Eunuchs from Abroad Bring a Chinese Dynasty to the Brink of Collapse

The first foreign eunuch of China played a significant role in the downfall of the Yuan Dynasty, ending Mongol rule over China.

According to Guoqing, a Chinese website, historical records indicate that the first foreign eunuch in the history of China was Park Bul-hwa, originally from Goryeo (present-day Korea).

Park Bul-hwa was born in the early years of the reign of Emperor Yuan Wenzong (1304-1332). At the age of seven, he underwent castration and was brought to serve in the Yuan court.

Character Park Bul-hwa in a television series.

This was a dynasty where the Mongols controlled all of China after conquering the Southern Song Dynasty in 1279.

A girl who entered the palace with Park Bul-hwa at that time was Qi Lạc. Later, the two became close friends. Qi Lạc was assigned to sewing and embroidery in the palace, while Park Bul-hwa worked as a servant responsible for cleaning and serving tea.

The two Goryeo children were very close to each other. As time passed, Qi Lạc blossomed into a beautiful young woman.

Thỏa Hoan Thiệp Mộc Nhĩ, the son of Emperor Yuan Wenzong, once played in the palace and saw Qi Lạc, taking her back to his residence. Not long after, Thỏa Hoan ascended the throne, adopting the title Yuan Huệ Tông. Qi Lạc was naturally granted the title of empress.

The first foreign eunuch of China

Becoming the Empress of the world, enjoying wealth and glory, Empress Qi Lạc did not forget her old friend. She brought Park Bul-hwa to her palace, appointing him as the Grand Minister of Grace and the Chief of the Treasury.

Depiction of eunuch Park Bul-hwa.

During the Yuan Dynasty, the Treasury was responsible for managing the national treasury. According to historians, this was a lucrative position. Given such an important role by the Empress, Park Bul-hwa could not miss the opportunity to benefit himself.

Exploiting his position and his close relationship with the Empress, Park Bul-hwa became corrupt, accumulating wealth. Thanks to his embezzled funds, he frequently brought gifts to the royal family and the nobility.

Not only did he amass wealth, but Park Bul-hwa also recognized this as the shortest path to enter the power center of the Yuan court. Coincidentally, the Emperor at the time had great trust in Park Bul-hwa, often sending him on inspections and charitable missions.

When the son of Empress Qi Lạc was appointed Crown Prince, Park saw his opportunity there. He personally took charge of all matters concerning the Crown Prince, from meals to sleep.

Meanwhile, Emperor Yuan Shun was uninterested in court affairs, despising politics, and only cared for pleasures. This Emperor handed over all power to the Crown Prince, even appointing the chancellor, Sóc Tư Giám, at Park Bul-hwa’s recommendation.

At this time, Park Bul-hwa became a powerful figure in the court. All promotions, infrastructure developments, treasury management, and national policies were decided solely by him. In the court, no officials dared to contradict his orders.

Park Bul-hwa’s power was so great that all promotions and dismissals of officials had to go through him. All the high-ranking ministers had to flatter him, fearing to go against his wishes.

The eunuch who caused the downfall of a dynasty

Recognizing his growing power, Park Bul-hwa conspired with Empress Qi Lạc and his confidant, Chancellor Sóc Tư Giám, to pressure Yuan Huệ Tông to abdicate in favor of the Crown Prince.

Previously, all the Crown Prince’s meals and sleep were prepared by Park Bul-hwa himself. He had become one of the most powerful figures in the Yuan court after the Emperor. All promotions and dismissals, as well as national policies, were determined by him.

Yuan Huệ Tông was the last Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty.

However, the plot to place the Crown Prince on the throne was discovered by Emperor Yuan. Yuan Huệ Tông became furious, imprisoning everyone involved without exception.

Amidst the chaos, Bình La Mộc Nhĩ, someone who harbored jealousy towards Park Bul-hwa and Sóc Tư Giám, took the opportunity to enter the prison and kill both the chancellor and the eunuch.

Internal conflicts within the Yuan court were a major cause of famine and epidemics. Peasant uprisings occurred everywhere during this time.

Among these was Zhu Yuanzhang, who marched his army towards the Yuan capital.

Seeing the overall situation collapsing, Yuan Huệ Tông regretted and blamed the Crown Prince: “The Great Yuan territory has been lost at the hands of you and your mother.” According to historians, Emperor Huệ Tông himself was at fault for blindly handing all power over to Park Bul-hwa.

Not long after Park Bul-hwa’s death, Zhu Yuanzhang forced the Mongol troops to retreat back to the Central Asian steppes. The Yuan Dynasty fell from that point, replaced by the Ming Dynasty.

It can be said that the reason for the downfall of the Yuan Dynasty, one of the most warlike dynasties in history, was due to the Emperor’s excessive trust in the foreign eunuch Park Bul-hwa.

Eunuchs were indispensable figures in the feudal history of China. They were often close aides trusted by the Emperor, leading to abuses of power, holding great influence, and even being able to depose the Emperor. This series will recount stories about the most notorious eunuchs in Chinese history.