress Feng himself, but the truth she told was far beyond Emperor Xiaowen's imagination.
Emperor Xiaowen could never have imagined that he was fighting bloodily outside to serve the country, and the woman he loved betrayed him.
Emperor Xiaowen fell ill due to excessive grief and a long tiring ride on the carriage and horse. Empress Feng came to visit him with deep guilt, and Emperor Xiaowen looked at her with a very complicated heart. This incident eventually became one of the reasons for the death of Emperor Xiaowen.
Gao Bodhisattva was executed, and despite his deep love for Empress Feng, Emperor Xiaowen decided not to let her be harmed and retained her status as empress. However, the matter of Empress Feng and Gao Bodhisattva has always been a burden on the heart of Emperor Xiaowen.
In the twenty-third year of Taihe, because of excessive sadness, Emperor Xiaowen fell seriously ill. In the end, the emperor on horseback died at the age of thirty-three.
In the late Tang Dynasty, with the help of Empress Feng, Gao Bodhisattva successfully gained a foothold in the harem and shared power with the emperor. However, his extravagance eventually led to a tragic end.
Also in the late Tang Dynasty, a eunuch named Liu Keming, by virtue of the power of his adoptive father Liu Guang, was able to avoid the "palace punishment" and enter the palace. Although he was a little-known person, he made Tang Jingzong Li Zhan a green hat, and even killed him in the end.
The rise of Liu Keming marked the beginning of the growth of the eunuch power led by him. They gradually mastered the government and the harem, which made the Tang Dynasty go into decline.
Liu Keming entered the palace under the arrangement of his adoptive father, and when he first entered the palace, Liu Guang saw that Liu Keming and Li Zhan were of the same age, so he asked him to accompany the prince to read and write. The two spent a lot of time together, and Liu Keming became Li Zhan's first friend.
Although Li Zhan is the crown prince, he is indifferent to national affairs, and just eats, drinks and has fun all day long. In order to please Li Zhan, Liu Keming tried his best to cater to his preferences and think about this "little emperor" in everything, but he was very shrewd and never revealed his thoughts.
As time passed, Liu Keming gradually won Li Zhan's trust and became his confidant.
The young Tang Jingzong Li Zhan ascended the throne, but he was addicted to pleasure and had no interest in the government. Liu Keming took the opportunity to be domineering in the palace, and even had improper relationships with many palace maids.
Li Zhan did nothing about this, and Liu Keming became more and more arrogant, and even began to play the idea of the harem concubines.
Li Zhan had no interest in the affairs of men and women, so that the women of the harem could not be favored by him, and the concubines began to complain again and again. In this context, Liu Keming skillfully used his own means to successfully hook up with Li Zhan's Dong Guifei.
One day, while admiring the flowers in the garden, the queen heard a strange noise in the grass and a sound that made her blush and heartbeat. Driven by curiosity, the queen walked over to check, and saw Liu Keming and Dong Guifei secretly doing unspeakable things.
The queen made a choice between reason and desire, chose the latter, and had a relationship with Liu Keming. Li Zhan had no idea about this, he was obsessed with hunting, and as a result, he shot Liu Keming in the thigh.
Liu Keming was worried that the emperor would know about his harem fornication, so he was worried every day, and even began to plot rebellion. He was terrified of his actions, fearing that if he was discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Therefore, he decided to strike first and tried to protect himself by rebelling.
In 826 AD, Li Zhan returned to the palace after a hunt, where he drank with a group of eunuchs including Liu Keming. While drinking, Li Zhan entered the room to change clothes. However, Liu Keming and others blew out the candles in the room.
In the dark, Su Zuoming broke into the room with a knife and killed Li Zhan, announcing to the public that Li Zhan had died suddenly. Although Liu Keming was very bold, he did not end well.
He killed the emperor and also bullied the emperor's empress. After Prime Minister Pei Du found out, for the sake of the anger of the people, he decided to punish Liu Keming and execute him.
The tragic fate of the three eunuchs stemmed from their excessive ambition and desire. For the sake of power and profit, they pretended to enter the palace, but in the end they were swallowed up by their own desires and went to failure.
In Chinese history, it was not uncommon for eunuchs to mislead the country, and their power sometimes even exceeded that of the emperor and prime minister. However, this is all because the system in the ancient palace is not perfect, so that the fake eunuchs have an opportunity.
The eunuch had a low status and a physical disability, and who would be willing to make such a sacrifice if it were not for the sake of life. With the development of the times, Sun Yaoting, the last eunuch in China, died in 1996, and the cruel group of eunuchs finally disappeared into the long river of history.
References: "Historical Records" and "Historical Records: The Biography of Lü Buweilie".