1. Zhao Gao of Qin State
Zhao Gao was a famous eunuch in history. He is a controversial figure in history. Firstly, his life experience, secondly, his date of birth, and thirdly, his merits and demerits. The official history records are ominous, and the unofficial history is for reference and entertainment only.
An unofficial history records this: Zhao Gao's parents were the lowest level of society in the Qin Shihuang era. Zhao Gao and several of his brothers were castrated and sent to the palace as soon as they were born. Zhao Gao was born with a smart mind and was good at reading other people's faces, but it was a pity that he had bad conduct. Because he stayed in the palace for a long time, he was exposed to some laws and regulations of the Qin Dynasty, and he was able to memorize them carefully, so he was relatively proficient in prison law.
Qin Shihuang knew that he was capable and talented, so he trusted him very much. He made him an official of the Zhongche Mansion and asked him to teach his young son Hu Hai to learn criminal law and prison litigation. Although Hu Hai was a playboy who only knew how to have fun, he was very interested in the cases told by Zhao Gao about solving cases and jailing. Therefore, he always regarded Zhao Gao as his teacher and confidant, and respected Zhao Gao very much.
Zhao Gao once violated the criminal law, and the King of Qin sent minister Meng Yi to punish him. Minister Meng Yi sentenced him to death and deprived him of his official status in accordance with Qin law. The First Emperor pardoned him because he thought he was diligent in his work.
In 210 AD, the first emperor of Qin died of illness in Shaqiu. Zhao Gao planned a conspiracy, used sharp words to lure Li Si into the water, deceived the truth, forced the prince Hu Su to be killed, and imprisoned the general Meng Kuo Shidi, and successfully helped Hu Hai. usurp the throne. Later, he was promoted to Lang Zhongling and took control of the court. Then Zhao Gao fully displayed his brutal methods and killed his dissident Li Si, who had already been an ally. After Li Si's death, Qin II favored Zhao Gao and appointed him as the prime minister. All major national affairs, no matter how big or small, were decided by him. Zhao respected his position and power, but his greed could not be satisfied. He wanted to usurp the throne and rebel, but he was afraid that other ministers would oppose him, so he hatched a plan and personally directed the farce of "turning a deer into a horse". Zhao Gao was extremely vicious, playing tricks on the second generation, and finally launched a coup and forced the death of the second generation. In the end, he himself also met a tragic end, which was the first example of a eunuch committing evil in history. How could he, the spirit of Qin Shihuang, the emperor of the ages, understand that the iron-clad country of Qin was destroyed at the hands of an eunuch, Zhao Gao?
2. Zhang Rang of the Eastern Han Dynasty
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Shichang eunuch group headed by Zhang Rang dominated the court and dominated the world. Zhang Rang was from Yingzhou. From a handyman eunuch in the palace, he gradually climbed up to the rank of chief eunuch and regular attendant. He encouraged the faint emperor Liu Ling and Emperor Liu Hong to set up the "Siyuan Official Sales Office" to openly sell officials and make money. They also set up a "Naked Tour Pavilion" in the West Garden of the Han Palace, exclusively for Emperor Ling's lewd pleasures, which made Emperor Ling smile with joy. He "transgressed" the imperial system and built his manor higher than the imperial palace. He was also afraid that the Emperor Ling would find out, so he tried his best to deceive the Emperor Ling by saying "The emperor cannot climb high, or he will suffer disaster if he climbs high." This foolish emperor was actually convinced and kept claiming that Zhang Rang As a father, I am truly a coward and a traitor, a scumbag.
Zhang Rang led ten regular servants, confused right and wrong, eliminated differences, and fabricated charges to kill court officials, which finally aroused dissatisfaction among the relatives group headed by He Jin. Zhang Rang acted preemptively and lured He Jin to death, which led to an uprising among the guards in the capital and killed thousands of eunuchs in the palace. Zhang Rang also went to a dead end and threw himself into the Yellow River.
