Eunuchs are a special group. Mention of them often reminds you of the word "deformity", both physical and psychological.
After all, in real history, there are many good eunuchs, such as Cai Lun, who invented papermaking, Zheng He, who went to the West seven times, Dong Haichuan, the founder of Bagua Palm, and Feng Bao, who supported Zhang Juzheng's reforms.
There were also bad eunuchs, such as Wei Zhongxian, Wang Zhen, Liu Jin, Tong Guan, An Dehai, etc. (the Ming Dynasty contributed a lot), but it cannot be generalized.
But perhaps one thing that is common is that the fundamental defects caused by "castration" cause their physiology and psychology to lose their normal balance, but they cannot be compensated through normal channels, so they are prone to a particularly persistent and naked pursuit of the two "universal values" of power and money (in this sense, those corrupt officials are deformed).
There are a large number of examples of such cases in history and literature, and here we will only talk about the three eunuchs in "Dream of the Red Chamber": Dai Quan, Xia Shouzhong and Zhou Eunuchs. See how these three use power and make money.
01 Dai Quan: Clearly marked price
As soon as I heard the name, I knew that this eunuch was in a position of great power!
Dai Quan's position is "Daming Palace Inner Minister", and I don't know what kind of position this is, but the four words "Palm Palace Interior Minister" have already shown that he is a eunuch with real power in the palace. So what power does he hold?
He appeared when he was attending Qin Keqing's funeral, and when he came, he was very provocative, "first prepared the sacrifice ceremony to send people, and then sat in a big car, beat the umbrella and sounded the gong, and personally came to the sacrifice." But he has capital, because as soon as he came, he solved a "future" problem for Jia Rong.
It turned out that Jia Zhen was devastated because her daughter-in-law Qin Keqing had died, and she had to give her a funeral with unlimited scenery, but the fly in the ointment was that Jia Rong was "just a door supervisor, and the Linghat Sutra was not good-looking when it was written on the list", which could not line Up Qin Keqing's status, so when she saw Dai Quan coming, she moved her brain.
That Dai Quan was a wise man, and knew that Jia Zhen's move was to "make the funeral more beautiful"; but what was even more powerful was that he did not just "point out a bright road" for Jia Zhen, but directly arranged a bright road for him: there was a "Dragon Lieutenant" that could be filled.
Some friends may have asked, no matter how powerful Dai Quan is, it is also "in charge of the palace internal minister", the appointment and dismissal of officials is a matter outside the palace, and it is understandable that he has obtained information quickly and comprehensively because he is in the great interior, but how can the internal officials manage foreign affairs?
It is true that eunuchs do not have the "right to appoint." This should be taken into account that eunuchs like Dai Quan not only have the "right to know", but also the "right to suggest".
He was in a very critical position, the connection point between the harem and the emperor, the emperor and the courtiers, or the "checkpoint". Eunuchs interfering in political affairs are here. We will not expand on this, after all, there is a vast sea of information in all aspects; only to say how this "Dragon Forbidden Lieutenant" is arranged.
At that time, Dai Quan asked Jia Zhen to write Jia Rong's resume, and after reading it:
When he returned his hand, he handed it to a close-fitting squatter and said, "Come back and send it to Old Zhao, the official of the Hubu Tang, saying that I worship him, get a ticket for the Five Pins Dragon Forbidden Lieutenant, and then give a license, fill in this resume, and I will send it to the silver for Ming'er." ”
The whole process was understated, and Jia Zhen's headache was solved between the raised hands. Arrange a wupin official, as long as you let the close-fitting xiaoxiao out of the horse, go to the Hubu Tang official (Shangshu) "Old Zhao" (you see, he is called the imperial court Zheng Erpin senior official), say a word, ask for a "ticket" and "license", and then fill in Jia Rong's resume.
Isn't it a bit like writing a blank check?
The fact is that a five-pin dragon lieutenant official position was bought casually in this way by "delivering first and then paying the money".
