Although they are often referred to as a group of 10, there were actually 12 of them, and all held the position of zhong changshi (中常侍; "Central Regular Attendant") in Emperor Ling's imperial court.
[1] Two of the eunuchs, Zhang Rang (張讓) and Zhao Zhong (趙忠), started serving in the Han imperial palace as attendants holding the rank of jishi shengzhong (給事省中).
In recognition of Zhao Zhong's efforts, Emperor Huan enfeoffed him as a marquis of a chief district (都鄉侯).
In 165, Zhao Zhong was promoted to a secondary marquis (關內侯) and allowed to draw an annual salary of 1,000 hu of grain.
He urged Emperor Ling to execute the Ten Attendants and make it known throughout the Han Empire, so as to appease the common people's anger.
[9] Emperor Ling later ordered the Minister of Justice (廷尉) and Imperial Secretaries (御史) to investigate Zhang Jue and his Taiping Sect (太平道), who started the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
The eunuchs begged for mercy and pushed the blame to Wang Fu (王甫) and Hou Lan (侯覽).
There was one Meng Tuo (孟佗) from Fufeng Commandery (扶風郡) who gave all his family fortune as a gift to one of Zhang Rang's housekeepers.
Emperor Ling then ordered the officials in Taiyuan (太原), Hedong (河東) and Didao (狄道) commanderies to transport wood and patterned rocks to Luoyang (the imperial capital) as construction materials.
Many people perceived this to be a display of the emperor's extravagance, and pointed to signs showing that the coins will eventually scatter everywhere.
[16] Emperor Ling appointed Zhao Zhong as "General of Chariots of Cavalry" (車騎將軍) but removed him from office after some 100 days.
[17] When Emperor Ling became critically ill in 189, he secretly entrusted his younger son, Liu Xie, then about eight years old, to a close aide and eunuch, Jian Shuo.
Upon the emperor's death, Jian Shuo attempted to install Liu Xie on the throne but his plan failed.
Empress Dowager He immediately rejected the idea because it required her to interact with men on a regular basis, which she found offensive and immodest.
)[23] He Jin then heeded an alternative suggestion from Yuan Shao: he secretly instructed a few provincial military officials or warlords (Dong Zhuo, Wang Kuang, Qiao Mao and Ding Yuan) to lead their troops to the vicinity of Luoyang, the imperial capital, and openly demand that the eunuchs be executed – in the hope of pressuring Empress Dowager He to take action against the eunuchs.
Zhang Rang pleaded with her to help him, so she informed her mother (the Lady of Wuyang), who in turn spoke to Empress Dowager He.
During the attack, the eunuchs took Empress Dowager He, Emperor Shao and the Prince of Chenliu (Liu Xie) hostage and tried to flee from the palace up the Yellow River toward Chang'an.
[19] Zhang Rang and some 10 other eunuchs managed to bring Emperor Shao and the Prince of Chenliu to the riverbank, with imperial forces led by Lu Zhi and Min Gong (閔貢) hot on their heels.
126–189] in the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, his given name 璜 written and pronounced slightly similar to the fictional character 曠); Feng Xu and Jian Shuo existed historically, but were not listed among the Ten Attendants in the Book of the Later Han; Hou Lan and Cao Jie died in 172 and 181 respectively so they could not have been present when the events of the novel took place.
He is portrayed as a corrupt government minister who conspired with the game's main antagonist, Yu Ji, to support the Yellow Turban Rebellion in order to cause chaos in the country as a pretext to concentrate more power on himself.