3. Gao Lishi in the Tang Dynasty
Gao Lishi was one of the most powerful eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty. His surname is Feng, his given name is Yuanyi, and he is from Panzhou. His great-grandfather Feng Ang was the general manager of the eighteen states of Guang and Shao, and his grandfather Feng Zhi was the governor of Panzhou. His father, Feng Junheng, was "split from his crown and lost his family" due to his crime. Therefore, he was separated from his mother when he was young. At the beginning of the holy calendar, Li Qianli, the Lingnan attack envoy, castrated him and sent him to the palace. Gao Lishi was smart and agile since he was a child. Empress Wu Zetian liked him very much and ordered him to serve on her side. Later, he offended Wu Zetian because of something, and was beaten and driven out of the palace. He was adopted by the eunuch Gao Yanfu as his adopted son, and his surname was changed to Gao. Gao Yanfu was originally a slave of Wu Sansi's family and had a close relationship with Wu Sanen. Therefore, Gao Lishi often visited Wu's house. A year later, Gao Lishi was able to enter the palace again and was subordinate to Si Gongtai. During the "Shenlong Revolution", he adapted to the situation, chose his master, took refuge in Li Longji, and unseated his master Wu Zetian. Later, he made suggestions and helped Li Longji kill Empress Wei and Princess Taiping, and eventually became the most loyal servant of Emperor Ming of Tang Dynasty. However, Gao Lishi contributed a lot and offered many good strategies in the process of creating the "Kaiyuan prosperity" of the Tang Dynasty. Among all the eunuchs in China, he was considered to be outstanding.
The most exciting play Gao Lishi performed on the historical stage was that he single-handedly brokered the unparalleled marriage between Yang Yuhuan and Tang Xuanzong. It was he who made Concubine Yang Guifei successful, and it was he who hanged Concubine Yang Guifei in Maweipo. Success is also a strong person, and defeat is also a strong person. It’s true that a beautiful woman’s smile will charm you forever, but leave eternal regret in the world.
4. Li Fuguo in the Tang Dynasty
Li Fuguo, whose real name was Jingzhong, was later given the name Huguo, and then changed to Fuguo. He was a powerful eunuch during the reign of Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty. Jingzhong was a servant of the eunuch Gao Lishi when he was young. He was ugly and illiterate in writing. Later, he followed Li Fuguo, the prince of Li Heng, to the political stage of the empire. Li Fuguo's political career was considered a late bloomer. After he was forty years old, he began to take charge of the stables, and later became the servant of the prince Li Heng.
The disaster caused by eunuchs in Chinese history was most severe in the Han, Tang and Ming dynasties. There were eunuchs in power in the three dynasties, but the only one who occupied the position of prime minister was the eunuch Li Fuguo in the Tang Dynasty. The Anshi Rebellion became an opportunity for Li Fuguo to rise. Through Ma Wei's advice and Lingwu's persuasion, Li Fuguo gained the trust of Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty and rose to prominence, becoming the Minister of War. Supporting the emperor of the Tang Dynasty made Li Fuguo prosperous. He was worshiped as the Commander-in-Chief of the Sky, promoted to the position of prime minister, promoted to King of Bolu, and honored as Shangfu. He was extremely favored, which was unique among the eunuchs in ancient China.
Every tycoon who is in trouble has a set of dark tricks that are beyond ordinary people. Li Fuguo flatters and flatters his horse, and he can't learn it. He can turn things upside down, make things worse, he can do anything. He never shows mercy when it comes to murdering his own kind and killing those who are different from him. From princes and prime ministers to queens and emperors, they can be used as scepters in their hands when they are useful, and when they are useless, they can kill them with swords in their hands. Li Fuguo was busy throughout his life, seeking power to retain his position, taking advantage of wealth and wealth, and finally ended up with his head in a different place, his body abandoned in the wilderness.
5. Tong Guan of the Song Dynasty
Tong Guan, a eunuch in the Northern Song Dynasty, one of the "Six Thieves", named Daofu, was from Kaifeng. Although Tong Guan was a eunuch, he belonged to another type Type, historical records record: This man is tall and burly, with skin and bones as strong as iron, piercing eyes, dark complexion, and a beard on his forehead. At first glance, he looks very masculine and does not look like a castrated eunuch. This may be related to the fact that Tong Guan entered the palace when he was nearly 20 years old and became a disciple of the great eunuch Li Xian. He was a well-behaved person and was very good at contemplation. After Huizong came to the throne, he was like a fish in water. He tried his best to win the favor of the romantic emperor by presenting antiques, painting and calligraphy, and then he joined forces with Cai Jing to exclude the two ministers, Gong (i.e. Cai Jing) and Nv (i.e. Tong Guan). Internally and externally, they colluded with each other to dominate the military and political power of the Northern Song Dynasty. All officials in the government and the public were out of their control. Tong Guan, the eunuch, became the "Tong King" for twenty years. The Northern Song Dynasty fought repeatedly in the wars with the Liao and Jin Dynasties. Despite repeated defeats and declining national power, he maintained his military power forever, which shows that Tong Guan, who was a eunuch, was looked down upon by many officials in the court. In addition, Tong Guan was arrogant and had a feud with Huizong. After Zong ascended the throne, Tong Guan lost his support and was demoted three times in the first year of Jingkang. In July, he was demoted to Jiyang Army and ordered to punish Tong Guan for ten major crimes, and ordered the censor Zhang Cheng to pursue and kill him.
