foreword Eunuchs have appeared in both Chinese and foreign history. In ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Persia during the ancient slavery period, eunuchs were as active as China at that time.However, with the development of history, the eunuchs in these countries all withdrew from the historical stage earlier, while the eunuch system in China has gradually developed into a complete system.The Chinese eunuch system is unique in the history of the world for its early emergence, long duration, strict organization, and great influence.In the history of China, eunuchs have been monopolizing power and interfering with government affairs many times. Eunuchs had an important influence on feudal society and politics.

In the long river of time, there are countless people who are good at swallowing mountains and rivers, or who are good at literature and martial arts, or who are good at poetry and poetry, but there is such a kind of people who have been ignored by people: they use their accents, step on their feet, and maintain Maintain the order of life, do some manual labor, and spend their entire lives in the daily life of the emperor's concubines. In short, their fate is often not very good. What these people lost was not only their masculinity, but also their basic dignity.When he was alive, he did not dare to erect his spine in front of his master; after death, he also secretly hid in a corner in the cemetery of his hometown.However, as the saying goes, the number one scholar comes out, among these eunuchs, occasionally there are one or two who rely on the power of their masters and play an extremely important and special role in the process of Chinese history.Among them, the most famous is Li Lianying, the great eunuch of the Qing Dynasty.

Li Lianying's ancestral home was in Hangzhou, and her original name was Li Yingtai. After entering the palace, she was renamed Li Lianying by Empress Dowager Cixi.He was born in a farmer's family in Dacheng County, Hebei. He voluntarily entered the palace at the age of nine, determined to bathe in the grace of the emperor and glorify his family.After entering the palace, he was active in the world and quickly became familiar with the life in the palace.In order to get the favor of Cixi, he did not hesitate to go to the brothel alone to practice his hair-combing skills; Cixi was sick in bed, and he did not take off his clothes for several months, waiting in front of the bed day and night; , To improve his status in the palace, he was so whimsical that he wanted to let his sister enter the palace through Cixi and become Guangxu's concubine, so as to be among the royal relatives

In the end, with his clever mind and handsome appearance, he won the full trust of Cixi and the awe of princes and ministers.He stayed by Cixi's side, acted as her eyes and ears, and participated in government affairs. He also took the opportunity to use the banner of Cixi to sell officials and nobles, and took bribes privately. In a short period of time, he built several luxurious houses in the capital and his hometown, becoming a leading figure.Because he controlled the Empress Dowager Cixi, no one in the court dared to provoke him, and the civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty dared not speak out.

During the decades when Empress Dowager Cixi listened to politics behind a curtain, whether it was embezzling military expenditures to build the Summer Palace, or assisting Empress Dowager Cixi to wipe out political enemies, whether it was signing unequal treaties that humiliated the country, or establishing Puyi as emperor, Li Lianying played a role that cannot be ignored. This book gives a detailed and delicate description from Li Lianying's extraordinary childhood to the hard work of inviting pets in her youth, from her power over the world in her middle age to her return to her hometown in her old age.

Li Lianying's life is not only a history of heartbreak, blood and tears of China's top eunuch and the history of Tengda's success, but also a thrilling history of imperial power struggles. Although Li Lianying was cunning and tactful, and did not receive major political revenge during her lifetime, she did not die well because of her many crimes. The cause of her death has always been an unsolved mystery.