Chapter 6 Ranks and Rules

Min Na-eun began his training, learning the various customs and courtesies of the imperial palace. The boy encountered many novelties he had never seen before. The etiquette within the palace walls was vastly distant from Na-eun's prior life. Though he had learned to respect elders from his mother, the customs of Great Qing differed greatly from those of Goguryeo, thus Na-eun had to apply himself diligently and relearn everything.

"My name is Liu Pucheng. My rank is Songguan (Veteran Eunuch) of the Outer Eunuch Bureau, in the Administration Department. You may address me as Liu Gonggong," Liu Gonggong declared loudly before the twenty-two young boys who had just recovered from their purification. "At present, you are not even unranked eunuchs. You hold no official rank. You must bow to everyone within the imperial palace. Although you are currently far from the central imperial grounds, you are still within the palace precincts. Therefore, you must conduct yourselves with utmost decorum. No talking or making loud noises. No weeping. No wandering aimlessly without a higher-ranking eunuch leading the way. No walking with your heads held high. No looking directly at any imperial kin. You must obey and follow all commands. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Liu Gonggong," the young boys replied, bowing their heads.

"Though you have yet to encounter imperial kin, whether you are assigned to the Inner or Outer Eunuch Bureau, you must learn this: For all male imperial kin whose faces you may behold in the imperial palace, you must use royal address. However, it differs for female imperial kin. If it is an Imperial Princess, you must use royal address, but if you encounter one of the Emperor's concubines, you must observe the embroidery on her attire and the ornaments in her head to discern her rank."

At this point, several young boys began to look bewildered.

"The lowest rank of imperial concubine is 'Daying.' The next higher ranks are 'Changzai' and 'Guiren.' There is no limit to the number of concubines holding these three ranks. You must address them as 'Mistress.' Royal address is not required, but you must still show respect and deference. The higher ranks are 'Pin,' 'Fei,' and 'Huang Guifei.' You must address them as 'Imperial Concubine,' perhaps followed by their surname or conferred title and then their rank. And of course, the highest-ranking female in the inner court is the Empress." Liu Gonggong paced back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back. Noticing that some of the boys who had just entered the palace for the first time were beginning to doze off, he changed the subject. "At present, you may not understand, for the ranks and details are exceedingly numerous, which you must slowly memorize and learn. But do not fret. Young eunuchs like yourselves have many days of training. You will likely not have the opportunity to behold the faces of imperial kin easily, unless you are assigned to the Inner Eunuch Bureau. What is important now is to respect your elders. Masters have their ranks, and servants have their ranks."

Min Na-eun listened attentively. He knew well the importance of rank and title. Even as a servant, one could hold a position and earn a salary. Na-eun intended to save as much money as possible, then hire someone to search for his mother. The need to rely on others was because eunuchs, as servants, would either perish within the palace walls from punishment or grow old and die within them. Eunuchs were required to serve their masters until the age of seventy, after which they would reside in the Eunuch Pavilion, never having the opportunity to leave the palace for the rest of their lives.

Na-eun had only learned this truth from Huang Se when he inquired about when he could leave the palace. Upon hearing the answer then, Na-eun's body had grown cold. He regretted the path he had been given. If he could go back, would it have been better to be sold as a slave than to become a eunuch?

Huang Se, seeing the young boy weep loudly, quickly added that it was not true that eunuchs were forbidden from leaving the imperial palace like the palace maids. Eunuchs could leave the imperial grounds occasionally, but only if they held the rank of Songguan (Veteran Eunuch) or higher, for only then would they receive a plaque allowing them to exit the palace.

"At present, you are in training and are not yet officially eunuchs. But once your training is complete and you are assigned to various departments, you will receive the rank of Taijian (Unranked Eunuch), a rank of the eighth grade, the lowest position for a eunuch. You will receive a stipend of five hundred copper cions" (One thousand copper coins equals one tael of silver.) As Liu Gonggong spoke of the stipend, the young eunuchs who had been dozing off immediately sat up, ears perked. Liu Gonggong continued to explain the hierarchy of eunuch ranks within the imperial palace

Learning the customs and proper conduct within the imperial palace, though strict, was not overly arduous, as long as they had beds to sleep in and three meals a day. Min Na-eun recovered completely and diligently learned the palace rules. During this time, Min Na-eun was fortunate to reside with Yi In-jo, the younger boy who had clutched his hand tightly before entering the purification chamber. He had never dreamed they would meet again as the young boy had hoped.

"Hmph, today Liu Gonggong hit my back again because my bow wasn't graceful enough. Liu Gonggong has no pity for me!" The speaker was a boy named Park Gureum, a captive from Joseon, just like Na-eun and In-jo. In this small room, four young eunuchs were housed together. Besides Min Na-eun, Yi In-jo, and Park Gureum, there was another boy named Wei Liujin.

"I also got my hand hit for adding one too many tea leaves," In-jo lamented. "I just don't understand, would the taste truly be so strange just from one extra tea leaf?"

