"Filial piety is the first, the beginning of all goodness. Regardless of status, everyone should be filial. The same was true of Li Lianying, a famous eunuch of the Qing Dynasty. He did not hesitate to rush back to the countryside from the palace to attend his mother's funeral, and spent a lot of money to add glory to his mother's funeral. "
Li Lianying was able to return to his hometown for a lavish funeral, and despite his special status and unfathomable court life, his legendary life began with his life experiences as a child.
Li Lianying was born in Dacheng County in 1848, the second of four brothers.
As the four boys in the family grew up, the family situation became more and more difficult, making the already financially strapped family even more stretched and living a very tight life. At this time, Li Lianying showed amazing maturity, and he announced to the whole family a major decision, that is, he wanted to become a eunuch in the palace, and gave irrefutable reasons.
In that ancient time, when incense was valued, the eldest brother was the eldest son in the family and needed to shoulder the heavy responsibility of passing on the lineage, while the younger third and fourth brothers could not survive in the cannibalistic palace.
Li Lianying was only seven years old at the time, and his father was adamantly opposed to him becoming a eunuch because it meant that he was no longer a man, and at that time, it would be ridiculed for letting his children become eunuchs.
However, watching several children lose weight day by day, the family finally compromised, and who would have thought that this decision would change his fate. Initially, he was just an obscure little eunuch.
Until one day, he was accidentally transferred to Cixi's side, and Li Lianying's career underwent earth-shaking changes and began his peaceful life.
If the Empress Dowager Cixi is the most valuable benefactor in Li Lianying's life, then it can be said that Li Lianying is also an important figure in the life of the Empress Dowager Cixi. Although some people say that it is not easy to serve Cixi, Li Lianying feels that she may have the opportunity to obtain glory and wealth that others cannot match.
Later, Li Lianying won the love of Cixi with her smart and sleek style, and Cixi even broke the system of the Qing Dynasty and made Li Lianying a second-grade eunuch, you must know that in the Qing Dynasty, the highest level of eunuchs was only four grades, which fully reflected Li Lianying's status in Cixi's heart.
After Li Lianying obtained the rank of second-class official, not only did her status in the palace improve, but his parents also became one of the largest families in Dacheng County. However, the world is impermanent, and my mother died in 1907 before she could enjoy this life.
In ancient times, filial piety was highly valued, and people who had a funeral in the family usually took leave to go home to cook. However, the palace maids and eunuchs in the palace could not leave the palace easily. But Li Lianying is an exception, he is a celebrity in front of Cixi, and any request that Cixi makes to him will be met.
Therefore, when Li Lianying learned the news of his mother's death, he immediately asked Cixi for leave, hoping to go home to arrange his mother's funeral. Cixi not only agreed to his request, but also rewarded him with a full 480,000 taels of **, and told him that if it was not enough, he could ask Yuan Shikai for it.
Although Li Lianying eventually buried his mother in style, he was not a person who liked to show off.
He knows the truth that "high places are not cold", so his words and deeds are very low-key. However, this time, his mother's funeral was very different from what he usually did.
There are three key reasons behind this. First of all, he felt deeply guilty for not being able to take good care of his mother when he left home at a young age. Secondly, he once caused his parents to suffer from the guidance and evaluation of others because he became a eunuch, so he hoped that through this funeral, he would show his status and achievements to his relatives.
Out of respect for Cixi and the consideration of protecting her face, Li Lianying decided to return to her hometown with the 480,000 taels** rewarded by Cixi and her savings in the palace totaling 500,000 taels**.
People were surprised that he had come up with such a large sum of money for a funeral, but his current importance forced them to agree to the plan. To add some high-end flair to the funeral, they spent days looking for inspiration from a variety of ancient books.
Seeing these plans, Li Lianying was very satisfied, and said that if needed, she could increase the budget by 500,000 taels. However, he also reminded everyone: "The funeral should be carried out according to the identity, with the highest standards of ordinary people's families, and cannot go beyond the ritual system." ”
In this way, the neighbors who were originally envious and jealous could not say anything. After making the list, they were busy for three months to prepare all the needed items, and according to the plan, the funeral would last for 35 days, one in the morning and one in the evening, and residents from all over the country could come to attend.
The funeral was stunningly lavish, with a seating capacity of 8 people per table and 50 tables per day, offering a sumptuous selection of big fish and meat, as well as a variety of hot and cold dishes, from breakfast to dinner.
Even in modern society, such a large-scale feast is rare. In addition, Li Lianying also arranged 8 large vats, which were filled with raw meat and steamed buns for those who came to mourn for themselves, and many people took food away after the banquet.
It is estimated that Li Lianying's funeral requires a lot of ingredients, the surrounding pork is sold out, and the nearby vegetables and meat are also soaring. The feast lasted 35 days until the burial of Li Lianying's mother.
On the day of Li Lianying's mother's death, people came in an endless stream to see him off in order to thank him for his help, and the funeral procession stretched for dozens of kilometers, and the scene was shocking. Perhaps this is also what Li Lianying expects in her heart.
After the funeral, Li Lianying and his brothers were surprised to find that they had spent 550,000 taels of silver, 50,000 taels more than scheduled. Even many years later, Emperor Guangxu's funeral only cost 500,000 taels, which shows the luxury of Li Lianying's mother's funeral.
People die like lamps go out, and most of the things that are done for the dead are for the living. As for whether Li Lianying is trying to make up for her guilt or hoping to raise her eyebrows in front of the villagers, we have no way of knowing.
Although it is undeniable that a eunuch can achieve such an achievement as Li Lianying, it is already very outstanding. However, in the winter of the same year, the Empress Dowager Cixi also passed away, and Li Lianying also passed away three years after Cixi's death, and a generation of legends ended like this, which can't help but make people feel sorry.
However, what is left to the people of Dacheng County is probably that in the spring of 1908, everyone relied on Li Lianying's favor to live a life without worrying about food and clothing.