In order to attract the reader's attention, I gave this article a hit title: "Why did the emperor choose eunuchs instead of palace maids?" Uncover the secrets of the ancient harem! 》
I sat in my study, turned on my computer, and began to answer an interesting question: why did ancient emperors choose eunuchs instead of court maids to serve them?
First, I want to clear up a misconception. In the ancient court, there were indeed many palace maids, as early as the Western Han Dynasty, there were thousands of palace maids in the court. Over time, the number of court maids increased, but not all of them were responsible for serving the emperor's daily life and food. In fact, they were scattered to serve different "masters." Only a few palace maids who were in charge of eating, cleaning, and other matters were able to get close to the emperor.
Why did the emperor choose eunuchs instead of palace maids? There are multiple reasons for this. First of all, court maids are prone to arouse the emperor's desires, while eunuchs do not have this problem. I've heard the story of Zhu Yijun of the Myojin Sect. Once, when he was reviewing the recital, he saw a young and beautiful little palace maid, and something happened that shouldn't have happened. Myojinzong later denied having anything to do with her, but the incident caused a series of questions. Another example is Yang Guang, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, who, although he had many concubines, would still go around selecting beautiful women to enter the palace. And after the palace ladies were picked, there was no suitable choice in the palace, which eventually led to the demise of the Sui Dynasty.
Secondly, the emperor also chose eunuchs for his own safety. During the reign of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty, he treated the palace maids very cruelly, which led to a collective revenge by the palace maids. They nearly strangled him with ropes. This incident made Emperor Jiajing realize that he could no longer let the palace ladies get close to him.
In addition to these reasons, the most important point is that eunuchs can accomplish tasks that court maids can't. There were many very talented eunuchs in history, such as Zhang Juhan in the late Tang Dynasty, who was appreciated by Tang Zhuangzong and was even awarded the post of privy envoy. and Zheng He, a famous eunuch of the Ming Dynasty, who was an adventurer who sailed on the sea. These eunuchs could not only help the emperor in handling state affairs, but also balance the power of other important groups and play a role in maintaining stability.
For example, in order to suppress the power of Jinyiwei, Zhu Di, the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, set up the Dongchang and appointed a eunuch with cronies as the leader. Dongchang's power surpassed that of Jinyiwei, and he was only responsible to the emperor, and could supervise and arrest his subjects at will. The collective power of the eunuchs could not only help the emperor in handling affairs, but also suppress other forces, which was very important for maintaining the stability of the imperial power.
To sum up, there are many reasons why the emperor chose eunuchs over palace maids. Eunuchs are not easy to arouse the emperor's desires, and can complete some tasks that palace maids are not capable of. They can also protect the emperor's safety, balance various forces, and maintain the stability of imperial power. So for an emperor with such a huge harem, having a eunuch by his side is a wise choice, which can make him feel at ease to deal with state affairs.
