The Record of a Mirror on Eunuchs (Zhongjian lu), written by Wang Ji (1498-1583), was compulsory reading for Ming dynasty eunuchs in the neishu tang-the school for eunuchs within the palace-and contains numerous cases of both exemplary eunuchs and counterexamples throughout Chinese history. Through these models, Wang Ji sought to morally reform the eunuchs, and in turn, to influence the moral character of the Wanli Emperor (1563-1620). Two eunuchs, Sun Long and Liu Cheng, who had successively served as the Eunuch Superintendent of Imperial Silk Manufacturing in Suzhou and Hangzhou, published and republished the book in 1581 and 1611 respectively. Published by such prominent eunuchs, the Record of a Mirror on Eunuchs indeed influenced its intended readers and was received favorably, as Wang Ji wrote impartially from the standpoint of the eunuch. Wang Ji's book was a means for late Ming gentry to indirectly cultivate the emperor and to apply the teachings of Wang Yangming to worldly matters.