Ly Lien Anh (1848 – 1911) was a great eunuch of the Qing Dynasty who lived in the Forbidden City during the 4 reigns of Kings Ham Phong, Dong Tri, Quang Tu and Pho Nghi. He was a trusted courtier, right-hand ᴍᴀɴ of Empress Dowager Cixi – the most powerful woman in China at that time. The life of this famous eunuch is also full of mysterious and thrilling stories that make posterity controversial.
The eunuch is recorded by history books as a person with a polished appearance, intelligent and very mouthy. Therefore, he became the Queen Mother’s confidant and was specially appointed by her to be a first-class official, succeeding from being a servant to becoming the most powerful figure in the palace at that time.
After the owner died in 1908, Ly Lien Anh also lost his position, had to leave the palace and live in hiding. With the huge fortune earned while serving Cixi, the eunuch was more than capable of enjoying the rest of his lavish days. But not long after, only 3 years later, Ly Lien Anh passed away quietly, aged 63.
In 1966, the tomb of the great eunuch Li Lien Anh was located on the campus of a school in Hai Dien district, Beijing.
His tomb was built on a grandeur and grandeur on a land of about 20 acres, the size of which is no less than that of the royal family. The leading Chinese archaeologists at that time had to spend a week carefully exploring and excavating the tomb.
The most famous eunuch of the Qing Dynasty rested in a purple-red coffin, painted with gold and vermilion, placed on a support made of jade, looking at it, it was clear that the person’s position was not trivial.
At the moment of opening the coffin lid, archaeologists were extremely surprised and trembled at the scene inside: Ly Lien Anh’s coffin had only one intact skull, but no remains were found. in the lower body. A member of the excavation team at the time said that the skull of the deceased eunuch had high cheekbones, a slightly raised mouth, and was covered with a layer of skin on top.
From the time of his death to the excavation of the grave, Ly Lien Anh took only 55 years. As a rule of thumb, there was no reason why the remains could decompose so quickly, and if they did, the head would have to rot as well.
In addition, the state of the mausoleum does not show many signs of being visited and destroyed by tomb robbers. The tomb where Ly Lien Anh’s incomplete body is located is still tightly closed, and the coffin has not been damaged or opened. It is important to be buried with the eunuch that many extremely valuable jewels are still lying in the coffin.
So in the end, why did Ly Lien Anh’s body only have a head but no body remains? Chinese historians have put forward many theories to explain this question.
The first theory is that because during his life serving Queen Mother, Ly Lien Anh had made enmity with many people. So when he died, many old enemies came to his tomb to “vent their anger”, making it impossible for him to rest in the afterlife. Therefore, these people are not interested in stealing the treasures in the tomb.
There are also rumors that it is Ly Lien Anh who is the “mastermind” behind everything. It was he who actively made a fake grave to distract public opinion, avoid retaliation by the enemy, torment his body after his death. Maybe somewhere, most likely in his hometown, there is another tomb that is the real one burying the remains of Ly Lien Anh.
According to information from relatives – an adopted nephew of Ly Lien Anh named Ly Tuong Ngo, his grandfather passed away from dysentery. After leaving the palace with the reason of “retirement”, Ly Lien Anh smoked opium for a long time. Leaving the Forbidden City, losing all power, becoming a loser and always afraid of retaliation, he often felt sad, mentally empty, so the amount of opium every day kept increasing.
In January 1911, just three years after his retirement, Ly Lien Anh passed away. Because his body had been severely damaged by opium, it was so badly decomposed that there were no bones left.
Either way, posterity can only speculate about Ly Lien Anh’s mysterious death. The truth may one day be revealed in the future, or it may remain forever in the dark of history.