Since its birth, this group of eunuchs has been criticized by people because of their attachment to imperial power, the monopoly of eunuchs, and the act of arbitrariness and perversion of power, and even more because of their physical disabilities, they are naturally incompatible with the title of upright gentleman. However, when we can cite Zhao Gao, Tong Guan, Wei Zhongxian, Wang Zhen, and Liu Jin, who are eunuchs who are evil in the court, there is one eunuch who has become one of the "individual examples" and is respected as a righteous gentleman by Ouyang Xiu and many other descendants.
He was the eunuch Zhang Juhan. Born at the end of the Tang Dynasty, he was adopted by Emperor Yizong of Tang in the early years of emperor Yizong's reign, and thus embarked on a career path. At that time, the world was in chaos, the Tang royal family was in decline, the situation of division of foreign feudal towns was serious, and the monopoly of eunuchs in the inner eunuchs was even more frequent. However, although he was a eunuch, he was serious about things, and he never acted arbitrarily. Moreover, he also formed a friendly relationship with Liu Rengong when the overseer Youzhou Jiedu made him, which also laid the foundation for Zhu Wen and Cui Yin to save their lives when they killed eunuchs.
In the last years of the Tang Dynasty, the government was gradually controlled by Zhu Wen. At this time, Zhu Wen also continued to march south to the north, and in 906, he aimed directly at Liu Rengong, facing the powerful Zhu Wen, Liu Rengong was repeatedly defeated, and it was Zhang Juhan who went to Zhu Wen's sworn enemy Li Ke for help, and Liu Rengong was saved.
Under the joint attack of the two sides, Li Keyong won the Battle of Luzhou. At that time, it was a chaotic world, and the talented Zhang Juhan was also retained by Li Ke for his own use. He became Li Keyong's confidante, and he was able to assist Li Keyong's son, Li Cunxun.
In 923, Li Cunxun destroyed Liang and declared himself emperor, although militarily Li Cunxun could be called the most courageous of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, but in governing the country, he lacked the necessary political wisdom, not only favored the people, but also connived at Empress Liu's power, and under the arrogance and lavishness, only to know pleasure, although Zhang Juhan at this time was also appointed as a privy councillor, but the military power was taken over by Guo Chongtao.
Later, Emperor Zhuangzong of Tang ordered the crown prince Li Jiquan and the privy councillor Guo Chongtao to conquer Houshu, which occupied Sichuan and other places. In the face of Later Tang's army, Wang Zongbi, the brother of Wang Yan of Shu, secretly surrendered, which also made it easy for Later Tang to destroy Shu.
In the face of Guo Chongtao's army, under the continuous defeat of the battle, Wang Yan, the king of Shu, had to beg for surrender. When Li Jiquan entered Chengdu, Wang Yan was even more humble, leading the sheep on the wall, tying his neck with a straw rope, and facing the left side of the road, showing his sincerity. Emperor Zhuangzong of Tang was naturally overjoyed, and issued an edict summoning Wang Yan to Luoyang, but just as Wang Yan was halfway through, because of his political unpopularity, there was a military mutiny in the Wei bo region.
Emperor Zhuangzong of Tang, Li Cunxun, was so furious that he sent troops to put down the rebellion. However, because the crown prince Li Jiyuan had not yet returned to Luoyang, he had to use Li Siyuan to go, but after Li Siyuan arrived at Wei Bo, not only failed to pacify it, but also decisively counterattacked at the suggestion of Shi Jingyao.
When the situation was critical, Tang Zhuangzong had to make a choice against Wang Yan, who had just surrendered. Then a holy decree came from Luoyang, which read: "Wang Yan and his party should be killed." The meaning was very clear, Emperor Zhuang wanted to kill Wang Yan and his party, and more than a thousand people.
At this time, Zhang Juhan, in the face of such an edict of extermination, he felt that Tang Zhuangzong's move was not in line with heavenly reason, and since the King of Shu had already surrendered, it was obviously against human feelings to do such a disposition.
So he made a decision that few people dared to make—to tamper with the edict. He pasted the edict on the pillar, changed the "line" in the edict to "home", and the edict became "Wang Yan's family, and it is advisable to kill". It was such a small move that saved the lives of more than a thousand officials of Later Shu and Wang Yan's slaves.
However, the great crime of "tampering with the edict" was also not held accountable for the murder of Li Cunxun in the Xingjiaomen Rebellion and the ascension of the Ming Emperor Li Siyuan to the throne, and Zhang Juhan was able to enjoy his old age in peace.
As for Zhang Juhan, a eunuch who dared to speak out in righteousness, Xue Juzheng, the author of the "History of the Old Five Dynasties", praised him: "Juhan changed one word to the edict and saved the indiscriminate death of thousands of people, which is not a benevolent person!" Even in the evaluation of the five generations of figures, the most stringent Ouyang Xiu praised him as "a gentleman to others, a gentleman who has a substitute for others, and takes everything", as if he were a righteous gentleman.
References: History of the New Five Dynasties, Song, Ouyang Xiu
History of the Old Five Dynasties, Song, Xue Juzheng