Why is the bodyguard not as pure as the eunuch?

Referring to the emperor's close servant in the palace, all of us immediately think of the eunuchs. But in fact, there are two main forces that are men who perform the duties of close servants to the emperor. That is the eunuch and the guard guard. The task of the guard guard is to protect and ensure absolute safety for the emperor.

Living in the same palace, but why should the eunuchs have to be pure to work in the palace, and the bodyguards do not need it. What is the reason?

The first reason: Assign work

The first reason and the most basic reason to answer this question is the difference in the work of eunuchs and guards. Specifically, the working area of ​​the guard midfielder is the whole large palace. The eunuchs are only in charge of the harem or other places where they are assigned to manage but have to have a lot of contact with concubines and palace maids. In order to serve this area, the eunuch was required to keep his body clean so that he could not disturb the harem.

The guard guards were responsible for the security of the palace, patrolling and guarding the palaces and important positions. Therefore, they have little opportunity to interact with the concubines in the harem. Even if they guard the harem areas, where there are many palace maids, the guards will also have to patrol according to the prescribed formation. This was not like the eunuchs could go in and out of the harem at will.

Second reason: Origin

The next reason is that there is a difference in the kidney body, the position of the eunuch and the midfielder. The eunuchs are usually people from the poor class, who accept their celibacy to live in the palace. But unlike the eunuchs, the guards in the past were all from large families and were clearly investigated for their clan status.

When recruiting bodyguards, the emperor will order an investigation of each person's lineage to understand the background, know if the guard's lineage is pure, the ancestors have committed treason or serious crimes. not yet. In particular, the bodyguards must all belong to the Bat Ky clan, the more meritorious the clans with the emperor, the more trusted they will be. Only in this way can these people gain the trust of the emperor and allow his servants to stay close.

Picture 1 of Why is the bodyguard not as pure as the eunuch?
The old guards were all from great clans.

The royal guards in the ancient Forbidden City were forces selected from the descendants of the families of the Baqi Manchus and Mongols. Their duty is to protect the security in the palace, the gates of the Forbidden City, protect the emperor and the royal family.

The third reason: Position in the palace

Guards were also the servants of the emperor and the emperor's family in the palace. But the bodyguard was a clearly hierarchical official, established for the purpose of serving the emperor and operating under the emperor's control.

Picture 2 of Why is the bodyguard not as pure as the eunuch?
The royal guard served the emperor and royal family in the court.

In contrast, the eunuchs serving in the harem were of small stature. The concubines can be summoned so that the eunuchs must be present at any time. As for the guards, it was different, the concubines in the harem could not be arbitrarily summoned to meet. In contrast, only the emperor had the right to order the bodyguards to come. Failure to comply with this rule will result in severe punishment for both the concubine and the bodyguard.

Through the above reasons, it can be seen that it is obvious that the guards do not need to be as pure as the eunuchs. Moreover, it can be understood that the position and importance of bodyguards in ancient society was not low. Although they are both men, the eunuch and the bodyguard are two different extremes.