In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, and Ming Dynasty, the problem of eunuch monopoly was more serious, in fact, during the reign of the Northern Song Dynasty, the power of eunuchs was also relatively large, not only could interfere in the government, but even led troops as the main general. In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a eunuch who even changed the historical trend of the Song Dynasty, and after his death, Zhao Kuangyin, the ancestor of the Song Dynasty, went against the will of the Song Empress and pushed Zhao Guangyi, the King of Jin, to the throne.
It is said that on October 19 of the ninth year of Kaibao, Zhao Kuangyin and Zhao Guangyi were drinking in the palace, and at dawn the next day, people found that Song Taizu died in the Hall of Long Live. Therefore, Empress Song sent her internal attendant Wang Ji'en out of the palace and summoned Zhao Defang to the palace for the defense of Guizhou. Zhao Defang was the fourth son of Zhao Kuangyin, and Empress Song's intention was obvious, and she wanted the crown prince Zhao Defang to take the lead in entering the palace to inherit the throne. However, Empress Song did not expect that this eunuch Wang Ji'en had actually disobeyed her will.
Wang Ji'en did not go to Zhao Defang's mansion, but went straight to Kaifeng Mansion to summon Zhao Guangyi, the King of Jin. According to the history books, Zhao Guangyi was very surprised after hearing the news, saying that he wanted to go to the back hall to consult with his family, and the result was that he did not come out for a long time. Wang Ji'en was very anxious and urged: "If things are long, they will be done for others." Zhao Guangyi and Wang Ji'en braved the rain and snow to enter the palace. When Empress Song heard that Wang Ji'en had returned, she quickly asked, "Defang Laiye?" ”
Wang Ji'en replied, "King Jin!" When Empress Song was shocked to see Zhao Guangyi, she realized that the heir to the throne had changed, and had to say: "The fate of my mother and son is entrusted to the official family." The so-called "official family" is the title of the emperor during the Northern Song Dynasty, that is to say, the Song empress was forced to recognize Zhao Guangyi as the heir to the imperial throne. Zhao Guangyi cried and said, "Protect the rich and noble together, don't worry." The next day, Zhao Guangyi officially succeeded to the throne, that is, Song Taizong.
Through this historical data, it is not difficult for us to find that it was the eunuch Wang Ji'en who changed the historical process of the Northern Song Dynasty! So, who is this Wang Ji'en? According to records, Wang Ji'en was a native of Shaanzhou, which is now Sanmenxia, Henan, who was raised by the Zhang family in his childhood, named Dejun, and entered the palace in the Later Zhou Dynasty. During the reign of Song Taizu, Wang Ji'en requested to recognize the ancestors and return to the emperor, and Song Taizu agreed and gave him the name Ji'en.
In the early years of the Northern Song Dynasty, Wang Ji'en was heavily used, and he always became the head of the internal servants, and also led the forbidden army to participate in the elimination of the Southern Tang War, and was named a Wude envoy. After Emperor Taizong of Song ascended the throne, Wang Ji'en was even more highly valued for his support, "favoring Mobi", and repeatedly held military posts and participated in wars with the Liao state. When a peasant revolt led by Li Shun broke out in Sichuan, Emperor Taizong of Song appointed Wang Ji'en as commander-in-chief and gave him a great deal of power, "the military commissioned him to control it, and did not overthrow it."
After Wang Ji'en quelled the uprising, he held heavy troops in his hands and was very arrogant when stationed in Chengdu, "focusing on feasting and drinking", "every time he came and went, he played music before and after", and "made the cavalry play chess and chess with himself, Weizhen County". In the first year of the Dao Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of Song made his third son Zhao Heng crown prince. In the third year of the Zhidao, Song Taizong was seriously ill, and Wang Ji'en wanted to change the history of the Song Dynasty, so he colluded with Li Changling, the governor of the government, li Jixun, and Hu Dan, the commander of the Zhizhi System, to establish Zhao Yuanzuo, the eldest son of Emperor Taizong of Song, as emperor.
When the chancellor Lü Duan entered the palace, he found that the crown prince Zhao Heng was not by Song Taizong's side, and quickly passed on the news, "making the intimate officials interested in serving." After Emperor Taizong of Song's death, Lü Duan learned of Wang Ji'en's plot, and he deceived Wang Ji'en, "so that Emperor Taizong would first give mo zhao" and took the opportunity to lock Wang Ji'en inside. Then, with the support of the group of ministers, Zhao Heng ascended the throne, that is, Song Zhenzong. The failure of the plot meant the end of Wang Ji'en's life, and he later died in Junzhou.
References: 1. "History of Song"; 2. "Continuation of Zizhi TongjianChang"