This time we look at eunuchs in the Tang from Xuanzong to hapless Emperor Ai. We'll see how it was a long hard downhill slide once Xuanzong let Gao Lishi amass so much power. Subsequent emperors were either too weak or too young to push back against eunuchs who, once given an inch of authority, took a mile more and never let go. They grew in power and venality at the expense of the dynasty's fortunes. Finally they drove it into the ground.