Why was that Hubu Shangshu "Old Zhao" so obedient? It goes without saying that the friendship between Lao Zhao and Lao Dai is very close, and the friendship between a high-ranking official and a eunuch can only be based on mutual use.
That is to say, maybe Old Zhao can become a Hubu Shangshu, or rely on the pillow wind of Old Dai passing through the Queen Concubine! This old Zhao is like this, what about other high-ranking officials? Or what about the relatives and friends of high-ranking officials?
Jia Rong's five-pin position was thus completed; of course, it was not given away in vain. The purpose of dai power is to take money.
Let's see how Dai Quan asks for money.
He said, "It just so happened that there was a beautiful shortage, and now the three hundred Dragon Lieutenants are two shorter." I don't think it's a coincidence, but he was waiting for the "price to be sold"!
However, at this time, it was no longer "two members", but "one member", because one of them had already been sent to the home by "Xiangyang Hou's brother Lao San" to ask for it.
Since you have already asked for it, can you just say that there is only one member left? No, because the key number of "fifteen hundred and two silver" cannot be omitted, and it is also his core meaning -- the family of the Marquis of Renren has given me a lot of silver, and if you Jia Fu wants it, naturally it cannot be much shorter.
Then, one member is a member, and he said, "Yongxing Jiedu made Feng Fatzi come to ask for donations with his children", but he still "didn't have time to answer him", which is equivalent to saying that even this member can hardly guarantee it, and it is very sought-after, and there is no shop in this village!
Then, Dai Quan said, "Since our children want to donate, write a resume quickly", which means that they don't care about what moderation makes, they first send it to Jia Fu, who told us to have a good feeling!
Along the way, Dai Quan can be described as showing "heavy affection and righteousness", and arranged the only good opportunity to cut in the team to Jia Rong.
However, no matter how "heavy love and righteousness", in the final analysis, it is still "heavy money". He told Jia Zhen:
"If you go to the ministry, you will suffer again." It is better to equalize 1,200 taels of silver and send it to my house. ”
He asked Jia Zhen to spend the money on the point and give it to him; and based on the extra discount of feelings, he only needed to send him 1,200 taels of silver, which was 300 taels less than the silver sent by Xiangyang Hou's brother, which was really "benevolent to the end"!
Do you guess how this thousand two hundred taels of silver is divided? I guess he ate alone.
02 Xia Shouzhong: Only borrow and do not repay
This Xia eunuch was the "eunuch of the six palaces" and also played an important role. It is said that the harmonic pronunciation of his name is "hand heavy", let's see where the weight is.
The way he uses power is the same as the previous dai quan is to use the "right to information". It is to use information asymmetry to increase its own importance; the difference is that Dai Quan will show a sense of closeness to Jia Fu, while Xia Shouzhong highlights the "sense of distance".
For example, when Yuan Chun was made a concubine of Xiande, the palace sent Xia Shouzhong out to pass on the message. When I arrived at Jia Province, I was "full of smiles", not like there was anything bad, but it was really the will to tell Jia Zheng to enter the DPRK immediately, and there was no other word, "After saying that, I didn't have time to eat tea, so I went on a horse."
Obviously, he didn't even have a look of action like patting Jia Yu Jia Zheng and others or losing his eyes, making "Jia Yu and others don't know what the omen is."
Although there is a disciplinary requirement for the transmission of the will and must not be disclosed at will, is there still less problem of not acting according to the will?
This is what he is deliberately creating a sense of distance, and it is this effect that he wants, which makes Jia Fu restless. What good is this for Xia Shouzhong? The benefits are great, with Yuan Chun's information, can not only pass through him? The "through" is all in him, and there is obviously a sense of distance, so is Jia Fu still not prepared for great benefits to flatter him?
This is the "use without use" of the right.
Speaking of which, this is really a problem in reality: it is said that "horses are good to be bullied, and people are good to be ridden", and they behave "high and cold", but people respect them more. Alas.
