The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 57: Eunuch Department

Treat the saint!

This became a crisis that the eunuchs urgently needed to address.

Shunzong was forced to abdicate, Xianzong was smothered to death by a pillow, and a eunuch died while Muzong was playing polo. After that, the emperor was not seen for many days, and the eunuchs announced that the saint had lost his mind - he had a stroke and was paralyzed. Soon, Muzong, who was only 30 years old, died suddenly, and the eunuchs said that he died of poison from the elixir he ate.

Jingzong suffered the most humiliation, as he was beaten to death in the locker room by a group of eunuchs.

The story of Emperor Wenzong is well-known. He was imprisoned and tortured for a long time. Before his death, he appointed a crown prince, but the eunuchs killed the heir he designated and ran outside his room with a forged edict to laugh at him.

Wuzong had made great achievements, but he was always under someone else's rule. In order to control him, most of his favorites, whether musicians or eunuchs, were killed or demoted. The eunuchs would often gather at the palace gates with the imperial guards, threatening to depose you.

Xuanzong's biological mother, Zheng, was a bed-warmer for Li Qi, the governor of Zhenhai Army. After Li Qi was killed, Zheng was taken into the palace with other female relatives. One night, she was pressed down by Emperor Xianzong after he got drunk, and Xuanzong was born. Ermu's maidservant's background made him favored by the eunuchs, but after the conspiracy with Linghu Chao to eliminate the eunuchs was exposed, he also took the golden elixir as usual, and died quickly within three months as usual.

Emperor Yizong was very sensible and did not conflict with his fathers. He ended his absurd life in eating, drinking and having fun. After his death, except for Emperor Xizong who was selected by Tian Lingzi and others because of his young age, the rest of his sons either died of illness or were killed.

Authoritarianism!

The bloody tug-of-war between the Northern Division and the Emperor lasted for a hundred years over this issue - the strong were the masters and the weak were the slaves.

Now this saint has devoted himself to the thief, using his own strength to send away Yang Fugong, a fierce tiger who killed the emperor's uncle's family when he was unhappy, and pretended to be flattering Ximen Chongsui's faction. He cultivated his followers, bought people's hearts, and brought in powerful vassals for support.

The relationship between master and servant is such that the authority of the superior is growing while that of the inferior is declining.

What will happen if we let him continue to run the business?
"The Lord has failed me. I have served him for many years but he only showed me a little favor." Someone lamented Chen Ci: "He does not look like a merciful saint. Sooner or later, he will rebel."

"That's right." Han Quanhui, the Inner House Envoy, Jing Wuxiu, the Xuanhui Envoy, Wang Zhongxian, the Imperial Clothes and National Treasures Envoy, Song Daobing, the Fengde Temple Envoy, Liu Jingxuan, the Left Army Lieutenant, Luo Quanguan, the Right Army Lieutenant, Liu Jishi, the Inner Privy Envoy, Li Zhoutong, the Envoy of the Palaces and Gardens and others decided to join forces to deal with him.

Of course, there are bound to be people who object.

Zhang Chengye, the eunuch who was replaced by the military supervisor from Hedong and returned to the court, was appointed as the Flying Dragon Envoy by Ximen Chongsui because he had the support of Li Keyong.

Hearing their discussion, the corner of his mouth twitched suddenly: "What do you want to do? At present, the vassal officials are arrogant and rebellious. We are in control of the border areas, consolidating our own weapons and gathering money and food. Instead of planning to restore the country, we are planning to overthrow it. Is this a strategy for peace?"

Hearing this, Jing Wuxiu kicked over the table and pointed at Zhang Chengye and yelled, "The Li family brat is arrogant and makes his own decisions. He is ready to be independent. If he takes away our power, our lives and honor will depend on his mood. What you said, do you want us to be slaughtered without a hat?!"

Zhang Chengye glanced at him twice with his old eyes and said lazily, "It is a heavy matter to depose and enthrone, and Qiu Shiliang is not easy to do. I dare not obey your order. You must know that the Qin-Jin alliance has been formed, and Li Situ will not sit idly by and watch the saint change. If you really can't serve the king, you can leave the capital and go to the town. Why do you have to take risks and take the lead in destroying your clan? If there is more behind you, you should retreat, and if there is a way ahead, you should turn back."

"Prince Bian will not sit idly by." Xi Tingyu, an official of the Privy Council, straightened his clothes and gave a grim warning.

"The Saint has not offended us, why should we depose him?" Liu Guangyu, the eunuch, laughed dryly and said, "Even if he wants to touch us, Junrong will not agree. Now the country is in turmoil, and the commander Wang of Hezhong Town has repeatedly written to me, advising me not to cause trouble."

"Mr. Zhang of Jingyuan has always been loyal. When he learned that the sage was in trouble, he came to the king's aid."

"The same is true for Fudan."

"Dingnan Army, I can summon them by sending a letter."

"If Lord Han insists on abolishing the saint, I will have no choice but to lead my troops and march across Shanzhou..."

Who doesn’t have a backstage?
If Han Quanhui and his gang really succeeded, the emperor would be in their hands, and wouldn't everyone have to be humble to them like they did to Tian Lingzi before? At that moment, more than a dozen eunuchs echoed the words and bared their fangs at Jing Wuxiu and others.

"You have supporters, and so do we." Han Quanhui, the inner manor envoy, raised his hand to interrupt the tit-for-tat argument.

He was a man of deep scheming, and his prestige was second only to Ximen Chongsui, so when it came to major events, the eunuchs would always take his opinions as the main consideration. With a slight smile, he walked down the steps and paced back and forth in the province: "It doesn't matter whether he is deposed or not, and who becomes the emperor is also a small matter to us. The important thing is, and the authority cannot be lost!"

