After the death of the Empress Dowager Cixi, Li Lianying, the great eunuch who had served her for 44 years, faced an unprecedented predicament. As Cixi's confidant, he was powerful in the palace for a while, but the Empress Dowager Longyu did not trust him very much. In order to save her life, Li Lianying had to give up a lot of wealth in order to seek forgiveness from the Empress Dowager Longyu. Despite this, he eventually suffered an accident, and his body was in a different place, which made people sigh. What happened to Li Lianying, and why did he suffer such a fate? These questions deserve our in-depth discussion.
1. Li Lianying's glory days
Li Lianying has been destined for an extraordinary life since she was a child. He was born into a poor family in Yongnian County, Hebei Province, and was elected as a eunuch to enter the Forbidden City at the age of 8. At first, he served in Chuxiu Palace, and at the age of 16, he was transferred to Changchun Palace, where Cixi was located, and since then he has started his dazzling career as a eunuch.
Li Lianying was filial to the Empress Dowager Cixi, served meticulously, and was considerate. He learned a variety of techniques to please Cixi: combing her fashionable hair, massaging her, explaining famous stories, and even adding music to amuse her. Cixi was very appreciative of his intentions, regarded him as a confidant, and loved him very much.
With her loyalty to Cixi, Li Lianying's status in the palace has risen steadily. At the age of 26, he became the chief eunuch of Chuxiu Palace, at the age of 31, he was promoted to the head of the fourth-grade Hualing, and at the age of 46, he broke through the regulations of the Qing Dynasty and was promoted to the second-rank eunuch. He leaned towards the government and the opposition, scolded Fang Xuan in the palace, and became Cixi's most trusted celebrity.
In addition to official titles, Li Lianying also made a lot of money. He has set up a number of homes in Beijing and Haidian to plan for his retirement. At the same time, he also generously distributed a lot of property for his relatives, so that they could shelter him in times of trouble.
2. The predicament of Cixi after her death
On November 15, 1908, the Empress Dowager Cixi died, and Li Lianying lost this favored owner. As a confidant minister who has served Cixi for 44 years, Li Lianying naturally feels deeply lost. But what worries him even more is that Empress Dowager Longyu, who took over the harem from Cixi, doesn't seem to trust him.
Empress Dowager Longyu's distrust of Li Lianying stems from many reasons. On the one hand, Li Lianying served Cixi wholeheartedly and did not know much about the Empress Dowager Longyu; on the other hand, the Empress Dowager Longyu also knew that Li Lianying had been in power for a while and had accumulated countless wealth, so it was inevitable to prevent him from plotting against him. During the wake period, the Empress Dowager Longyu trusted Xiao Dezhang very much, but she was very protective of Li Lianying.
The perceptive Li Lianying quickly understood this. He realized that if he continued to stay in the Forbidden City, he might not be able to save his life. Therefore, he decided to leave the palace after Cixi's funeral and seek self-preservation.
In order to gain the trust and forgiveness of the Empress Dowager Longyu, Li Lianying had to give up a large amount of private wealth as a "life-saving fee". He handed over all the property rewarded by Cixi and the millions of taels of gold he had hidden in the palace to the Empress Dowager Longyu, which can be said to be a gift of all his belongings.
In addition, Li Lianying also gave the private property she had accumulated over the years to her relatives, so that they could shelter her when she had trouble. He divided each of his four heirs with 200,000 taels of silver, his two adopted daughters with 170,000 taels of silver, and the rest of the gold, silver, and jewelry among his relatives.
In order not to cause trouble, Li Lianying deliberately kept a low profile after leaving the palace to avoid attracting attention. He chose No. 83, the most inconspicuous cotton hutong in Beijing, as his residence, removed the "Li Mansion" plaque at the door, simplified his daily life, and even began to eat fast and recite Buddha.
3. Li Lianying's tragic end
Although Li Lianying did not hesitate to cut his flesh and wealth in order to save his life, his tragic fate was destined to be unavoidable.
Soon after leaving the palace, Li Lianying's children began to harass. These children have been spoiled by Li Lianying since they were children, and they have an endless desire for money. Seeing that his father was living in poverty after leaving the palace, they frequently came to harass him and tried to extort some more money from Li Lianying.
Li Lianying couldn't bear the harassment of her children, so she had to gather them together and divide her family property into two: 200,000 taels of silver for each of the four heirs, 170,000 taels of silver for each of the two adopted daughters, and the rest of the gold, silver and jewelry were distributed among other relatives. Li Lianying also sternly told her children at that time to be diligent and thrifty, and not to spend extravagantly.