Needless to say Jia Fu, it is estimated that Yuan Chun also surrounded Xia Shouzhong in the palace, because he was a "eunuch of the six palaces". One year during the Dragon Boat Festival, Yuan Chun asked her family to go to Qingxuguan to fight for three days of peace and security, and it was also sent to Xia Shouzhong to send one hundred and twenty taels of silver.
Xia Shouquan used power, also for money.
However, his way is different from Dai Quan' again, Dai Quan is directly "selling officials and knights", while Xia Shouquan is "borrowing money", but "only borrowing and not repaying".
According to the information in the book, he personally went to Jia Province to borrow money in the early stages, and gradually only sent his confidants to the little eunuch. Let's take a look at a conversation between the little eunuch and Wang Xifeng:
Little Eunuch:
"Grandpa Xia, because he saw a house this year, is now two hundred taels of silver short, so he sent me to ask my grandmother's house, there is ready-made silver to borrow one or two hundred temporarily, and I will send it in a day or two."
"Grandpa Xia also said that there were still 1,200 taels of silver that had not been sent twice last time, and when the end of this year came, naturally they would all be sent together."
Wang Xifeng:
"Your Grandpa Xia is so stingy, which is also worth mentioning in your heart." I say a word, I am not afraid of his heart, if we all remember it and return it to us, I don't know how much we have returned. I'm afraid there isn't, but if there is, just take it. ”
From what the little eunuch said, it can be seen that Xia Shouzhong borrowed money very frequently and randomly, and "occasionally saw a house" short of two hundred taels of silver to borrow, I am afraid that I found a "food" to borrow.
It is not said that it will not be repaid, and even said very clearly, "it will be sent in one or two days", or "it will be sent together at the end of this year", but it is obviously just a matter of mouth; since it is necessary to borrow money for "accidental" things, it is natural that it can not be repaid for "accidental" reasons, and it is not good to return a "loan instead of repayment"!
At the same time, Xia Shouzhong seemed to remember clearly how much he had borrowed, but according to Wang Xifeng, "If we all remember and pay us back in this way, I don't know how much we have repaid", I am afraid that it is far more than 1,200 taels. In this way, it is really "heavy".
For him, it was a borrowed word anyway, borrowed until Jia Fu raided the family bankruptcy, including the record of his borrowing money (if any), and dissipated at the same time.
03 Zhou Eunuch: Give me silver
This eunuch does not write a name in the book, which is a relatively less important one!
However, although his identity may not be very important, it is not clear that he has any other powers besides the "right to information" shared by eunuchs such as Dai Quan and Xia Shouzhong, but he is more blatant than the first two in "asking for money".
We can see that Dai Quan wants money, after all, there is still a direct transaction, even if it is "useless", although it is also "illegal", but it is estimated that it was also an unwritten rule at that time; Xia Shouzhong asked for money, or slightly modified, using a "borrowed" name; this week the eunuch is really "asking for money", not engaging in transactions, nor embellishment:
Jia Lian said, "Yesterday, when eunuch Zhou came, he opened his mouth for a thousand taels." I should have slowed down a bit, and he was uncomfortable. ”
Good guys, neither guarantee any benefits to Jia Fu, nor do they say that "occasionally" encounter anything that urgently needs money, and it is straightforward to "give money"; people promise to be slow, and immediately put their faces on the face.
It turned out that the Zhou eunuchs used the method of extortion.
As for why the eunuchs did this kind of transverse method this week, are there any other factors besides personality? There is a saying that Jia Lian said that "there will be many places to offend people in the future", and it is estimated that it is necessary for the eunuchs to go through this week, and at that time, the Zhongshun Palace was at odds with the Jia family, and it is likely that the eunuchs of this week were related to this section. But whether it can help or not, only God knows. The book does not explicitly say, let's talk about it.
The above is my understanding of the different ways of "using power and asking for money" of the three eunuchs, in the final analysis: in order to make money, they have their own characteristics and tricks, as for the ugliness, it is impossible to take care of it.
I don't know if my friends think of this? Welcome to discuss!