In fact, eunuchs have a very low status. They are just slaves of the royal family. The reason why they can make waves and do evil at will is nothing more than their close relationship with the emperor.
In most dynasties, eunuchs had no right to exercise their functions within the system, and they could only achieve their goals through dark hidden rules. Being a lonely emperor seems supreme, but in fact he is lonely, fearful and insecure. What they can really trust is only the eunuch who has been with him since childhood. Therefore, the emperor needs to rely on eunuchs to supervise officials and control state affairs through them to prevent himself from being overhead.
However, eunuchs suffered from physical disabilities and discrimination from the people, which led to their personality deviating from the normal track and becoming distorted and abnormal. They can be as servile as dogs or as vicious as snakes and scorpions. If such a group of surly perverts have great power, the political ecology of the country will be seriously damaged. If they completely control the state machine, then the regime is not far from being overthrown.
Although there have been many tragedies in history in which eunuchs messed up and even killed their masters, the emperors' love and connivance for eunuchs continued. Because they really can't overcome their inner loneliness and fear, they need to unite trusted eunuchs to jointly fight against unruly ministers in the imperial court and prevent murders that may occur at any time. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty once said, "Only when Lux ascended the throne can I sleep soundly", which means that I can sleep soundly at night only when trusted eunuch Gao Lishi is on duty, which shows how much the emperor relies on eunuchs.
However, the expansion of eunuch power often erodes imperial power. In the early years of the Tang Dynasty, due to the strength of the emperor, the power of eunuchs was limited by the rulers, with a small number and low status. Since Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, eunuchs have been reused and their power has gradually grown. At that time, "those who respect the palace ban and the palace is abbreviated as the purpose, that is, they are awarded about three generals." Eunuchs hold important positions in the palace. By the late Tang Dynasty, the eunuch's power had been institutionalized. In Tang Dezong, eunuchs took control of the country's most elite armed forces, the Shence Army, and could abolish the emperor according to their own wishes. Several emperors were killed by eunuchs. At this time, the eunuch said, "all the opportunities and opportunities have been taken away, and nine times the waste is made by myself!" " The succession of the nine emperors from Xianzong to Zhaozong was influenced by eunuch forces. The eunuch Li not only became prime minister, but also killed the queen in front of her, and the emperor died in fear.
Tang Wenzong, unwilling to be controlled by eunuchs, tried to unite the ministers to kill eunuchs in order to regain power. As a result, things were exposed, which led to the "change of manna" and a large number of ministers were killed. From then on, literate admired was completely controlled by eunuchs. He once lamented that his position was not as good as that of Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty. He was held hostage by powerful ministers, but was subject to domestic slaves, and the situation was even worse.
Eunuchs in Tang Dynasty are different from other dynasties. Because they have institutionalized power, they are no longer just slaves of the royal family, but also have the status of government officials and can legally exercise power within the system. As a result of this dual identity, the eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty not only controlled the harem, but also acted rudely in the court, with unprecedented power. This also made the eunuchs' ways to collect money unprecedented unobstructed, and thus made a windfall.
How did the eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty realize the counterattack, from humble domestic slaves to the masters of the extremely rich, and open the road to wealth?
First of all, they can get the national salary. Because the eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty were all officials in the system and enjoyed the national salary like other officials in the imperial court. The salary of eunuchs in Tang Dynasty generally consists of rice, money, labor, professional fields and public fields. Besides the normal salary, eunuchs often get other rewards. For example, when the emperor ascended the throne and got married, it was customary to reward eunuchs; Eunuchs who make meritorious deeds or take pains to protect them will be given special rewards. In the Tang Dynasty, eunuchs often served as supervisors in the army, and when they went to court, the emperor also gave them rewards as encouragement. The main forms of rewards are promotion of officials and knights and rewards in kind. Because Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty favored eunuchs, nearly half of the best houses, the most fertile fields, orchards and ponds in Beijing were given to eunuchs. Gao Lishi, a trusted eunuch, holds a high position and enjoys a generous salary. Besides, Xuanzong gave him many rewards and accepted bribes and gifts. His family wealth is very rich.
After the mid-Tang Dynasty, the elite armed forces "Shence Army" in Gyeonggi area of Gong Wei were completely controlled by eunuchs, and the military and political power around Chang 'an was also under the strict control of eunuchs. The emperor became a puppet in their hands, and eunuchs gave orders in the ruling center of the Tang Dynasty. At this point, powerful eunuchs can do whatever they want, and all kinds of channels for collecting money are completely opened by them.
In addition to wages, rewards and other legitimate income, eunuchs also made a lot of black gold through hidden rules. These gray incomes have become their most important source of wealth.
Eunuchs took advantage of their special position around the emperor to accept the requests of those who seek official profits, to bridge the gap, to mediate, to accept a large number of bribes, and to take the opportunity to seduce and form their own power. When eunuchs really came to power, they seized huge ill-gotten gains through extortion.
In addition, eunuchs also use their power to do business, monopolize the supply of goods and the market, monopolize the market and make huge profits.
Forcibly plundering property from the people at a very low price, or even directly robbing it, is also a means for eunuchs to seize wealth. "A load of charcoal, thousands of jins, the palace will cherish. Half a horse is full of silk, and the cow's head is full of charcoal. " ? The poem in Bai Juyi's "Selling Charcoal Weng" is a true portrayal of eunuchs dominating the market and plundering property at that time.
After accumulating rich financial resources, eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty were keen on building temples, and many famous temples with large scale were built by eunuchs. Gao Lishi built a Buddhist temple in Laiting Square and a Taoist temple in Xingning Square. These two halls and towers are comparable to Taoist temples built by officials. The eunuch Yu Chaoen built a temple, Baoying Temple in Chien Sun. Later, the Beidou Temple was discovered by Liang Sicheng and Lin, and was built by Wang Shoucheng, the eunuch who killed Tang Xianzong. ? Because of the strong incense in these big temples, incense money became an income of eunuchs.
Eunuchs also used their power to make profits by investing heavily in large-scale infrastructure. For example, Gao Lishi closed a river to build a dam in the northwest of Beijing and installed five giant water mills, which can grind 300 tons of wheat every day (10 bucket is 1 ton) and collect wages.
In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, eunuchs adopted sons. Eunuchs are mentally deformed due to physical defects. In order to achieve psychological balance, in addition to crazy intake of power and wealth, he also married young eunuchs as adopted sons. One is to meet their psychological needs, and the other is to consolidate their power, safeguard their power and expand their wings. With the increasing influence of eunuchs, their adopted sons are no longer just young children. Bureaucrats and military commanders have become their adopted sons for many years, forming a personal attachment relationship. The so-called "arrogance is to raise it, strength is to town, and fighting is our door!"
Because big eunuchs accumulated huge wealth, inheriting the inheritance of adoptive father was also a way for eunuchs to acquire wealth in Tang Dynasty.
Eunuchs used unscrupulous means to collect money, which led to the emptiness of the treasury and the exhaustion of finance in the Tang Dynasty. The court was unable to pacify the increasingly serious vassal regime and the country was even more declining. The people's lives were in dire straits, which eventually led to the Huang Chao Uprising and pushed the Tang Dynasty to the abyss of disaster.