Among the eunuchs of the Qing Dynasty, the most famous ones are none other than Li Lianying. He was one of the most powerful eunuchs in the Qing court, thanks to the fact that he had been by Cixi's side for more than 50 years. Of course, the reason why Li Lianying can be so prominent by Cixi's side is also his superiority.
Li Lianying came from a very humble background, her family was poor, and her family was engaged in leather making. From an early age, he showed a different eye, and despite his family's financial constraints, he was not as mischievous as other children. On the contrary, he knows how to please his teachers and serve them carefully. This distinctive quality was revealed early and laid the foundation for his future prominence.
Due to her family's poverty, Li Lianying entered the court at the age of nine, and was initially responsible for serving child servants, even including menial tasks such as cleaning toilets. At that time, the great eunuch An Dehai was the most favored figure around Cixi. Li Lianying quickly recognized the relationship between master and servant, and was good at doing what she liked. And Cixi herself is extremely narcissistic about her appearance, spending at least three hours a day dressing up, and Li Lianying's most prominent skill, and one of the reasons why Cixi is most favored, is that he is good at combing her hair.
In those days, court women were beautiful with long hair. Combing her hair every day is an indispensable ritual, and Li Lianying has mastered the technique of combing her hair to make Cixi feel good. He even spent ten days of vacation to visit the Qinglou to observe various new hairstyles. There, he learned about the unique grooming style designed by the women of the Green House to attract guests. His imitation and practice of these new hairstyles eventually led him to master the art of combing more than 30 new hairstyles.
After returning to the palace, Li Lianying practiced her hair combing skills every day, and then found the temple and her cousin Shen Lanyu who combed Cixi's hair, and took the trouble to ask them, hoping to show Cixi his achievements. The first time he combed Cixi's hair, he boldly combed the hairstyle of a prostitute in Qinglou on Cixi's head. Cixi looked at her new hairstyle in the mirror and couldn't help but be overjoyed. As a result, Li Lianying became Cixi's exclusive comb temple person, and also became one of the most favored people around Cixi.
Judging from Li Lianying's series of clever responses, opportunities are often left to those who are prepared. If Li Lianying hadn't captured Cixi's preferences and hadn't made the effort to learn art, he would probably have been an obscure eunuch all along. Li Lianying's intelligence is not only reflected in interpersonal relationships, but also in her deep insight into life.