in the Qing dynasty, the honor room, also known as the palace prison room, was an institution specialized in managing eunuchs and was subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The establishment of such institutions in the Qing Dynasty was mainly to prevent eunuchs from usurping power. As we all know, the eunuch dictatorship in Ming dynasty was very serious, which made the whole court smoke. Therefore, when the Qing Dynasty was established, it was necessary not only to reduce the number of eunuchs, but also to prohibit eunuchs from interfering in state affairs.
But the eunuch system in the emperor shunzhi's time was not perfect. At this time, there was no internal affairs office, and thirteen yamen were in charge of eunuchs. Although there are "people who break the law, steal power and take bribes in the future, they are entrusted with internal and external government offices to make friends with Han officials. The more proficient they are in westernization, the more virtuous they are, and the later they will be executed." Rules, but the struggle between internal and external officials is still fierce. In view of this situation, at the beginning of Emperor Kangxi's accession to the throne, the 13th yamen was cancelled and the office of the Interior was restored.
In May of the 16th year of Kangxi, in order to strengthen the control of eunuchs and prevent eunuchs from interfering in political affairs, a memorial room for managing eunuchs was added. From the establishment to Jiaqing, the memorial room has been located on the west side of Gan Qing Gate and the east side of South Study Room. After Jiaqing, it moved to five offices in eastern Jiangxi until the end of the Qing Dynasty and the reign of Emperor Xun Xuantong, who stayed in the Forbidden City. In 1924, after Xuan Tong was driven out of the palace, the worship room did not exist.
at first, the worship room was managed by the general manager and the deputy general manager, including the chief eunuch, the penholder eunuch and so on. The main eunuchs in the worship hall are all of high rank. For example, in November, Kangxi appointed an official, three eunuchs and two eunuchs. During the period of Yong Zhengdi, the rank of eunuchs was improved, such as the original five-grade eunuch general manager was promoted to four grades, the deputy general manager was six grades, and the eunuch leader was seven grades and eight grades.
The imperial edict says, "The internal affairs office is a third-class yamen, and the person in charge of worshipping the house should be granted four-level official positions, the person in charge of handing over the house should be granted six-level official positions, the person in charge of attendants and other places should be granted seven-level official positions, and the person in charge of palace and other places should be granted eight-level official positions." However, during the Qianlong period, the emperor had a clear restriction on the rank of eunuchs in the worship room, that is, the rank of eunuchs should not exceed four, and the Qianlong emperor intended to put an end to the possibility of eunuchs interfering in politics.
at the end of the Qing dynasty, the ancestral system set by emperor Qianlong was not followed, which was related to the decline of imperial power at the end of the Qing dynasty. At the end of Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi was in power, and the most trusted eunuchs were An Dehai and Li. For example, Li, the general manager, intervened in state affairs with the second official, and Li poisoned Emperor Guangxu for his own personal gain.
so, what did the eunuchs in Qing dynasty mainly do? First of all, as the highest institution of eunuchs, they need to be responsible for the screening, adjustment, rewards and punishments of eunuchs in various ministries in the palace, as well as other affairs in the palace, including the collection of money and food for foreign banks and etiquette. General eunuchs, pen eunuchs and some eunuchs are responsible for moving, vigil, patrol and other work of the internal affairs office.
In addition, there is another job that people like to talk about in the worship room, that is, recording the affairs of the emperor in bed. Related to this is the recording department.
When people watch the palace drama, they often see such a scene: the eunuch carries many brands for the emperor to choose from, and which brand the emperor turns over will get the corresponding concubine's blessing. So there are many kinds of rumors. For example, some concubines often bribe the eunuch in charge to make their own brand appear on the plate, or let the eunuch in charge put their brand in a good position in order to get the emperor's favor more easily. Some people even say that bribery can be "promiscuity" between concubines and eunuchs. Whether these statements are true or not, the eunuchs in the Qing Dynasty can no longer interfere in the political affairs of the court as in the Ming Dynasty, but they can still "manage" the private life of the emperor.