The eunuch of the late Qing Dynasty married four wives, and his aunt died of suffering, and she dared to be angry but did not dare to speak.
There were four concubines in the late Qing Dynasty, but they ignored their tragic experiences until their tragic death, but no one dared to intervene. Before you dive deeper into this content, we invite you to "join the following" so that you can easily interact and share, and make you more engaged.
Your support is our driving force. In the tenth year of Shunzhi, in the Forbidden City, the symbol of the pinnacle of China's power, six harsh laws were issued especially for the eunuch group: it was strictly forbidden to leave the palace without permission, and it was strictly forbidden to contact ...... important officials of the imperial courtThese iron rules were rigorously preserved in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, demonstrating the strict discipline of the era.
Despite the striking similarities in history, such as during the Zhu Yuanzhang period, the Ming Dynasty witnessed an unprecedented peak of eunuch power. Shunzhi's efforts failed to reverse this trend, especially in the late Qing Dynasty, An Dehai and Li Lianying almost controlled the lifeblood of **.
* How these physically handicapped people sat on the supreme imperial power, exploring the story of Li Lianying's ** Zhang Lande (Xiao De Zhang), the last chief eunuch of the Qing Dynasty, may reveal part of the answer.
In 1876 in Nanluguantun, Jinghai County, Tianjin, a peasant boy named Zhang Xiangzhai, whose breast name was Xiao Dezi, was shrouded in the shadow of poverty - Xiao De Zhang, Zhang Lande, a name whose fate was deeply imprinted by the soil.
His parents, trapped in the control of the landlords, could not give him a carefree childhood, nor could they afford the school fees, so that he embarked on the arduous road of farm work early, just like his father, bearing the weight of life.
Although the prosperity of Tianjin is increasing day by day, full of modern atmosphere and infinite possibilities, these are just fireworks in the distance, and they have nothing to do with Zhang Land's life, because poverty follows them like a shadow.
People aspire to the same happiness, but at different costs. In that era, Zhang Lande struggled to grow up in poverty and humility, his eyes were full of yearning for the rich and powerful, his heart burned with a blazing fighting spirit, and he was willing to give everything to subvert the impermanence of life, just in exchange for a chance to turn over.
There is often a slight misunderstanding of the role of eunuchs, who are often perceived as victims of compulsion. However, the truth is far from being as singular as the stereotype.
During the prosperous period of the Ming Dynasty, there was an endless stream of people who voluntarily "purified" into the palace to become eunuchs, and the reason behind this was not the turmoil of the times, but the hardships of life.
In that impoverished feudal society, basic livelihoods were in question, and people weighed the pros and cons, preferring to exchange survival in the court, even if they lost their physical abilities. After all, to be able to get a place in the royal family, even if it is a low-level eunuch, its living treatment is better than the hardships of the people.
Fifteen-year-old Zhang Land, in the face of endless oppression and prejudice around him, ignited a flame of life-changing fire in his heart. Despite his lack of education, he drew inspiration from folk tales, and the determination of a eunuch who was favored by the emperor and whose status was higher than that of the court's most important officials inspired him.
He bravely stepped into the palace and chose the unimaginable path of self-castration, which was both courage and a gamble on fate. Luck favored him, and Zhang Lande stepped into the Forbidden City as a commoner, a mysterious place that only accepted emperors, concubines, nobles, and zaifu.
Although he was insignificant at the beginning, he was driven by others, but his faith in his heart was unwavering, and he vowed to climb the peak of the great eunuch and open a new world that belonged to him.
Although Zhang Lande is not talented, he has an insight into the subtleties of the court with great determination and perseverance. He found that Cixi's love of theatre was the key, so he wisely invested in observation and strategy, weaving a web of relationships with the accumulated wealth.
This bold bet paid off, and he entered the Shengping Bureau of Nanfu to study Peking Opera. Day after day, he was highly skilled, and finally captured Cixi's attention with a vivid image of Wu Xiaosheng in a palace performance, and praise and rewards followed, proving that his persistence and talent did not disappoint.
With his extraordinary talent and unexpected opportunities, Zhang Lande quickly emerged on the harem stage and was given a good reputation"Little De Zhang", in just a few years, he was promoted to the position of senior eunuch and sat in the position of leader.
His talent won the favor of the Empress Dowager Cixi and became her indispensable confidant. In 1900, in the face of the turmoil of the invasion of the capital by foreign powers, Zhang Lande remained loyal and accompanied Cixi, Emperor Guangxu and members of the imperial family to Xi'an, taking care of their lives and schedules, a move that further strengthened his position in the court.
In the fierce wind and rain, the carriage was blocked in the mud and could not move an inch, but Xiao Dezhang showed extraordinary determination. Without hesitation, he leaned over and turned into a loyal horse, holding Cixi up through the turbulent current to ensure her safety.
This scene made Cixi praise it greatly, and thoughtfully said that such loyalty may be difficult for even her own son to achieve. Xiao Dezhang won the favor of Cixi because of this, and immediately thanked him.
