The eunuch is a product of the feudal despotism system, and its history can be traced back to the slave society. Since the slave owner possessed a large amount of property and beautiful concubines, a reliable and assured person was required to guard it. So they adopted the method of "court punishment", letting the servants who had been tortured take charge of their affairs in the house.
As for why not use sound men?
How cruel was the ancient palace sentence?
The answer is very simple. As the saying goes, there is no room for two tigers. Who can rest assured that he can hand his wife and concubine into the hands of a young man full of male hormones, not to mention that he will grab wealth, go out and work hard, stay at home Wouldn't the glamorous woman of's eyebrows with him, secretly in love?
If one is not careful, a green light appears on the top of my head. Maybe I have to raise a child for someone else.
Therefore, in order to eliminate potential threats, they will cut off the sex organs of male slaves and eliminate their second sex characteristics , so that they can safely entrust their women to them for care and management.
is the same in the emperor's harem, Only those men who have been castrated can stay and serve the concubines . For the eunuchs, the concubines are the masters, the nobles on which they live and rely. Only when the master is honored can they become a little rich, so they can only please the master and be willing to be their pawns.
Do your best for their grace, in fact, it means to make a future for yourself. Therefore, things often happen when you see the wind in the palace, but it is extremely rare to send charcoal in the snow.
If any lady is suddenly favored, there will be groups of people coming to show her courtesy; but if she loses favor, the eunuchs will be busy looking for the next home, and will never hang herself on a tree die.
After all, the people who came to the palace with their life roots were all for money, and no one wants to put them in front of the cold stove.A waste of time.
What makes people feel strange is that Leng Gong, which has always been taboo, always makes eunuchs flock to them. This seems to be very contradictory to their love of money.
You know, compared with the concubines of the holy family Zhengnong, these concubines who have lost the emperor’s love are basically no way to survive. With such a master, what future can he hope for and what wealth? ?
Eunuchs are the third type of people created by human torture except men and women.
Eunuchs, palace men, private tenants, eunuchs, etc. are all called eunuchs in different periods. In the palaces and officialdoms of the Qing Dynasty, the eunuchs were also called "the father-in-law", and the people called them "the old palace" and "husband".
These terms are all insulting to eunuchs, so they are very unhappy to hear these words. The address of each other is usually "Master", if someone calls them "Master", the heart will blossom. The junior eunuchs at the lower level should even call the eunuchs at the higher level a "master" to show respect.
Perhaps for them, this kind of words mixed with any harm sounds more pleasant to the ear, and it can also alleviate their sense of shame and inferiority caused by their physical disabilities and special status.
The so-called palace sentence can also be called "purification", which means that they have no privacy and innocence.
However, no matter how obscure the meaning of these words and how clean and pure they sound, they cannot conceal the nature of the cruel law of torture, and it is also difficult to eliminate the physical and mental health of the eunuchs. The huge damage suffered.
Whether it is a wealthy chief eunuch, or a small eunuch who can only wash and clean, their lives are full of sadness and tolerance, full of unbearable pain and embarrassment.
As victims of the feudal imperial power, eunuchs cannot have a simple and pure couple life like normal people, and enjoy the family happiness that ordinary people can enjoy, let alone continue the family incense.Broken body means the ruin of the family's blood. No matter how decent and honorable he lives, he can't hold his head up in front of his parents and ancestors.
"Purification" is a ghost gate. The medical conditions in ancient times were very poor. This kind of castration operation was very risky, and if you were not careful, your life would be lost. Moreover, there was no anesthetic at that time, but the genitals were to be severed.
In addition, there is also concern about wound infections during the recuperation period, causing colds and other problems. If you are not careful, you may lose your life.
In addition to physical pain, mental humiliation is even more unbearable for them. It can be said that this is the greatest punishment and humiliation for men. The historian of the Han Dynasty Sima Qian once angered Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty because of the Li Ling incident , so he was severely punished by the palace. If didn't want to live, if he didn't take the responsibility of a historian, he vowed to compile " histories " , I am afraid he would have already died in shame and indignation.
