Cixi.
In the early years of Guangxu, Empress Dowager Cixi had just turned 40. In order to achieve the goal of listening to politics behind the curtain for the second time, she had used various means, but she was frightened by the opposition in the court and was unhappy all day long.
The confidant eunuch Li Lianying guessed what was really going on, so he had a Buddha built behind the Main Hall of Wanshou Temple. After it was built, Li Lianying hurried to report to Cixi, saying: "I heard that there are often two Buddhas appearing in the Main Hall of Wanshou Temple. , this is a sign of good fortune, and the servant wants to invite the Queen Mother to come and watch." Cixi was very surprised after hearing this, and drove out of the palace. Go out of Xizhimen and under the Gaoliang Bridge, get on the imperial boat, and go along the long river to Wanshou Temple (today's Beijing Art Museum).
Cixi went to the pier, entered the mountain gate, and went straight to the Main Hall. When he entered the hall, he saw that the original Buddha of the Third Age was still enshrined, and he became furious: "It's obviously the original Buddha of the Third Age. Where did the two Buddhas come from?"
At that time, the slave If you deceive your master, you will be beheaded, but Li Lianying knew it well and hurriedly said: "Queen Mother, calm down, please visit the back hall."
The Empress Dowager Cixi slowly walked to the back of the Third Buddha, and saw a kind-faced Guanyin sitting there. In the center of the hall, the abbot and abbot of the temple, as well as Cixi's civil and military ministers are also here.
At this time, Li Lianying shouted: "Lafayette is here." The others immediately knelt down and shouted: "Welcome Lafayette!"
Cixi understood half of it, but She pretended to be puzzled and asked: "Which Buddha are you welcoming?" Li Lianying and others replied: "It is to greet the Queen Mother, Buddha!" ??"You are the Guanyin Bodhisattva who saves the suffering today!"
"Now that the former emperor has passed away and the new emperor is still young, the country cannot be left without an owner for a day. The subjects ask you to take care of the government behind the curtain. You have to save the people from the fire and water!" Cixi's words made Cixi very happy.
Since then, the name Lafayette has spread from Wanshou Temple throughout the capital, and the whole country calls Cixi the "Queen Mother Lafayette". Cixi could listen to politics behind the curtain with peace of mind.
Extended information:
The title "Lafayette" is not exclusive and unique to the Empress Dowager Cixi, because all emperors of the Qing Dynasty all called "Lafayette" specially, but Cixi was the only one The Queen Mother known as "Lafayette".
In November 1861, Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) launched a palace coup and implemented the practice of listening to politics behind the curtain, and the palace became known as "Lafayette". As for how the name came about, there are several different theories.
The first is the theory of worshiping Buddha and sitting in meditation.
According to the "Grand View of Unofficial History of the Qing Dynasty": "When Xiao Qin was not in power, he once made Guanyin makeup. He used Li Lianying, the internal eunuch, as a benefactor, and Sister Li as the dragon girl. He used Western methods to take a huge photo, which was hung on the Everyone in the palace calls him Lao Buddha."
Secondly, others added it.
It is said that the title "Lafayette" was given to her by Li Lianying. Cixi was very devout to the Buddha and never stopped chanting sutras and worshiping the Buddha, even when she went out on inspection tours.
There was a lack of rain in Beijing, and all the grains in North China suffered. According to custom, whenever this happens, Cixi and the court officials will pray to Tathagata for rain every day until the rain comes.
This time, it only took three days for rain to come. Li Lianying was very excited and took the opportunity to compliment Cixi, saying that the Queen Mother was really amazing, almost like Buddha. This compliment made Cixi very happy.
From then on, Cixi became Li Lianying's "Lafayette", and she was always called that every time she played a speech. Soon after, the title "Lao Buddha" spread like wildfire, spreading inside and outside the palace, in Beijing and throughout the country.
The third is the theory of self-added emblem
Cai Dongfan said in "The Romance of the Empress Dowager Cixi" that on the 60th birthday of Cixi, "self-added emblem, so that the responsible persons called him Lao Buddha, or call him the ancestor."
The fourth is according to Mongolian custom
Wang Wusheng said in "The Secret History of Shu'an": "In the palace, he is called Lao Buddha, according to Mongolian custom. also".
The above four theories all believe that the title "Lafayette" is exclusive and unique to the Empress Dowager Cixi. This is a misunderstanding. In fact, the title "Lafayette" is not exclusive to the Empress Dowager Cixi, because all emperors of the Qing Dynasty called her "Lafayette" specifically.
It turns out that in addition to their respective temple names, posthumous titles, and honorary titles, emperors in history also had special titles. For example, the emperor of the Song Dynasty had a special title of "Guanjia" and the emperor of the Ming Dynasty had a special title. Called "Master". So what is the special name of the Qing emperor "Lao Buddha"?
This is because the Qing Dynasty was founded by the Jurchen tribe, and the leader of the Jurchen tribe was originally called "Manzhu". "Manzhu" is the transliteration of "Yanzhu" for Buddha, which means "auspiciousness" for Buddha. Therefore, the Jurchen leader has been passed down from generation to generation and is specially called "Manzhu".
Later, the leaders of some prominent families and high-ranking officials were named "Manzhu". Therefore, after the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu "Manzhu" was translated into "Buddha" and became the special title of the emperors of the Qing Dynasty. The Empress Dowager Cixi had a special purpose in letting others call her "Lafayette". She was trying to compare herself to the emperor.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Lafayette
People's Daily Online - Why is Cixi also called "Lafayette"