Since then, it has been known inside and outside the palace that Cixi regards him as her own, and the name of Gan'er has spread and attracted everyone's popularity. Two years later, with the return of Cixi, Xiao Dezhang was exceptionally rewarded with a third-grade official rank and held an important position in the imperial dining room, and his power was close to Li Lianying.
Not only the center of power in the palace, but also important ministers outside the palace are vying to win over. However, this is only the prologue of Xiao Dezhang's brilliant chapter, and his legendary life has just begun.
During the Qing Dynasty in 1908, the political situation was turbulent, and the young Emperor Puyi of Xuantong was unable to control government affairs. The empress's Empress Longyu was ordered to provoke the country's pillars. Li Lianying, who was once the chief eunuch of the court, remained neutral during the Wuxu Reform and did not follow Cixi, so she fell out of favor.
After Cixi's death, he chose to retreat in a low-key manner after losing his asylum and bid farewell to court life. The successor, Xiao Dezhang, relied on the trust of the Empress Dowager Longyu to take charge of palace affairs, won the second-rank official title and the glory of Hualing, and became a figure competing inside and outside the court for a while.
Li Lianying, who was once prominent, kept her awe of Cixi and worked every step of the way; However, Xiaode Zhang is out of the blue, with monstrous authority, and has a deep personal relationship with Yuan Shikai, and behind the favor of the Empress Dowager Longyu is his ingenious means.
He dared to challenge tradition, openly participated in government affairs, ignored the rules of the Qing court, inflated his desire for power, bribed him into the norm, and did almost anything in the officialdom, accumulating wealth like a sea of gold and silver.
When his mother passed away, he built a two-foot-high gold mountain with **, which shows his luxury. However, in the torrent of history, the Xinhai Revolution was like thunder, and the glory of the Qing Dynasty came to an end.
Pu Yi's abdication announced the end of an era, and although Xiao Dezhang still held real power, he was keenly aware of the decline of the Qing Dynasty and resolutely left the capital and moved to Tianjin to welcome a new chapter.
Dezhang, who once served in the court, has accumulated profound experience although he lives in the forbidden garden. After breaking away from the imperial city, his luxurious mansion in the British Concession in Tianjin attracted attention, which coincided with the favor of Prince Qing's son, and he decisively sold it, showing his determination.
Although he was a eunuch, he was not ashamed of himself, but made a bold breakthrough in life, marrying four beautiful women in just a few years. One of the aunts' escape attempts, but failed to escape his grasp, and the ending was shocking.
After leaving the palace, he took business as his business, and many businesses in Tianjin sprung up, and his business territory reached as far as Hong Kong and Macao, and his influence continued to write legends.
Ironically, when Xuantong Puyi was in exile in Tianjin, he happened to meet the owner of the mansion, Xiao Dezhang, who was surrounded by his aunt and wife, and rode in a car that symbolized power, as if the throne of the past had reappeared.
Despite his cunning and selfishness, he showed unexpected generosity in troubled times. Whenever the war broke out, relatives and friends came to ask for help, he could always help, this selfless assistance invisibly forged his reputation, but also quietly affected the trajectory of his fate.
In the torrent of the times, Xiao Dezhang's merchant ships encountered a severe test, although the initial wealth was rivaled by the country, but it was difficult to resist the commercial depression brought about by the war, and the glory of the past gradually faded away.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, although Xiao Dezhang forged ahead, the business map was no longer comparable to the past. Faced with the general trend of public-private partnership in the state, he had to be reduced from a former business giant to a street food stall owner.
Although he was once a prominent representative of the "bourgeoisie", he chose to fade out of politics and go deep into the people, winning widespread praise. This kind of character made the people understand and tolerate him, not only did not punish him, but retained all his wealth, demonstrating the temperature of justice and human affection.
In his later years, Xiao Dezhang had a great sense of righteousness, and after his perspective changed, he deeply felt the bitterness of the eunuch life, and cared deeply for the new Chinese regime. He expressed his gratitude with practical actions, and generously donated the former luxurious mansion in Tianjin to the state, making it the first workers' sanatorium in Tianjin.
His wealth trickled like a trickle to the military quartermaster and the treasury, leaving only a little to live in peace for the rest of his life. This selfless philanthropist died peacefully on April 19, 1957 at his apartment in Tianjin at the age of 81.
He is like a legendary epic, miraculously rising from a country boy, experiencing the court, climbing from a young eunuch to the pinnacle of power, and finally taking charge of the glory of the governor of Ouchi.
However, the situation suddenly changed, but he returned to the people with a silent attitude, and he was safe and sound in the years when the world was like smoke, so that all the heroes and powerful people were in awe of him.
This long-lived chief eunuch in Chinese history may surpass all the pioneers, whether it is An Dehai or Li Lianying, he cannot compare with his perfect curtain call.
His career is extremely mellow, and he has never stumbled on the road of power schemes, which can be called the unparalleled wisdom of life.