The Eight Tigers (), sometimes referred to as the Gang of Eight (八黨), were a powerful group of eunuchs that controlled the Chinese imperial court during the reign of the Zhengde Emperor (r. 1505–1521) of the Ming dynasty.
Led by Liu Jin, the remaining members of the coterie were Ma Yongcheng (馬永成), Gao Feng (高鳳), Luo Xiang (羅祥), Wei Bin (魏彬), Qiu Ju (丘聚), Gu Dayong (谷大用), and Zhang Yong (張永).
Background
Eunuchs in China Eunuchs are castrated men who have often been used as servants in imperial and noble households, due to the understanding that they would not be distracted by, or be a danger to, women. Eunuchs were often utilized in the imperial household as harem guards and attendants. The harems were considered necessary in order to help produce a male heir, and the eunuchs were trusted protectors.
Before the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs had long been a powerful political force in China. In the Tang dynasty, from 821 until the dynasty's end, eunuchs were "the real power holders". They controlled the Imperial Guard and the Palace Secretariat, chose seven out of eight emperors, and possibly killed two emperors.
The first Ming emperor, Hongwu (1328-1398), was worried about the power of the eunuchs. He erected a tablet that said, "Eunuchs must have nothing to do with administration", and he worked to disempower them. He warned, "Anyone using eunuchs as his eyes and ears will be blind and deaf". Despite these measures, many of emperors who followed Hongwu were more willing to leave ruling to the eunuchs, and the Ming Dynasty became the peak of eunuch influence. By the end of the 15th century, there were 10,000 eunuchs working in the palace.
In addition to close access to the emperor and his wives and concubines, they were often trusted with imperial sons. Oftentimes, this trust extended to eunuchs being given command as palace guards, military commanders, or imperial inspectors. They controlled the court's luxury workshops and managed the tributes from the provinces and foreign countries, and they were often made the heads of official missions abroad. This power gave the eunuchs many chances to become rich through graft. They also eventually controlled the secret police, which meant they could control the nation through blackmail and corruption.
The rise to power of the Eight Tigers Emperor Zhengde ascended to the imperial throne in 1505, aged 14, after the death of his father.
From the early days of his rule, it was clear that the young emperor distrusted government officials and was partial to eunuchs who took an active role in raising him. The emperor's inner circle consisted of 8 eunuchs who served him when he was still heir apparent and became his personal staff shortly after Zhengde began his reign. Shortly after the emperor's ascension to the throne, the Eight Tigers swiftly took control of important positions not only in the imperial court but also in the secret service and the army. In addition to this, they appointed their relatives to influential ranks and roles in the dynasty.
One of the eunuchs, Liu Jin, who would emerge as the leader of the group, was put in charge of palace music in early 1506, putting him in a position of control over the emperor's entertainment. He excelled in this role, coming up with ideas for pastimes that proved to be much to the emperor's liking.
Several groups within the imperial elites were alarmed with Liu Jin's promotion and the group's apparent influence over the young ruler, and so they began plotting against the Eight Tigers.
Three grand secretaries, inherited from the emperor's father and supported by the ministers, demanded the group's execution, while senior eunuchs insisted on banishment as a punishment that the Emperor would be more likely to consider. A joint plan was finally agreed upon and set in motion with a direct petition to the emperor, asking for Liu Jin's execution and banishment of the other members of the group from the imperial court.
Liu Jin was notified of the plot by one of his agents and led seven other eunuchs to ask for mercy before Emperor Zhengde on October 27, 1506.
The emperor heeded their plea, and on the following day it was announced that he would decide upon their fate at his leisure. All but one of the grand secretaries resigned immediately upon hearing the news and a number of senior officials followed suit.
The plot was averted and most checks on the eunuchs' power eliminated with it.
Liu Jin proceeded to retaliate against those who spoke out against him, leading to a string of dismissals, incidents of torture, and imprisonments of a number of high government figures.
In February 1507, twenty-one officials who had protested the dismissal of the senior grand secretaries were beaten and reduced to the status of commoners.
By the end of 1507, very few in the palace were willing to challenge the reign of terror of Liu Jin, who was known to many at the time as "Emperor Liu", and his fellow eunuchs.
Members
Liu Jin 劉瑾 (1451-1510) Liu Jin was from the area of Xingping, Shaanxi. He was born on February 28, 1451, into the Tan family. His original name was Tan Jin. He considered himself very eloquent, so he decided to become a eunuch, as he considered that his best path to success. After becoming a eunuch, he was adopted by another eunuch named Liu, and changed his name to Liu Jin.
He began working in the imperial palace in the 1480s, where he began to consolidate the group that later became the Eight Tigers. In 1492, he was removed from his post at the Chenghua emperor's tomb to serve the new heir apparent, the future Zhengde emperor. Liu became a favorite of his, and he became the head of the bureau of bells and drums after Zhengde's rise to the throne in 1505. From there, Liu Jin gradually gained more power and influence, and became known as the leader of the Eight Tigers.
