A Throne Seized by Eunuchs

In December 826 CE, the Tang Dynasty faced a crisis when Emperor Jingzong was assassinated. A faction led by Liu Keming and Su Zuoming forged an imperial edict to enthrone Li Wu, Prince of Jiang, as the new ruler. However, their plot unraveled when powerful eunuchs—notably Wang Shoucheng (head of the Privy Council) and Liang Shouqian (commander of the Palace Army)—mobilized forces to eliminate the conspirators. In their place, they installed Li Ang, Jingzong’s younger brother, who would reign as Emperor Wenzong.

Wenzong, a studious and idealistic ruler, had long admired the governance of Emperor Taizong (r. 626–649), whose Zhenguan Political Records he studied diligently. Unlike his predecessors, Wenzong rejected the lax court schedule—where emperors held audiences only on odd-numbered days—and demanded daily meetings with ministers. His meticulous approach extended to appointments: he personally interviewed candidates, as seen when he rebuked the gambling-prone official Zhang Jia before approving his governorship. Yet, Wenzong’s deeper obsession was curbing the eunuchs’ stranglehold on power—a struggle that would define his reign.

The Eunuch Problem: A Dynasty in Chains

Since the An Lushan Rebellion (755–763), Tang emperors had relied on eunuchs to counterbalance aristocratic factions. By Wenzong’s era, eunuchs controlled the Shence Army (Palace Guards), manipulated succession, and even murdered emperors—including Wenzong’s grandfather, Xianzong (r. 805–820). Their dominance bred resentment among scholar-officials, but factional infighting (notably the Niu-Li partisan strife) thwarted unified opposition.

Wenzong’s first attempt to break this cycle came in 830, when he secretly appointed Song Shenxi as chancellor to orchestrate a purge. The plot collapsed after eunuchs framed Song for conspiring with Prince Li Cou. Undeterred, Wenzong turned to two unlikely allies: the disgraced scholar Li Xun and the physician-turned-politician Zheng Zhu.

Li Xun and Zheng Zhu: The Unlikely Conspirators

Li Xun, a charismatic but exiled aristocrat, and Zheng Zhu, a shrewd medic who ingratiated himself with eunuch Wang Shoucheng, became Wenzong’s key operatives. Promoted to high offices by 835, they exploited rivalries among eunuchs:

1. Neutralizing Wang Shoucheng: They elevated the resentful eunuch Qiu Shiliang to divide the Shence Army, then demoted Wang before poisoning him.
2. Securing Military Backing: Allies like Guo Xingyu (military governor of Binzhou) and Wang Fan (Taiyuan governor) were positioned to mobilize troops.
3. The Decoy Plot: Zheng Zhu was sent to Fengxiang as a strategic reserve force.

The Sweet Dew Incident: A Bloody Debacle

On November 21, 835, Li Xun staged an elaborate ruse. At the Hanlin Academy, General Han Yue announced that “sweet dew” (an auspicious omen) had appeared on a pomegranate tree—a pretext to lure eunuchs into an ambush. But the plan unraveled when:

– Han Yue’s nervous demeanor alerted Qiu Shiliang.
– A gust of wind exposed hidden soldiers, triggering panic.
– Eunuchs fled and kidnapped Wenzong, barricading themselves in the Xuanzheng Hall.

In the chaos, Li Xun’s makeshift militia collapsed. Qiu’s Shence Army slaughtered hundreds of officials, including Li Xun, Zheng Zhu (captured en route to Fengxiang), and four chancellors. The streets of Chang’an ran red with aristocratic blood.

Aftermath: A Reign in Shadows

The failed Sweet Dew Coup cemented eunuch supremacy. Wenzong, now a puppet, lamented his fate: “Even Emperor Zhou of Han was subject to his regent Huo Guang, yet I am weaker than Emperor Xian of Han—bound by slaves!” He died under suspicious circumstances in 840, aged 33.

Legacy of the Sweet Dew Coup

1. Institutionalized Eunuch Rule: The Tang court remained under eunuch control until its collapse in 907.
2. Scholar-Official Distrust: The massacre deepened rifts between literati factions, weakening governance.
3. Symbol of Resistance: Later reformers, like Wang Anshi of the Song Dynasty, cited Wenzong’s struggle as a cautionary tale.

Wenzong’s tragedy underscores a recurring theme in Chinese history: the peril of palace intrigues when institutional checks fail. His earnest but flawed efforts to restore imperial authority reveal the Tang Dynasty’s irreversible decline—a lesson in the corrosive power of unchecked inner-court dominance.