Prince Gong Yili and Empress Dowager Ci'an, the two seemingly victorious masterminds, thought they had got rid of a thorn in their side. But did they ever think about the consequences of this decision? How will Empress Dowager Cixi's anger affect the fate of the Qing Dynasty?
Was Andehai's death an elaborate conspiracy or an irreparable mistake? Why do you say "it's better not to kill"? Let's uncover this long-hidden history and discover the secrets that no one knows. In this power struggle, who will be the winner and who will be the loser in the end?
Everyone in the world knows that An Dehai is Cixi's confidant eunuch, but few people know that his background is so humble. Speaking of this, there is no way to verify what the original name of An Dehai was, but it is known that he was born in a poor peasant family in Shandong. At that time, Shandong was not as rich as it is now, suffering from disasters all year round, and the people were miserable.
Anderhai's parents
In order to let the child have a bite to eat, he made a sad decision - sent Xiao An, who was only seven years old, to the palace as a eunuch. You know, in those days, being a eunuch was not a good job. These "eunuchs" not only lost their fertility, but also had to serve their masters all their lives, and there were words of suffering.
But who would have thought that this seemingly unfortunate beginning would become an opportunity for An Dehai to soar into the sky!
After An Dehai entered the palace, he was quickly appreciated for his cleverness. Not only did he learn the ability to serve people, but he also secretly learned to read and write. This skill made him stand out among many eunuchs.
The turning point came in the 11th year of Xianfeng (1861). That year, the Anglo-French army invaded Beijing, and Emperor Xianfeng fled in a hurry and came to the summer resort. Who knew that the heavens did not fulfill people's wishes, and Emperor Xianfeng suddenly fell seriously ill in Chengde, and he was about to die.
At this time, the young Concubine Yi (later the Empress Dowager Cixi) saw the opportunity and was determined to seize power. She needed a henchman who could deliver secret messages, and Andhai happened to be the perfect candidate.
With his extraordinary ingenuity, An Dehai successfully passed on secret letters between Cixi and Prince Gong, Rong Lu and others, and prepared for the later Xinyou coup.
The success of the Xinyou coup d'état allowed Cixi to seize the power of the court in one fell swoop. And An Dehai has become Cixi's most trusted confidant. Since then, this once unknown little eunuch has become a hot celebrity in the Forbidden City.
The rapid rise of An Dehai's status inevitably made him a little carried away. He began to run rampant in the palace unscrupulously, and even some princes and nobles did not pay attention to it.
Once, Prince Gong came to Cixi to discuss state affairs. It stands to reason that as Cixi's close minister, Yi Yi should be able to meet the Empress Dowager soon. But what Yi Yi didn't expect was that he was hung out of the door by An Dehai.
An Dehai actually said to Yi Li: "The Queen Mother is talking to me, you just wait outside!" These words not only made Yi Yi lose face, but also aroused his deep resentment towards An Dehai.
An Dehai's arrogance not only offended Yi Yi, but also annoyed many ministers. They began to secretly conspire, looking for an opportunity to get rid of this thorn in the eye.
However, Andehai doesn't seem to realize that he is heading for a dangerous situation. He relied on Cixi's favor and continued to do his own thing. He even began to participate in court politics, violating the rule that eunuchs were not allowed to interfere in politics in the ancestral system of the Qing Dynasty.
An Dehai's every move touched the nerves of the government and the opposition. Some people envy his power, some people envy his status, and some people hate him to the core. But in any case, he has become an important figure to be reckoned with in this era.
In this way, a little eunuch who was once unknown has become a big celebrity in just a few years. The rise of An Dehai not only changed his own fate, but also invisibly changed the political pattern of the entire Qing Dynasty.
In the inner courtyard of the deep palace in the Forbidden City, a conspiracy against An Dehai is quietly brewing. The protagonists of this conspiracy are none other than Prince Gong Yiyi, who was once humiliated by An Dehai, and Empress Dowager Ci'an, who had been fighting openly and secretly with Empress Dowager Cixi for many years.