Everyone was quiet, listening to him analyze the situation. "We are so powerful that we have killed at least 800 emperors, generals, princes and princesses over the years. How can we turn back?"

Han Quanhui's face darkened, and he sighed, "You all saw what the saint did. He massacred the Huazhou Jinzouyuan at night, captured one out of ten alienated Qi prisoners, and cruelly tempered the rebellious Bin army. If he doesn't move, it's fine. If he moves, there will be no chance for reaction. On the surface, he seems weak and numb, but in fact he is cruel and cunning, and he is not willing to be a subordinate. If he catches the opportunity, the end will be obvious."

“Who here is the kind of person who seeks profit and avoids harm?”

"Now he has the support of powerful vassals, and Wang Congxun and other villains as his minions. If we don't fight back, sooner or later we poor people will be divided and disintegrated by him and kill each other." Han Quanhui's tears fell, and everyone felt the same way.

Liu Guangyu, who had previously brought up Wang Chongying, the king of Shanhe, and threatened that it was inappropriate to cause trouble, became a little irritated when he heard this. He slammed the table and said angrily: "If you really don't like him, follow General Ju's example and give him medicine to let him die slowly, so as not to give the vassal an excuse.

"It's best to ask Junrong about this matter." Wang Zhongxian, the Imperial Clothes and National Treasures Food Envoy, also had tears in his eyes: "Ten birds in the bush are not as good as one bird in the hand. It's better to catch him than to expect him to get close to us. If Junrong takes charge, I, as the Imperial Clothes and National Treasures Food Envoy, can poison the food, or wait for an opportunity to kill him in the inner palace when he is having fun with his wives and concubines, and put the blame on the concubines."

"Ask about that stupid pig Ximen Chongsui?" Jing Wuxiu patted his thigh and shook his head slowly: "He was bewitched by the saint, and he even went to the palace to watch the saint marrying the Shatuo girl. Secondly, the old man is old and has a chronic disease. He won't live for more than two years. As long as the saint doesn't touch him, for the future of the Ximen family, he will be crazy to lead us to do great things."

Wang Zhongxian said nothing. Why did he need the old man's approval to plot against the saint? What can the old man do when the matter is done?

"It's possible." Lieutenant Liu Jingxuan of the Left Army pondered, and then raised another point: "But the Saint has been alienated from the concubines for the past six months and has been indifferent to them. He has only slept with Concubine Chen a few times. Now he has brought her to his side. Where is the chance?"

"Bang!" Zhang Chengye slammed the table.

These idiots, why don’t they think about the consequences of provoking Li Keyong?
Xi Tingyu and more than ten other eunuchs also stood up suddenly and said solemnly: "We all eat and sleep from the same pot in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Don't overdo anything."

"Everyone, listen to me."

The proposal to depose the emperor could not reach a consensus, and regicide would cause a quarrel within the Northern Division, so they could only settle for the next best thing - put the sage back in the cage and let everyone exercise his power again. Lieutenant Luo Quanguan of the Right Army stood up and tried to smooth things over with the crowd: "Family members can discuss anything. Fighting back and forth will only benefit the sage."

He looked around and said sinisterly, "To strike at the authority of the saint, we still have to use the old methods. First, find a Taoist priest to coax him into cultivating immortality and trick him into eating the golden elixir. Second, cut off his minions, and there will be no one else to use. If he doesn't use us, who else can he use? The third is to gather all kinds of pleasures to make him lose his ambition. Otherwise, when he has free time, he will delve into military affairs."

"One more thing to add."

Lieutenant Liu Jingxuan of the Left Army raised his hand and said, "Go back and gather all the generals under the command of the fake sons, and tell them that the sage will reduce the rewards for the Chinese and foreign armies to support the Yingwu, Longjie, and Congzhi armies. Let the warriors hate him and rebel out of resentment."

No matter who he is, once he loses his authority, he is like a dead dog and will never be able to turn over.

Saints are no exception!

Our dynasty has kept domestic slaves for one hundred and fifty years. How can it be possible for the master to do whatever he wants?

"Oh!" Zhang Chengye sighed.

What awaits the Saint will be Beisi’s counterattack.

----

The author must once again emphasize the special features of the eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty and the Han and Ming Dynasties. After the mid-Tang Dynasty, the imperial power declined day by day. As a parasite on the imperial power, the overall harm to society by the eunuchs was decreasing, but the threat to the emperor himself was increasing. The reason is that although the eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty liked to fight among themselves, they coincided and were highly unified in controlling the "master" and consolidating the "authority". This should be the first group of palace slaves to awaken in the history of China and foreign countries. They deeply realized a truth-rather than entrusting their lives and the rise and fall of their families to their masters, and tremblingly praying for the master's gift and tolerance, it is better to give and tolerate the master in return. Once their authority is shaken, they will expose their cruel side and completely lose their usual rationality.

Tian Lingzi, Yang Fugong, Han Quanhui, Liu Jishu and others are typical representatives. Zhaozong was kidnapped several times by different eunuchs, and was arbitrarily detained, beaten, scolded, and threatened. His uncle Wang's family was slaughtered by the powerful eunuch Yang Fugong without hesitation. In order to consolidate their power, Liu Jishu and others beat to death the palace maids, concubines, alchemists, and ministers who were usually favored by Zhaozong. Even Zhaozong's younger brother, Prince Mu Li Yi, was not spared. These vicious slaves beat and scolded their masters and killed people in the palace at night, and hid the bodies in carts and transported them out during the day.

————"A Study on the Power of Eunuchs in the Tang Dynasty"

　The readers have let me down. I have been writing for days but I am reluctant to comment. How can there be such heartless readers in the world? If you do not look like a compassionate person, you will rebel sooner or later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)