Tian Yi

Tian Yi (|t=|first=t|p=Tián Yì}}, 1534 - 1605) was a eunuch serving at the imperial court of the Ming dynasty. He served under the Jiajing, the Longqing, and the Wanli emperors for a total of 63 years and eventually rose to a high position in the court, overseeing the Directorate of Ceremonial ("Master of the Seal in charge of rituals ) which ranked first among the twelve eunuch directorates. By the time of this death, he had become the favorite eunuch of the Wanli Emperor. Tian Yi was born in Shaanxi Province and was castrated at age 9. He entered the imperial court immediately afterwards. When he died in 1605, the Wanli Emperor ordered three days of mourning and the construction of a tomb with many features of an imperial mausoleum to commemorate him. Provided by Wikipedia