Ming Directorate of Palace Services System

Timeline

1. 1501–1505Forbidden City · BeijingIn the last years of the Hongzhi Emperor's reign, the Directorate of Palace Services oversaw the wood, earth, stone, lacquer, and utensil workshops, while the Directorates of Ceremonial and Imperial Stables and other offices, per ancestral rules, respectively managed seals, imperial carriages, and inner-court supplies; the eunuch organization maintained the palace's daily operations.
2. 1505–1510Forbidden City · BeijingAfter the Zhengde Emperor acceded in 1505, he favored eunuchs such as Liu Jin; the Directorate of Palace Services system expanded its power over palace construction and imperial estate management, the political participation of the Directorate of Ceremonial's 'holding-the-brush' eunuchs deepened, and the inner-court organizational landscape changed significantly.