the eunuchs, led by Qiu Shiliang and Yu Hongzhi (魚弘志), instead defeated Li Xun and his associates, leading to a general slaughter of much of the imperial administration officials by the Shence Armies, including the deaths of LI Xun, Zheng, the chancellors Wang Ya, Jia Su, Shu Yuanyu, and other participants in Li Xun's plot, including Wang Fan, Luo Liyan (羅立言), Guo Xingyu (郭行餘), and Li Xiaoben (李孝本).
According to the Klētorologion of Philotheos, the holders of the dignity were distinguished between eunuchs (ektomiai) and non-eunuchs (barbatoi, "bearded ones").
Most of the Moslem staff of the palace and the eunuchs were involved in the plots and, on 15 December, Stephen promptly moved the court to Messina, to where he had implored his cousin Gilbert, Count of Gravina, to go with an army.
Li Xun and Zheng also had six eunuchs who had conflicts with Wang Shoucheng previously, Tian Yuancao (田元操), Liu Xingshen (劉行深), Zhou Yuanzhen (周元稹), Xue Shigan (薛士幹), Sixian Yiyi (似先義逸), and Liu Yingchan (劉英, final character not in Unicode) to be sent out of Chang'an to survey six remote circuits, planning to eventually send edicts drafted by the imperial scholar Gu Shiyong (顧師邕) to the six circuits to order them to commit suicide later.
Hippocrates, describing among the Scythians "No-men" who resembled eunuchs, wrote, "they not only follow women's occupations, but show feminine inclinations and behave as women. The natives ascribe the cause to a deity..." (cited by Hammond, 1887).
Because of the friendship that Yuan had with Cui, the other eunuchs were also trying to become friendly with Yuan, particularly the one of the directors of palace communications (Shumishi), Wei Hongjian (魏弘簡).