Tong Guan's experience. , full of legendary tragedy and comedy. In his life, he created several "bests" in Chinese history, which have definitely become records that no one has been able to break in the history of the Chinese nation, and may remain so forever. The records are: the eunuch who has held the army for the longest time in Chinese history; the eunuch who has the greatest military power in Chinese history; the first eunuch in Chinese history to represent the country on a foreign mission
6. Wang Zhen of the Ming Dynasty<. /p>
Wang Zhen, a native of Yuzhou, Shanxi, was the first authoritarian eunuch in the Ming Dynasty. He was originally a failed teacher, but he castrated himself and entered the palace. He gained the favor of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty and began to exercise power. Forming cliques for personal gain and interfering in government affairs opened the prelude to the eunuch empire. He ignored traditional concepts and social discussions and excluded auxiliary ministers; he stole Zhu Yuanzhang's iron plate that strictly prohibited eunuchs from intervening in politics, and allowed eunuchs to openly enter the political arena; after taking over the power, , crazily amassed money, interfered with finances in the name of imperial power, took corruption and bribes, and set the idea of ??getting rich on monks and nuns; he used insidious methods to eliminate political opponents, dismembering and killing Liu Qiu, which was the most appalling tragedy in the Yingzong period of the Ming Dynasty.
In order to establish the so-called great achievements, he did not know what fighting was, so he encouraged the emperor to go on a personal expedition, and he insisted on going his own way when commanding the army, making mistakes again and again. As a result, the Ming army was very tired and full of complaints, and was defeated by the Waqi cavalry. , as a result, the emperor was made a prisoner, and he himself was driven to a dead end. He was beaten to death by the guard general Fan Zhong, and his soul returned to hell. The eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty harmed the country and the people, which directly led to the defeat of the Ming Dynasty.
7. Liu Jin of the Ming Dynasty
Liu Jin, a native of Xingping, Shaanxi, whose surname was Tan, was adopted by the eunuch Liu Shun when he was six years old. Later, he became a eunuch in the palace and assumed the surname of Liu. . Liu Jin is one of the most famous eunuchs in Ming history.
In the reign of Emperor Xiaozong, he was exempted from the death penalty. Later, he served the crown prince Zhu Houyi, who later became Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty. He is good at observing people's emotions, adapts to circumstances, and is deeply trusted. After the crown prince succeeded to the throne, Liu Jin was promoted successively and soon became a eunuch in charge of rituals, answering the emperor's memorials on behalf of the emperor. With great power in his hands, he tempted Wu Zong to indulge in arrogance and extravagance, and he took advantage of the opportunity to specialize in government affairs. People at the time called him the "living emperor" and Wu Zong the "sitting emperor." He excluded dissenters and most upright officials in the DPRK were persecuted by him. And villains such as Liu Yu and Jiao Fang rushed to his door and became his party members.
Liu Jin’s greed and dictatorship brought endless disasters to the country and people. Anhua King Zhu Zhixiu took the opportunity to launch a rebellion in April of the fifth year of Zhengde. Due to its unpopularity, the rebellion was quickly put down. Eunuch Zhang Yong used the opportunity of offering prisoners to expose Liu Jin's crimes to Wu Zong. Liu Jin was arrested, and millions of taels of gold and silver, as well as counterfeit seals, jade belts and other prohibited items were found in his home. After a joint trial, Liu Jin was sentenced to Ling Chi. In August of the same year, Liu Jin was executed, ending his criminal life.
8. Wei Zhongxian of the Ming Dynasty
Wei Zhongxian, whose original name was Li Jinzhong, his surname was Wei, and his stepfather's surname was Li. After gaining favor, he was renamed Zhongxian because he avoided palace affairs. Wei Zhongxian was a eunuch in the late Ming Dynasty of China and a native of Suning, North Zhili. He was born a scoundrel in the market, illiterate, and knew everything about eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. As a result, his family fortune was exhausted and he sold his wife and daughters. Later, when he was desperate due to gambling debts, he castrated himself and became a eunuch in the palace. In the palace, he befriended the eunuch Wang An. , get his blessing. Later, he had a heated relationship with Yinyue, the emperor's grandson's nanny, and he did everything he could to flatter the emperor's eldest grandson, luring him to have a banquet, which greatly pleased him. In the first year of Taichang, Zhu Youxiao ascended the throne and became Xizong. After Wei Zhongxian was promoted to eunuch Si Li Bingbi, he and Ke Yinyue began to take power and intervene in politics. He avenged Wang An, forced the Wei Dynasty to leave, killed courtiers with rods, launched unjust prisons, hunted down the Donglin Party, planted party members privately, and called himself "Nine Thousand Years Old", which was the highest peak of eunuchs' dictatorial power and chaos in the country in the past dynasties.
