Li Xi

Li Xi Chinese: 莉熹 (c. 1410 - 1456) was a Chinese scholar-bureaucrat and eunuch of the Ming Dynasty.

Early Life
Li Xi was the youngest son of the early Hui official Li Yu, a Confucian who served in the court of the Jianwen Emperor. Li Yu was one of many convicted of treason during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, and the nine familial exterminations was inflicted upon him in 1419. Li Xi was the only member of the family young enough to be spared. He was, however, castrated and sent to serve in the imperial capitol Beijing.

Li Xi was a servant to the Hongxi Emperor during his short reign, and was educated by Confucian tutors. He soon became a close advisor to his successor, the Xuande Emperor. When the young Zhengtong emperor ascended to power in 1435, Li was one of a small number of high ranking court eunuchs who held a great amount of influence over him.