Prince Gong Yi, as the younger brother of Emperor Xianfeng, should have been a pivotal figure in the court. However, since the Empress Dowager Cixi came to power, his position has become increasingly awkward. Especially under An Dehai's arrogance and unreasonableness, Yi Yi felt even more faceless. He knows very well that as long as An Dehai is not eliminated for a day, he will never be able to truly grasp the power of the government.
On the other hand, although the Empress Dowager Ci'an nominally listened to the government together with the Empress Dowager Cixi, in fact she was often excluded from the decision-making circle by Cixi. She has long been dissatisfied with Cixi's monopoly on power, and An Dehai, as Cixi's confidant, has naturally become a thorn in her eye and a thorn in her flesh.
In this way, driven by common interests, Yi Yi and Empress Dowager Ci'an began to meet secretly to discuss how to get rid of An Dehai. They knew very well that if they wanted to defeat An Dehai, they had to find a suitable reason, otherwise they would not only fail to convince the ministers of the DPRK and China, but also anger the Empress Dowager Cixi.
The opportunity was not long in coming. In 1869, a severe drought broke out in Shandong. It is customary for the imperial court to send ministers to the disaster area for disaster relief. Seeing the opportunity, Yi Yi and Empress Dowager Ci'an proposed to Emperor Tongzhi to send An Dehai to Shandong to preside over disaster relief.
This proposal seems reasonable, but in fact it is a hidden murderous motive. You must know that according to the ancestral system of the Qing Dynasty, eunuchs were not allowed to leave the Forbidden City. Once An Dehai leaves Beijing, it is equivalent to giving them an excellent opportunity to get off the phone.
Emperor Tongzhi was a young naive, and he didn't realize the mystery at all, and quickly agreed to this proposal. Although the Empress Dowager Cixi had some doubts in her heart, considering the importance of disaster relief, coupled with An Dehai's repeated invitations, she finally agreed to let An Dehai go out of Beijing.
In this way, An Dehai left Beijing with the disaster relief silver taels from the imperial court. He was full of joy, thinking that this was a great opportunity for him to make a contribution, but he didn't know that a big net had been quietly opened, waiting for him to throw himself into the net.
A few days after An Dehai arrived in Shandong, Yi Yi began to spread rumors in the DPRK and China, saying that An Dehai had committed misdeeds in Shandong, not only embezzling disaster relief money, but also bullying the people, and even colluding with local officials to rebel. These news soon reached the ears of Emperor Tongzhi.
Emperor Tongzhi was furious and immediately ordered An Dehai to be recalled. However, Yi Yi took the opportunity to propose that troops should be sent to Shandong immediately to correct An Dehai on the spot to set an example. The Empress Dowager Ci'an also fanned the flames on the side, saying that An Dehai's behavior had seriously endangered the reputation of the imperial court and must be severely punished.
At this critical moment, the Empress Dowager Cixi was surprisingly silent. Some people say that she was persuaded by the words of Yi Yi and the Empress Dowager Ci'an, and some people say that she wanted to take this opportunity to beat An Dehai, who was becoming more and more arrogant. In any case, her silence undoubtedly gave Yi Yi and the Empress Dowager Ci'an greater confidence.
In the end, Emperor Tongzhi ordered to send troops to Shandong to arrest An Dehai. However, what awaits Andehai is not a fair trial, but an execution that has been scheduled for a long time.
When the soldiers arrived in Shandong, An Dehai was resting at a post station. Little did he know that he would be arrested unsuspectingly. It is said that when the soldiers read out the decree to execute him, An Dehai was still shouting that he had been framed. However, his shouts of grievances were soon drowned out by the sound of the executioner's knife.
In this way, An Dehai, the great eunuch who was once in power, ended his life quietly in a small post station in Shandong. His body was hastily buried, without even a decent tombstone.
News of An Dehai's death soon spread back to the capital. Yi Yi and Empress Dowager Ci'an seem to have won the battle, but they don't know what the consequences of this decision will be for them. Empress Dowager Cixi's anger is brewing, and an even bigger storm is coming.
