The eunuch who ran the Ming government was searched in front of the emperor, who found millions in silver and false seals

Liu Jin was castrated as a boy to enter imperial service and took the name of the eunuch who sponsored him. He served the heir to the Ming throne. When the Zhengde emperor took the throne in 1505, Liu rose to Director of Ceremonial wielding the brush, which let him answer memorials to the throne himself. He and seven other eunuchs were called the Eight Tigers. Contemporaries called him "Emperor Liu." According to ChinaKnowledge, he accused 50 officials of forming a faction, demanded a present for every favour, took large tracts of imperial land and embezzled the salt revenue. Britannica says offices were bought and sold. In 1510 the Prince of Anhua rebelled, claiming to act against the eunuch. Another of the Eight Tigers, Zhang Yong, came back from the campaign and secretly accused Liu to the emperor. Liu was arrested, and his household was searched in the emperor's presence. ChinaKnowledge says the searchers counted several million taels of silver and heaps of jewellery. Britannica says they also found false seals. Later historians give totals that differ by millions of taels. Liu was convicted of treason and put to death by slow slicing over three days from 27 September 1510. His property was confiscated^†, and his allies were removed from office.