Liu Jin's Dictatorship and Corruption (1506)

Timeline

1. 1506Directorate of Ceremonial, Forbidden City · BeijingLiu Jin and fellow eunuchs Gu Dayong and Zhang Yong rose to power through Emperor Zhengde's favor and gradually seized the Directorate of Ceremonial's authority to approve edicts. Grand Secretaries Liu Jian, Xie Qian and others jointly petitioned for the execution of the 'Eight Tigers' but failed and were instead sidelined.
2. 1507–1509Beijing · BeijingLiu Jin's power grew daily; he established the Inner Investigation Bureau to strengthen secret police rule, sold offices, extorted and accepted bribes, and placed followers throughout the court and country. Officials generally had to pay bribes for promotion, and government integrity declined sharply; records state his household hoarded gold, silver and treasures numbering in the hundreds of millions.