The moment the news of An Dehai's death was transmitted back to the Forbidden City, it was as if a bombshell exploded in the harem. The Empress Dowager Cixi was at first incredulous, then furious. Her phoenix eyes flashed with a chilling light, and the entire Forbidden City was shrouded in a murderous aura.
The Empress Dowager Cixi quickly saw through the essence of this conspiracy. She knew that An Dehai's death was not only against a eunuch, but also a blatant challenge to her authority. This revenge is not only to seek justice for An Dehai, but also to re-establish her absolute position in the court.
First of all, the Empress Dowager Cixi ordered a thorough investigation into the truth of An Dehai's death. She sent her confidant ministers to Shandong to investigate secretly. These ministers traveled day and night to the county offices and interrogated everyone involved in the case. Soon, a detailed investigation report was on Cixi's desk.
The report revealed that during his stay in Shandong, An Dehai not only did not embezzle disaster relief money, but instead paid out of his own pocket to help the victims many times. He also strongly advocated the opening of a warehouse to release grain, which greatly alleviated the disaster. As for the so-called "collusion with local officials to rebel", it is even more false.
The Empress Dowager Cixi holds the truth in her hands
The time was not long in coming. At a court meeting, Yi Yi was talking endlessly about how he "eliminated harm for the country" when the Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly interrupted him. She said unhurriedly: "Lord Wang, do you know what An Dehai did in Shandong?" "
Yi Yi was speechless for a while, and the Empress Dowager Cixi continued: "Come on, bring the investigation report." A detailed investigation report was then submitted. The Empress Dowager Cixi ordered someone to read it out on the spot, and An Dehai's innocence was immediately revealed to the world.
There was an uproar in the court. Yi Yi's face was pale, and he stood there motionless. The Empress Dowager Ci'an also felt that the situation was not good, and hurriedly wanted to say something, but was stopped by the Empress Dowager Cixi with a look.
The Empress Dowager Cixi did not stop there. She turned to Emperor Tongzhi, with undoubted majesty in her voice: "Your Majesty, although An Dehai is a slave, he is loyal and does his best for the country. Now that he has died unjustly, how can the court sit idly by? "
Emperor Tongzhi had realized that he had made a big mistake at this time, and hurriedly said that he would thoroughly investigate the matter and severely punish the masterminds behind the scenes. The Empress Dowager Cixi nodded in approval, and then ordered: "Send someone to Shandong immediately, move An Dehai's body back to the capital, and bury it." At the same time, An Dehai was posthumously named a first-class guard to comfort his soul in the sky. "
This series of orders was like a hammer, smashing the hearts of Yi Yi and the Empress Dowager Ci'an. They never expected that the plan they thought was seamless would be so easily dismantled by the Empress Dowager Cixi.
But Empress Dowager Cixi's revenge was far from over. In the days that followed, she began to gradually weaken Yi Li's power. first transferred Yi Li's cronies from important positions one by one, and then refused Yi Li's audience for various reasons. In less than half a year, Yi Yi has changed from a pivotal minister in the court to an idle prince in name only.
As for the Empress Dowager Ci'an, although her status as the Empress Dowager prevented Cixi from blatantly retaliating against her, Cixi took a more covert approach. She began to spread rumors in the harem, saying that the Empress Dowager Ci'an was old and lacked energy, and it was not suitable to participate in court politics anymore. Gradually, the Empress Dowager Ci'an was excluded from the decision-making circle and could only live alone in the deep palace.
At the same time, the Empress Dowager Cixi also vigorously promoted a group of officials who were loyal to her. One of the most striking is the young Li Lianying. This little eunuch from a humble background soon became Cixi's new favorite because of his outstanding performance in the Andehai incident. Li Lianying's rise not only filled the vacancy left by An Dehai, but also marked the further consolidation of Cixi's power in the court.
In this way, through a series of ingenious political maneuvers, the Empress Dowager Cixi not only avenged Ande, but also took this opportunity to completely attack her political opponents and consolidate her power. She proved to everyone with practical actions that no one could shake her position, let alone challenge her authority.