However, the children's greed for money is simply not satisfied. Soon after the family property was divided, they began to harass Li Lianying one after another, trying to make another profit from him.
In addition to the harassment of her children, Li Lianying was also threatened by Xiao Dezhang. Xiao Dezhang knew that Li Lianying had made a lot of money, so he tried every means to "demand" money from him. After Li Lianying refused, Xiao Dezhang went to the Empress Dowager Longyu to "complain" and asked Li Lianying to be "brought to justice".
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager Longyu had already received a huge amount of "life-saving money" from Li Lianying, and Li Lianying had a deep friendship with warlords such as Yuan Shikai, so she did not pay attention to Xiao Dezhang's request, and Li Lianying escaped.
However, Li Lianying still failed to escape the tricks of fate in the end. In 1911, just three years after Cixi's death, 63-year-old Li Lianying was chased and killed by his enemies while on an outing, which eventually led to the tragedy of his "decapitation in a different place".
There are two theories about how Li Lianying was killed: one is that he was chased and killed when he went out, and the other is that he was killed when he went to visit Cixi's mausoleum. However, no matter which statement is true, the cause of Li Lianying's death is related to his power and wealth back then, which attracted the covetousness and jealousy of too many people.
4. Li Lianying's life gains and losses
Looking back on Li Lianying's life, he experienced a dramatic transition from the pinnacle of power to being imprisoned. During his tenure under the Empress Dowager Cixi, he leaned towards the government and the opposition, amassed countless wealth, and once became the most powerful and wealthy eunuch in the Qing court. However, fate will eventually abandon him mercilessly, which eventually leads to the tragedy of "being in a different place".
In terms of the gains and losses of power and wealth, Li Lianying can be said to have earned enough in life. He entered the Forbidden City since he was a child, and at the age of 16 he was transferred to serve in the Changchun Palace of the Empress Dowager Cixi. With his loyalty to Cixi, he soon won Cixi's favor, and his official fortune was prosperous, and finally broke through the regulations of the Qing Dynasty and was promoted to a second-rank eunuch, creating the highest record of eunuchs as officials.
At the same time, Li Lianying also made a lot of money, buying a number of houses in Beijing and Haidian to plan for her life after retirement. Not only that, but he also gave large sums of his family fortune to his relatives so that they could take refuge in the event of his own trouble.
However, Li Lianying's power and wealth did not bring him a stable old age. Instead, they became the source of his coveted and jealousy, which eventually led to his tragic death. After leaving the palace, he had to give up all his belongings in exchange for the forgiveness of the Empress Dowager Longyu. But even so, he still couldn't escape death, and finally "his head was in a different place".
Li Lianying's life can be described as ups and downs. At first, he was just an ordinary eunuch, and he reached the pinnacle of life step by step by serving Cixi with loyalty. However, the gain and loss of power and wealth made him suffer in his later years, and finally suffered a tragedy.
Li Lianying's life reflects the dark side of the court in the late Qing Dynasty. In that era, power and money often determined a person's life and death, and Li Lianying was a victim of this ugly phenomenon. However, his experience also reminds future generations that power and wealth are not eternal, and only virtue is the foundation of life.
Conclusion
Li Lianying's life can be described as a dramatic change, he has experienced a dramatic transition from the pinnacle of power to imprisonment. During his tenure under the Empress Dowager Cixi, he leaned towards the government and the opposition, amassed countless wealth, and once became the most powerful and wealthy eunuch in the Qing court. However, fate will eventually abandon him mercilessly, which eventually leads to the tragedy of "being in a different place".
Li Lianying's tragic fate reflects the dark side of the court in the late Qing Dynasty. In that era, power and money often determined a person's life and death, and Li Lianying was a victim of this ugly phenomenon. His life experience also reminds future generations that power and wealth are not eternal, and only virtue is the foundation of life.
However, Li Lianying's story also shows us some positives. He was filial to the Empress Dowager Cixi, meticulous in his service, and considerate, and this loyal quality is worth learning from. At the same time, his wisdom and decisiveness in sacrificing a large amount of wealth in order to save his life are also demonstrated.
In general, Li Lianying's life is legendary, and his experience reflects the dark side of that era, and also shows the brilliance of human nature. His story has given us many valuable inspirations, allowing us to draw wisdom from them, cherish the present, and strive for a better tomorrow.