In 1966, the tomb of Li Lianying, one of the most famous eunuchs in history, was smashed open. What was unexpected was that there were no complete remains in Li Lianying's grave, only a rotten head. One of the most famous eunuchs in the Qing Dynasty was found to have his head missing when he died.
Since Li Lianying lived in the late Qing Dynasty, there was already a camera at that time. Although not as advanced as today's camera technology, the camera still recorded the appearance of this famous eunuch of the Qing Dynasty during his lifetime. Later, someone restored the black and white photos of Li Lianying into color photos and found that the eunuch looked sinister and had a face full of pustules. Why was he only favored by Cixi ?
The ugly eunuch
No matter which dynasty people are in, people always look at appearance. Even people with good looks in positions such as eunuchs and palace maids always take advantage . For example, many palace maids attracted the emperor because of their delicate or beautiful appearance. After being favored by the emperor, they gave birth to princes. From then on, the mother was valued based on the son.
Appearance is naturally very important to eunuchs. Although it is not possible to choose one out of ten like a palace maid, it is naturally not enough for heavyweights like the emperor and queen mother to have poor looks compared to the eunuchs who hang around every day. Although the other eunuchs could not be said to be as good-looking as Yushu Linfeng, they were still decent in appearance. The sudden arrival of a crooked eunuch really affected his mood.
Because Li Lianying lived in the late Qing Dynasty, some photos were left behind. From these unclear photos, we can also get a glimpse of the facial features of this great eunuch of the Qing Dynasty. said it was serious and even insulting to the country, but Li Lianying was an accident. From the photos, you can see that Li Lianying has a sinister look on his face, and he is completely a "big villain".
In addition, Li Lianying's skin is also not good, with various large pustules on her face. It is similar to the acne that many people have on their faces today. Acne is now a difficult problem on the skin, not to mention the Qing Dynasty where medical treatment was relatively underdeveloped. However, with such appearance, Li Lianying was deeply loved by Cixi.
Cixi's life butler
After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, some people who had served as maids or other positions in the palace also escaped from the Forbidden City . Since the outside world has always been very curious about the life of the royal family, some people who have stayed in the Forbidden City tell others what they have seen and heard.
From these people, we can see how favored Li Lianying, the eunuch with a sinister face and a pustule on his face, is? During the reign of Cixi in the Qing Dynasty, you could often hear the familiar voice of Empress Dowager Cixi in the Summer Palace or the Imperial Garden of the Forbidden City after dinner or when the weather was hot. Empress Dowager Cixi often said this: "Lianhuaying, let's go for a walk!" "Lianhuaying, let's go to the theater with the Ai family."
Whether it was daily life or walking and watching a movie, Li Lianying often accompanied Cixi. Cixi's climb from an ordinary concubine to the position of queen mother was not just due to luck. Emperor Xianfeng at that time also allowed Cixi to help him handle government affairs. Therefore, Li Lianying was deeply trusted by Cixi and it can be seen that Li Lianying was by no means as simple as he thought on the surface.
In addition to Cixi, Emperor Guangxu also respected Li Lianying very much. Emperor Guangxu directly called Li Lianying "Li Anda". "Anda" is a very respectful word in Manchu and is also the highest title for eunuchs. From this title, we can see that Li Lianying was not only deeply favored by Cixi, but also favored by Emperor Guangxu.
Before his death, Emperor Guangxu still told people around him to treat Li Anda kindly. Before an emperor died, he was still thinking about an old eunuch who didn't look very good..What is so special about Li Lianying that Cixi and Guangxu confided in her?
The favored Li Lianying
The Empress Dowager Cixi is a human spirit. She can catch the eye of the Empress Dowager Cixi and become the housekeeper of her life. The Empress Dowager Cixi calls her Li Lian when she is walking around. From this, we can see that Li Lianying is very fond of Li Lianying. Favored by the Empress Dowager Cixi.
Emperor Guangxu remembered Li Lianying before his death. If we simply say that Li Lianying could flatter and please the Queen Mother and the Emperor, it would be too small to underestimate this famous eunuch of the Qing Dynasty. There are many ministers, eunuchs and maids surrounding the Queen Mother and Emperor every day. When it comes to flattering skills, Li Lianying is not the strongest, but the reason why Li Lianying is deeply loved is definitely not due to luck.
Li Lianying has high emotional intelligence and is also very loyal. It seems a bit inconsistent to say the word "loyalty" to an eunuch, but Li Lianying's every move proves that he always keeps Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu in his heart.
According to the regulations of the Qing Dynasty, the rank of eunuchs cannot exceed the fourth rank, but the Empress Dowager Cixi made an exception and gave Li Lianying the second rank to wear a flower feather. For a eunuch to break the centuries-old rules of the Qing Dynasty, Li Lianying's favorability is evident. Generally, the eunuchs around the emperor and the queen mother, Prince Cheng, would give him some face, not to mention favored eunuchs like Li Lianying.
Once Cixi sent Li Lianying and Prince Chun to inspect the Beiyang Navy . When the two of them were inspecting, Li Lianying stood behind Prince Chun. The clothes he wore that day were very low-key. Li Lianying's move gave Prince Chun enough face. During the inspection of the Beiyang Navy, Li Lianying did not say a word and always put Prince Chun first.
After this incident, not only did the Empress Dowager Cixi become more fond of Li Lianying, but Prince Chun and other royal members also paid more attention to Li Lianying, who was able to observe his words and emotions. Li Lianying not only has eyes, but also always takes good care of Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi.
After the Eight-Power Allied Forces entered the capital, Cixi and Guangxu immediately escaped from the capital. Some provincial and municipal officials who passed along the way knew that Cixi had the final say in the Qing Dynasty, and naturally they did not take enough care of Emperor Guangxu.
When everyone was resting, Li Lianying discovered that the place where Emperor Guangxu lived only had bed boards. The weather was already very cold. After seeing this, Li Lianying cried bitterly in front of Guangxu and said that she had not taken good care of Guangxu.
Li Lianying gave her thick quilt to Guangxu. From this incident on, Guangxu always told others, Without Li Anda, he would not be alive today ... It is said that the Tian family is ruthless, but Emperor Guangxu From Li Lianying, we can see that this eunuch cares and takes care of himself like an elder. This is probably a rare brilliance in Guangxu's unhappy career as emperor.
Summary
High emotional intelligence, good at observing people's emotions and low-key. Even though he is a eunuch, Li Lianying always makes people ignore his slightly sinister appearance and special identity. makes people feel like a reliable elder and friend. The eunuch who rose to prominence by combing Cixi's hair has become a legend in history.
The reason why Li Lianying was deeply favored by Cixi was, to some extent, beyond the relationship between master and servant. Li Lianying treated Cixi sincerely and respected Emperor Guangxu. It was this sincerity that made Cixi more and more favored by Li Lianying. Unfortunately, after Cixi passed away, Li Lianying retired and returned to her hometown, but was killed and her head was missing.
