Ly Lien Anh: Who is the eunuch who was favored by Empress Dowager Cixi and repeatedly broke the rules?

When she was alive, Empress Dowager Cixi broke the Qing Dynasty's laws many times because of Ly Lien Anh. She made him a second-class eunuch general. At the same time, he was also the first person to call Empress Dowager Cixi "Old Buddha".

When it comes to the Qing Dynasty in China, I believe that everyone is extremely familiar with it, especially the outstanding Emperors: Khang Hi, Yong Chinh, Qian Long, creating the period of "Kang Qian's prosperity". develop strongly.

Besides these Emperors, of course it is impossible not to mention Empress Dowager Cixi, who held real power in the court during the late Qing Dynasty. This old Buddha lived an extremely luxurious life, with few good reputations and countless bad reputations.

Looking at old photos of the Qing Dynasty, next to Cixi often appears the figure of a eunuch with a skinny figure. That is Ly Lien Anh - the great eunuch of the Qing Dynasty and the Queen Mother's "confidant" and most trusted subordinate.

In feudal times, the Royal Palace had many maids and eunuchs, a group of servants who specialized in serving their masters, including the Emperor, Queen Mother and concubines in the harem.

In a majestic, forbidden palace, stupid people are easily trampled and bullied, but clever people can stand firm, and even rise to higher positions if they know how to please their superiors, especially eunuchs. That's why there was the position of general eunuch - the person who managed all the eunuchs in the palace, and in some dynasties also managed the palace maids.

Great eunuch Lien Anh is a typical example. He was the person most trusted by Empress Dowager Cixi, possessing power not inferior to that of a court official. Descendants can see Ly Lien Anh's true face through black and white photos taken by Western photographers.

Accordingly, Ly Lien Anh has an austere face and many flaws, a skinny body, and can be said to be "a bit unattractive" for a general who has control over all the servants in the palace.

Many people also believe that Ly Lien Anh had to work for Ci Hi so he was tired and overworked, leading to his body wasting away. Her face was austere because she spent all day thinking of plans for Tu Hi, and at the same time had to "torn her brain" to please the Queen Mother who was known as the most difficult and cruel of the Qing Dynasty.

Many people wonder what kind of talent the eunuch Ly Lien Anh has that could become Ci Hi's "confidant" and survive alongside the "tiger" for so many years. Of course, to do these things, Ly Lien Anh is not simple.

1. Know how to "live by looking at your master's face"

Working in the royal palace is a very dangerous thing, because if you don't do it well, your head will fall off your neck without even realizing it. Therefore, the group of subordinates in the palace must learn to live cunningly, observing their master's facial expressions and every gesture to guess their thoughts and moods. The owner feels satisfied, the subordinates are more or less respected and rewarded.

And Ly Lien Anh is such a person. He was considered the "master" of "telling the heart by looking at faces" among the group of eunuchs of the Qing Dynasty at that time. Just by looking at it, he could understand Cixi's thoughts. The premise of this ability is to always observe and not be negligent, to remember every sentence and every word of the Queen Mother, not to miss any detail, to know when to say what and what to do.

Good at guessing meaning, and at the same time the ability to complete tasks must also be high. Ly Lien Anh possesses these two things. Having such a capable servant, it is no wonder that Ci Hi trusted him and often entrusted him with important tasks that even the local Emperor Guangxu did not know about.

As they say today, Ly Lien Anh is truly a person who possesses extremely high EQ and lives a truly smart life.

2. Take very good care of Tu Hi

Serving the master is the daily job of the servants, specifically the eunuchs and maids. Having lived in the palace for decades, Ly Lien Anh is of course very good and proficient in this matter.

Having served Cixi for many years, this great eunuch understood the Queen Mother very well, clearly understanding her habits and preferences so that she could instruct her subordinates to follow, which can be said to be dedicated and meticulous in taking care of her.

For example, he would personally supervise the palace maids preparing bath water for Cixi, then personally spread flower petals and fragrance. He knew that Tu Hi liked to eat tofu, so he traveled all over the capital to find the best stinky tofu. Not only that, before the Queen Mother ate, Ly Lien Anh also tasted the food to see if it was delicious or not, poisonous or not.

Even at the end of the Qing Dynasty, Western countries began to invade, and the whole country up and down "ate frugally and cut expenses", Cixi never saved. Ly Lien Anh is the person responsible for ensuring that the Queen Mother's eating and living habits are still as full and luxurious as before.

3. Know the times and reconcile conflicts

Working in the palace, of course the most important thing is to have EQ, see into people's hearts, and please the other person to avoid gossip and hatred, otherwise you will bring disaster to yourself.

And Ly Lien Anh is also most knowledgeable about this point, he knows how to handle relationships between people. Even though he stood in a very high position, he was never arrogant and stubborn, but rather humble.

If there was a minister who made Ci Hi angry, Ly Lien Anh would immediately relieve him, not add fuel to the fire. If there are servants who are not careful enough to make mistakes, he also helps them save a way to live. Therefore, he was very popular with the court officials along with the maids and eunuchs in the palace.

Without a market, fully clothed, and forbidden to leave the palace, where do concubines spend their monthly money? Keng17:01:16 17/09/2023Sometimes you can't leave the palace for a whole year, and there are no shops in the palace. Many people are curious about what the concubine will use the bonus money for. Knowing this, everyone was surprised.