In the Han Dynasty, almost no man would take the initiative to enter the palace as a slave. Most of the male servants who served in the palace were castrated and sent to the palace because of crimes. However, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were not a few cases in which children were castrated and sent to imperial palaces as slaves by the people. There were two main reasons for this.
The eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty were so powerful. Some people who had political ambitions but had no way of access would take the initiative to enter the palace as slaves in order to implement their ambitions. Of course, this is only a small number of people. Most people are unable to support their children because their lives are unsustainable, so they have to send their children to the palace so that they can mix in food and clothing to keep them warm.
Some people are actually poor at home,Unable to pay the cost of the purification, I had to castrate the children at home. But without professional methods, it is easy to kill people. Therefore, both Ming and Qing dynasties enacted: "No people are allowed to purify themselves, and offenders should be cut." Criminal law.
In the 50th year of Qianlong, there was a sensational "Wang Cheng's private purification case". As the culprit in castration of Wang Cheng, his parents were beheaded in the street.
Although the regulations of the bill are so strict, the practice of private castration by the people has been repeatedly banned. In the end, the court had to abolish this regulation. If the family is poor and cannot pay the cost of six taels of silver for the purification and wants to serve in the palace, a knifesmith approved by the court can arrange the purification.
This was mainly because the Qing court had too much demand for eunuchs. Even when the child was first born, some parents had already planned to ask him to enter the palace as a slave. They will send the infant who is still in swaddling to the hands of a maid who is good at special craftsmanship. Such a woman has special skills and can turn him into a real eunuch without castration of the child's organs.
Every day, the woman rubs the baby’s small testicles with her fingers, destroying the unformed sex organs. Under long-term squeezing, the reproductive function of the testicles will gradually be lost, no semen will be produced when they grow up, and even the genitals will gradually shrink. When children like grow up, they are really indistinguishable. They have no Adam's apple, plump breasts, high buttocks, and a sharp voice . At this time, parents can send their children into the palace as a matter of course.
The Qing Dynasty also set up the tooth line to be responsible for the recruitment of eunuchs.
In addition, referrals by old eunuchs are also a way.
The eunuchs who entered the palace in the early years naturally accumulated a lot of private wealth, which is quite rich compared with ordinary people. When applying for leave or visiting relatives, the old eunuchs always wear elegant silk, and show their dignity in front of everyone.
Many poor country folks saw this style and cast envy in their eyes. They thought that the eunuch was a decent and glorious work, so they would ask the old eunuch for the recommendation and get their son into the palace so that they could earn a lot of money. Wealth becomes as decent and honorable as him.
Later, in the area of Hejian Prefecture , the old eunuch recommended newcomers to be eunuchs in the palace, and even formed a traditional profession with a teacher.
But are the days in the palace really so comfortable?
In fact, it is not. If you want to talk about comfort, it is just that the influential eunuchs are comfortable. Most of the eunuchs not only have to work hard every day, but also have to bow their knees at all times. They will be humiliated and abused if they don’t pay attention to their faces. It is the torture of various types of torture, and it is not uncommon to lose one's life for no reason.
The eunuchs in the imperial palace have very distinct internal levels. Although they are all slaves, they are of different ranks, and has very different eating, wearing, and acting styles.
The eunuchs at the top of the management have a high monthly salary, and do not have to do dirty work such as cleaning and transporting. They only need to manage and supervise the eunuchs under them, figure out the master's mind, and make suggestions for them. By staying with the master for a long time, they can get some rewards from time to time.
On New Year's Day, what silk, jewelry, jade, fur, as long as the master is happy, they can always get two treasures. And these freely used gifts to send people away, any two of them combined, far exceed their salary.
As the confidant of the master, the eunuchs are also involved in daily activities and management, and there are many opportunities to fish for oil and water.
For example, when purchasing or purchasing engineering materials, it is commonplace for the eunuch in charge to embezzle silver. The eunuch who is in charge of receiving tribute items also has a great appetite. If he wants to do things smoothly, he must give him some silver. If people who don't know the rules come, they will usually be picky and make every effort to make people trouble. The subtext is: needs to receive a little benefit .
If the other party is interested, he will understand immediately and save money with money.
If the other party doesn't wink, the eunuch will make things more difficult until the other party gets the hang of it.
