As the head eunch in Cixi's reign as well as the most powerful one in the late Qing Dynasty, Li Lianying gained the special favor of Cixi. Aaccompanying her every day, Li Lianying has a say in both internal and foreign affairs. Li Lianying played an important role in encouraging Cixi to build the Summer Palace with military expenditure, despite the dissent of all officials. Some said that Li Lianying was second only to the Empress Dowager, equal to the minister at that time.

Eunuchs were castrated male servants in the court. Except for a few head eunuchs, most of them were engaged in daily chores, including cleaning, serving food, keeping antiques, closing the gate, growing flowers and repairing various articles. In Cixi's reign, some eunuchs also formed a group to learn Peking Opera. Among such a large number of eunuchs, why did only Li Lianying gain the special favor of Cixi? It was said that this was because he was very good at doing Cixi's hair and fawning on her.

Learning that Cixi often lost her temper with eunuchs who were unskilled in putting up her hair, Li Lianying made a special effort to learn how to do up hair. Once he entered the palace, he offered to do Cixi's hair. She was soon fond of him, as he expected, and in a few years, he was assigned to the post of head eunuch.

Let's take a look at two examples of his talent for flattery.

Cixi once set caged birds free in the Summer Palace, but they flew back to the cage. Cixi asked Li Lianying, "Why do they return?" Li replied, "Of course, it is due to your benevolence." Cixi really knew that if birds were caged for a long time, they would always fly back. Seeting that she did not believe him, Li suggested that she set fish free in Kunming Lake, saying, "If the fish declined to leave, it will prove this." Cixi then did as he suggested. To her surpries, the fish all returned and even queued in order. Later, it was discovered that Li put a lot of aromatic food in the water nearby, and then left the fish unfed for several days. Subsequently, when set free into the lake, the fish refused to leave, In this way, Li Lianying gradually won the favor of Cixi.

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