The boy made a wild guess and found out that there were representative figures named Cao and Li.
1. Cao Jixiang (? ~ 1461) was born in Luanzhou (now Luan County, Hebei Province). Before Yingzong ascended the throne, he entered the palace as an eunuch and had a family. The reason for his "purification" is unknown. After Cao Jixiang entered the palace as a eunuch, he has been under Wang Zhen and attached to this powerful eunuch.
In the "Tumu Fort Incident", Yingzong was captured and Wang Zhen was killed. Yingzong's younger brother Zhu Qiyu succeeded to the throne as Emperor Jing.
In the spring and summer of the first year of Jingtai (1450), Yingzong was released and returned to Beijing, where he lived in the South Palace of the Imperial City and was called the Supreme Emperor. Seven years later, in the first month of the eighth year of Jingtai (1457), with the help of the eunuch Cao Jixiang and others, Yingzong took advantage of Emperor Jing's serious illness and returned to power, which was called the "Nangong Restoration".
In the first month of the eighth year of Jingtai (1457), Daizong became seriously ill. Shi Heng, commander of the capital regiment, and Xu Youzhen, minister of the Imperial Academy, discussed with the eunuch Cao Jixiang to abolish the Daizong and re-establish the Yingzong. So it was decided to take advantage of Cao Jixiang's convenient access to the palace and let him contact Yingzong. At three o'clock on the 16th day of the first lunar month, Xu Youzhen entered the court room ahead of schedule. Shi Heng and others led more than 1,000 soldiers to sneak into Chang'an Gate. Cao Jixiang acted as an internal response and entered the Nangong directly. Yingzong, escorted by Cao Jixiang, Shi Heng and others, got on the sedan and ran towards the palace. At dawn, Cao Jixiang rang the bells and drums and opened the palace door. The ministers who were waiting for the morning court did not expect that it was Yingzong sitting in the court hall. They looked at each other and were at a loss. I only heard Xu Youzhen say: "The Supreme Emperor has been restored to the throne, and you haven't met yet?!"
Cao Jixiang quickly became a popular figure in the eyes of Yingzong and was favored because of his contribution in planning and participating in the "Nangong Restoration". The restoration of Yingzong was successful, and those who supported him were rewarded for their merits. Cao Jixiang was appointed to be in charge of the ceremonial supervisor and the governor of the three battalions, taking control of the military and political power of the capital. Shi Heng was promoted to Duke Zhongguo, and Xu Youzhen was named a martial arts uncle. Cao Jixiang and three other people became important figures in the court overnight.
Cao Jixiang controlled the Yingzong. The first thing they did after gaining power was to suppress the upright ministers in the DPRK. They first pointed the finger at Yu Qian, the Minister of War, who was the direct commander of the battle to defend Beijing. Yu Qian, a loyal minister who served the country loyally, was unjustly killed on "unfounded" charges.
Cao Jixiang of the Donghua Gate of the Forbidden City deceived Yingzong, excluded Zhongliang, and even dreamed of becoming the emperor one day. Cao Jixiang was in charge of the central organization of the imperial court, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and could enter and leave the palace at will; his sons and nephews all held military power. His heir Cao Qin became the governor and Tongzhi soon became Zhaowu Bo, and his nephews Cao Xuan and Cao Duo became governors. From then on, there was Ming Dynasty. A generation set a precedent for the eunuch's children to be granted titles. There is another group of treacherous and sycophantic people around Cao Jixiang who are following the trend, and their arrogance is almost comparable to that of "old senior" Wang Zhen.
In July of the fifth year of Tianshun (1461), Cao Jixiang also knew that a disaster was coming, so he decided to take risks and strike first to gain advantage. It was agreed with Cao Qin that Cao Qin would lead the troops into the palace, and he would lead the imperial army to support him in the palace, deposing the Yingzong in one fell swoop. But the news leaked out. Yingzong hurriedly ordered Cao Jixiang to be arrested and ordered the four gates of the palace and nine gates of the capital to be closed. After a fierce battle with the guards guarding the gate, Cao Qin committed suicide by throwing himself into a well. Cao Duo and his family were massacred, regardless of age or age.
The mutiny launched by Cao Jixiang's family was suppressed overnight. Three days later, Cao Jixiang was tortured by splitting his limbs, and his accomplices Tang Xu and Feng Yi were also executed.
2. Li Lianying [1848--1912] was born in Hejian Prefecture, Zhili. Someone clearly said that he was from Lijia Village, Zangtun Township, Dacheng County, Hebei Province today. According to his epitaph, he was born in the 28th year of Daoguang (1848 AD) and entered the palace at the age of 9. Qing palace archives also prove that he was indeed sent to the palace as a eunuch by Prince Zheng Duanhua in the seventh year of Xianfeng (1857), but he was 13 years old.
As for Li Lianying's life experience, folklore is specific and vivid. It is said that he was originally a rogue in Hejian Prefecture. He was imprisoned for smuggling saltpeter and sulfur. After he was released from prison, he switched to repairing leather shoes and was known as "Leather Nipper". . Later, he came to Beijing. Because he had mastered a set of techniques for combing new hairstyles, he asked fellow eunuch Shen Lanyu to introduce him to the palace and became the hair-combing eunuch of Empress Dowager Cixi. As a result, he became favored by Cixi.
However, folklore is far from the actual situation of Li Juvenile's entry into the palace recorded in epitaphs and Qing palace archives, and is obviously fabricated. But this view spread widely, and even when the ministers of the DPRK impeached Li Lianying, they called Li Lianying "Little Grate Li" in the memorial ("Grate" was a tool used by women to comb their hair in the past).
Li Lianying was named Li Jinxi after entering the palace. It was not until 14 years after entering the palace that Cixi named her Lianying. He worked successively in the Memorial Office and the Jingren Palace on the East Road. It was not until the third year of Tongzhi (1864) when he was 16 years old that he was transferred to the Changchun Palace to serve Cixi.
At this time, the eunuch An Dehai was favored by Cixi and became extremely popular. Although the two entered the palace at the same time, their status was very different. Later, Andehai was too arrogant and was finally beheaded by Shandong governor Ding Baozhen in the eighth year of Tongzhi (1869) on the charge of "violating the ancestral system and leaving the capital without permission".
Li Lianying is a very smart and well-behaved person. He understood how to correct the relationship between master and slave. Li Lianying not only learned to figure out her master's temper and hobbies, and tried every means to please her master, but she was also able to be cautious at all times. The epitaph says that he was "respectful in his dealings and lenient in his dealings, and he never slacked off for many years." In other words, he was respectful to his master, generous to his subordinates, and did not dare to slack off for many years. This can be regarded as the secret of Li Lianying's success.
Of these two, the participation in the coup in the front can be regarded as involving force, and martial arts are related to martial arts in later generations. Everyone knows that Li Lianying in the back is a celebrity in front of Cixi and is very powerful. representative.