However, although this revenge seems to be complete, it also buries new hidden dangers. Although Yi Yi lost power, as a royal family, his influence has not completely disappeared. Although the Empress Dowager Ci'an was marginalized, she was still the Empress Dowager after all, and she still had a certain appeal. Will these two defeated opponents make a comeback at some point in the future? Is the power of the Empress Dowager Cixi really unshakable?
In the aftermath of the An Dehai incident, a little-known little eunuch quietly rose, and he was the later famous Li Lianying. The rise of Li Lianying not only filled the vacancy left by An Dehai, but also marked the further consolidation of the power of the Empress Dowager Cixi.
Li Lianying, formerly known as Li Jintian, was born in a poor farming family in Gu'an County, Hebei Province. At the age of ten, due to the poverty of his family, he was sent to the palace as a eunuch. When she first entered the palace, Li Lianying was just an ordinary little eunuch, responsible for trivial affairs such as cleaning, serving tea and pouring water. However, he has shown extraordinary alertness and observation.
In the An Dehai incident, Li Lianying seized a key opportunity. At that time, the Empress Dowager Cixi was preoccupied with the investigation of An Dehai's death. Li Lianying took the risk and privately reported some of the key information he knew to the Empress Dowager Cixi. Although this information is fragmentary, it provides important clues for the Empress Dowager Cixi to sort out the case.
The Empress Dowager Cixi was impressed by Li Lianying's wit and courage. In the following investigation, she sent Li Lianying to carry out some secret missions many times. Li Lianying was able to complete it successfully every time and brought back valuable information. It was this information that helped the Empress Dowager Cixi finally expose the conspiracy of Yi Yi and the Empress Dowager Ci'an.
With the end of the An Dehai case, Li Lianying's status also began to rise rapidly. Empress Dowager Cixi first promoted him to her personal eunuch and was responsible for taking care of her daily life. Although this position may seem ordinary, it is the dream of many eunuchs. Because being able to get close to the Empress Dowager Cixi means that there are more opportunities to be appreciated by her.
Li Lianying did not live up to the expectations of the Empress Dowager Cixi. Not only did he do his best in his day-to-day ministry, but he also showed extraordinary political sensitivity. He would often report to the Empress Dowager Cixi at the appropriate time some rumors in the palace and the movements of the court. This information played an important role in the Empress Dowager Cixi's decision-making and response to the situation.
Empress Dowager Cixi trusted Li Lianying more and more, and began to involve him in the discussion of some important decisions. Although Li Lianying does not have a formal position, his opinions are increasingly valued. The ministers of the court and China soon realized that in order to win the favor of the Empress Dowager Cixi, they had to curry favor with Li Lianying first.
Li Lianying also understands the rules of Game of Thrones. He was adept at using his position to maneuver among the courtiers. He would convey the opinions of certain ministers to the Empress Dowager Cixi in due course, and at the same time, he would also reveal some of the Empress Dowager's thoughts to the ministers. This role made him an indispensable intermediary in the imperial court.
Over time, Li Lianying's influence continued to expand. He was not only in charge of the living conditions of the Empress Dowager Cixi, but also actually controlled the personnel arrangements of the entire harem. Anyone who wants to enter the harem or be promoted in the harem must get Li Lianying's approval.
Li Lianying's power even extended to the government. Although he could not directly participate in court politics as a eunuch, he indirectly influenced the decision-making of the court through the Empress Dowager Cixi. Many important appointments and policies will be reviewed by Li Lianying first.
However, the expansion of power has also brought corruption. Li Lianying began to use her position for personal gain. He often accepted bribes, spoke favorably for some officials, and even participated in some illegal transactions. Although these behaviors were criticized by some upright officials, under the protection of the Empress Dowager Cixi, Li Lianying remained lawless.
Li Lianying's rise reflects to some extent the deformity of late Qing politics. The fact that a eunuch without any official position was able to influence the government was in itself a manifestation of the failure of the system. However, for the Empress Dowager Cixi, Li Lianying was an ideal tool. Through Li Lianying, she can better control the imperial court and consolidate her power.
