“奉祀祖陵,为国肺腑”:明代凤阳守备太监创设考

The Textual Research of Fengyang Guard Eunuch’s Settlement in Ming Dynasty

凤阳守备太监最早设置时间是在成化八年九月卫颖守备凤阳之际。其设置的最直接动机为成化八年七月南直隶大风雨,当时受灾面积广达数省,江淮一带流民问题严重。在这背景之下,明宪宗命太监高廉协同卫颖守备凤阳,高廉死后,宪宗仍差内官一员奉皇陵,兼守地方,则标志着凤阳守备太监由一种临时性委任而成为一项常态化制度,直至明亡,持续170余年。这一制度的最终形成,不仅是明中期政治、社会危机相互激荡在江淮地方的反映,亦是宣德以后皇陵太监威权日重的特殊背景下的产物。

The earliest settlement time of Fengyang guard eunuch was in September of Chenghua 8th year, at that time, Wei Ying guarded Fengyang. The most direct motive is a driving rain that appeared Nanzhili in July of Chenghua 8th year. The flood impacted some provinces, the Jianghuai refugees was a striking problem. Under such background, emperor Chenghua commanded eunuch Gao Lian to cooperate with Wei Ying to guard Fengyang. After Gao Lian’s death, the emperor still sent an eunuch to consecrate the emperor tomb in Fengyang, and looked after the local affairs. It marked the transit of Fengyang guard eunuch from being a temporary effort to become a normalized system. It lasted for more than 170 years until the death of Ming Dynasty. And its final formation is not only a regional reflection of the political and social crises in the middle Ming Dynasty, but also the outcome of the emperor tomb eunuch with large powers since Xuande’s period.