"Do not complain so much, you two. Come here. I'll apply the medicine. I secretly got some from Brother Huang Se" Na-eun beckoned the two young eunuchs. Now, Brother Huang Se was no longer an unranked eunuch. He had attained the rank of Fushouling Taijian and was assigned to the Imperial Pharmacy Department in the Outer Eunuch Bureau.

"Hmph. Are you secretly mingling with those from the Outer Eunuch Bureau again?" Wei Liujin, who had been silent all this while, turned to him with a disdainful expression.

"Why not? Brother Huang Se is so good to Na-eun. He secretly brings Na-eun medicine because he knows we get hit often during training." Yi In-jo countered, but Wei Liujin said nothing more than to turn his back and pull the covers over himself.

"Never mind him. Everyone knows Liujin wants to be in the Inner Eunuch Bureau" Park Gureum sighed. "Ouch! Be gentle, Na-eun! It stings!"

"If it stings so much, then don't make mistakes that lead to being hit again."

"Who can be as clever as you? You remember the embroidery patterns and cloth colors of all imperial kin, your bows are elegant, you brew tea expertly, you can distinguish tea leaves just by scent, and you even know characters! I reckon once we receive our ranks, you'll surely be assigned to the Inner Eunuch Bureau. I truly wish I were as capable as you. You might even serve an Imperial Concubine, and perhaps even become a close Gonggong to a Huang Guifei!" Yi In-jo clasped his hands together, his expression lost in reverie, until Na-eun could not help but flick the forehead of the dreamy boy.

"Indeed, indeed! If Na-eun rises in rank, don't forget about us!" Gureum joined in.

"But I have heard that the closer one serves, the greater the danger. One day, one might be seized and torn apart by five horses."

There were as many as three thousand eunuchs and palace maids in the imperial palace, accepting new attendants every summer. But who could know how many years one would live once they entered the imperial palace?

"Brother Na-eun, why speak of such inauspicious things? We are merely eunuchs; at most, we will be whipped."

"By the way, which department or palace do you wish to be assigned to?" Na-eun asked curiously.

"Me? I wish to serve in the palace of an Imperial Concubine of the Pin rank or higher."

"And you, Gureum? Which department do you wish to be assigned to?" Na-eun turned to ask the other boy.

"Anywhere is fine for me. The Treasury Department is good, the Library Department is good, or if it's best, the Administration Department. I want to be a eunuch who punishes, not one who is punished, hehe. I just want to avoid anything to do with the Inner Court. I know well that I lack the ability to read the expressions of those high-ranking individuals, and I am clumsy. I cannot remember all those complicated ceremonial protocols. I might accidentally make a mistake and be whipped without even realizing it."

Besides their ranks, eunuchs also had to belong to a department, divided into two bureaus: the Inner Eunuch Bureau and the Outer Eunuch Bureau.

The Inner Eunuch Bureau was responsible for serving in various palaces, be it the Eastern Palace of the Crown Prince, the Kunning Palace of the Empress, the Xixiang Palace of Concubine De, or the Shining Palace of the Empress Dowager. It also had various affiliated departments such as:

The Imperial Edict Department: Responsible for announcing imperial decrees.

The Imperial Attire Department: Responsible for the clothing and accessories of the inner court.

The Imperial Kitchen Department: Responsible for all meals served in all palaces.

The Imperial Robe Department: Responsible for repairing and laundering clothing, considered the lowest rank and dignity.

The Outer Eunuch Bureau was less directly involved with imperial kin. Its duties included overseeing the outer imperial grounds, and various miscellaneous tasks. It had affiliated departments such as:

The Administration Department: Responsible for purchasing and assigning eunuchs to various palaces, compiling lists and ranks of eunuchs, and training and punishing eunuchs who violated rules.

The Treasury Department: Responsible for overseeing the payment of stipends to eunuchs, as well as imperial gifts from masters to eunuchs.

The Library Department: Responsible for managing the imperial library, compiling historical records, and copying texts related only to imperial kin.

The Arboriculture Department: Eunuchs in this department were responsible for tending to trees and flowers in the gardens throughout the imperial palace.

It was well-known among the palace attendants that even if an eunuch from the Outer Bureau held the same rank as an eunuch from the Inner Eunuch Bureau, their level of respect and deference would be lower. For example, if a Shouling Taijian (Intermediate Eunuch) assigned to the Treasury Department in the Outer Eunuch Bureau encountered a Shouling Taijian (Intermediate Eunuch) assigned to the Eastern Palace of the Crown Prince, the Shouling Taijian from the Outer Eunuch Bureau would still have to show three parts more respect to the Shouling Taijian from the Eastern Palace. This was because eunuchs assigned to the Inner Bureau were closer to imperial kin and had a much faster chance of promotion. Furthermore, if any eunuch became a trusted confidant, they could even hold the power to decide the life or death of lower-ranking eunuchs.

"Forget it. It's useless to hope anyway. It's not as if we have the right to demand to be in this or that department. Liu Gonggong will assess our abilities and assign us to each affiliation" Park Gureum pulled down his shirt once the medicine was applied. "Thank you so much, Na-eun. Let's sleep."

The three Joseon boys nodded to each other and extinguished the lamp.