Some big eunuchs can even compare with the concubines and concubines. For example, the eunuchs of the imperial attendants wore silks and satin. Although they could not be compared with the emperor in terms of form, they were not too comfortable in terms of comfort, while the other eunuchs at the lower level could only wear some coarse linen.
They enjoy even more generous treatment in terms of food and beverage. The general manager and the chief eunuch have a special kitchen, and a special meal can be collected every month. Their ostentation can really be regarded as a master.
Queen Yulong’s chief manager Zhang Lande is the same as the Queen Mother Yulong. He eats food made in a kitchen. The dishes for each meal are the same as Queen Yulong. There are 40 dishes in . There are also 27 eunuchs serving.
The of the late Qing Dynasty, Xiaode Zhang and Li Lianying, relied on Cixi's universal love, and regarded themselves as the master of the palace, and the cost was even more exaggerated than the other serious masters in the palace. The main and non-staple food is enough for one person to eat for one month.
The grand eunuch's pomp is even more extraordinary. With the favor of the master, their identities are naturally more noble. In front of the lower court ladies and eunuchs, they are often arrogant and arrogant. The little palace ladies and the little eunuchs can only swallow their voices even if they are making things difficult for them to live their lives in peace.
According to Pu Yijia’s memories, Xiao De Zhang and Li Lianying always followed four or five eunuchs to facilitate their demolition, holding a cigarette pouch in one hand, a kettle in the other, and two or three others still holding them. With two or three pug, they waited on these two eunuchs with fear.
By comparison, the little eunuchs have suffered a lot,They work hard all day long, life is monotonous and boring, and there is basically no other fun pastime. When the master was waiting, they were not allowed to whisper to each other and walk around at will, asking to "be immobile like the statues of golden virgins and jade girls in the temple."
If you accidentally make a mistake, it is light to hit the board, and you will not be able to save your life if you don't pay attention to it.
In addition to serving the master, they also serve their eunuch master like the master.
Master’s daily life needs to be taken care of by them. If you serve well, you will be liked by the master, and maybe you can have a good future. If you do not serve well, it will inevitably be another beating and scolding, and it will be difficult to get ahead. Therefore, many young eunuchs did not dare to sleep too soundly even at night, for fear that the master would summon themselves at any time.
The monthly salary of the little eunuch is not much, but the cost is still high. In addition to family subsidies and daily filial piety to Master, you must prepare a generous gift on festivals or father's birthday to win Master’s favor. If you are reluctant to give gifts, you may not be able to hold your head up for the rest of your life. Among the huge group of court eunuchs, only a small part of them can climb to the top of the pyramid.
But no matter how beautiful the big eunuchs are in front of the little eunuchs, they are still meek and respectful in front of the master, and dare not go beyond the rules. Because they understand that everything they have is obtained by pleasing their masters. If they don't have this grace, their good life will be ruined.
Therefore, for the eunuch who serves the harem concubine, how many honors and favors the master can get, means that he can be so beautiful and decent, and his own small vault is richer. Concubine receiving the emperor's grace and blessing is equivalent to mastering the wealth code, and the prosperity and wealth of life are guaranteed.
So eunuchs always like to wait on their favored concubines, so that they can earn more.
Since ancient times, the emperor has been like a tiger, and the emperor’s heart is unfathomable, and his treacherous mind is even more incomprehensible. If the concubines are careless, they will offend Longyan! If you get into the cold palace, don't talk about Chinese clothes and delicacies. Even the most basic food, clothing and life safety will be lost.
If unfortunately, you are thrown into the cold palace, there is no one that poor women can rely on except the eunuchs around them.
What is strange is that the eunuchs like to go to the cold palace to serve, and why?
First of all, you can stay away from the harem fight when you go to Lenggong as an errand.
In the palace, struggling and intrigue are indispensable. In order to fight for favor, the women in the harem do everything. As slaves, the eunuchs can only obey the master's orders, and they will be punished if they are not swift and careful. And if these conspiracy methods are exposed, the first unlucky person is the eunuch who is responsible for handling affairs.
It is enough to see that as an errand in the harem, Exquisite Heart cannot survive without 120,000 points.
