A very fair point. It was my impression that the bloating of the court eunech population was considered a sign of imperial decline. If the empire wasn't expanding, advancement was mostly available through court intrigue, and drama was internal to the class that was jockeying for the emperor's favour.
In one sense, it's like the bloating of university administrations over the last couple decades in the U.S. as Pell grants unleashed a torrent of money at post-secondary education. The easiest way to soak up the excess was to bloat the bureaucracy trying to spend it.
In one sense, it's like the bloating of university administrations over the last couple decades in the U.S. as Pell grants unleashed a torrent of money at post-secondary education. The easiest way to soak up the excess was to bloat the bureaucracy trying to spend it.