Zheng Zhong (鄭眾), courtesy name Jichan (季產) (died 107), was the first
Han Dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
eunuch
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function.
The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...
with real power in government, thanks to the trust that
Emperor He had in him for his contributions in overthrowing the clan of
Empress Dowager Dou, particularly her autocratic brother
Dou Xian
Dou Xian (; died August 92) was a Chinese general and consort kin of the Eastern Han Dynasty, famous for destroying the Xiongnu nomadic empire.
Early life
A native of modern-day Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, he was part of the powerful Dou clan whi ...
. He was also a close associate of Emperor He's wife
Empress Deng Sui
Deng Sui ( zh, t=鄧綏; AD 81–121), formally Empress Hexi ( zh, t=和熹皇后, links=no, l=moderate and pacifying empress), was regent and ''de facto'' ruler of the Eastern Han dynasty from 106 to 121, serving as empress dowager during the re ...
and continued to be dominant after Emperor He's death, during her regency over his son
Emperor Shang and
Emperor An. He was also the first Eastern Han Dynasty eunuch to be created a marquess. (The only Western Han Dynasty eunuch who was created a marquess was
Empress Xu Pingjun
Xu Pingjun () (89 BC – 71 BC), formally Empress Gong'ai (; literally, the Respectful and Lamentable Empress) and sometimes (but not at all times) Empress Xiaoxuan (), was an empress of the Chinese Western Han dynasty. She was the first wife of ...
's father Xu Guanghan (許廣漢), whose creation was thanks to his relationship with his daughter and his son-in-law
Emperor Xuan, not his post as a eunuch.)
Zheng was from
Nanyang Commandery (roughly modern
Nanyang
Nanyang is the romanization of two common Chinese place names. It may refer to:
Written as 南洋 (Southern Ocean)
* Nanyang (region), a Chinese term denoting the Southeast Asian lands surrounding the South China Sea
;China
* Nanyang Fleet, Qing ...
,
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
) -- the same commandery that the Eastern Han imperial clan dominated. He was described to be cautious, agile, and a deep thinker. He first served in the household of
Emperor Zhang while he was still the
crown prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...
under his father
Emperor Ming. After Emperor Zhang ascended the throne, he was eventually promoted to the post of an imperial attendant (中常侍).
During the time of Empress Dowager Dou's regency over Emperor He, Zheng served as the director of imperial gardens (鉤盾令). He was one of the eunuchs who did not endear himself to Empress Dowager Dou's clan. In 92, Emperor He, apparently dissatisfied with his suppression by the Dou clan, plotted a coup d'état with his brother
Liu Qing the Prince of Qinghe, and Zheng. They were successful in carrying out the overthrow of the Dous, and as a reward, Emperor He promoted Zheng to the post of the Empress' palace's head of household (大長秋). Zheng accepted the post but declined most of the monetary rewards that Emperor He gave him, a fact that made Emperor He even more impressed with him. Emperor He often consulted with him on significant affairs of state, and this started a precedent of eunuchs becoming involved in imperial governance.
In 102, breaking past precedent, Emperor He created Zheng the Marquess of Chaoxiang.
Zheng supported Emperor He's wife Empress Deng through the turmoils of Emperor He's death in 106 and the death of his son and successor Emperor Shang later that year. For his support, she added 300 households to his
march in 107. He died later that year.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zheng, Zhong
Han dynasty eunuchs
107 deaths
Year of birth unknown