Most Ming and modern historians regard Liu Jin's rise to power as tyrannic and describe him as "rapacious, cruel, and wily".Robinson, David M. Banditry and Rebellion in the Capital Region during the Mid-Ming (1450-1525). Dissertation, Princeton University, 1995. UMI, 9528935. He became the Head of the Directorate of Ceremonies, in which role he was notorious for altering rescripts in transit to and from the emperor. This meant he essentially controlled what the emperor knew and what the emperor approved.Tong, James W. Collective Violence in a Premodern Society: Rebellions and Banditry in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Dissertation, University of Michigan, 1985. Later, he became the chief of the imperial staff, and became known for taking bribes from senior officials. For example, he required the thirteen provincial administration officials to pay him 20,000 taels of silver when they visited the capital, three times a year. He also was very influential in the military. At the height of his power, all military actions had to be approved by him, giving him more power than the generals.
After the re-establishment of the Western Depot under Gu Dayong, Liu Jin convinced the emperor to create the Neixinchang, or Inner Branch Depot, which would supervise direct dangers to the throne and the emperor's safety. This Depot was made supervisor to the other two, the East and West Depots, thus consolidating Liu Jin's power. The depot persecuted many of the opponents of Liu Jin and his policies. It is estimated that more than one thousand people were killed by the Inner Branch Depot.
From the money he gained through corruption, he went on to flaunt his glory and wealth by building a palace in his hometown.
During the fall of his reign, officials were sent to detain him and confiscate his belongings. During the house search, the officials found a total of 12,057,800 taels of gold and 259,583,600 taels of silver, as well as gems, false seals, and fans with concealed knives, ostensibly for use in his plot against the emperor. He was ordered to be executed by the punishment of death by a thousand cuts. He was cut 3,357 times over a period of three days.
Zhang Yong 張永 (1470-1532) Zhang Yong, a native of Xincheng, Baoding, is fairly absent in historical records until his time in the Eight Tigers. During Emperor Zhengde's reign, he took control of many important posts and developed a tight bond between him and the Emperor. By doing this, he began to disregard the government's policies and plans. For instance, despite heavy opposition from the Ministry of Revenue, he successfully acquired some privatised land. He controlled the Eastern Depot, one of the secret police and intelligence operations that reported to the emperor. He also was given control of the Shen-Chi garrison, which had been established to practice with firearms. In 1510, Zhang Yong was appointed Supreme Commander of the military and sent to put down the Prince of Anhua's rebellion.
During Liu Jin's reign, Zhang Yong was his right-hand in the battlefield and at home. He did not get along with Liu Jin, but could not be removed from power due to his military prowess. He conspired with Yang Yiqing to remove Liu Jin from power, and became the most powerful member of the remaining Eight Tiger's after Liu Jin's death.
In October 1511, he asked the emperor to allow him to select 6,000 troops from the Capital Garrison reserves to be specially trained as assault forces for times of crisis. The emperor approved the request due to his need to fight the rebel forces of Liu the Sixth.
In July 1514, Zhang Yong was put in charge of an operation to defend against Mongol invasion.
However, after Emperor Zhengde's death, his status fell to that of a regular eunuch, and he was ordered to retire by the new emperor, Jiajing. However, by 1529 he had begun to regain some power, and was made the Grand Secretary of Integrated Divisions. He died shortly after this appointment.
Gao Feng 高鳳 (died 1526) After the fall of Liu Jin, Gao Feng was made one of the new heads of the Directorate of Ceremonies, along with Wei Bin. Besides this, information on Gao Feng is limited.
Ma Yongcheng 馬永成 (1468-1526) Ma Yongcheng was from the Bazhou or Wenan area. He grew rich off of the bandit situation, accepting bribes from them so they could gain favor with the emperor. Ma Yongcheng took control of the Eastern Depot, which operated as a spy and secret police agency during the Ming dynasty.
Gu Dayong 谷大用 Gu Dayong is known for his place at the head of the Western Depot, a secret-police style intelligence agency. Emperor Zhengde reopened it in 1506 after 25 years of dormancy, with Gu Dayong as its leader, due to his desire to have a more comprehensive intelligence agency. The Western Depot was closed down after Liu Jin's arrest, although Emperor Zhengde still considered Gu Dayong quite favorably.
In August 1511, Gu Dayong was appointed overall superintendent of military affairs, and he led a group of troops south of the capital to fight the rebel forces of the Liu brothers. As a reward for defeating the rebellion, his younger and older brothers became earls.
Members of his family assumed important positions and roles inside the dynasty. For instance, Gu Dayong's father was given the right to command the Embroidered Uniform Guard alongside Zhang Young's father.
He also worked in charitable construction projects in Peking. In 1508, he donated a large bell to the Daoist Baiyunguan (White Cloud Temple), which had built a new hall. In 1510 and 1512, he restored the Southern Park's Lingtongmiao, the Yanfasi outside of the city's western gate, and the Huguosi (so that it could house Central Asian monks). He used donations from the emperor and the imperial family to carry out these projects, which seem to have been authorized and requested by the emperor. Gu Dayong also seems to have chosen at least one of his projects, restoring an old temple in the far Western Hills, turning it into "a bright and glittering precinct".