Curbing the Eunuchs under Hongzhi

Timeline

1. 1490–1493Beijing · North ChinaEarly in his reign the Hongzhi Emperor had already dismissed powerful eunuchs; in the 1490s he continued punishing factional eunuchs from the late Chenghua era, abolishing unnecessary inner-palace organs and hereditary posts. Grand Secretaries took the lead in drafting rescripts, and although the Directorate of Ceremonial retained its red-ink endorsement power it was checked by the emperor, with eunuchs barred from interfering in the Six Ministries' memorials.
2. 1494–1499Beijing · North ChinaThe Hongzhi reign strictly limited eunuch assignments to garrison posts, procurement and textile duties, and Eastern Depot surveillance was greatly curtailed compared to the Chenghua and Zhengde periods. Records describe the emperor as 'drawing near the worthy and keeping the sycophants at a distance'; eunuchs held only inner-court service posts and were barred from military, political and local fiscal affairs, restoring the civil bureaucracy's authority in the mid-to-late 1490s.