Wei Zhongxian's outrageous behavior aroused serious indignation among upright officials, and the Donglin Party exposed and fought against them for justice. In the fourth year of the Apocalypse, Yang Lian, the deputy censor of the capital, denounced Wei Zhongxian's 24 major crimes and boldly exposed Wei Zhongxian's evil. Wei Zhongxian panicked and cried to Xizong. Hakka defended him from the side, and Wang Tiqian also tried his best to defend him. The foolish Xizong listened and believed, but issued an edict to punish Yang Lian. Wei Zhongxian was at large. Not only did he encourage the emperor's lewdness, he also took wives and concubines, robbed the people of the world, and killed many unfortunate beauties.
In the autumn and August of the seventh year of Tianqi, Xizong died of illness. Zhu Youjian, the king of Xin, succeeded him as emperor, and he changed his name to Chongzhen, who became Sizong. Zhu Youjian had always been familiar with Wei Zhongxian's crimes. At the same time, Donglin Party members also wrote letters of impeachment, so he ordered Wei Zhongxian to be sent to Fengyang. Later, people were sent to arrest and punish him. Wei Zhongxian knew that he would inevitably die, so he committed suicide out of fear of his crime, ending his life of heinous crimes.
9. Andehai in the Qing Dynasty
Andehai was a native of Qingxian County, Zhili Province. He entered the palace as a child and served as an eunuch in the inner court and a eunuch in the late Qing Dynasty. He entered the palace as a eunuch at the age of 10. Because of his dexterity and eye-catching skills, he won the favor of his master, who called him "Xiao Anzi". In 1861, he encountered an opportunity and reached the sky in one fell swoop. In that year, Emperor Xianfeng issued a secret edict on his deathbed, appointing his only son Zai Chun to succeed him, Su Shun and eight other ministers as regents. He also issued a secret order: If the Nala clan gains power, they can be eliminated. Andehai secretly reported the imperial edict to Nala. After Xianfeng's death, he acted as the secret envoy of Nala and Prince Gong, traveling between Rehe and Beijing, making Xinyou's coup a success. "Xiao Anzi" worked so hard that Empress Dowager Cixi promoted him to the position of eunuch in charge.
After Andehai became Cixi's confidant, he took advantage of his arrogance, interfered in the government affairs, suppressed Prince Gong, promoted the empress dowagers of the two palaces, and made many enemies. He crazily amassed money, behaved arrogantly, and finally ended up in Jinan. The fate of the first one.
10. Li Lianying in the Qing Dynasty
Li Lianying was born in Hejian Prefecture, Zhili, and was a native of Lijia Village, Zangtun Township, Dacheng County, Hebei Province. According to his epitaph, he was born in the 28th year of Daoguang and entered the palace at the age of 9. Qing palace files also prove that he was indeed sent to the palace as a eunuch by Prince Zheng Duanhua in the seventh year of Xianfeng, but he was 13 years old.
As for Li Lianying's life experience, folklore is specific and vivid. It is said that he was originally a rogue in Hejian Prefecture. He was imprisoned for smuggling saltpetre and sulfur. After he was released from prison, he switched to repairing leather shoes and was known as "Leather Nipper". . Later, he came to Beijing. Because he had mastered a set of techniques for combing new hairstyles, he asked fellow eunuch Shen Lanyu to introduce him to the palace and became the hair-combing eunuch of Empress Dowager Cixi. As a result, he became favored by Cixi.
Li Lianying was named Li Jinxi after entering the palace. It was not until 14 years after entering the palace that Cixi named Lianying. He worked in the memorial office and in Jingren Palace on the East Road successively. It was not until the third year of Tongzhi, when he was 16 years old, that he was transferred to the Changchun Palace to work for Cixi.
From the sixth year of Xianfeng to the thirty-fourth year of Guangxu, he stayed in the Qing Palace for fifty-two years. He was the most favored personal eunuch of Empress Dowager Cixi. He was also the eunuch with the highest taste, the most power, the most wealth, and the longest tenure in the Qing Dynasty. His cruelty to his master's servants and his fellow humans reached its peak. He pretended to be powerful and had no fear. He put the princes behind him and regarded the military ministers as nothing. The high officials in the court and the governors of other provinces all fawned over him and looked up to him. He heard about and participated in all the national affairs and political affairs of the Qing Dynasty.