Li Lianying's path to power is, in a sense, a continuation of the An Dehai incident. The fall of An Dehai created an opportunity for Li Lianying, and Li Lianying seized this opportunity and climbed to the pinnacle of power step by step. His rise not only changed his own destiny, but also profoundly affected the political landscape of the late Qing Dynasty.
As Li Lianying's status continues to rise, the power structure of the DPRK and China is also quietly changing. Those officials who had supported Yi Yi and Empress Dowager Ci'an were either pushed out of the core of power or had to bow to Li Lianying. A new group of officials loyal to the Empress Dowager Cixi quickly rose to occupy important positions in the court.
The end of the Andehai incident was not an end, but the beginning of a series of changes in the political situation of the late Qing Dynasty. After the turmoil subsided on the surface, its effects continued to spread like ripples, profoundly changing the power structure of the Qing court.
First of all, this incident completely established the absolute authority of the Empress Dowager Cixi in the court. Prior to the Andehai incident, although Empress Dowager Cixi had wielded considerable power, her position was still challenged by the imperial family and other factions. However, through this vigorous revenge action, the Empress Dowager Cixi showed everyone her skill and determination. Since then, no one in the DPRK and China has dared to openly confront her.
Second, the Andehae incident led to a major readjustment of the power structure between the DPRK and China. Yi and his supporters were severely attacked, and many of the former high-ranking ministers were demoted or deposed. At the same time, a new group of officials loyal to the Empress Dowager Cixi rose rapidly and occupied important positions in the court. This personnel change not only changed the face of the imperial court, but also reshaped the way the entire bureaucracy operated.
This power reshuffle also brought about changes in the decision-making mechanism of the Qing court
The Andehai incident also profoundly affected the relationship between the Qing court and local forces. A series of reforms implemented by An Dehai in Shandong, although interrupted by his death, provided new ideas for later local governance. Some local officials began to follow Mr. An's lead and try to implement reforms. This change was slow, but it planted the seeds for the New Deal in the late Qing Dynasty.
At the diplomatic level, the Andehai incident also had an impact. The incident occurred at a sensitive time in the Qing court's negotiations with the Western powers. The death of Andehai once attracted the attention of foreign envoys, who feared that it could be a violent incident against foreigners. Although Empress Dowager Cixi was quick to clarify the facts, this episode made the Qing court aware of the intricacies of handling domestic and foreign relations. From then on, the Qing court was more cautious in dealing with similar incidents, paying particular attention to avoiding interference from foreign powers.
The Andehai incident also indirectly promoted the reform of the internal supervision system of the Qing court. An Dehai's death exposed many shortcomings in the surveillance system at the time, such as the abuse of power by local officials and the lack of supervision. In order to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents, the Empress Dowager Cixi ordered greater supervision of local officials and reformed some of the supervision system. Although these measures have failed to solve the root cause of the problem, they have at least somewhat curbed official corruption.
At the cultural level, the Andehai incident has also left a deep imprint. This incident soon became a hot topic of discussion, and various scripts and storytellings appeared one after another. Although these folk creations often add fuel to the fire and even distort the facts, they reflect the people's concern and understanding of the power struggle. To a certain extent, these works shaped the public's perception of the politics of the late Qing Dynasty and had a far-reaching influence.
The Andehai incident also influenced the later writing of history. In the official historical narrative, An Dehai is portrayed as a loyal and dedicated person for the country. On the one hand, this narrative was intended to rehabilitate An Dehai, and on the other hand, it was also the need for the Empress Dowager Cixi to consolidate her own legitimacy. This official narrative contrasts sharply with the version circulated among the people, reflecting the complex political and cultural ecology of the late Qing dynasty.
Overall, although the Andehai incident seemed to be just a palace struggle, its impact went far beyond the scope of the Forbidden City. It not only changed the power structure of the Qing court, but also affected policymaking, diplomatic relations, cultural dissemination and other levels. This event is like a prism, reflecting the complex aspects of late Qing politics.
Over time, the immediate effects of the Andehai incident faded, but the series of changes it triggered continued to affect the fate of the Qing court. Although the turmoil subsided, the ripples it caused continued until the last years of the Qing Dynasty, and traces of it can still be seen in the subsequent historical process.