For some people who are unwilling to risk wealth or have a bad head, Leng Gong’s errand is the best.
The concubines who lived in the cold palace were the concubines that the emperor no longer loved. Naturally, they did not lose the emperor's favor, which meant that there was no threat, and no one would ever bother at all.
As a errand in such a place where no one cares, even if they fish every day, they will not be cared about. They don’t have to wait on these abandoned concubines tremblingly. We do things. Not to mention leisure time, the monthly salary is still paid, and the life is faster and more comfortable.
Therefore, Lenggong is a good place to stay away from struggle and live leisurely. is the best choice for eunuchs who have no ambitions, just want to live in peace and earn their salaries.
Secondly, although Lenggong is no one cares about, it is also a place where you can search for oil and water.
Therefore, many eunuchs also like to go there to serve.
Before being beaten into the cold palace, the maidens had been living a life of gold and jade. They were suddenly imprisoned in a small and dark palace, eating cold food and rice that the eunuchs disliked.Naturally it is very unaccustomed. In order to make their lives better, they can only ask the eunuchs to do things for them.
But eunuchs are mostly snobs, how can the powerless and powerless concubines send them?
Naturally, it takes a bit of silver. A lean camel is bigger than a horse. Although it has fallen out of favor, the maidens have a lot of money by their side. They will use silver. Please take care of your eunuchs, buy them fresh food, and improve your life.
In this way, the eunuchs are also happy to make some extra money.
Sometimes, the maiden of Lenggong would also ask her father-in-law to bring some belongings to visit her family. The kind-hearted eunuchs collected some silver and helped to get things done. If the bad-hearted people swallowed everything greedily and lied that they had finished the business, they would not know.
Of course, there is another important reason, Lenggong is the only place in the palace where eunuchs can be proud.
When the eunuch is working elsewhere, he always has to lower his eyebrows and follow his master's wink.
can face those concubines who have been thrown into the cold palace, they don't have to pretend to be submissive. As the saying goes, the feathered phoenix is not as good as the chicken. The concubine of Lenggong has lost her status and has fallen into a situation where everyone can be deceived. Naturally, even the eunuch can be arrogant to it.
Looking at the concubines who used to be aloof, now they are all discussing life under their own hands, and the eunuch's long-suppressed temperament. Once released, they will unconsciously become brave, and those with bad minds will try their best to torture and humiliate these masters who were once more noble than them, in order to balance their repressed perverted psychology and get pleasure from the violence.
Of course, there is another rare situation. The emperor didn't really want to abandon his concubine in the cold palace, but only used it as a disciplinary lesson. Some clever eunuchs are very good at judging the situation. Seeing such a situation, they hurried to send charcoal in the snow, and rushed to serve the empress in the cold palace.
because they know,It is only a matter of time for such a concubine to want to make a comeback. In the most critical time, she will give charcoal in the snow, and she will definitely be grateful to her concubine. When the day comes, if she is pampered again, she will be promoted all the way, and the glory and wealth will naturally roll out. Come.
The prosperity of the world is for profit, and the hustle and bustle of the world is for profit.
Eunuchs who work in the palace, most of them have only one mind, seize every opportunity to amass wealth. Only in this way can we truly live a life of riches and no worries when we go out of the palace.
In the final analysis, eunuchs are nothing but poor people. In order to eat a bite of food alive, in order to gain a little bit of glory and power, they can only sacrifice their intact bodies, and their broken bodies serve their masters and endure. The eyes and criticisms of others.
The same goes for those innocent women who were sent to the palace as concubines. They and the eunuchs are just victims under the feudal monarchy system. Compared with ordinary people, they do live a pampered life, but at the same time they also lack the ordinary The most ordinary but most beautiful life experience of a person can only be driven by the king day by day like a puppet.
Perhaps this is the reason why the feudal system is destined to be eliminated by history. In order to maintain their dominance, the emperor will sacrifice the dignity, health and freedom of others to force them to become ants dependent on the imperial power. This is enough Prove the exploitative nature of feudal monarchy.
Only by overthrowing the feudal monarchy weighing on the people can we create a beautiful country where everyone is equal and everyone can enjoy a happy life.
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